Many of Mallorca's best coves have no public bus: you get there by car, by scooter or on an organised trip. Here are the twelve we get asked about most: how to get there, how long it takes from the airport and what you'll find when you park. It's not the full list: Mallorca has coves for several summers.
| Beach | Public 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, not a hotel in sight. The island's most famous wild beach, and no regular line goes there. The last stretch is a dirt track through the salt flats.
Paid parking, 8 € a day in summer. In July and August it fills up in the morning.
You get there on one of Europe's most spectacular roads, with a bend that loops over itself. The last stretch to the torrent runs through tunnels cut into the rock. Without a car, the only option is a boat from Port de Sóller.
13 km of hairpin bends: take it slow. The town hall posts free spaces on its website before you head down.
Sa Calobra's quiet neighbour: same turn-off, half the people. Pebble beach at the foot of Puig Major. No bus here either.
Around 100 spaces, and the car park is almost on the beach.
Mallorca's most photographed cove, and the smallest: very few people fit. There was a shuttle bus, but it no longer runs. You park on a dirt clearing outside Cala Llombards.
About 20 min on foot and a final climb down rock steps: wear trainers, not flip-flops. No lifeguard, no facilities.
© Olaf Tausch · CC BY 3.0
Everything changed here in 2026: in March they blocked off with concrete the stretch of road where everyone parked. What other sites say about parking at the entrance no longer applies.
Park in Cala Romàntica or Porto Cristo and walk. Wild cove, no facilities at all.
Two wild coves in the northeast, closed to traffic since 2024: the tracks are private and gated. You leave the car where you can and walk.
The last few kilometres are dirt and potholes. About 20 min on foot to the sand.
© RafelJuan · CC BY-SA 3.0
Three small, calm coves half an hour from Palma, with a huge cave beside the sand: the stone for the Cathedral came from there. No public bus, and the nearest stop is five kilometres away on a road with no pavement.
Free parking and 5 min along a dirt path. Restaurant and lifeguard in season.
© Olaf Tausch · CC BY 3.0
The wildest beach in the south, next to the Cap de ses Salines lighthouse. No road reaches the sand: you leave the car at the lighthouse and walk a kilometre and a half along the coast. Not a beach bar, not a scrap of shade.
25 min walk from the lighthouse. Bring water and a parasol: no lifeguard, no facilities.
© mateu mulet · CC BY 3.0
The extreme case: no road gets there. You drive to the same lighthouse as Es Caragol and walk over an hour along the coast. One of the few coves in Mallorca where you can still be almost alone.
1 h 15 each way and no shade. Don't go at midday in August.
A stony cove between cliffs, with two long-standing restaurants. An automatic barrier closes when the car park is full. The bus goes to the village of Deià, not the cove.
Paid parking: 1,50 € for half an hour, 6 € for the four-hour maximum. If it's closed, it's a 25 min walk down, and the way back up is hard work.
© Olaf Tausch · CC BY 3.0
Two fine-sand beaches inside a nature park, linked by a ten-minute path. One of the easiest on the list: paved road to the car park, and toilets. The bus only runs in high season and comes from Cala d'Or.
Paid parking, around 5 € a day. Between 5 and 15 min on foot depending on where you park. Bring cash.
A tongue of sand wedged between two cliffs, with fishermen's huts on one side. It's small and fills up early. You go down a long, steep staircase, so it's awkward with a pushchair.
Free parking in the residential area. Kiosk and lifeguard in season, but no showers.
Formentor: the road closes in summer
From 15 May to 18 October, 10:00 to 22:00, you can't drive up the Formentor peninsula. You can reach the beach while spaces last, past a traffic light and barrier; the lighthouse, no. Running the light is 80 € and stopping where you shouldn't up to 200 €. Before 10:00 or after 22:00 you get through fine.
Alcúdia: the green bays aren't for your car
Since June 2026, many spaces in Puerto de Alcúdia are reserved for residents with a permit. Hire cars are expressly excluded: parking there is a 200 € fine, and over two hundred were issued in the first weeks. Always check the sign before you leave the car.
Cala Agulla: no more driving in
Since May 2026 a barrier blocks vehicles from the nature area, and the old car park has been dismantled. Driving in can mean a double fine. You have to leave the car at the park-and-ride by the old quarry.
12 August 2026: eclipse day, half the Serra closed
On the afternoon of the total eclipse the Serra de Tramuntana road will be closed from 15:00 to 21:00 along all 51 kilometres, with checkpoints from 10:00. Access to the Cap de ses Salines lighthouse is closed too. It affects Sa Calobra, Cala Tuent, Cala Deià, Es Caragol and Es Caló des Màrmols. That day you need to be inside before 15:00 or change plans.
These are the ones people ask us about most when we hand over the car, but there are many more. If yours isn't here, message us on WhatsApp and we'll tell you how to get there and where to park.
WhatsAppFor the big hotel beaches, no: the buses go there. Small coves have no public bus, so you get there by car or scooter, or on an organised trip. With your own vehicle you pick the hour, and in summer that is what makes the difference.
Far more than fit on this page. Among the best known: 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 reaches the village and it's a 25-minute walk down.
Worse still. The lines to Cala Pi and Cala Mondragó only run in high season, so outside summer those two have no bus either.
In summer only outside the 10:00 to 22:00 window. Within it you can reach the beach while there's parking, but not the lighthouse.
In July and August, yes, and early. Leaving before nine in the morning is the difference between parking and turning back.
Quite the opposite. The Serra roads are narrow with tight bends: a small car handles far better and parks where a big one won't fit. None of these beaches needs a 4x4.
Between 40 minutes and an hour and a half depending on the area. The south and southwest are under an hour; the Serra de Tramuntana and the northeast, an hour and a half.
Pick up your car at the airport and head straight to the beach. No queues, no deposit, and you can pay in cash.
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