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Spain · Balearics

Majorca

Most people think they know Majorca and are thinking of about four miles of it. The island has a UNESCO mountain range, a genuine city, and four coasts that have almost nothing in common with each other.

2h 30m direct · PMINo visa for UK passportsApr–Oct seasonGuide price from £339pp

The short version

Four coasts, and they're not interchangeable

The north around Alcúdia and Pollensa has long shallow sandy bays — the family coast. The east is a series of rocky inlets with startlingly clear water and small resorts. The west is the Serra de Tramuntana: mountains, olive terraces, stone villages, and almost no beach at all. And the bay of Palma runs from the city itself through smart marinas to Magaluf. Same island, same flight, four completely different weeks.

The Gothic cathedral of Palma from below

The city

Palma is worth three nights on its own

A cathedral on the seafront, an Arab quarter behind it, tapas bars in Santa Catalina and a genuinely good gallery scene. It's a proper Spanish city that happens to have an airport twenty minutes away, and it works as a long weekend in February when the beach resorts are shut. Most people fly through it without noticing.

The west

The Tramuntana, and the train that gets you into it

A UNESCO-listed mountain range running the length of the north-west coast, with Deià, Valldemossa and Sóller strung along it. The 1912 wooden train from Palma to Sóller is one of the best hours in the Mediterranean, and it costs a few euros. If you're staying on a beach, give this a day.

An aerial view of the Majorcan coastline

Pick your coast

Four coasts, and the resorts on them

Palma airport sits in the middle of the island, so nothing is more than about an hour away — one of the reasons Majorca works so well with small children.

A beach of clear blue water beside a cliff

Alcúdia & Pollensa · 50 min

The north

The family coast. Long shallow sandy bays where the water stays waist-deep for a very long way, backed by low-rise resorts and a Roman town.

Puerto Alcúdia: Six kilometres of sand and shallow water. The most reliable family choice on the island.
Puerto Pollensa: Quieter and smarter, with the Pine Walk and a sailing crowd. Long-standing British favourite.
Cala San Vicente: Four small coves under a cliff. Tiny, low-key, and a car helps.
Playa de Muro: Next to Alcúdia and backed by a nature reserve. The best sand of the lot.

The calas · 45–60 min

The east

A coastline of narrow rocky inlets, each with a small beach at the head of it. Clearer water than the north, smaller beaches, and resorts built around individual coves.

Cala d'Or: The smart end. Whitewashed low-rise, a marina, and several coves within walking distance.
Porto Cristo: A working harbour town with the Caves of Drach next door. Real place, not a resort.
Cala Millor: Bigger, sandier and busier than its neighbours. Good value family option.
Canyamel & Cala Ratjada: North-east corner. Pine-backed beaches and the Capdepera castle above.

Centre · 10–25 min

Palma & the bay

The city, and the long curve of hotels running west from it. Everything from five-star marinas to the strip that gave the island its reputation — all within half an hour.

Palma: City break, year-round. Cathedral, old town, Santa Catalina for eating, and a beach at Portixol.
Illetas & Portals Nous: Smart, small, expensive. Where the yachts are.
Palmanova: Family version of its neighbour. Good beaches, calm, well-priced.
Magaluf: Much changed and still not for everyone. Know what you're booking; we'll tell you straight.

A narrow stone alleyway in a mountain village

North-west · 45 min

The Tramuntana

Mountains rather than beaches. Stone villages, olive terraces, walking and cycling. Where people go on their third or fourth visit.

Sóller & Port de Sóller: A valley town and its harbour, linked by a vintage tram. The best base up here.
Deià: A cliffside village of writers and artists. Tiny, beautiful, and expensive.
Valldemossa: Stone and green shutters, Chopin's winter, and coach parties by eleven.
Banyalbufar: Terraced vineyards falling into the sea. Almost nothing here, which is the appeal.

Our speciality

Add Menorca, or split the island

Two ways to make more of the trip. The fast ferry from Alcúdia reaches Ciutadella in about an hour, so a week of Majorca plus a few nights on Menorca is easy. Or stay on Majorca and split between the mountains and a beach — a forty-five minute drive between two completely different holidays.

Palma3 nightsCity, cathedral, Santa Catalina.
Train · 1h
Sóller3 nightsTramuntana, the train, the villages.
Drive · 1h
Puerto Pollensa5 nightsBeach, and the ferry to Menorca if you want it.

Majorca is small enough that a two- or three-centre costs almost nothing extra — no internal flights, no long transfers. It's the easiest multi-centre we sell.

When to go

Longer season than people expect

Beach resorts run April to October. But Palma and the Tramuntana work year-round, and February to April is peak season for cycling — professional teams train here, and the island fills up with bikes.

JanPalma only

FebCycling

MarCycling

Apr20°

May24°

Jun28°

Jul31°

Aug31°

Sep28°

Oct24°

NovClosing

DecPalma only

May, June, September and October are the value months — warm, open, and priced well below the school holidays. Sea temperature peaks around 26°C in August and September.

Worth leaving the resort for

What we'd actually book

The Sóller train

An hour from Palma through the mountains on 1912 rolling stock, then a tram down to the port. A few euros and the best value on the island.

Caves of Drach

An underground lake with a live string quartet playing on a boat. Sounds absurd, works completely. Book ahead.

Cap de Formentor

The road out to the lighthouse at the island's northern tip. Restricted to buses in summer — check before you drive.

Es Trenc

The one long undeveloped beach on the south coast. No hotels, no promenade, just sand and pine. Bring a picnic.

Cala Varques

A twenty-minute walk from the road and no facilities, which keeps it empty. The clearest water on the east coast.

Palma's old town

La Seu cathedral, the Arab baths and the Bellver castle above. Eat in Santa Catalina, not on the Passeig.

Walking the Tramuntana

The GR221 dry-stone route runs the length of the range. Do a day section from Sóller — spring and autumn only.

Cycling

Sa Calobra and Puig Major are on every serious cyclist's list. February to April, and hire bikes are everywhere.

The practical bits

Things that catch people out

One airportPMI, in the middle. Nothing is more than about an hour away — unusual, and very good with children.

Tourist taxThe Balearic sustainable tourism tax is charged per person per night at the hotel, and isn't in your holiday price. Budget a few euros a day.

Time zoneOne hour ahead of the UK, all year.

CurrencyEuro. Cards accepted almost everywhere, including small bars.

Flight time2h 30m from London — the shortest hop of any destination we sell.

Car hireWorth it for the mountains and the quieter calas. Book early for August; the island runs out.

Sea temperature18°C in May, 26°C by September. Warmest at the end of the season.

PassportsEU rules: three months' validity beyond your return, under ten years old on entry. We check both.

A cove of clear blue water beneath a cliff

Before you book

Five things worth knowing

North for sand, east for clarity. Alcúdia and Pollensa have long shallow sandy bays. The east coast calas are rockier with much clearer water. Neither is better — but they suit different people, and the brochures don't distinguish.

Magaluf is one resort, not the island. It occupies about two miles of a coastline that runs 550km. Everywhere else is nothing like it, and we'll steer you well clear if that's the worry.

The tourist tax catches people out. Charged at the hotel, per person per night, on top of what you've paid us. Small, but nobody likes a surprise at checkout.

Palma works in winter. When the resorts shut, the city doesn't. A three-night February break is genuinely good and very cheap.

Book the car early for August. Majorca physically runs out of hire cars in peak summer. Two months ahead, not two weeks.

Next step

Tell us your dates and we'll pick the coast

Send your dates, party and rough budget and we'll come back with the right coast, the right resort, and the payment plan written out in full.

Your money is protected. Trip Tides is a travel agent — we book your holiday with a travel company, and that company is named on your quote and confirmation. Your contract is with them. If your holiday is a package including flights, put together by an ATOL holder, you'll get an ATOL certificate naming that company. We confirm in writing what protection applies before you pay.

Majorca packages

Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.

7 nights in Majorca

All inclusive · May–Oct

Return flights and private transfers
All inclusive throughout
Financial protection confirmed in writing before you pay

from £439per person

Get a quote

10 nights in Majorca

All inclusive · May–Oct

Return flights and private transfers
All inclusive throughout
The extra nights cost proportionally less — fixed costs don't change

from £559per person

Get a quote

14 nights in Majorca

Half board · May–Oct

Return flights and private transfers
Half board throughout
Best value per night, and worth it on a longer flight

from £669per person

Get a quote

Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.