Cape Formentor and watchtower in Mallorca. Cape Formentor in Mallorca - how to get there, photos and videos Other beaches of Mallorca
Today we will visit, in my opinion, the most beautiful place Mallorca, and possibly all of Spain - the Cape Formentor peninsula.
And of course we admire the views of the island and the sea.
Separately next to the peninsula, protruding from the water, is Mount El Colomer, which is why the site received the name of the same name.
Formentor, Mallorca.
After the observation deck we go to the lighthouse 260 meters above sea level; on a clear day you can even see Menorca from the lighthouse.
The road to the lighthouse goes through the Formentor hotel and a tunnel in the mountain, which delighted the children.
At the Formentor lighthouse, also popularly called the Cape of the Meeting of the Winds, parking is small and free. During rush hour parking is a bit difficult. There is a cafe in the lighthouse itself.
The road to the cape, as well as the most famous road in Mallorca, La Colobra, was designed by the Italian architect Antonio Paretti. To implement his plans, some of the rocks were removed, and in other places embankments were made from these removals. The lighthouse itself was built in 1892.
There is a line of parked cars along the road about 150 meters from the lighthouse.
We are already on the 3rd day on the island, and from today we rent a car and decide to start small: go to the opposite part of the island of Mallorca: to Cape Formentor. 🙂
But that will come a little later. And in the morning, as usual, we have breakfast and water and solar treatments on the beach of our hotel.
At 11 o'clock the owner of the rental office should come to us to draw up a rental agreement with us and give us the keys and the car. Details of car rental in Mallorca and, in particular, in Magaluf are described in detail in.
And here I will briefly repeat that renting a car cost us 200E for 8 days or 25E per day). This is with full insurance.
11.55. So we became the owners of a blue Fiat Panda. Mileage 61361 km.
Well, now you can hit the road! Having wandered a little around our Magaluf and neighboring Palma Nova, we get onto the highway. In the Palma area we are unable to bypass the city and end up directly in the capital of the island, Palma de Mallorca.
We decide to take a short car excursion along the embankment. We admire the port and huge ships. After some time, we leave the city, find the right road and head towards Formentor.
What to feed Panda?
But here an unexpected problem arises. We were given the car with an almost empty tank, and very soon she began to complain about the lack of gasoline. But along the highway we could not find a single (!) gas station.
12.50. We're passing by Inca city. We decide to leave the highway in the hope that we can find a gas station in the city. Our intuition was correct: right at the entrance we were able to feed our Panda. Well, at the same time, myself: there was a supermarket nearby. 🙂
13.30. After Inca we decide to turn to Pollenca, and from there we go to Formetor. All the way we are touched by such calm and harmonious rural landscapes. Everything around is green, everything pleases the eye.
Mirador del Colomer observation deck
14.05. We drove up to the Formentor observation deck.
Beautiful steep cliffs about 300 meters high, blue deep sea.
Occasionally boats sail along the sea surface.
The panoramas are wonderful. Each frame can be printed immediately.
Everything is very beautiful. But somehow there is no feeling of delight and flight, as many reviews say. Perhaps this is some kind of personal condition. Maybe on the first day we were not yet fully prepared to relax...
There are many tourist buses in the small parking lot, their passengers scurrying back and forth. And I want peace and quiet. We decide that it is the tourist crowds that are preventing us from enjoying nature.
Near the parking lot we notice a small narrow road leading somewhere upward. We ask the Russian guide where it leads. He answers that to some ancient watchtower. You can see it from the parking lot; it seems very small and very far away.
Ancient watchtower
14.45. We decide to climb up a small serpentine road to the watchtower. Along the way, equally impressive views open up from the other side of Cape Formentor.
There are very few people at the top. We go up to the ancient tower Talaia d'Albercutx, on which it is written that it was built in the 16th century.
The path is not easy: the path leads along large boulders, and there are also sharp stones underfoot. But the goal ahead allows you not to think about obstacles.
Up close, the tower turns out to be simply huge! It has metal handrails. I decide to climb up.
It's unexpectedly cool inside and has amazing acoustics. I rise even higher, to the very top. This is the height! 390 meters above sea level. From here you have an amazing view of all the surroundings below. Silence, only the sound of the wind can be heard...
Some kind of military base, although it looks more like a UFO landing site. 🙂
And the view of Cape Formentor from here is more grandiose.
There, down there, the very tiny one observation deck, which was crowded with numerous tourists. It’s amazing that even from there there was a feeling of great height above the sea. And from the Watchtower it seems that you are simply watching everything from space.
- This lighthouse at Cape Formentor (Formentor). But why is it that a small, nondescript building with a lighthouse, which, like many other lighthouses, has now lost its navigational functionality, attracts tourists so much?
It turns out that the most interesting thing is not the final destination ( lighthouse), namely the journey to it.
The road to the lighthouse is about 13 kilometers (but no need for superstitions) of a narrow and winding mountain road. And in front of the lighthouse itself, the route completely turns into a serpentine.
Tourist buses do not go along this road - they only go to the first observation deck (), so you can only get to the lighthouse either by car, by bicycle, or on foot (but this is only for those who like long walks).
The road was paved in the 1930s under the direction of Antonio Paretti. In honor of this talented Italian engineer, a unique monument was erected at the Mirador del Mal Pas observation deck. Already at this observation deck you will be enchanted by the breathtaking panoramic views.
There are some great photos to be taken here, which are likely to look very similar to those in most Mallorca guidebooks.
Looking at the beautiful landscape around you, you can notice a small tower on the mountain - this is another observation deck with a defensive structure built in the 16th century. There is a separate road leading to this watchtower.
And if you pluck up the courage to look down from the cliff,
then you will see this picture:
But be careful: the heights can make you dizzy!
From the observation deck to the lighthouse, you will enjoy scenic views, of course, if you are not driving, because the driver will have to focus all his attention on the winding narrow road.
Probably the most interesting part of the route is a small tunnel that looks almost like a natural passage through the rock.
Having reached the lighthouse, you can relax after a difficult journey and have a snack in the cafe, which is located in the lighthouse building itself.
The lighthouse was built in 1863. Construction lasted about 6 years due to the inaccessibility of the location: the lighthouse is the northernmost point of the island, and the altitude of the site on which it stands is approximately 210 meters above sea level.
Nowadays, the lighthouse operates autonomously without maintenance personnel. Now it has lost its importance as a navigational landmark, but when you look at it, some romantic images arise in your thoughts. This is how it happens: there is no functionality, but the romance remains.
The lighthouse observation deck offers magnificent views: Mediterranean Sea, receding into the distance towards the horizon, or majestic rocks islands, you can even see the neighboring one Menorca island.
A trip to the lighthouse can be combined with a visit to one of Mallorca's most famous beaches. Formentor Beach, located next to the famous hotel of the same name, is famous for its fine white sand and crystal clear calm waters.
How to get to the lighthouse on Cape Formentor in Mallorca
(Lighthouse of Cap de Formentor)?
First you need to get to the city Port de Pollensa (Port de Pollenca), and then the pointers " Formentor"will lead you onto the road ( PM-221) to the lighthouse. The intermediate landmark between the city and the lighthouse will be observation deck.
Formentor lighthouse on the map of Mallorca
Video Lighthouse Formentor - Mallorca
Travel from A to Z:
Cape Formentor in Mallorca is one of the most popular places. It is a narrow ribbon peninsula located in the very north of the island.
To get to the cape, you need to move towards a town called Port Pollensa, from where you climb steeply three hundred meters higher to the cliffs of Formentor.
The length of the connecting thread, which is the road between the end of the cape and the port of Pollensa, is 12 kilometers. A trip along it is akin to an attraction, caution is paramount! But ahead of the Formentora observatory and gorgeous views, opening from them.
First site for review is equipped right on the way, you can’t miss it. Tourist buses often only reach this point, since further travel is only possible by car - the area is too narrow. So, if you want to see the lighthouse closer, you need to think about the vehicle in advance.
Next observation deck located even higher, near the ancient watchtower. The road leads to it immediately from the first observatory. And it's pretty cool! This ride is breathtaking. But the panorama from here is even more beautiful. Due to the fact that each subsequent platform is slightly higher above sea level, a feeling of soaring occurs. The opposite side of Formentor appears, together with the Gulf of Pollensa, enclosed between the already mentioned Formentor and Cape Alcudia, visible in the distance. The well-known beach of the same name on the cape, one of the cleanest in the world, is also within reach.
On the shore Formentor beach, famous for its environmental friendliness and absence of waves, a luxurious hotel was built, named, oddly enough, “Formentor”. Celebrities visited it at one time, including Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. Politicians also loved this place: Gorbachev, Churchill, Jacques Chirac.
By the way, to watchtower at the second platform you can climb a path with stone steps. Moreover, no one will forbid you to see what’s inside ancient building. From here you can look (if your head doesn’t spin) at the first platform, on which people will seem only like small dots!
More tourists await Formentor lighthouse, the most extreme point peninsula. The road that previously seemed narrow is now perceived as a wide avenue, because the one that leads directly to the lighthouse looks more like a path. It is problematic for two cars to pass each other. And ahead there are 8 kilometers of serpentine roads and even one tunnel.
Having finally reached the lighthouse, you can refresh yourself in the cafe located here. And then take a look at the opening views. Stone steps are visible along the road; perhaps the road to the lighthouse was once there. By the way, on Formentor a lot of interesting living creatures! Seagulls soar, cute mountain goats and fluffy Spanish cats run around.
Directly from the lighthouse you can go down to Formentor beach and cool off in the sea ​​water. And also admire the five-star hotel mentioned above. Formentor, strewn with sand, is not wide, and the air here is thoroughly saturated with the amazing aroma of pine needles.
