10 Best Things To Do in Alcúdia, Mallorca

Tucked away from the coastline, Alcúdia Old Town is one of Mallorca’s most historic and charming places to visit. Its story goes all the way back to the Middle Ages, and while many travelers come to the area for the beaches and stay around Port d’Alcúdia, the old town itself is definitely worth exploring.

With its narrow streets, stone walls, local cafés, and historic atmosphere, Alcúdia offers a completely different side of the island beyond the beach.

Two grand medieval gates still guard Alcúdia Old Town: Porta del Moll, also known as Porta de Xara, on the eastern side facing the direction of the port, and Porta de Mallorca, also called Porta de Sant Sebastià, on the western side along the old road toward Palma.

The gates were built in the 14th century under King Jaume II to help protect the town from pirates. Today, walking through them feels a little like stepping back 700 years. For the classic postcard view, head to Porta del Moll and have your camera ready.

Carrer Major is the heart of the old town, a pedestrian street that runs straight between the two main gates. It’s lined with lot’s of little boutiques, craft shops, sweet stores, cafés and tapas bars tucked into stone buildings with green shutters and iron balconies.

Take it slow, peek down the side streets, grab a coffee or ice cream, and soak up that easy small-town Mallorcan rhythm. It’s the best place to feel the soul of the medieval town.

Leave the car outside the walls. The old town is pedestrianized, and since 2026 driving in without a permit can land you a fine of up to €200. There’s free parking around the city walls, just a couple of minutes away on foot.

Plaça de la Constitució is the old town’s main square (located along the same main street, Calle Major) and its social heart. Ringed by cafés and historic facades, and watched over by the Sant Jaume church, it’s made for slowing down. Grab a table in the shade, order a café or Sangria, and watch Alcúdia go about its day. 

It’s also a lively meeting point for both locals and visitors. Throughout the year, the square hosts everything from local celebrations and live music to cultural events, while on market days it transforms into a busy spot filled with colorful stalls.

Even on a quiet day it’s a lovely spot to pause between sights, with the stone arches, the church bells and the smell of fresh coffee in the air.

Once you’ve done the main street, the real magic of Alcúdia is in its quiet corners, away from the typical tourist areas! Carrer de la Quartera and Carrer de la Roca are lined with flower pots, many plants and beautifully restored stone houses. It almost feels like the locals are competing for the prettiest doorway.

Carrer de Sant Jaume and Carrer de Sant Vicenç are also worth a little detour, with their charming façades and peaceful old-town atmosphere. Wander slowly, look up at the green shutters and beautiful balconies, and you’ll have these streets mostly to yourself.

Carrer de la Quartera

Carrer de la Roca

Carrer de Sant Jaume

Carrer de Sant Vicenç

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One of the best things about Alcúdia is that you can actually climb up and walk along its medieval walls. A restored walkway runs for a good stretch of the roughly 1.5 km circuit, with the old stone parapet on one side and views over terracotta rooftops, the church spire and the Tramuntana mountains on the other. It’s free, it’s easy, and it gives you a whole new perspective on the old town.

You can access the old town walls from a couple of different spots in Alcúdia. The first entrance is near Porta de Mallorca: once you walk through the gate into the old town, turn left and after a few steps you’ll find stairs inside one of the towers leading up to the wall. 

Another access point is beside Porta de Vila Roja, the northern gate of the old town. From there, you can walk along the restored section of the walls all the way toward Porta de Mallorca.

The easiest staircase up is near Porta de Mallorca gate. Go early in the morning or around golden hour, both for the soft light and to beat the midday heat, since there’s almost no shade up top.

Right on the edge of the old town, built into the walls themselves, stands the church of Sant Jaume. The original was part of the town’s defenses, and after it collapsed in the 1870s it was rebuilt in the neo-gothic style you see today.

Inside, you can admire the high ribbed vaults, the altarpiece, and several notable artworks and ancient artefacts, including sculptures and paintings. The church isn’t open every day, so it’s best to check the opening hours at the entrance or online before your visit. Even if you don’t go inside, make sure to walk around the outside.

Entry is usually around €1, which also gets you into the small parish museum. It’s generally open mornings, roughly 10 am to 1 pm, and closed to visitors on Sundays.

Every old town deserves a great ice cream stop, and in Alcúdia that’s Xibiu Helados Ecológicos. This little artisan spot makes organic ice cream from natural ingredients, served in bubble waffle cones or even on crunchy edible spoons, so there’s zero waste. It’s the perfect sweet pause halfway through a hot afternoon of wandering the cobbled streets.

You’ll find plenty of ice cream shops along Alcúdia’s main street, but this one feels a little more tucked away and less obvious to most visitors. If you’re looking for a sweet stop that not every tourist knows about, this is the place to go.

Flavors change with whatever’s fresh, so just ask what they recommend that day. It’s a small place tucked into the old town.

After all that history, it’s time for the beach. Playa de Alcúdia is a 3.5 km long stretch of soft golden sand where the water stays shallow and calm for ages, which is exactly why families love it.

It’s a Blue Flag beach with a breezy promenade behind it, and it sits right next to Port d’Alcúdia, the lively marina town full of restaurants, bars and boats heading out to Formentor or across to Menorca. Spend the morning in the old town, the afternoon with your toes in the sand or the other way around.

The old town and the port are only about 2 km apart, a 10 to 15 minute walk or a quick drive. Beach parking fills up fast in summer, so arrive early or come by bike along the flat coastal path.

Alcúdia makes a brilliant base for exploring the north, and the easiest day trip is just up the road in Pollença, about 20 minutes away by car. Its star attraction is the Calvari, a staircase of 365 stone steps lined with cypress trees that climbs from the old town up to a little chapel and a view worth every breath.

Down below, Plaça Major is all cafés and golden stone, and on Sunday mornings a big market fills the square.

If you’ve got a full day, keep going to Cap de Formentor for its famous clifftop viewpoint. Just note that in summer, from mid-May to mid-October, the road is closed to cars during the day, so hop on the shuttle bus from Port d’Alcúdia instead.

Save some energy for the market, because in Alcúdia it’s a proper event. Every Tuesday and Sunday morning the old town fills with hundreds of stalls spilling out of Plaça de la Constitució and down the surrounding lanes.

You’ll find mountains of local fruit, Mallorcan cheeses, olives and wine, alongside ceramics, clothes and souvenirs. It’s one of the biggest and best known markets on the island, so come hungry, bring cash, and give yourself plenty of time to browse.