Jardins d'Alfàbia

Walk down the long pergola and the hidden jets are waiting for you: giochi d'acqua, the Renaissance garden trick of catching visitors with a sudden spray, set along the path to the orange grove.

The rest of the garden runs on the same mountain water. There are 18th-century fountains, palms and old trees, and a cistern topped by a semicircular vault that doubles as a viewpoint over the landscape. The 19th-century part loosens up, with a lake thick with water plants.

The house belongs to the visit too. Its Gothic-style rooms lead to underground stables and an old olive press, and the estate goes back to Mallorca's Moorish period, which is where the name Alfàbia comes from.

• Allow one to two hours for the gardens and the house; an audio guide is available.
• The café inside the gardens serves hot and cold drinks and snacks, and there are toilets on site.
• There is no drinking water tap nearby, so bring water or buy drinks at the café.
• Parts of the property show their age, and some paths have been patched with concrete.
• The entrance is not wheelchair accessible, although the car park has accessible spaces.

The gardens stand right beside the Palma–Sóller road, where it runs along the foot of the mountains, so the approach is a drive or a bus ride with almost no walking at the end.

Drivers leave the car in the visitor car park about 76 m away, or on the street nearby; the car park has wheelchair-accessible spaces. By bus, the Jardins d'Alfàbia (Bunyola) stop is about 114 m away, close enough to step off and walk straight in.

Best: a hot summer day, or spring, when the orange grove is in blossom. Shade from the old trees and the running water of the fountains keep the garden cool when the lowlands are baking.

Avoid: starting late in the afternoon. A full visit takes one to two hours, and a late arrival leaves you rushing the house before closing.