Mallorca: regions, buses from Palma airport, Tramuntana, Formentor and costs

With around 4.9 million passengers from the main German airports, Palma de Mallorca was in 1st place among all foreign destinations in 2025. The island suits you if you want to combine beach days with walks in the mountains and arrive from the airport without changing. The airport is 8 km outside the city of Palma. Direct buses run from there to Palma, to the Playa de Palma, to the Calvià coast, to the Bay of Alcúdia and to Cala Millor.

The Serra de Tramuntana has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List as a cultural landscape since 2011. The GR 221 long-distance trail runs through the mountains with 183.3 km of waymarked route, which according to the island council can be walked almost all year round.

Mallorca is a poorer fit if you want peace and quiet and book at the Playa de Palma or in Magaluf: parts of these places have their own rules against alcohol excesses. It also gets difficult if you want to go to the north-east or south-east in winter without a car. The airport buses there run only until 31 October 2026 according to the timetable.

Getting there and from the airport to the holiday resorts

Palma airport (PMI) is part of the Aena network and had around 33.8 million passengers in 2025; in Spain only Madrid and Barcelona had more. By nationality, Germany supplies the most passengers there (as of September 2026). Arrivals is on the ground floor of the terminal, on level 0. All bus lines at the airport stop there.

Taxi: only at the signposted rank

You should take taxis only at the signposted rank on level 0. Aena advises avoiding other drivers and asking for a receipt in case of complaints (as of September 2026).

City bus A1 to Palma, A2 to the Playa de Palma

The A1 of the city buses (EMT) runs via Porta des Camp and Plaça d'Espanya with the Estació Intermodal as far as Passeig Mallorca. It comes every 15 minutes during the day from Monday to Friday and every 12 minutes at weekends and on public holidays, from the airport from 05:30 to 03:10. The A2 runs via Can Pastilla along the Playa de Palma to S'Arenal. It comes every 35 minutes from Monday to Friday and every 25 minutes at weekends and on public holidays, from the airport from 06:15 to 01:15 (as of September 2026).

Both lines serve only journeys to or from the airport; you may not use them between two intermediate stops. Paying cash, the journey costs €5.00, the driver gives change of at most €10, and the ten-journey ticket is not valid. Children under 5 travel free with an adult. Card payment is also possible, but EMT does not state a separate card fare for the airport lines (as of September 2026).

TIB intercity buses to the holiday resorts

Four TIB intercity lines start directly at the airport, and at the terminal they stop only on level 0. Journey times and prices from the airport (as of September 2026):

The A11 runs from the airport daily from 8:25 to 0:05, about every 35 to 40 minutes. The A51 starts at 5:35 and 6:35, then hourly from 7:40 to 23:40. The A32 and A42 each run 20 times a day, but their timetables are valid only until 31 October 2026. In winter 2025/26, line A33 served the route Port d'Alcúdia–airport from 1 November; TIB has not yet published a timetable for this winter (as of October 2026).

Three lines are no use for journeys between the places along the route. The A11 carries only passengers from or to the airport. Towards the airport the A32 is an express bus that takes passengers only to Inca or to the airport; between Alcúdia and Can Picafort it is not valid. Towards the airport you may use the A42 from 15 May to 15 October only if you are travelling to Manacor or to the airport. Between Porto Cristo and Cala Bona, TIB refers to its lines 424 and 425.

TIB charges by zone jumps. With a contactless debit or credit card you do not need a ticket; you hold the card to the reader when getting on and when getting off. The bank collects all of a day's journeys together the following day. One card is valid for up to 5 people, and for 4 zone jumps they pay in turn €8.10, €7.45, €6.75, €6.10 and €5.40 (as of September 2026). With a card you may change up to twice if there is at most 60 minutes between getting off and getting on; with the cash ticket not at all.

Car hire: low-emission zone and parking in Palma

In the centre of Palma the low-emission zone ZBE has applied since 22 December 2024, that is, within the Avenidas and the waterfront road. Cars registered abroad and vehicles without a DGT environmental sticker may enter only with a permit. Enforcement is by number-plate recognition, and an offence costs €200 (as of September 2026). The grace period without fines that the city announced in January 2025 was limited, according to the decree, to the end of June 2025.

You can reach the public car parks in the zone, such as Via Roma or Parc de la Mar, without a permit via the signposted access roads. Only authorised vehicles may enter the 12 traffic-restricted areas (ACIRE); hotels and holiday flats can apply for permits for guests. On-street parking within the Avenidas costs €1.45 per hour and is limited to 2 hours (as of September 2026).

In summer you cannot reach the lighthouse at Cap de Formentor by hire car during the day; the rules are set out below under the excursions.

Where to stay: the regions compared

The region mainly determines how long your transfer takes and whether you can manage without a car. The journey times in the table come from the bus timetables of September 2026.

The special zones are based on the Balearic decree-law 1/2020 for responsible tourism. There, alcohol is banned on the street, with a fine of €500 to €1,500, and shops selling alcohol close from 21:30 to 8:00. Happy hours, “barra libre”, organised pub crawls and, in accommodation, climbing from balcony to balcony are also prohibited (as of May 2024).

Sights and excursions

La Seu Cathedral in Palma

Construction of the cathedral began in the 13th century; its nave is about 44 metres high. Antoni Gaudí and Miquel Barceló later remodelled it, and the exhibition “Gaudí en la Seu” runs there until 18 June 2027.

The ticket for the cathedral and museum costs €11, €16 with an audio guide and €25 with the rooftop terraces, which children may go up to only from the age of 9. The guided sunset terrace tour costs €30 (as of September 2026). With an online ticket you enter through the Portal del Mirador from April to October. Concessions, for example for children up to 8 years old, are available only with proof at the ticket office.

In the official ticket shop, entry times from 10:00 to 17:00 can be booked Monday to Friday, until 14:00 on Saturdays and none on Sundays. From November the bookable times end at 15:00 on weekdays (as of 24 September 2026).

Serra de Tramuntana: World Heritage with dry-stone walls

Since 27 June 2011 the Serra de Tramuntana has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape. It was inscribed above all for terraced fields on dry-stone walls and a connected water system of qanats, channels and basins. The mountains extend over 20 municipalities, and the core area of the World Heritage Site measures 30,745 ha. UNESCO rates the economic and functional integrity of the landscape as “fragile” because of growing tourism.

GR 221: long-distance trail of 183.3 km

The GR 221, the Ruta de Pedra en Sec, has 183.3 km of waymarked route: 102.3 km of main route and 81 km of variants. The sections from Coll de sa Gremola to La Trapa, from Estellencs to Esporles and from Deià to Port de Pollença can be walked throughout. The highest point is at Coll de ses Cases de sa Neu at just over 1,200 metres (as of September 2026).

Tren de Sóller: an hour through 13 tunnels

The Tren de Sóller has run from Palma to Sóller since 1912, and electrically since 1929. The journey takes about an hour and passes through 13 tunnels, the longest measuring 2,856 metres. The station in Palma is right on Plaza de España.

From Palma the train leaves at 10:10, 10:50, 12:15, 13:30, 15:10 and 19:40, and at 18:30 according to information at the ticket office. From Sóller it goes back at 09:00, 10:50, 12:15, 14:00, 18:00, 18:30 and 19:30, and at 17:15 according to information given (as of September 2026). The timetable gives no period of validity.

A single costs €23, a return €30 (as of September 2026). The tram from Sóller to the harbour has run since 1913 and costs €10 each way, with tickets available on board. Bicycles and e-scooters are not allowed on the train.

Without the train you can get there on bus line 204: it runs daily from the Estació Intermodal and takes 35 to 40 minutes from Sóller to Palma.

Cap de Formentor: no private cars to the lighthouse in summer

From 15 May to 18 October, access on the Ma-2210 from Port de Pollença to the lighthouse is restricted daily from 10:00 to 22:00. From kilometre 8.7 to the lighthouse a driving ban then applies in both directions; anyone who enters earlier must have left the section by 9:59. You may drive as far as the Platja de Formentor as long as approved parking spaces are still free there. Permitted are the TIB bus, taxis as far as the beach, residents with a permit, cyclists and walkers. Private cars, motorbikes and lorries without a permit risk a fine (as of the 2026 season).

Line 334 runs from Alcúdia via Port de Pollença, the Mirador del Colomer and the Platja de Formentor to the lighthouse. From Port de Pollença it takes 50 minutes, comes about every 35 to 40 minutes and runs until 18 October 2026 according to the timetable. If you come by car, according to the island council you park in Port de Pollença on the bypass and board at the “Estació” stop (42051). On the bus it is best to pay by card, as the island council recommends (as of September 2026).

Cuevas del Drach in Porto Cristo

The caves are in Porto Cristo on the east coast, and the A42 takes 55 to 65 minutes from the airport. The tour is about 1,200 metres long and takes about an hour, including a live concert of about ten minutes on Lago Martel. Adults aged 13 and over pay €18.50 online and €19.50 at the ticket office, children aged 3 to 12 pay €11.50 or €12.50 (as of September 2026).

Entry is from 16 March to 31 October at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00 and 17:00, otherwise at 10:30, 12:00, 14:00 and 15:30. After the concert you can cross Lago Martel by boat, or alternatively a bridge leads across; both are included in the admission price (as of September 2026). There are steps along the way, and the inside of the caves is not accessible with a pushchair or wheelchair.

Nature reserves Mondragó and Es Trenc

The bays of S'Amarador and Font de N'Alis belong to the Mondragó nature area in the municipality of Santanyí, protected since 1990. Until 31 October 2026 you can get there on summer line 521 from Cala d'Or in 25 minutes. Es Trenc-Salobrar de Campos has been designated a nature park since 2017; you may not enter the consolidated dune system there.

Best time to travel: climate at Palma airport

The values come from the AEMET station Palma de Mallorca Aeropuerto, climate normals 1981 to 2010. Maximum and minimum are monthly means; rain days count from 1 mm of precipitation.

August is the warmest month, July the sunniest and driest. October is the wettest month at 62 mm, and September has the most thunderstorms at 3.9 days. In winter it gets cool at night; the station counts 15 days of frost a year. At the harbour the nights are milder: the AEMET station Palma, Puerto measures a mean minimum of 8.3 °C in January and no days of frost in the year.

For swimming, June to August speak in favour, with at most 17 mm of rain a month; for walking, the cooler months of April and October. From November to April the tourist tax also falls by 75%.

Costs

The tourist tax has applied since 1 July 2016 to stays in tourist accommodation in the Balearic Islands. The table shows the high season from 1 May to 31 October, as stated in the official calculator of the Balearic Islands (as of September 2026). From November to April there is a 75% reduction, and from the 9th night in the same property the amount is halved. Under 16 you pay nothing, and 10% VAT is added to all amounts.

The official sources consulted do not give prices for taxis, restaurants and other museums, so they are missing here.

Practical information

• Money: You pay in euros.
• Paying on the bus: EMT and TIB buses accept contactless bank cards. Paying cash with TIB is possible only with notes up to €20, and with EMT the change is at most €10.
• Bus station: The TIB headquarters is the Estació Intermodal on Plaça d'Espanya. Until 31 October its ticket offices are open daily until 21:00, and from 1 November to 31 May they are closed on Sundays and public holidays.
• Emergency number: You can reach 112 free of charge across the EU by landline and mobile.
• Tourist tax: Questions are answered by the Balearic tax authority (ATIB) on 971 717 000.

All details in this list: as of September 2026.

The current rules on entry, safety and health are set out by the German Foreign Office.

Who this is not for

• If you want peace and quiet at the Playa de Palma or in Magaluf: Parts of both places are subject to their own decree-law against alcohol excesses.
• If you want to go to the north-east or south-east in winter without a car: The airport buses A32 and A42 run only until 31 October 2026 according to the timetable.
• If you want to drive to the Formentor lighthouse in summer: From 15 May to 18 October access is closed to private cars from 10:00 to 22:00.
• If you want to stay in central Palma with your own car: Cars registered abroad need a permit for the low-emission zone; without one it costs €200.
• If you want short transfers and want to go to the south-east: To Cala Bona the bus from the airport takes 95 to 105 minutes.
• If you are travelling with a pushchair or wheelchair: You cannot get into the Cuevas del Drach with them.
• If you want warmth in January: At the airport the mean minimum is then 3.8 °C.