Mallorca Region by Region: Where to Base Yourself for the Trips You Want
The short answer
Mallorca is big enough that your base decides your options. Palma has the widest choice and needs no car; the south-west has the water activities; the north has quiet beaches and one excellent trip that collects you; the south-east has the coves.
Why the base matters more here than on most islands
On a small island you can stay anywhere and reach everything. Mallorca is not a small island. At about 3,640 square kilometres, it takes an hour and a quarter to drive from Palma to Alcúdia, and about fifty minutes to reach Cala Figuera in the south-east. The trips leaving from those two places are not the same trips. Choosing a base is therefore choosing an inventory.
Palma and the bay
The capital, and the only base from which you can reach the water on foot. Four marinas used by the trips here sit within a few minutes of the old town: Club de Mar, La Lonja, D-Marin Palma Cuarentena and the Real Club Náutico. The cruise berth is a short ride away. The railway station for Sóller is in the centre. Most of the trips on these pages start in or beside the city.
Stay here if: you want the widest choice without a car, you like a city in the evening, or you are only here for a few days. Look elsewhere if: you came for a quiet beach outside your door.
The south-west — Portals, Magaluf, Santa Ponça, Peguera, Andratx
Twenty to forty-five minutes along the coast from Palma, and where a surprising share of the boats actually launch. Puerto Portals sends out the private fast-boat charter and Magaluf beach the jet boat. Santa Ponça has the quad tour and the licence-free rental. Peguera has the self-drive coast road tour, and Port d'Andratx the private sailboat.
Stay here if: you want beach resorts with the widest set of water activities within half an hour. Look elsewhere if: you want the mountain villages daily — they are a drive from here too.
The north-west — the Serra de Tramuntana
Valldemossa, Deià, Sóller and the road down to Sa Calobra. UNESCO inscribed this part of Mallorca as a Cultural Landscape on 29 June 2011. The citation is for the dry-stone terracing and the water systems, not the views.
Nothing on these pages launches from up here: the day trips drive up from Palma and come back down. Staying in the range is wonderful and it makes every boat a longer drive.
Stay here if: walking, driving and villages are the holiday. Look elsewhere if: the water is.
The north — Alcúdia and Pollença
About an hour and a quarter from Palma, with long shallow beaches and a completely different feel. One trip here runs from this coast, and it is a good one: kayaking into a sea cave, with cliff jumping and snorkelling, over three hours. Pickup is included from Port de Pollença, Alcúdia, Playa de Muro and Can Picafort. If you are up here, that transport is what makes it work.
Stay here if: you want family beaches and a quieter pace. Look elsewhere if: you want to be on a different boat every day.
The south-east — Santanyí, Cala Figuera, Manacor's coast
Fifty minutes or so from Palma, and where the famous coves are. Caló des Moro, Cala s'Almunia, Cala Màrmols and the Es Pontàs sea arch are all along this stretch. The boat trip out of Cala Figuera reaches every one of them. The Cova de Coloms sea caving day runs from Manacor's coast a little further north.
Stay here if: the coves are the reason you came. Look elsewhere if: you want to be able to walk to dinner in a city.
The five regions, side by side
| Region | From Palma | What launches there | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palma and the bay | — | Catamarans, sailing yachts, the railway, the cruise berth | Widest choice without a car |
| South-west coast | 20–45 min | Fast-boat charter, jet boat, quads, rentals, self-drive | Water activities and resort beaches |
| Serra de Tramuntana | 25–40 min | Nothing — day trips come up from Palma | Walking, villages, driving |
| The north | About 1 hr 15 | Kayaking and the sea cave, with local pickup | Family beaches, a quieter pace |
| The south-east | About 50 min | The coves boat trip, sea caving | The coves themselves |
If you can only pick one
Palma. It has the most trips leaving from it and the least need for a car. It gives you a real city at the end of the day. And it has the railway, which gets you into the Tramuntana without driving a mountain road. The map page lists every meeting point against the trip that uses it, which is the fastest way to sanity-check a hotel before you book it.
Once the base is settled, the Mallorca day trips that reach it from there are the ones to compare.
Every trip named here is compared on price, hours and what the fare covers at Mallorca Spain Tours.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the best place to stay in Mallorca?
Can I stay in the mountains?
How far is Alcúdia from Palma?
Which region has the famous coves?
Do I have to choose just one base?
One trip from each coast
Mallorca: Kayaking, Sea Cave, Cliff Jumping & Snorkel Tour
The north-coast trip that collects from Port de Pollença, Alcúdia, Playa de Muro and Can Picafort.
From $81 per person
Check Availability
Boat Trip from Cala Figuera to Calo de Moro, S'almonia, Cala Màrmols. Mallorca.
The south-east coves from the water, including one with no road to it at all.
From $66 per person
Check Availability
Jet Boat Excursion in South West Coast of Mallorca
Two hours out of Magaluf, if the south-west resorts are where you have landed.
From $82 per person
Check AvailabilityPick the coast, then pick the trip. The map sets every meeting point against the trips that use it.