PALMA · NEIGHBOURHOOD
Santa Catalina in Palma: market, windmills and walks
IN SHORT
Santa Catalina is a neighbourhood west of Palma’s centre that grew up as a suburb outside the old city wall. At its heart is the Mercat de Santa Catalina, open Monday to Saturday, with the stalls trading from 7:00 to 15:00. The neighbourhood includes Es Jonquet with its old windmills, protected as a Bé d’Interès Cultural (listed heritage site) since 2009.
AI-assisted translation of the German original (16 October 2026). Read the German original
At a glance
- Location
- Palma, a suburb outside the former city wall on the old road to Portopí; Es Jonquet sits above the Passeig MarítimSource ↗
- Market hall
- Mercat de Santa Catalina, Plaça de la Navegació: Mon to Sat, stalls 7:00 to 15:00, bars and food 7:00 to 17:00, fish stalls closed on MondaysSource ↗
- Street market
- Carrer de Soler: Tuesdays and Saturdays 8:00 to 14:00Source ↗
- Bus (EMT)
- Stop Àrea d’intercanvi Santa Catalina (Carrer Caro): lines 4, 5, 7, 20, 40, 46, 47, at night N4Source ↗
- From the airport
- Line A1 to passeig Mallorca, Jaume III, around 25 min according to the timetable, then around 250 m as the crow flies to the Santa Catalina interchangeSource ↗
- Best time
- Mornings from Monday to Saturday, when the market is open. The market hall is closed on SundaysSource ↗
- Who it suits
- You, if you like markets, food and strolling through a residential neighbourhood
SOFIA’S TIPS
What I’d tell you.
Come in the morning. According to the operator, the market stalls close at 15:00 and the bars in the hall at 17:00.
On Mondays, better not plan on fish: the fish stalls are closed.
On Tuesdays and Saturdays the street market in Carrer de Soler, right next to the hall, is worth a look.
Walk the few steps over to Es Jonquet. The windmills stand where the cliff once dropped down to the sea.
People live here. In the narrow lanes of Es Jonquet you are a guest, so keep it especially quiet in the evening.
From suburb to neighbourhood
According to the official city chronicler, after 1229 the only thing here at first was the road west out of the city to Portopí. Around 1343 the merchant Ramon de Salelles founded the Hospital de Santa Catalina. It gave its name to the new suburb outside the walls. The first windmills of Es Jonquet are recorded in the same century.
Es Jonquet was home mainly to seafarers, along with millers and rope makers. The lanes branch off Carrer de Sant Magí, narrow and irregular, with small squares. This layout has survived to this day. In 2009 Es Jonquet was declared a Bé d’Interès Cultural (listed heritage site).
Source: Ajuntament de Palma: Cròniques de Palma, Bartomeu Bestard, Cronista oficial (2011), chapter Santa Catalina and es Jonquet, checked on 3 October 2026
Market hall and street market
The Mercat de Santa Catalina is a municipal market hall with fresh produce, meat, cheese, fruit, vegetables, flowers and bars. The operator calls it the “Mercado municipal decano de Palma”. The general opening hours apply to the hall; individual stalls may differ.
Next to the hall, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, the street market in Carrer de Soler sells clothing, accessories and gifts. If market day falls on a public holiday, according to the Ajuntament it takes place on the working day before.
- Market hall: Mon to Sat, stalls 7:00 to 15:00, bars and food 7:00 to 17:00, fish closed on Mondays, closed on Sundays.
- Carrer de Soler: Tue and Sat, 8:00 to 14:00, all year round.
Source: Mercat de Santa Catalina (operator): Horario general, checked on 3 October 2026 · Ajuntament de Palma: Mercado de Santa Catalina, checked on 22 September 2026 · Ajuntament de Palma: Mercado Santa Catalina, Calle Soler, checked on 3 October 2026 · Ajuntament de Palma: Mercados temporales no artesanales (public holiday rule), checked on 3 October 2026
Es Jonquet and the windmills
On old maps the chronicler counts up to nine windmills above the cliff of Es Jonquet. The name refers to a place where rushes grow. According to the Ajuntament, the Molí d’en Garleta is one of five windmills that survive in this area; for decades it housed the Museu dels Molins. The city’s Junta de Govern has approved an agreement with the Consell de Mallorca on its restoration.
Source: Ajuntament de Palma: Cròniques de Palma, Bartomeu Bestard, Cronista oficial (2011), chapter Santa Catalina and es Jonquet, checked on 3 October 2026 · Ajuntament de Palma: agreement on restoring the windmills d’en Garleta and Son Parera, checked on 3 October 2026
Getting there without a car
The details come from the EMT Palma scheduled timetables (retrieved 1 October 2026), not real time. For the street market the city also lists line 29.
- Àrea d’intercanvi Santa Catalina (Carrer Caro): lines 4, 5, 7, 20, 40, 46, 47 and night line N4.
- Comte de Barcelona, Santa Catalina: lines 4, 5, 40, 46, 47.
- From the airport: line A1 to passeig Mallorca, Jaume III (around 25 min), then on foot.
- On to El Terreno and the Castell de Bellver: lines 4 and 46 from Comte de Barcelona, Santa Catalina to pl. Gomila.
Source: EMT Palma: lines and timetables (Open Data), checked on 3 October 2026 · Ajuntament de Palma: Mercado Santa Catalina, Calle Soler, checked on 3 October 2026
QUICK ANSWERS
Frequently asked questions
When is the Mercat de Santa Catalina open?
Monday to Saturday. According to the operator, the stalls trade from 7:00 to 15:00 and the bars and food from 7:00 to 17:00. The fish stalls are closed on Mondays, and the hall is closed on Sundays.
When is the street market in Santa Catalina?
Tuesdays and Saturdays from 8:00 to 14:00 in Carrer de Soler, all year round. If it falls on a public holiday, according to the Ajuntament it moves to the working day before.
How do I get from the airport to Santa Catalina?
Take EMT line A1 to the passeig Mallorca, Jaume III stop, around 25 minutes according to the timetable. From there it is around 250 metres as the crow flies to the Santa Catalina interchange.
Where does Santa Catalina get its name?
From the Hospital de Santa Catalina, founded by the merchant Ramon de Salelles around 1343. It gave its name to the suburb outside the walls.
What is Es Jonquet?
A part of Santa Catalina since its beginnings, above the Passeig Marítim, once home mainly to seafarers, with surviving windmills. Es Jonquet has been a Bé d’Interès Cultural (listed heritage site) since 2009.
HOW TO READ THIS
Sources, not hearsay.
Every detail on this page comes from one of these sources. Timetables, opening hours and market rules can change. The body concerned always has the final word.
- Ajuntament de Palma: Cròniques de Palma, Bartomeu Bestard, Cronista oficial (2011), chapter Santa Catalina and es Jonquet www.palma.es · checked on 3 October 2026
- Ajuntament de Palma: agreement on restoring the windmills d’en Garleta and Son Parera noticies.palma.es · checked on 3 October 2026
- Mercat de Santa Catalina (operator): Horario general mercatdesantacatalina.com · checked on 3 October 2026
- Ajuntament de Palma: Mercado de Santa Catalina www.palma.es · checked on 22 September 2026
- Ajuntament de Palma: Mercado Santa Catalina, Calle Soler www.palma.es · checked on 3 October 2026
- Ajuntament de Palma: Mercados temporales no artesanales (public holiday rule) www.palma.es · checked on 3 October 2026
- EMT Palma: lines and timetables (Open Data) www.emtpalma.cat · checked on 3 October 2026
Tips or corrections: [email protected]
Image credits
Real photos from Wikimedia Commons under free licences, resized for this page and saved as WebP.
- Mercat de Santa Catalina (photo 2013, taken outside opening hours): Chixoy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Windmills of Es Jonquet (photo 2009): Chixoy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Carrer de Soler in Santa Catalina (photo 2009): Chixoy, CC BY-SA 3.0