The Best Beaches in Mallorca

Mallorca offers plenty of things to do and to visit while on holiday, and you will probably want to spend a day or two at one of the stunning beaches. There are more than 300 beaches in Mallorca, from sandy beaches to pebbled coves. We are local experts on Mallorca, we live here and we know the island perfectly well. Here are some recommendations of some of the best beaches in Mallorca to suit all tastes.

Best beaches in the North of Mallorca

The best beaches in the North of Mallorca are located mostly in the bay of Pollensa and in the bay of Alcudia, plus we can also find some in the Llevant Nature Park area, though these tend to be isolated coves. Both bays (Pollensa and Alcudia) offer a wide range of magnificent beaches situated close to the main tourist resorts.

Formentor Beach

Situated in the bay of Pollensa, the beach of Formentor is included in practically every article you can read online about the best beaches in Mallorca, and probably in the Mediterranean. It was around 1921 when an Argentinian millionaire, Alan Diehl, fell in love with this location and he decided to buy the property. His initial project was to build his own residence, with enough capacity to have visitors and friends. But finally, he decided to build a hotel that was opened in May 1929. The hotel was advertised all over Europe, and it was the perfect destination for artists, kings, aristocracy… From that moment the hotel and its amazing location called the attention of the people, and it ended being one of the most visited places in Mallorca.

The sandy Formentor Beach with crystal clear waters has all the necessary services for a day out at a beach, such as sunbeds, water sports, a restaurant… and it is surrounded by pine trees that add a special beauty to its location. Formentor beach is 900 meters long and divided in 2 sections by the pier where tourist boats from Port de Pollensa and Port Alcudia arrive. Along the beach, you will find different areas so you can decide where to put your towel to enjoy the beach.

Playa de Muro

The North Area of Mallorca has some of the best beaches in Mallorca due to the Bay of Alcudia. This is the longest bay in Mallorca, and a place where we find numerous lovely beaches. Some are not that famous but still recommended such as Sa Canova, Cas Capellans or Son Serra de Marina. On our recommendation of the best beaches of Mallorca, we have selected Playa de Muro because of the total length of 5 kilometers, about 2 of them are totally virgin with hardly no constructions. This area is the closest to the resort of Can Picafort, and it starts where the hotel Albufera Playa lies. You can park your car there and walk to the beach, and head towards the right to find the best spots.

The sand is powdery, ideal to put your towel and relax while sunbathing, with sand dunes at your back and great views of the bay in front of you. The water is crystal, and you can walk out into the sea a long way before the water even reaches your waste.

Best beaches in the East of Mallorca

The best beaches in the East of Mallorca are the small coves spread around the coast, and we recommend on this article two of them. Also, don’t forget the bigger beaches at the main tourist resorts such as Cala Dor, Cala Millor, Porto Cristo or Calas de Mallorca amongst others. But these two are our favourite coves in the east area:

Cala Varques

We found Cala Varques beach about 14 years ago, and we were impressed by this virgin beach surrounded by limestone rocks, pine trees, crystal water and its delicate sand. Not many people even knew about it, and then with the start of the social networks, and especially Instagram, it became of the most famous beaches in Mallorca. Since then, it is lot busier and it is more difficult to park, but it is still as spectacular as it was when we discovered for the first time. You might even see people rock climbing and doing psicobloc.

It is one of those beaches where the water is so clear that the boats seems to be floating and levitating. Take the time to also explore the area as you will find marine coves and a natural arch made by the effect of the water on the lime stone rocks. To get there, you will need to park on a dirty track (do not park on the main road as you can be fined), and walk a 650 meters path to the beach.

Calo des Moro

In the East Area of Mallorca we don’t find any bays as we do in the north; the coast is slightly different to the North Area or the South Area, and therefore the beaches we find there are not as wide and extensive as for example in the Bay of Alcudia. We find small, secluded coves, and many of them are well worth a visit. They compete in beauty, and we could make a list with them of the best hidden and secluded beaches / coves in Mallorca. Many of them have a problem: they are difficult to reach. Calo des Moro is not, and therefore we have included it in the list of the best beaches of Mallorca. It even has a shuttle bus arranged by the local Government to prevent the high volume of cars in the area.

A friend of us gave a perfect description of this beach: “a postcard beach”. White sand, crystal water and an excellent setting. It is like swimming in a massive pool surrounded by high cliffs. Perhaps the only negative is that the beach is not long, just 50-60 meters. Word of advice: Come early to get the best spot on the beach and bring water and food.

Es Trenc

This is “the beach”, the most famous beach on the island and the most Instagrammed beach of Mallorca. This beach is how Mallorca was 100 years ago, and it has resisted many initiatives for developments, and it is now protected by law. It is a virgin beach with white sand, crystal water and is protected by sand dunes and pine trees. Of course, it has all the beach services: sunbeds, umbrellas, lifeguard, beach bars…

The beach is nearly 3 kilometers long, and it has 3 different sections. Closer to the village of Colonia de Sant Jordi is the area known as Es Trenc, then we have Arenal den Trenc and Arenal den Tem is the last section, close to Ses Covetes. It doesn’t matter which section you go to, as you will enjoy it. There is also one area that it is nudist area – but we’re not telling you which one!

Best beaches in the Tramuntana area

The best beaches in the Tramuntana area are small pebbled coves, and from those Cala Deia and Sa Calobra are the most popular ones. We also have the beach in Port de Soller, in the Repic area, that is quite popular.

Cala Deia

Deia is one of the most beautiful villages in Mallorca, and it has been able to preserve its character and peaceful atmosphere. Probably one of the reasons is that being so small is quite difficult to park and touristic buses are not allowed to stop by order of the town council. The village is a delight, and before heading down to Cala Deia, we recommend you a stroll up to the church to enjoy the views. By the church, we find a small cemetery where the famous English poet Robert Graves is buried.

Cala Deia is a mix of big pebbles and sand, and there is not much space to lie down to sunbathe. This is a place where you can enjoy the views and swim in its waters. By the beach you will find two restaurants that open during the summer and they offer fresh fish. To get there, after leaving Deia, direction to Soller, look for the turning on your left-hand side. Follow down the road and you will find the car park (6€ per car).

Sa Calobra

Sa Calobra is one of the most visited places in Mallorca. All travel agencies have a tour there, it is called the Island Tour and it combines a bus ride in the Tramuntana mountain area, a boat trip from Port Soller, a tram trip, the ride on the train of Soller and free time in Sa Calobra. You can get to Sa Calobra on a spectacular boat ride from Port Soller or by car following the Calobra road, a 12 kilometres road with amazing views of the Tramuntana.

Once in Sa Calobra, there are two beaches to enjoy: The Port of Sa Calobra or The Torrente de Pareis. The Port of Sa Calobra is by the boat pier, and it is not normally busy. There are many bars and restaurants in the area. The highlight is to walk to the Torrente (stream) of Pareis. The Torrente de Pareis starts in the village of Escorca, and through five kilometres, makes its way to the sea, ending in Sa Calobra. There it forms the beach of Sa Calobra, first opening out into the “olla” or the “pan”, because of the form as seen from above. Apart from where the gorge ends and where the cove meets the sea, you are surrounded by high walls of rock on each side.

If you prefer to avoid crowds, then we suggest you to visit Sa Calobra at around 17:00 in Summer. Enjoy the last hours of sun in a peaceful and quiet ambience. The Sunset here is also great.

Best beaches near Palma Mallorca

Palma is the capital of the Balearics and a must place to visit while on holiday in Mallorca. Visitors coming from Palma focus more on the old town and its main sights. If you visit Palma, you have to go inside the Cathedral and take your time to stroll around the old town narrow streets to find charming squares, medieval houses, the old walls, convents and churches or 16^th century courtyards.

Not many visitors to Palma focus on the beaches, even though there are many beach options near Palma. All those beaches are quite touristic beaches being close to hotels and the city. The closest one to the old town is Can Pere Antoni beach. This is a 700 meters sandy beach with all the necessary facilities. Ciudad Jardin or Es Molinar are also two interesting recommendations. The beach at Es Molinar is quiet and frequented more by the locals from Palma rather than tourists.

A beach on a nearby island

We finish our list of recommendations with a place that not many tourists explore but it is quite popular with the locals:

Cabrera Beach

Our last best beach in Mallorca is not exactly on the island, it is 12 kilometers away from Colonia de Sant Jordi, in the southeast area of Mallorca. It is the Island of Cabrera, a National Park, to which a visit is highly recommended. And you can even stay there, if you book a night’s stay at the Cabrera Hostel.

To get there is only possible by boat from Colonia de Santa Jordi, and there are day trips that last around seven hours including the boat ride, free time on the island and a swimming stop at the Blue Cave on the way back. The island has much to offer, not just its beaches. There are walking routes, a museum and the remains of a Castle with superb views.

The most famous beach on Cabrera Island is “Sa Platgeta” where you can enjoy an amazing experience of snorkeling in crystal waters. There are hardly any buildings around, and due to its protection status as a National Park, everything remains as it was time ago.

Hope you enjoy our best beaches in Mallorca recommendations and you can plan your holidays in the perfect way. You can share your ideas of the best beach in Mallorca in the comments below.