Your Ultimate Guide to Mallorca

Mallorca has always been a top vacation destination among Europeans, but now with social media and the popular TV show Love Island, people from all over the world are coming to Spain to visit the beautiful island. Mallorca is part of the Balearic Islands, which is made up of 4 islands (Ibiza, Menorca, Formentera and Mallorca). Whether you’re looking for sun-kissed beaches, mountain landscapes, picturesque villages or delicious Spanish / Mediterranean cuisine, the island offers something for every traveler. In this Mallorca travel guide, I will share with you everything you need to know before embarking on this memorable vacation. I share the best restaurants to dine at, picturesque beaches, where to stay on the island, tips to know, and more! Enjoy!

Table of Contents:

Getting there
Best time to go
How long do I need in Mallorca?
Where to stay
How to get around
What to do
Beaches to visit
Where to eat
Tips to know before visiting
Pros and cons
Overall thoughts

Getting there:

The only airport in Mallorca is located in Palma. Once arriving at the airport, you can pick up your rental car and make your way to your hotel.

If you decide to go without a rental car, although I strongly suggest having one, you will find taxis and buses right outside of the airport. The bus will take you directly to the city center of Palma (if that is where you are staying) and only costs around 4 euros.

Best time to go:

The main attractions of Mallorca are the beautiful beaches, crystal clear water and overall atmosphere in the summer! I suggest going in the summer months between May and September. Of course, if you go in July and August, it will be far more crowded, but you’ll have almost guaranteed weather. Our trip took place in July and although beaches were very crowded, we found that if you arrive early and book dinner reservations in advance it was no issue at all.

How long do I need in Mallorca?

With as many beautiful beaches, picturesque villages, amazing restaurants and things to do on the island, you don’t want to feel rushed. We spent 4 nights in Mallorca, and definitely did not see everything we would have liked to. I suggest at least one week on the island to venture to each part and visit multiple beaches. If you decide to stay in one location the whole time, but want to see most of the island, you will spend a lot of time driving. Therefore, that will cut into a large part of your trip. I suggest spending 4 nights in Palma or Soler to explore the northern and southern part of the island, then staying on the east side of Mallorca for 2-3 nights.

Where to stay:

This is very dependent on what you are looking for in your vacation. We opted to stay in the town of Alcudia, to get away from the mayhem of Palma. Alcudia is on the east side of the island and about a 45-minute drive from Palma.

If you don’t have a rental car, staying in Palma will be your easiest option, as this is where the airport is, and you’ll find lots to do. Also, if you are looking for a party atmosphere and plan to go out a lot while in Mallorca, I would also suggest staying in Palma.

The southern part of Mallorca offers many great beaches.

The northern part of Mallorca offers beautiful hilly views, hiking, biking and many high-end restaurants.

*Sorted by towns, here are my hotel recommendations for every budget! Based on rating, location and amenities*

PALMA:

Hotel Cappuccino – Palma, Palma de Mallorca

SOLLER:

CALA D’OR:

ALCUDIA:

How to get around:

Like I previously mentioned, I cannot recommend a rental car enough! Mallorca offers so many amazing beaches and picturesque towns, but they are completely spread throughout the island. We stayed in Alcudia as our “home base” and spent anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours each way driving to different beaches every day. This would’ve been very difficult to see as much as we did without a car. If you plan on coming to Mallorca and using it as a nice relaxing vacation and visiting the same beach every day, you could, of course, get away without having a car.

What to do:

Visit a beach!
Visit the towns of Soller and Valldemossa
Wander through Palma
Visit the city walls / Cathedral of Palma
Go to Mirador de sa Foradada for sunset and a drink
Far de la Mola (the lighthouse)
Walk along Puerto Portals and / or have dinner here
Castillo de Bellver for views of Palma
Llotja de Palma (historical landmark)
Walk along Paseo Maritimo (the promenade)
Visit Plaza Espana
Take a boat to the island of Cabrera
Visit an outdoor market. There are several throughout the island, so depending on where you’re visiting and what day of the week it is- you’ll be able to find one. Check here for their list of markets!

Beaches to visit:

NEAR PALMA:

Playa del Mago: About a 20–30-minute drive from the center of Palma.

SOUTHERN MALLORCA:

Calo des Moro: A beautiful sandy beach and one of the most popular. The beach itself is small and gets very crowded, so get here early or come on a weekday to assure a spot.

Cala s’almunia: A 5-minute walk from Calo des Moro is this beach, so it’s easy to visit both in the same day. This beach does not have sand, so expect to lay your towel down over rocks. Definitely worth visiting for the views!

Cala Marmols: If you’re looking for a less crowded beach and willing to walk for a while, Cala Marmols is worth the visit. You can park your car at the lighthouse of Las Salinas and from here you will have just over an hour walk.

Es Carbo: You can park your car in Colonia de Sant Jordi and from here you will have about a 25-minute walk until you reach Es Carbo. After a storm, this beach can be known for getting covered in seaweed build up, but the beach is deep enough that you’ll have a spot to lie in the sand.

Cala llombards: A beautiful beach in a cove.

NORTHERN MALLORCA:

Sa Calobra: Another very popular beach to visit. It can get crowded, but its big enough that you’ll find a spot to lay. The beach itself is rocky, but beautiful and worth the visit. There is a parking lot nearby that is inexpensive and from here you’ll have about a 10–15-minute walk. The drive to this beach is pretty crazy, as the roads are very long and windy. Something to beware of if you get car sick. Click here to see images of the road to get there!

Playa de Formentor: You can arrive here by car or park at the port of Pollença and take a boat. Be sure to visit the lighthouse as well if you are visiting this beach!

Cala Deia: This very rocky beach isn’t one that I recommend spending the day at due to the fact that it is hard to get in and out of the water and not much room to lay. What I do recommend is coming here for lunch. It is where the famous restaurant Ca’s Patro March is located. The restaurant does not take reservations, so I recommend going on a weekday or right when they open. We got lucky and only had a 20–30-minute wait, but in the summer, it can be up to a two hour wait.

Cala Egos

OTHER BEACHES TO VISIT:

Playa de Sant Pere

Cala Mesquida

Es Coll Baix

Playa de Muro

BEACH CLUBS:

Nikki Beach Club

Purobeach

Gran Folies

Mhares Sea Club

Where to eat:

PALMA:

Spot
S’angel
Hotel Saratoga (for a drink at sunset)
Nakar Hotel (for a drink at sunset)
Gin Burger 2
La pérgola
La Rosa Vermuteria & Colmado
El Aquanauta
El Chiringuito Beach House (For lunch or dinner next to the sea)
Naan Street Food
L’Artista Pizzeria
Il Tano Pizzeria
Bi Bap (Korean food)
Badal Corner

NORTHERN MALLORCA:

SOUTHERN MALLORCA:

Tips to know before visiting:

-Like I’ve mentioned, my first recommendation is a rental car! Unless you plan on staying in the same town during your stay, having a car will be needed to see many of the beaches, towns, and restaurants that Mallorca has to offer.

-If you’re just wandering around and looking for any restaurant to have dinner in, you shouldn’t have a problem getting in. Although, if there’s a restaurant that you’ve seen all over Tiktok or Instagram, you’ll definitely want to make a reservation in advance. I personally always like to have reservations made ahead of time. It ensures we’ll get in and additionally, I like to know when and where we will be going!

-Depending on how long you will be staying in Mallorca, you might want to consider staying on one side of the island for half the time and the opposite side of the island on the second part of your trip. This will cut down on your driving time, therefore saving you from hours and hours in the car.

Pros & Cons:

PROS:

Beautiful and unique beaches.
Perfect weather in the summer months.
A variety of amazing restaurants.
Lots to do – beaches / sightseeing / hiking / biking / – really something for everyone!

CONS:

Difficult to get from place to place.
Very crowded in the summer months.
Reservations needed at a lot of the popular places.

Overall thoughts:

We absolutely loved Mallorca and will definitely be back. We were so happy to have a rental car, as it helped us explore the whole island and get an overall feel for Mallorca. The one downside was that because everything is spread throughout the island, it made for a lot of driving and many hours in the car. Like I mentioned, we stayed in Alcudia and everywhere we drove was about 45 minutes to an hour and a half each way. Although I loved the town itself that we stayed in, I would be interested in staying in Soller or the southern part next time.

We combined our Mallorca trip with three days in Barcelona afterwards. It is a quick 25–30 minute flight and we loved being able to explore both! If you are also heading there next, be sure to check out my Barcelona travel guide here!

If you’re like me and need help keeping all of your travel plans and itinerary organized, be sure to check out my travel journal that I designed for just this reason! It’s how I plan every single trip and keep organized. It has everything you need from a packing list, a page for your accommodation info, travel itinerary, budgeting on your trip, journaling each day and more!

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