If you come to Palma (the capital of Mallorca) expecting a sleepy beach town, you’ll be disappointed. The 12th-largest city in Spain, Palma is a frenetic metropolis with a beautiful historic core. The upscale main streets of the center are geared toward wealthy tourists, but if you wander through the side streets, you’ll find plaza after plaza of shaded calm. The enormous Catedral and neighboring Palau de l’Almudaina both tower over the waterfront, serving as reminders to beach-goers that this city’s got culture, with monuments ranging from the medieval Castell de Bellver to the artwork of the illustrious former resident Joan Miró. Mallorca is a nice break from Barcelona: it’s a bit less intense, and the number of sights and things to do is more manageable. But that won’t stop you from partying along the shore until 6am, leaving the clubs only as the sun rises over the Catedral.