Inca lies halfway up the motorway between Palma and Alcudia, almost at the centre of the island and at the foot of the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range. Inca is Mallorca’s third-largest town, best known as the “city of leather” owing to a lengthy history of leather making that continues nowadays. The town is steeped in history and, while not as pretty as some of the other towns on the island, features some lovely architecture. The local market taking place every Thursday is one of its main tourist attractions, otherwise, it remains a sleepy local town. There’s also a good number of boutique and high-street fashion shops, cafes and a selection of well-known celler restaurants worth exploring.
Inca has its place in Mallorca’s early history as the home to several Talayotic settlements which were inhabited way back before the Romans occupied the island. During the Islamic period, the town was known as “Inkan” and, from this time some traces remain such as the “sinies” and the “ganats” or “foggara”, different systems employed by the Arabs to draw underground water.
Inca and its surrounding area were mass producers of wine between the 17th and 19th centuries but the plague of phylloxera destroyed the industry. This is when its residents focused on tanning and leather craftsmanship. With the implementation of the rail system and a gas factory, this industry boomed.
Inca’s quite a mish-mash of architecture and, while it isn’t the most beautiful town on the island, there are a few buildings and other sights and attractions of interest to culture vultures visiting the area. The churches are the main attraction, particularly the Baroque-style parish church of Santa Maria Maggiore which was originally built in the year 1248. Other historical places of interest in the municipality of Inca, equally Baroque, are the Convento Dominicano de Santo Domingo, the Church of San Francisco and its cloister, the Puig de Santa Magdalena and the Convento de Sant Bartomeu.
Inca is a year-round destination. The town and its surrounding villages provide an attractive base for those keen to immerse themselves in some genuine Mallorcan culture as well as those who like to indulge in outdoor pursuits. If you looking for things to do in Inca- here is some. You should definitely try wine tasting. To the south of Inca are hectares of vineyards belonging to the Binissalem appellation, as well as plenty of bodegas open to visitors where you can arrange tastings and tours by appointment. After that you can go hiking, cycling or shopping. Leather is the word in Inca. You will find leather shops littering the town, while Thursday’s market offers lots of options of varying quality with some bargains to be had.
