Palma Cathedral, known in Mallorca as La Seu, is the huge Gothic church on the old sea wall of Palma, with one of the largest rose windows in the Gothic world and later work inside by Antoni Gaudí and Miquel Barceló. A cathedral ticket costs €11 for adults (€9 over 65) and €25 with a guided climb onto the roof terraces. It opens Monday to Saturday for visits, from 10:00 to 17:15 on weekdays from April to November, and is reserved for worship on Sundays (as of October 2026).
Right now in Palma Cathedral
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- Mon 12 Oct National Day of Spain (Fiesta Nacional de España)
Tickets and tours for Palma Cathedral
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What it is and why it matters
Work began after King James I of Aragon took Mallorca in 1229, on the site of the city’s main mosque, and went on for centuries; the building was largely finished in the early 17th century. Seen from the bay, its golden sandstone walls and forest of buttresses rise straight above the old sea wall and the Parc de la Mar lake, the classic view of Palma.
Inside, the nave soars to about 44 metres, among the tallest in Gothic Europe, and the light is the point. In the early 20th century Antoni Gaudí spent a decade (1904–1914) reworking the interior: he moved the choir, opened up the space and hung the great canopy over the main altar. A century later the Mallorcan artist Miquel Barceló covered the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament with a rippling ceramic wall of fish, fruit and loaves, finished in 2007. For the city and island, see our Mallorca travel guide.
What you’ll see
The rose windows and the light
The main rose window above the altar, nearly 13 metres across, is nicknamed the “Gothic eye”. On sunny mornings, sunlight through the stained glass throws coloured patches across the nave. Twice a year, around 2 February and 11 November, the low winter sun projects the great rose window onto the wall below the opposite window, the “festival of light” that draws crowds shortly after sunrise.
Gaudí’s canopy and Barceló’s chapel
Gaudí’s baldachin over the high altar is an unfinished crown of wrought iron, lamps and cloth. Nearby, Barceló’s chapel is the cathedral’s most daring modern work, loved and argued over in equal measure.
The terraces
On the guided terrace visit you climb spiral stairs up to the roofs, walking among the buttresses and pinnacles with views across the bay, the old town and the Tramuntana mountains.
Tickets and opening hours (as of October 2026)
- Cathedral: €11 adults, €9 over 65, €8 preferential rate. April to November, Monday to Friday 10:00–17:15; December to March, Monday to Friday 10:00–15:15; Saturdays 10:00–14:15 all year.
- Cathedral and terraces: €25 (Balearic residents €8), guided, about an hour, starting every 30 minutes: Monday to Friday 10:00–16:30, Saturdays 10:00–13:30. Guides say children under 9 can’t go up.
- Terraces at sunset: €30, on set evenings between about 19:00 and 20:30 depending on the month, in Spanish, Catalan or English.
- Cathedral, Museum of Sacred Art and audio guide: €16.
- Free: on Fridays for Balearic residents and people born in the islands.
- Sundays and religious holidays: no tourist visits; you may attend Mass.
- Book on the cathedral’s website, catedraldemallorca.org, to choose a terrace time and skip the ticket queue.
Getting there
The cathedral stands at the southern edge of Palma’s old town, about 20 minutes’ walk from Plaça d’Espanya, where TIB buses and the Sóller train arrive. From the airport, EMT bus A1 runs to central Palma. Drivers should use the underground car parks along the seafront rather than the narrow old-town streets.
When to go and how long to allow
Allow an hour inside, and another hour for the terraces. Come at opening time or in the last hours of the afternoon: mid-morning is busiest, above all when several cruise ships are in port. A sunny morning gives the best colours through the glass. In summer, the sea-wall promenade below is lovely at sunset, when the stone glows gold.
Visiting tips
- Dress respectfully: it is a working church.
- The terraces involve narrow spiral stairs and heights, so they don’t suit everyone.
- Hours change for services and events; check the cathedral’s notices before you go.
- No ticket is needed to walk around the outside, the sea wall and the Parc de la Mar.
Combine it with
Opposite the cathedral stands the Almudaina, the old royal palace, and behind it the lanes of the old town. Walk west along the seafront to the Santa Catalina food district, or take the bus up to Bellver Castle for sunset over the bay. Next day, ride the Sóller train into the Serra de Tramuntana, or head east to the Coves del Drach. For a different cathedral city, see Seville, home to the largest Gothic cathedral of all.
Palma Cathedral FAQ
How much does it cost to visit Palma Cathedral?
€11 for adults, €9 over 65 and €8 at the preferential rate; €25 with the guided terrace visit (as of October 2026). Balearic residents enter free on Fridays.
Is Palma Cathedral open on Sundays?
Not for tourist visits. On Sundays and religious holidays it is open only for worship.
Is the terrace visit at Palma Cathedral worth it?
Yes, if you are happy with spiral stairs: you walk among the buttresses and pinnacles with views over the bay and old town. Visits last about an hour and leave every 30 minutes.
When can you see the light show at Palma Cathedral?
Around 2 February and 11 November, just after sunrise, when the sun projects the great rose window onto the wall beneath the opposite window. Arrive early: crowds come.
Did Gaudí work on Palma Cathedral?
Yes. From 1904 to 1914 he reorganised the interior, moved the choir and designed the canopy over the main altar, which he left unfinished.
Sources
Researched and last reviewed by TravelerCenter on 4 October 2026. Prices, hours and the terrace visits come from the cathedral’s own website (catedraldemallorca.org), read through search because the site blocks automated access; Gaudí, Barceló, the rose window and the light show from guides and standard references. Hours change for services, so check the cathedral’s site before you go.
Data: Weather: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0) · Rates: ECB · Holidays: Nager.Date · Costs: World Bank ICP and price levels · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODBL) · Wikidata (CC0)