S'Hort del Rei: A Quiet Palm Oasis in Palma's Old Town

Between Almudaina and Paseo del Born lies a tiny, 700-year-old garden that locals and visitors especially appreciate in the morning or in the evening.

A Small Garden with Great Calm

Sometimes a few steps are enough to leave the city behind. That's how I feel every time I walk down the stairs from Paseo del Born toward Almudaina and step into the shade of S'Hort del Rei. The square is not a park in the sense of kilometer-long stretches of lawn, but an intimate complex: fountains, narrow paths, palms and a few benches that invite conversation or doing nothing.

When Visitors Find the Calm

The most locals I know say the same: in the morning just after nine or late in the evening around 7–8 p.m. is when the garden is at its best. Then the air is still cool, the tourist crowds on the main streets are gone and you can hear the soft splashing of the water basins. A local gardener I once met told me that he usually starts tending to it at six o'clock – small gestures, big impact.

Online travel reviews praise especially the design: terraces, orange trees, acacias and the typical Mallorcan Melia trees create a blend that feels both welcoming and a bit exotic. Many visitors call S'Hort del Rei an "oasis," and yes, that fits quite well – just without over-the-top advertising.

A Bit of History, Not in a Textbook Tone

The complex sits at the foot of the Almudaina Palace and is really a tiny historical chapter: parts of it date back to the Middle Ages, while other elements come from later redesigns. An architect favored terraces here in the early 20th century that recall Moorish garden art, along with Italian influences. The result today feels surprisingly relaxed: not a rigid museum garden, but something you can enter and in which children can wander around curiously without triggering alarms.

What I personally appreciate: you don't have to plan much. Come with comfortable shoes, bring a bottle of water – and sit on one of the narrow stone benches. Read for five minutes, watch a pigeon, leave the traffic outside and feel how the city sounds differently. And yes: a brief pause is worthwhile, whether you live here or are just visiting for a few days on the island.

Practical tip: If you want to take photos, go best right after sunrise or shortly before sunset – the light is soft, the shadows play, and the mood fits the tranquil atmosphere of the garden.