One bay at a time.
Catamaran mornings off Palma, the little train through the Tramuntana, the underground lake at Drach and a hundred hidden calas. What each trip is really like, what it costs, and where to book.
The seven Mallorca does best.
First visit or fifth, these are the ones that fill a week: the catamaran with the lunch stop, the caves at Drach, the little train over the mountains, the cathedral you actually walk into. Reviewed, priced, and easy to slot in.
Porto Cristo: Caves of Hams Entry Ticket
Walk 850m through Mallorca’s Cuevas dels Hams, see the blue cave and Sea of Venice Mozart show in about 1 hour.
From $21 per person
Read the review →
★ 4.1A cut aboveCity Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus TourFrom $324,450 reviews
★ 4.4A Mallorca mustIsland Tour with Boat, Tram & Train from the SouthFrom $1173,888 reviews
★ 4.5One not to skipHalf-Day Catamaran Tour with Buffet MealFrom $1003,190 reviews
★ 4.5Reliable pickPalma Aquarium Entry Ticket w/ Optional 3D CinemaFrom $363,076 reviews
★ 4.5One to pre-bookPort d’Alcudia: North Coast Catamaran Cruise with MealFrom $802,978 reviews
★ 4.6Palma favouriteSunset Boat TourFrom $592,894 reviews
The best days happen offshore.
A catamaran out of Palma, a long lunch on board and a dip in water you can see the bottom of, then back before the afternoon heat. Most of Mallorca’s best hours are spent looking at the coast from the sea. These are the boats that do it well.
Which day on the water is yours?
Everyone gets on a boat in Mallorca; the right one depends on your kind of day. Three honest ways to spend it on the water, each already reviewed and priced, so you can pick the one that sounds like you.
Aboard for the day
The catamaran cruise
5 hours · from $69 · 9,957 reviews
A big stable catamaran out of Palma or Alcúdia, a proper lunch on deck, and swim stops in the calm bays where the water turns glass-green. Half a day, no experience needed, sunscreen essential. The easy way to see the coast.
See the catamaran cruises →
Paddle and snorkel
The sea-cave paddle
3 hours · from $80 · 1,447 reviews
Kayaks along the cliffs to a cave you swim into, a snorkel over the seagrass, a jump off a rock if you fancy it. More effort, smaller groups, the coves the big boats cannot reach. For travellers who would rather do than watch.
See the kayak trips →
Sundown drinks
The sundown sail
4 hours (approx.) · from $119 · 1,339 reviews
Out as the light goes soft, a drink in hand, the Tramuntana turning pink behind Palma. Less swimming, more sitting still and watching the island change colour. The trip you book for the last night.
See the evening trips →
The best rooms are underground.
At Drach a boatman rows across an underground lake while a quartet plays from the dark. The Caves of Hams glow like something grown, not built. Millions of years of dripstone, ten minutes off the coast road. Bring a layer; it is cool down there.
Lunch is the whole afternoon.
The good eating is inland, up the dirt tracks: a bodega with its own vineyard, olive oil pressed on site, tapas that keep arriving until you say stop. Hire a car, skip a big breakfast, and give it the whole afternoon.
For people who like a throttle.
Buggies through the dust behind Cala Millor, jet skis across Palma Bay, a Formula car for the ones who never grew out of it. Loud, dusty, grinning. Sort the deposit and the licence, then pick your engine.
The mountains go at their own pace.
Up in the Serra de Tramuntana the island slows right down: Valldemossa’s monastery, Deià’s stone lanes, the wooden train rattling down to Sóller through the orange groves. Cooler air, long views, nowhere you need to be by a certain hour.
Mallorca, region by region.
Mallorca works in regions, and each one is a day. Palma for the old town and the cathedral. Alcúdia for the long north bay. The Tramuntana for mountains and villages. Porto Cristo for the caves. Es Trenc for sand the colour of the Caribbean.
Know what you fancy?
Twelve kinds of day out, from a slow catamaran to a dusty buggy trail. Pick the one that sounds like yours; every option behind it is reviewed and priced.
See a lot in one long day.
Short island, big variety. A boat, a tram and a vintage train can string the north coast, the mountains and Palma into a single day, and a hire car reaches the rest. Out after breakfast, back for a late dinner.
Mallorca in three days.
You can’t see all of Mallorca in one trip; you can absolutely do three good days. Here is the order we’d give a friend landing in Palma tomorrow.
Day 1
Palma to start
The cathedral first, before the heat, then the old town lanes, a courtyard or two, and a long tapas lunch. Easy pace, feet under you, no boat yet.
Start in Palma →
Day 2
Cast off from Palma
Onto a catamaran for the middle day: swim stops in the clear bays, lunch on deck, the coast from the angle it looks best. Back in time for a sunset drink at the port.
Get on a boat →
Day 3
Up into the Tramuntana
The wooden train up to Sóller, or a drive over the Tramuntana to Sa Calobra and Valldemossa. Cooler air, switchback roads, the island’s quiet half. Save it for a clear day.
Take the train →
Latest from around the island.
★ 5.0Culinary Experience on Board Classic Sailboat in PalmaFrom $1,44022 reviews
★ 4.7SOLLER: Olive Grove Experience, Oil Tasting & Picnic in the TramuntanaFrom $2922 reviews
★ 4.51 Hour Jet Ski Excursion to Cap Vermell from MallorcaFrom $19822 reviews
★ 4.6Almond Blossom Minivan Tour – GERMAN GUIDEFrom $10522 reviews
★ 5.0The GIN EVA TASTING at Casa EvaFrom $6622 reviews
★ 5.0Touring or electric bike rental in Cala MillorFrom $1422 reviews
★ 4.6Cala Vella Boat Tour with Swiming, Food, & DrinksFrom $11222 reviews
★ 5.0Private Sandal Making in Palma de MallorcaFrom $17022 reviews