If you’re looking for the ultimate road trip experience, there’s really no better place to hit the road than Mallorca, Spain. Located in the Balearic Islands, Mallorca is roughly 46 miles long and 62 miles wide so it’s relatively easy to navigate. It also doesn’t hurt that it has some of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean, a lot of which are only accessible via car. To ensure that you’re equipped to properly plan your trip to the island, I’ve outlined a recommended itinerary for how to spend 6 days road tripping through Mallorca.
How to Get to Mallorca:
You can easily fly from anywhere in Europe into Palma de Mallorca airport, or alternatively, you can take a ferry from Barcelona or Valencia. We chose to fly from Madrid to Mallorca, which took just 1 hour and 20 minutes and cost less than $100 for our roundtrip flights.
When to Visit Mallorca:
Mallorca is beautiful just about any time of year, but the weather is most enjoyable from March to May and September through October. These are also the ideal times to visit if you like to avoid crowds. We visited in late September and found that most beaches and restaurants weren’t quite as packed during this time of year.
How to Get Around Mallorca:
Though there is public transportation in Mallorca, I highly recommend renting a car if you really want to take advantage of all that the island has to offer. This will not only reduce your travel time, but will also give you the ability to explore some of the more off the beaten path beaches and towns.
The island is also conveniently equipped with a number of electric charging stations so if you feel comfortable, I highly recommend opting for an electric car. If you choose to go this route, you can use the MELIB app to locate charging stations near you. To give you an idea of the cost, for the 6 days that we were there in September, our electric car cost roughly $300 in total.
You can easily reserve a car rental prior to traveling. We used CarRentals.com and didn’t run into any issues.
Where to Stay in Mallorca:
Each Mallorcan coast has a set of unique beaches and towns to offer. We chose our accommodations based on the beaches that we wanted to explore and whether or not they were conveniently located in a town with a number of restaurants and bars within walking distance so we could avoid having to drive at night. We spent one half of the trip on the Southeast coast at Hotel El Coto in the town of Colonia de Sant Jordi and the other half on the North West coast at L’Avenida Hotel in Sóller. I cannot recommend each enough; not only did the hotels themselves have top-of-the-line service, but they were both within walking distance of all of the town’s best restaurants.
Day 1:
Fly into Palma de Mallorca airport and pick up your rental car. You can use CarRentals.com to reserve your car ahead of time. In order to drive in Spain, you must have an International Drivers Permit so be sure to sort that out prior to traveling. You can easily pick one up at AAA.
Start your journey to the Southeast corner of the island to your first hotel, Hotel El Coto in Ses Salines, Colonia de Sant Jordi. A 5-Star hotel on the Southeast coast of Mallorca, Hotel El Coto is the ideal base to explore all of the beaches that this side of the island has to offer.
Drop your stuff off at the hotel and make your way into the town of Colonia de Sant Jordi for lunch at Las Estrellas. A casual tapas restaurant and bar in town, you’ll find a slew of delicious traditional Spanish dishes served here.
Pop by Platja Estanys to dip your feet in the water. Only a short 5-minute walk from Hotel El Coto, soak in the calm, light blue waters that Platja Estanys has to offer.
Finish off the afternoon with drinks by the Hotel El Coto pool. They make a mean Aperol Spritz so take advantage of the beautiful pool area with this tasty drink and a dip in the pool.
Day 2:
Enjoy a delicious breakfast at the hotel. This a la carte breakfast is to die for so take advantage of it while you can because I can promise that you’ll miss it once it’s gone! I dream about that avocado toast daily.
Hop in the car and drive 24 minutes to Cala Llombards. A soft sand beach equipped with a full beach bar and small waterfront stone houses, Cala Llombards is tucked away in the village of Es Lombard’s. Enjoy the morning jumping into the chilly water and exploring the rocky pathways. You can also find more details about the beach and how to get there (including the parking situation) in my post, The Most Beautiful Beaches in Mallorca.
Once you’ve had enough of this view (which is hard to beat), make the walk over to Cala s’Almunia. Though it may seem like a long trip from Cala Llombards (about 34 minutes walking), Cala s’Almunia is the ideal place to top off your afternoon. A very small but beautiful beach, Cala s’Almunia may not be the most comfortable place to lounge for the day due to the fact that it’s mainly rocks, but it has some of the best water to swim in. You could spend all afternoon here soaking in the sun and the clear, teal waters.
Make the drive back to Colonia de Sant Jordi and pop by Platja Estanys for sunset. Grab a beer at the beachfront bar and watch the sun set over the ocean.
Walk into town to have dinner at C’an Gori. A tasty, no frills restaurant just a short walk from the hotel, much like Las Estrellas, this is another great spot to enjoy classic Spanish cuisine.
Day 3:
Jump in the car and drive right over to Caló des Moro for the day. A beach that needs no introduction (I mean, look at those waters!), Caló des Moro is a small beach beloved by locals and tourists alike. I highly recommend getting to the beach on the earlier side, as a security guard monitors the amount of people permitted to access the beach at any given time.
Stop in the town of Ses Salines on the way home and explore the streets of this small, picturesque town. A quaint town conveniently located on the way back to the hotel, I recommend grabbing lunch in the main square and popping in the small shops.
Enjoy the rest of the afternoon by the pool at Hotel el Coto. There’s no better way to top off your day than with a cold drink and a dip in the pool.
Day 4:
Pack up your suitcase and make the drive over to the north west coast of the island. More beaches await on the other side of the island so it’s time to pack up and head out there to explore.
Stop by Playa Cala Pi on the way to enjoy a morning at the beach. Accessible from the small town of Cala Pi, this beach, unlike a lot of the other beaches on the island, has an abundance of soft sand and a large beach to swim in.
Check in to L’Avenida Hotel and enjoy the afternoon by the picturesque pool. An adults-only boutique hotel in the center of Sóller, with a modern elevated design, it’s the ideal place to spend your time on this part of the island and is conveniently located within walking distance of the town’s best restaurants and bars.
Parking in Sóller can be a bit tough as street parking is limited. Luckily, there’s a parking lot conveniently located across the street from L’Avenida Hotel. You will have to pay but the prices are reasonable.
Walk into town and stop by restaurant Sa Cova for a traditional Spanish meal. Located in Sóller’s main square, Sa Cova is not only a great spot to enjoy a meal, but it’s also ideal for people watching.
Day 5:
Enjoy breakfast at L’Avenida Hotel. Enjoy the delicious assortment of fruits, pastries and a la carte dishes that L’Avenida Hotel has to offer.
Drive over to Port de Sóller to enjoy the day lounging at Sóller Playa. Bring along a few towels from the hotel and post up on the beach for a few hours. Luckily, Port de Sóller is just a short 12 minute drive so it’s a great day trip option.
After you’re done at the beach, spend the afternoon walking through the town’s shops. Browse through all of the local shops that sit adjacent to the beach.
Grab lunch at Restaurant Es Racó d’es Port and enjoy the views. I highly recommend ordering their Tumbet, a traditional vegetable dish from Mallorca; it is delicious!
Head back to freshen up for drinks at Cafè Sa Fonda in Deià. Schedule a cab to pick you up and take you over to Deià’s local hotspot, Cafè Sa Fonda for a drink.
After drinks, walk over to La Belmond Residencia for dinner. A luxury hillside hotel, this dinner is sure to be one that you don’t forget. Not only are the views stunning, but the food is just as good. Note, that this is a splurge meal and will cost you a lot more than most of the restaurants on the island.
*If you chose not to drive, be sure to schedule a return trip with the hostess as soon as you arrive at La Belmond Residencia. Cabs are few and far between in the area so you may be waiting quite a while for a ride if you don’t schedule it ahead of time.
Day 6:
Drive out to Cala Deià and enjoy the day lounging on the rocky beach. A small stone beach located just outside of the village of Deià, Cala Deià is a must-see stop. Just be warned that the two-way road down to the beach is only equipped for one car so things can get a bit dicey if there’s a lot of traffic. You can easily park in the Parkplatz (Carrer Francisco Mas, 5, 07179 Deià, Illes Balears, Spain), across the street from the beach road entrance and make the walk down to avoid the trouble.
Make the trek to the town of Deià. Just a short 10-minute walk from the Parkplatz parking area, Deià is a small picturesque coastal village that’s home to luxury hotel, La Belmond Residencia and some popular local bars and restaurants.
Grab lunch at Restaurante Xelini in Deià. I’d recommend requesting a table at their outdoor area, as it’s the perfect place to enjoy a post-beach beer and gazpacho.
Head back to Sóller and spend the afternoon roaming through the town. Sóller is full of interesting local boutiques and tapas bars and restaurants. Wander through the streets before picking out a spot for dinner.
Enjoy your last Mallorcan meal at Sa Cova. If something ain’t broke don’t fix it right? We couldn’t get enough of our meal at Sa Cova the first time around, so we had to make it back for round two. You can easily just walk in without having to make a reservation.
Interested in learning more about Mallorca? Check out my post on The Most Beautiful Beaches in Mallorca for more details on their locations, parking and what each has to offer.
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