Three Days in Mallorca: A Plan for the Sea, the Mountains and Palma
Three days covers one clean pass at this island: the sea, the mountains and the city. Here is the order that works, why the boat goes first, and what three days honestly cannot reach.
What three days on Mallorca can honestly cover
Three days is the modal short break here and it is enough for one clean pass at the island, provided you accept the arithmetic. Mallorca is about 3,640 square kilometres. You are not going to see the north, the south-east and the mountains in three days, and any plan that promises otherwise is a plan built around a car park.
What three days does cover, comfortably: a day on the water, a day in the Serra de Tramuntana, and a day in Palma. Those three are different in kind rather than different in scenery, which is what makes the trip feel complete rather than repetitive.
Where should you base yourself for three days?
Palma, and it is not a close call on a trip this short. Four marinas used by the trips here are within a few minutes of the old town, the cruise berth is a short ride away, and the railway into the mountains starts in the city. Staying anywhere else means adding a drive to two of your three days.
On a longer trip the calculation changes and splitting between Palma and the north works well. On three days, moving hotels costs you more time than it saves. The region-by-region post works through the alternatives.
Day one: the Bay of Palma from the water
Start with the water, for two reasons. It is the thing most likely to be cancelled by weather, so putting it first leaves you two more days to move it to. And it is the best possible introduction to the shape of the island, which is a coastline rather than an interior.
A four-hour catamaran out of La Lonja Marina or D-Marin gets you out across the Bay of Palma, anchored for a swim, fed on board, and back in the middle of the afternoon. Both cap at twelve. Both are walkable from the old town, so day one needs no car at all. If you would rather have a full lunch and a longer day, the five-hour cruise out of the Port of Palma serves a barbecue buffet for less money.
Day two: the Serra de Tramuntana
The Serra de Tramuntana is what stops Mallorca being a beach island, and it is a UNESCO Cultural Landscape, inscribed on 29 June 2011 for its dry-stone terraces and water systems rather than for its views. The villages strung along it — Valldemossa, Deià and Sóller — are the day's three stops. You want a full day and you want somebody else driving: the roads are narrow, the corners are blind and the drivers behind you will be local.
Two versions, and they are genuinely different days.
| The village day | The one-day circuit | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 7 hours | 9 hours |
| Group | Max 8 | Max 55 |
| What you get | Valldemossa, Son Marroig, Deià, Sóller, the port | Sa Calobra, a boat leg, the tram and the 1912 train |
| Vehicle | Minibus | Coach |
| From | From $112 | From $110 |
Take the village day if you want time in the villages and a small group. Take the circuit if the railway and the Sa Calobra road are what you came for. The Tramuntana guide compares all four options at length.
Day three: Palma on foot
The old town walks end to end in about half an hour, which means a day here is a day of stopping rather than a day of covering ground. The cathedral quarter sits directly above the seafront. Bellver stands in woods above the city, circular in plan and unusual in Europe for it.
If you would rather eat than walk, the self-guided tapas route is From $65 for five stops with five tapas and five drinks already paid for, at whatever pace suits you. It finishes near Plaça de la Reina. The things to do page has the rest of the city's options.
The three days, at a glance
| Morning | Afternoon | Evening | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 — the water | Board in Palma around 10:00 | Anchor, swim, eat on board | Back in the old town for dinner |
| Day 2 — the mountains | Leave Palma 08:50–09:30 for Valldemossa | Deià, Sóller and the port | Return to Palma by early evening |
| Day 3 — the city | Cathedral quarter and the old town on foot | Bellver, or a tapas route | Late dinner — Spanish hours |
What if you have a hire car?
Then day two becomes flexible and day one does not. You could drive the Tramuntana yourself, which is a genuinely good drive if you enjoy that sort of road, and use the saved money on a longer boat. You could also swap day three for the south-east coves, which is about fifty minutes each way — a fair trade if beaches matter more to you than a city.
What a car does not solve is Cala Màrmols, because there is no road to it, or the queue on the steps at Caló des Moro. Some things here are only available from the water.
What if you do not?
Then Palma is doing a lot of work for you, and the plan above is already built for it. Every element of days one and three starts on foot from the old town. Day two collects you from beside the cathedral. The one genuine gap is the north coast, which is an hour and a quarter away and effectively out of reach without wheels on a three-day trip.
What if it rains?
Reorder rather than cancel. Move the city day forward — the cathedral quarter, the covered markets and a tapas route all work in the wet — and push the boat to the better morning. This is exactly why day one is the water day: it gives you two chances rather than none. October is the wettest month at 62 mm, so in autumn build the flexibility in deliberately.
What if you are travelling with children?
The shape holds, with substitutions. The five-hour cruise with a buffet fills a day better than a four-hour tapas sail. The licence-free boat rental lets a family of up to five split one fare rather than buying five seats. And if you have a car, the north-coast kayaking day is recommended from age five and provides every piece of equipment.
What should you book before you fly?
The boat, and the mountain day if you want the small-group version — eight places go quickly in summer. Palma needs nothing booked at all. Four trips here confirm within 48 hours rather than instantly, so leave a day's margin on those. As ever, booking early costs nothing because everything refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead.
What does three days cost?
The bookable part is easy to bound, because every price here is the operator's own. A boat day runs from From $68 for the five-hour cruise with lunch to around From $117 for the twelve-guest catamaran. The small-group Tramuntana day is From $112. The self-guided tapas route is From $65 and includes five tapas and five drinks.
So the three booked elements of this itinerary land somewhere between roughly $245 and $380 per person, depending on which boat you choose. Add food outside the tapas route, and add nothing for Palma itself, which charges for nothing. If there are six or eight of you, price a private charter against the same number of seats before you book day one — the arithmetic sometimes goes the other way.
Should you book all three days in advance?
Two of them, in July and August. The boat and the small-group mountain day both cap in single or low double figures and both fill; the city day needs nothing booked at all. Four trips here confirm within 48 hours rather than instantly, which is worth knowing if your dates are tight.
Outside the peak months the pressure comes off and a few days' notice is usually enough. In every month, booking early is free of risk: everything refunds in full up to 24 hours before it starts, so an early booking costs you nothing if the plan changes. The weather page covers which months need the forward planning.
What three days cannot do
The north coast and the south-east coves, both. Each is an hour or more from Palma in a different direction, and adding either turns a relaxed three days into a driving holiday. If those are the reason you are coming, stay in that region instead and build the three days around it — the map page shows what leaves from where.
If there are six or eight of you, price a private boat tour Mallorca Spain against the same number of seats before you book day one.
Every trip named in this guide is compared on price, hours and what the fare covers at Mallorca Spain Tours.
Frequently asked questions
Is three days enough for Mallorca?
Where should I stay for three days?
Do I need a car for three days?
Which day should the boat be?
What if it rains on my mountain day?
Can I fit the south-east coves in?
One trip for each of the three days
Luxury Catamaran Sailing in Mallorca with Tapas and Welcome Drinks
Day one: four hours on the bay, twelve guests, walkable from the old town.
From $117 per person
Check Availability
Mallorca Full Day Tour Valldemossa Deià and Sóller Experience
Day two: eight people through Valldemossa, Deià, Sóller and the port.
From $112 per person
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Gourmet Tapas and Wine Tour in Palma de Mallorca
Day three: five stops through Palma's old town, at your own pace, food and drink already paid for.
From $65 per person
Check AvailabilityBase yourself in Palma, put the water first and let the weather reorder the rest. Everything here refunds in full up to 24 hours before it starts.