Mallorca

Coves in the north and east, and a capital that is better than the transfers suggest.

Mallorca is a large Balearic island with a resort coast and a wilder one. The coves of the Serra de Tramuntana and the east are the beaches people mean. Palma is a real city you can stay in and leave each morning.

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Location

39.57° N, 2.65° EOpen in OpenStreetMap

Best time to visit

May–June, September–October

Trip planner

A Mallorca itinerary

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Field guide

Stay in Palma, Sóller, or the east, and treat the famous coves as morning destinations. They do not reward a casual 2 p.m. arrival in August.

When to go

May, June, September, and October are the months to swim without the full crush. July and August are hot and the car parks tell on you. The sea is still warm into the autumn.

The beach

Es Trenc is the long, wilder sand on the south. Cala Agulla and the east-coast coves are the pine-and-turquoise version. The northwest has fewer beaches and more drama. Public paths exist and fill up. Go early.

In the water

Clarity is the reputation and it holds on calm days. Rocky entries want shoes. A boat from a small port is how you see the coves that have no car park left. The south beach is a gentler swim.

Pack this in your notes

The Ma-10 along the west is slow on purpose. Do not plan a dinner on the other side.
Parking reservations and early starts are the August strategy.
Palma is worth a night, not only an airport.
The water is cooler than the Caribbean in May. That is not a complaint.

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Traveler reviews

Rate and review

Freya N.

10/10

The water is the itinerary in Mallorca

Palma's old town after the beach. A swim from a ladder of rock if the sand is taken. In Spain the color of the water does more work than any hotel list. Coves in the north and east, and a capital that is better than the transfers suggest.

Mar 6, 2025

Marcus L.

8/10

Mallorca in May–June

The northwest road for the cliffs, not for the speed. Best window from where I sat: May–June, September–October. I would not trade this coast for a busier island.

Feb 5, 2025

Nate J.

10/10

The water is the itinerary in Mallorca

A cove you reached before ten. The northwest road for the cliffs, not for the speed. In Spain the color of the water does more work than any hotel list. Coves in the north and east, and a capital that is better than the transfers suggest.

Jan 4, 2025