Majestically located on the broad, beautiful Bay of Palma, the city of Palma is the economic, political and commercial capital of the Balearic Islands, and home to nearly half of the inhabitants of Mallorca.

In recent years, Palma has become a popular holiday venue in its own right, rather than simply a stop-over for package holidaymakers en route to the island's many beach resorts.

Over the past decade, it has shed its image of dusty provincialism, thanks to its increasingly cosmopolitan atmosphere, its magnificent palaces, avant-garde galleries and museums, a thriving cultural scene and an ever-growing number of chic boutiques, designer hotels and trendy bars, nightclubs and restaurants.

Yet at the same time, this vibrant, youthful city has carefully maintained the balance between traditional and modern.

The city has retained much of its ancient charm: there are still plenty of traditional restaurants, locals' bars and pavement cafes in which to while away the hours; the fishermen still mend their nets by hand on the harbour's edge; the traditional island crafts of glass-blowing, lace-making and olive-wood carving still exist in the small specialist shops of the backstreets; and it is still easy to get lost in the maze of beautiful ancient alleyways and hidden sun-baked squares of the old town. There is no denying, Palma offers something for everyone, and its future looks bright indeed.