Majorca does not have ghost towns in the strict sense of the term — the tourist density and real estate pressure make the complete abandonment of an urban center almost impossible on the most populated island of the Balearics. What Majorca has are specifically Mediterranean types of abandonment: scattered farmhouses in the Serra de Tramuntana emptied by the rural exodus of the 60s-80s, agricultural worker villages (possessions) whose farming activity ceased with the tourism boom, and seasonal bungalow complexes from the 70s frozen between seasons since 2008. Discover the 5 best abandoned villages in Majorca, selected from our Majorca Urbex Map — 60+ verified GPS locations.
Why Majorca Has Unique Types of Rural Abandonment
Majorcan abandonment is not the result of industrial exodus — it is the result of exodus towards tourism: the same workers who left the farmhouses of the Tramuntana and the interior possessions did so to work in the hotels on the south coast. The garrigue vegetation reclaiming the marés stone is the visual symbol of this unique transition.
1. Abandoned Farmhouse of the Tramuntana – Serra de Tramuntana, UNESCO — Dispersed Estate Complex, Rural Exodus 60s–80s, Marés Stone, World Heritage Landscape (Known Location)
The Serra de Tramuntana concentrates the highest density of abandoned scattered farmhouses in Majorca: groups of two or three marés stone estates with a common threshing floor, shared cistern, and rural chapel that functioned as autonomous agricultural units and were emptied when the 60s tourism boom offered better-paid jobs on the south coast. The Majorcan garrigue — rosemary, mastic, Aleppo pine — reclaims the terraces of centuries-old olive trees and dry stone walls at a speed that in 60 years has returned many farmhouses almost completely to the landscape. The UNESCO environment gives these complexes exceptional visual quality.
🔗 Sources: ArchDaily – Empty Architectures Majorca | Atlas Obscura – Majorca
2. Abandoned Possessió – Interior of Majorca — Large Noble Agricultural Estate, 17th–18th Centuries, Rural Chapel, Workers' Quarters, Central Courtyard (Known Location)
The Majorcan possessió — the large noble agricultural estate of the island’s interior — is a unique architectural typology: a group of buildings organized around a central courtyard that includes the main house, workers’ quarters, rural chapel, mill, press, and storage rooms, all made of 17th-18th century marés stone. Several possessions in the Pla de Mallorca and Llevant remain in complete dereliction after agricultural activity ceased — the chapel with images still in place, the press with ceramic jars on the floor, and the empty courtyard reclaimed by vegetation. All GPS coordinates are on our Majorca Urbex Map.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Abandoned Places in Majorca →
3. Abandoned Seasonal Bungalow Complex – Majorca Coast — 70s–80s, Closed by Regulation, Vegetation Reclaiming the Site, Sea View
The first wave of coastal urbanization in Majorca — the 70s-80s — left several low-category seasonal bungalow complexes that were progressively closed by Balearic tourism regulations in the 90s. Several of these complexes on the east and south coast — small seasonal villages with a central street, concrete bungalows, and a communal pool — remain derelict among active zones: Mediterranean vegetation reclaiming the gardens and the sea visible from the last bungalows of the complex. The scale of a "small abandoned seasonal village" is unique in the Majorcan coastal landscape. All GPS coordinates are on our Majorca Urbex Map.
4. Abandoned Working-Class Neighborhood – Palma Outskirts — 50s–70s, Vacant Social Housing, Industrial Periphery, Post-Crisis Dereliction (Exclusive on Our Map)
The outskirts of Palma — the industrial neighborhoods from the 50s-70s built to house migrant workers from inland Majorca and the mainland who arrived during the tourism boom — accumulate several vacant social housing complexes: apartment blocks from the 60s-70s emptied by population displacement and Palma’s gentrification since the 90s. Several of these complexes on the north and east outskirts of Palma remain partially derelict. Exclusive on our Majorca Urbex Map.
5. Depopulated Rural Core – Interior of Majorca — Pla Municipality, Rural Exodus, Closed Houses, Open Church, Minimal Residual Life (Only on Our Map)
Several municipalities in inland Majorca — especially in the Pla de Mallorca — maintain rural cores in an advanced state of depopulation where most houses have been closed for decades although the municipality is not formally abandoned: the parish church open on Sundays, two or three elderly residents, and the rest of the houses closed with rotten wooden shutters. This "slow depopulation" — neither ghost town nor active village — is the abandonment typology most specifically Balearic. GPS on our Majorca Urbex Map.
Safety Tips
- Tramuntana UNESCO Zone: never remove any element from any estate or farmhouse — stones, tiles, wood — penalties are severe under the Historical Heritage Law
- Private possessions: the large interior estates are active private properties even if they seem abandoned — always look for the property boundary before entering
- Tramuntana trails: the GR and PR trails of the Serra are the legitimate access routes to the farmhouses — never leave the marked trail in steep areas
- Never explore alone — always take at least one other person and share your location
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Are there abandoned villages in Majorca?
There are no complete ghost towns in Majorca due to tourist and real estate pressure — but there are scattered farmhouses in the Tramuntana emptied in the 60s-80s, noble possessions with ceased agricultural activity, and seasonal bungalow complexes closed by regulation. Our Majorca Urbex Map covers all types with verified GPS.
How to get to the farmhouses of the Tramuntana?
The best farmhouses of the Tramuntana are accessible via the long-distance GR 221 trails (Ruta de Pedra en Sec) and the short-distance PR trails. Access is on foot from the main towns — Valldemossa (40 min Madrid by AVE + ferry), Deià, and Sóller. Once in the Tramuntana, all farmhouses are less than 2 hours on foot from a car access point.
When is the best time to visit the abandoned villages of Majorca?
Autumn (October–November) for the farmhouses of the Tramuntana — the low light on the golden marés stone and the yellow of the olive trees is the best of the year. Spring (March–May) for the coast and interior — pleasant temperatures and Mediterranean vegetation in bloom among the ruins.
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