Many of Mallorca’s best coves aren’t served by regular bus routes: you’ll need to go by car, motorbike or on an organised excursion. Here are twelve of the ones we’re asked about most often: how to get there, how long it takes from the airport and what you’ll find when you park. This isn’t an exhaustive list: Mallorca has enough coves to keep you busy for several summers.
| Beach | Regular bus? | From the airport |
|---|---|---|
| Es Trenc | No | 45 min |
| Sa Calobra and the Torrent de Pareis | No | 1 h 30 |
| Cala Tuent | No | 1 h 10 |
| Caló des Moro | No | 1 h |
| Cala Varques | No | 1 h 10 |
| Cala Torta and Cala Mitjana (Artà) | No | 1 h 20 |
| Portals Vells | No | 40 min |
| Es Caragol | No | 1 h + walk |
| Es Caló des Màrmols | No | 1 h + walk |
| Cala Deià | Village only | 40 min |
| Cala Mondragó | Summer only | 1 h |
| Cala Pi | Summer only | 40 min |
© Bogdan Giuşcă · CC BY-SA 3.0
White sand and turquoise water, with not a single hotel in sight. It is the island’s most famous unspoilt beach and there is no regular bus service to it. The final stretch is a dirt track through the salt flats.
Paid parking, €8 per day in summer. In July and August, it fills up in the morning.
You reach it via one of the most spectacular roads in Europe, featuring a bend that loops back over itself. The final few metres down to the torrent are tunnels carved out of the rock. Without a car, the only alternative is a boat from Port de Sóller.
13 km of tight bends: take it easy. The local council publishes the available parking spaces on its website, so you can check before you head down.
The quiet neighbour of Sa Calobra: same turn-off, half the crowds. A pebble beach at the foot of Puig Major. There aren’t any buses here either.
Around 100 parking spaces, and the car park is practically on the beach.
The most photographed cove in Mallorca, and also the smallest: it can only accommodate a few people. There used to be a shuttle bus, but it no longer runs. You can park on a dirt area on the outskirts of Cala Llombards.
It’s about a 20-minute walk, with a final descent down some rock steps: wear trainers, not flip-flops. There is no lifeguard on duty and no facilities.
© Olaf Tausch · CC BY 3.0
Everything has changed here in 2026: in March, the section of road where everyone used to park was blocked off with concrete blocks. Anything you read on other websites about parking at the entrance is no longer valid.
Park at Cala Romàntica or Porto Cristo and walk there. An unspoilt cove with no facilities.
Two unspoilt coves in the north-east where vehicle access has been prohibited since 2024: the tracks are private and closed off. You leave your car wherever you can and walk the rest of the way.
The last few kilometres are on a bumpy dirt track. It’s about a 20-minute walk to the beach.
© RafelJuan · CC BY-SA 3.0
Three small coves with calm waters half an hour from Palma, and a huge cave right next to the sandy beach: that’s where the stone used to build the Cathedral came from. There’s no regular bus service, and from the nearest bus stop it’s five kilometres along a road with no pavement.
Free parking and 5 minutes along a dirt track. There is a restaurant and a lifeguard on duty during the season.
© Olaf Tausch · CC BY 3.0
The most unspoilt beach in the south, next to the Cap de ses Salines lighthouse. There’s no road leading down to the sand: you leave your car at the lighthouse and walk one and a half kilometres along the coast. There isn’t a single beach bar or a patch of shade.
A 25-minute walk from the lighthouse. Take water and a parasol with you: there’s no lifeguard or facilities.
© mateu mulet · CC BY 3.0
The extreme case: there’s no road leading there. You drive to the same lighthouse as for Es Caragol and from there it’s a walk of over an hour along the coast. It’s one of the few coves in Mallorca where you can still be almost completely on your own.
A 1 hour 15 minute walk each way, with no shade. Don’t go at midday in August.
A rocky cove nestled between cliffs, with two traditional restaurants. There is an automatic barrier that closes when the car park is full. The bus goes to the village of Deià, not to the cove.
Paid parking: €1.50 per half hour and €6 for a maximum of four hours. If it’s closed, it’s a 25-minute walk downhill, and the walk back uphill is a bit of a struggle.
© Olaf Tausch · CC BY 3.0
Two fine-sand beaches within a nature reserve, linked by a ten-minute walk. It’s one of the easiest on the list: a tarmac road leads right to the car park and there are toilets. The bus only runs in high season and comes from Cala d’Or.
Paid parking, around €5 a day. Between 5 and 15 minutes’ walk depending on where you park. Bring cash.
A sandy strip nestled between two cliffs, with fishermen’s huts on one side. It’s small and gets crowded quickly. You have to go down a long, steep flight of steps, so it’s not easy to get to with a pushchair.
Free parking in the residential area. There is a kiosk and a lifeguard during the season, but no showers.
Formentor: the road is closed in summer
From 15 May to 18 October, from 10:00 to 22:00, you cannot drive onto the Formentor peninsula. You can reach the beach while spaces are available – there is a traffic light and a barrier – but not the lighthouse. Running a red light carries a fine of €80, and stopping where you shouldn’t can result in a fine of up to €200. Before 10:00 or after 22:00, you can pass through without any problems.
Alcúdia: the green parking spaces aren’t for your car
Since June 2026, many parking spaces in Puerto de Alcúdia have been reserved for residents with a resident’s card. Hire cars are expressly excluded: parking there incurs a €200 fine, and over two hundred fines were issued in the first few weeks. Always check the sign before parking your car.
Cala Agulla: no longer accessible by car
Since May 2026, a barrier has been in place preventing vehicles from entering the nature reserve, and the old car park has been dismantled. Entering via that route may result in a double fine. You must leave your car at the park-and-ride facility at the old quarry.
For the large hotel beaches, no: the buses go there. Regular bus services don’t reach the small coves, so you’ll need to go by car or motorbike, or on an organised excursion. With your own vehicle, you choose the time, which in summer is what makes all the difference.
Far more than can fit on this page. Among the best known are: Es Trenc, Sa Calobra, Cala Tuent, Caló des Moro, Cala Varques, Cala Torta, Cala Mitjana, Portals Vells, Es Caragol and Es Caló des Màrmols. For Cala Deià, the bus goes as far as the village, and from there it’s a 25-minute walk downhill.
Worse still. The bus routes to Cala Pi and Cala Mondragó only run during the high season, so outside the summer months, those two places are also left without a bus service.
In summer, only outside the hours of 10:00 to 22:00. During those hours, you can drive to the beach as long as there are parking spaces available, but not to the lighthouse.
In July and August, yes, and early. Setting off before nine in the morning makes all the difference between finding a parking space or having to turn back.
On the contrary. The roads in the Serra are narrow and full of tight bends: a small car handles much better and can park where a large one won’t fit. None of these beaches require an off-road vehicle.
Between 40 minutes and an hour and a half, depending on the area. The south and south-west are less than an hour away; the Serra de Tramuntana and the north-east are an hour and a half away.
Pick up your car at the airport and head straight to the beach. No queues and no deposit.
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