|
18
-Transport
There are plenty of daily flights between the
Balearic islands and the rest of Europe.
The Islands are situated at 1050 kms from Paris, a
flight lasts approx. 1h50
Air transport
Airline companies which have flights between
Paris and Palma (Mallorca), Mahon (Minorca) and
Ibiza:
Viva Air
Camino de la Escolla 4 - 07012 Palma de
Mallorca
Tel. (71) 717 188 - Fax (71) 718 268
Air Inter
12 rue de Provigny - 94230 Cachan - France
Tel. 01 49 69 53 67 - Fax. 0149 69 53 64
Iberia and Aviaco also have a regular service going
via Barcelona
Aviaco is represented by Iberia
31 avenue Montaigne - 75008 Paris - France
Tel. 01 47 23 01 23, - Fax. 01 47 20 24 98
Maritime transport
The only way to get to Formentera is by
boat.
There are regular services between Palma and
Ciudadela, Mahon and Carbera, Ibiza.
The ferry boat companies are:
Compania Transmediterranea
Avenida Bartolome Vicente Ramon -Ciudad de
Ibiza
Tel. (71) 315150.
Compania Auxiliar de Comercio y Navigacion
(AUCONA)
Muelle Viejo 5 - 7012 Palma de Mallorca,
Tel (71) 226 740
Cruises
You can cruise to the Balearic Islands, leaving
from Genoa in Italy or from the Côte
d'Azur.
Some organized voyages have Morocco as the final
arrival point. The cruises usually last 8 days.
There are short 2 or 4 day cruises from Spain.
Railways
There are two railway lines in Mallorca,
linking Palma to Soller and to Inca.
19 -Time differences
+1 hour GMT
20 - Telecommunications
To phone the Balearic Islands from France : dial 00
34 71 + the number of your correspondent
To call
France from the Islands : dial 07 33 + the number
of your correspondent
Emergency
n°s : Mallorca 91, Ibiza 30 11 31
21 - Airports
The airport of Palma in Mallorca
The airport
of Mahon in Minorca, which is 10 kms away from
Ibiza.
22 - Car rental
Avis
Ibiza - Tel. 971 342 715
Mallorca - Tel. 971 130 788
Minorca - Tel. 971 377 121
All Avis cars
are completely equipped, have done less than 15,000
kms and have an average age of 3 months. The
vehicles are carefully prepared and checked between
each rental using a procedure containing 7
obligatory control points. The cars are rented with
a full tank.
Renting from Avis automatically means that the car
passengers, renter and/or driver are covered by a
third party insurance as well as an insurance
covering repatriation and the immobilization of the
vehicule in case of an accident.
You can
reserve a car :
- from your travel agent
- from the international reservation centre at 0
820 05 05 05
- or from any Avis agency
Avis has an interactive network worldwide, a client
can reserve a car instantly from anywhere in the
world.
We recommend
that you pay your rental using your accredited Avis
card or with another credit card accepted by Avis :
American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Diners.
Through a simple free membership system, Avis gives
identity and/or payment cards, which are a real
help for a rapid and efficient service.
REASSURING :
No on-line payment, you can pay Avis directly at
the agency when you return the car
RAPID : Avis has the quickest car rental
reservation service on the web
ECONOMICAL : The cheapest rates on the market are
available on the Avis microsite
COMPLETE : You can rent a car anywhere in the
world.
The Avis network : 5000 agencies in 172 countries,
is now on-line!
EFFICIENT : Find your town (you don't have to fill
in the country), enter the date and click on
estimate
PRACTICAL : You only have to fill in 4 boxes and
you will receive an e-mail confirming the
reservation.
You can even rent a vehicle at the last minute just
round the corner or ... on the other side of the
world.
23 -
Hotels& restaurants
There are
plenty of good hotels.
The
restaurants in the big hotels are 'international'
type, not really very good.
The water is
brackish and should not be drunk. Only mineral
water is served.
In Palma,
don't miss the Tristan restaurant and the Abaco
bar.
There is a
list of hotels in the Useful Addresses section
(30).
24 - Your suitcase
You need light summer clothing most of the year
with a couple of sweaters and a jacket in the
winter.
25 - Information
Shopping :
The best place to shop is in the old town where
there is plenty of traditional handiwork : leather,
suede, wooden objects, pottery, rope sandals and
painted ornaments.
You can also buy cultured pearls, furniture and
blown glass.
The markets
in Ibiza are renowned for their clothes and bric
à brac.
Shops are
open from 10am to 2pm and from 5pm to
8.30pm.
Gastronomy :
Discover typical Spanish cooking.
You can try the 'sopa majorquina', which is
meat and vegetables, the 'tumbar' of
vegetables or fish soup the
'caerderetta'.
The Ibizan specialities are the 'arroz
marinero' : rice and fish with garlic croutons,
cheese cake 'flao' and all different kinds
of fish.
Different kinds of hams and sausages are the
'sobresada', botiffaro',
'lomo' or the 'serrano ham'.
There are
some good Spanish wines as well as local liqueurs
like the 'Palo' from Mallorca which is
bitter, and the 'Hierbas ibicencas', which
tastes of liquorice.
26 - Banks
Banks are generally open from 9am to 2pm on
weekdays and on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm
28 - Guides
Books
- Winter in Mallorca (Georges Sand)
- Los Muertos Mandan (Blasco Ibanez)
- Big cemeteries under the moon (Georges
Bernanos)
- La Muerte de una Dama (Vilalonga)
- Letters from Mallorca (Ramo Lull)
- Claudio (Robert Graves)
- Las Baleares (Baltazar Porcel)
- Mallorca (Hanes Maier)
- More (film by Barbet Shroeder) filmed in
Ibiza
Newpapers
and magazines in Spanish
ABC (daily)
Avenida de America 124 - 28027 Madrid
Cambio 16
Hermanos Garcia Noblejas 41 -28037 Madrid
Diez Minutos (weekly)
Santa Engracia 23 - 28010 Madrid
Hola (weekly)
Miguel Angel 1, 1° -28028 Madrid
El Pais (daily)
Miguel Yuste 40 -28037 Madrid
29 - Observations
Tourism
The Balearic
Islands are Spain in the Mediterranean, with sun,
white sand, palm trees and plenty of time for
leisure activities.
Mallorca, which is the biggest among the Balearic
islands, named by the Romans, has a very mild
climate. It is also known as the "island of trees"
due to the number of almond trees which cover it.
In order to appreciate Mallorca, apart from the
beaches, go inland where unexpected scenery and the
traditional hospitality of its inhabitants awaits
the visitor. Going down the Calobra, the landscapes
of Cape Formentor and the visit to the Monastery of
Valldenoso, are all moments of intense emotion.
Mallorca is extremely well organized for tourism,
both for individuals and groups.
Things to do :
- swimming and various sea sports
- horse riding (there are ranches, particularly in
Palma)
- go to folkloric corridas in Palma, on Sundays
during the summer
- visit Marineland
- shows in the evening : Spanish ballet,
flamenco
- visit the almond plantations
To visit :
- Palma town, the cathedral and the Bellver
castle
- the sea grottos of Drach near Porto Cristo - the
cala of the Calobra - the Pareis torrent
- the Monastery of Lluch, Inca
- the monastery and the pharmacy of Valldemose -
the convent Our Lady of Cura - the Labourage
museum
- the vestiges of Talayot - the monastery of San
Salvador - manacor - the grottos of Arta - the
ruins of Polensa
Ibiza, the African province, reminds one of North
Africa with its arid and wild nature, its
morias and its citrus tree plantations.
Pirates used to come to this island and moor their
boats in the rocky coves of Es Calo. You can take a
yacht around the island, stopping to dive.
To see :
- the citadel looking over the old town
- the painting galeries
- the fortified churches
Formentera
: the Mola road
Minorca - the ciutadella, the
calas (creeks) on the south western
coast
Cabrera has stayed secret and wild, with
hardly any developement.
|
