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6 places

Things to do in Petra

The Pla de Mallorca: Junípero Serra's home town, wineries, caves and inland cooking.

Petra: the essentials

  1. Junípero Serra's birthplace and museum

    On Carrer Barracar Alt, the house where Junípero Serra was born in 1713 and, next door, the museum about the missions he founded in California, with models and documents. Opening hours are short and in the morning, so ring ahead.

  2. Up to the Bonany hermitage

    A few kilometres from town, the Bonany sanctuary crowns a hill of just over 300 metres. From the terrace you can see almost the whole of the Pla de Mallorca, with the Tramuntana mountains behind. Drive up or walk.

  3. The convent of Sant Bernardí

    Next to the birthplace, the Franciscan convent where Junípero Serra studied as a boy. Its church and cloister, together with the museum, make up the little quarter devoted to the friar.

  4. The church of Sant Pere

    The parish church is enormous for a village of the Pla, with a single nave you can see from the fields all around. Step inside if you catch it open around mass times.

  5. Pa amb oli at Restaurante Stop

    In the centre, a home-cooking bar where cyclists and locals stop. Pa amb oli, dishes of the day and the life of Petra at the counter.

  6. Cova dels Voltors

    An ancient cave used since Talayotic times, with wide views over the countryside. A short walk that pairs well with the climb to Bonany.

  7. Organic produce at Sa Teulera

    A farm on the Manacor road selling organically grown fruit, vegetables and breads made with heritage wheat. A way to take the flavour of the Pla home.

  8. A show at Petra's theatre

    The Sala Gran of the municipal theatre hosts plays, music and films through the year in a historic building in the centre. Check what's on if you're staying nearby.

Petra is a quiet town on the Pla de Mallorca, the central plain, with straight streets and honey-coloured stone houses, best known as the birthplace in 1713 of Friar Junípero Serra, who founded missions in California. On Carrer Barracar you can visit his family home and the museum about his life, next to the convent of Sant Bernardí. A few kilometres away, the Puig de Bonany climbs to the hermitage where he preached before leaving, with one of the best views over the middle of the island.

The countryside around is vineyards, almond trees and cereal fields. The Miquel Oliver winery, on the Santa Margalida road, has made wine here for generations and offers visits by booking. For food, home cooking at Restaurante Stop in the centre or at Es Cruce, the classic roadside stop by Vilafranca; on the Manacor road, the Sa Teulera farm sells organic vegetables. Es Quarter, the municipal theatre, has a programme through the year.

Getting there

Petra is about 40–45 minutes from Palma on the Manacor motorway (Vilafranca exit). SFM trains on the Manacor line stop in Petra: they leave Palma's Estació Intermodal and run via Inca. TIB buses also serve the town. Parking is easy in the streets around the centre.

When to go

There's a market on Wednesday mornings. Spring and autumn are the best seasons for going up to Bonany and visiting wineries; in summer the plain is very hot at midday, so go in the morning or late afternoon. Unlike the coast, Petra doesn't shut down in winter.

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Frequently asked questions

What is there to see in Petra, Mallorca?

Junípero Serra's birthplace and museum, the convent of Sant Bernardí, the church of Sant Pere and the Bonany sanctuary with its views over the Pla. With more time, a local winery on a booked visit and a home-cooked lunch in the centre.

How do you get to Petra by train?

The SFM line from Palma to Manacor stops in Petra. It leaves from the Estació Intermodal at Plaça d'Espanya in Palma and calls at Inca. From the station you can walk into the village centre.

What day is Petra market?

The weekly market is on Wednesday morning. It's small and very much a village affair: fruit, vegetables, clothes and some local produce, and a good excuse for a coffee in the square.

What is there to see near Petra?

Manacor and its pearls, about 15 minutes away; Ariany and Maria de la Salut, quiet villages of the Pla; Sineu, with its big Wednesday market; and Montuïri with its windmills. The coast at Cala Millor or Alcúdia bay is about 30 minutes away.

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