31 Best Beaches in Mallorca for Every Travel Style

The best beaches in Mallorca at a glance

If you only read one section of this whole article (I get it, I’ve got lots of options for you in here!), read this one. Here’s the easy answer for every version of “which beach should I actually go to” depending on what you’re looking for on your gorgeous Mallorcan vacation day:

Honestly, the easiest way to hit several of the southeast standouts, Cala d’Or, Caló des Moro, Cala s’Almunia, and Cala Varques, in one trip is by boat rather than by car.

A lot of these coves have terrible parking or no road access at all, and a boat just drops you right in the water. I’ve got a full guide to the best Mallorca boat tour for every part of the island if you want to skip the driving altogether.

The regional breakdowns below go into more detail on every beach in this table, plus the ones that didn’t quite make the top ten (but are still lovely).

Map of the best beaches in Mallorca

I love a map (something about just seeing where everything is, you know?). Here’s every Mallorca beach on this list plotted out, so you can plan your route.

The good news is that no matter where you are, there are awesome beaches nearby and nothing is really further than an hour and half drive.

Sandy beaches vs rocky calas in Mallorca

Mallorca’s coastline breaks down into two main types, but both are honestly super navigable.

Sandy beaches like Es Trenc, Playa de Muro, and Cala Mondragó have long, open stretches of soft sand and gently sloping water, better if you’re bringing kids or just want to spread out for the day.

Rocky calas, on the other hand, are smaller coves tucked between cliffs, usually with clear, deep water close to shore. Calo des Moro and Cala s’Almunia are the classic examples.

They’re almost indescribably gorgeous, but they fill up fast and often involve a walk down stairs or a rocky path to reach the water.

Don’t let “rocky” scare you off though. It’s usually the cliffs around the inlet that are rocky, not the inlet itself. Most of these calas still have a small patch of sand right at the water, plenty to lay out on and spend the whole day, and the water itself isn’t rocky underfoot either.

Best beaches near Palma

If you’re only in Mallorca for a night or two around Palma, you don’t have to skip a real beach day!

Quick answers first: Platja d’Illetes is the best all around option if you have transportation, Cala Major is the closest and easiest without a car, and either one works if you only have a few hours to spare.

Platja d’Illetes vs Cala Comtesa

Platja d’Illetes is the best all around beach near Palma, about 15 minutes from the city. The water is crystal clear, the sand is split into a few small coves, and the swimming is calm. It has an upscale feel too, with beach clubs and restaurants right there if you want to make a day of it.

Cala Comtesa sits right next to Illetes, a five minute walk away, and it’s the quieter, more natural version, with pine trees, rockier scenery, and some of the clearest water anywhere near Palma.

If Illetes feels a little too polished or too crowded, walk over to Comtesa instead. Same stretch of coast, a completely different vibe.

Cala Major: best without a car

Cala Major is the closest real beach to Palma, with super soft, pretty sand and calm water, and you can easily get there by bus or taxi. If you’ve only got a few hours to spare, this is the one to pick. We drove past this one on our route around the island, so I can vouch for how easy it is to spot right off the road, even though we didn’t stop.

Other good beaches near Palma

These didn’t make the top picks, but they’re all worth knowing about depending on where you’re staying (and any beach in Mallorca is a good one to visit!):

• Portals Nous: calm and family friendly, right next to the luxury marina, good to pair with lunch or drinks in Puerto Portals.
• Platja des Portitxol (Portixol): a small neighborhood beach with lots of cute cafes and restaurants. This is great if you want to explore Palma and swim a bit.
• Playa Ciudad Jardín: a relaxed, more local alternative to Cala Major, noticeably less touristy, with a palm lined promenade.
• Platja de Can Pastilla: long and wide with water sports and beach bars, the pick for a classic full day beach without driving far from Palma.
• Platja Caló de ses Lleonardes: a quiet rocky cove for snorkeling, not sunbathing, and a good add on once you’ve already hit the bigger beaches nearby.

Best beaches in southeast Mallorca (my favorite part of the island)

The best beaches in Mallorca are hands down in the southeast/east side of the island. This is definitely the stretch I’d point you to first if your goal is “beach”.

The water here is unreal, the coves are smaller and calmer, and there’s a cluster of beaches close enough together that you can hit three or four in one day if you plan the drive right (though I honestly love just posting up at one or two and enjoying the day with a book and a cocktail).

If I had to choose just one, it’s Calo des Moro. Cala Mondragó comes in a close second since it’s actually easy to enjoy without fighting for a spot on the sand.

Cala Mondragó (and its quieter neighbor, S’Amarador)

Cala Mondragó is inside a protected natural park, which keeps it from feeling overdeveloped even though it’s easy to reach. The water is clear and calm, the sand is soft, and the pine trees framing the beach make it feel wilder than it actually is to get to. Good snorkeling right off the shore too.

Mondragó actually has a quieter neighbor within the same natural park, S’Amarador, a short walk south. If Mondragó feels crowded when you show up, that’s usually your move.

Calo des Moro vs Cala s’Almunia

Calo des Moro is the tiny cove you’ve probably already seen on Instagram, and its pretty stunning. It’s small, it’s enclosed by cliffs, and the water is that bright turquoise you’d expect somewhere in the Caribbean.

Get there early. This one gets crowded fast once the day heats up.

Cala s’Almunia is right next door, a five minute walk apart, with old fishermen’s huts along the rocks and a slightly more relaxed crowd. The water is just as clear and there’s cliff jumping if that’s your thing.

If Calo des Moro is packed by the time you arrive, which happens pretty often, walk over to s’Almunia instead of waiting it out.

Cala Llombards

Cala Llombards is a sheltered sandy cove with calm, shallow water, one of the better southeast picks if you’ve got kids with you. The cliffs on either side give it a dramatic backdrop without the beach itself feeling hard to access.

Compared to Cala Mondragó, Llombards is smaller and quieter, more of a tucked away cove than a full park experience, so pick Mondragó if you want space and Llombards if you want something smaller.

Cala Santanyí

Cala Santanyí is wider than most of the calas on this stretch, with calm clear water and a handful of restaurants close enough that you can walk straight from the beach to lunch.

If the tiny cliffside coves start to feel like a squeeze, this is the one with actual room to breathe. The rocky edges are worth snorkeling around if you want to see more than just open water.

Cala Figuera

Cala Figuera is technically more of a working fishing village than a swimming beach, with colorful boats lined up along a narrow inlet, but it’s worth the stop on your way through the southeast coast. It’s a good place to slow down, grab a coffee, and see a side of Mallorca that isn’t built around tourists and it’s where our boat tour left from.

Es Trenc, Mallorca’s most famous beach

Es Trenc gets its own section because it’s the beach most people picture when they search for the best beaches in Mallorca. It’s a long, undeveloped stretch of white sand on the south coast, with shallow water that stays warm and clear well out from shore.

There’s very little around it, which is rare for a beach this well known, and the dunes backing the sand make it feel more like a nature reserve than a tourist stop.

Parking fills up in high season, so get there before mid morning if you can. It’s an easy add on if you’re already staying near Campos or driving the south coast for the day.

Es Trenc and Playa de Muro get compared a lot since they’re both long, famous, sandy stretches. Es Trenc is more undeveloped and feels wilder, while Playa de Muro has more space and shallower water for a longer way out, which is why I’d send families to Muro and everyone else to Es Trenc.

Best beaches in east Mallorca

Cala d’Or

Cala d’Or isn’t one single beach, it’s a resort town with a handful of small sandy coves tucked right into it, including Cala Gran and Cala Esmeralda.

I stayed here for a few nights during my week in Mallorca and absolutely adored it. It’s right on the beach, and I spent most of those days doing exactly what you’re supposed to do on a beach vacation. Order a cocktail, sip it in the sand, repeat.

There are fruit vendors who walk up and down the beach basically yelling and singing to sell fresh watermelon and mango, and I cannot stress enough how worth it that is.

If you want to beat the crowds, get there before 10am, though honestly there’s always space to find somewhere to lay your towel. I just floated on my back in that water thinking I never wanted to leave.

Platja de Cala Ferrera

Platja de Cala Ferrera sits right by Cala d’Or, a good pick if you’re staying in that area and want a real beach day without driving far. It’s a sandy cove with calm water, and there are enough restaurants and shops nearby that you can turn it into a full afternoon without much planning.

Cala Varques

Cala Varques is the one on this list that actually takes effort to reach. There’s no direct road, so you’re hiking in, but the payoff is exceptionally clear water, a couple of sea caves worth swimming into, and cliffs that plenty of people jump from. It stays noticeably less crowded than the calas you can drive right up to.

Cala Agulla and Cala Mesquida

Cala Agulla, near Cala Rajada in the northeast, is a wide sandy beach near a pine forest and low hills. Even in peak summer there’s enough space to actually spread out, none of that shoulder to shoulder towel situation you get at the smaller calas. The water is calm enough for a proper swim rather than just wading in.

Cala Mesquida, close by, trades the manicured feel for something a little wilder, dunes rising up behind the sand and clear water out front. If Agulla feels a bit too tidy and resort-y for your taste, this is the rougher, more natural version just down the coast.

Best beaches in north Mallorca and the Formentor peninsula

Playa de Muro: best Mallorca beach for families

Playa de Muro is a long stretch of soft white sand along the Bay of Alcúdia, with water that stays shallow and calm for a long way out. There’s enough room here that it never feels as packed as the beaches closer to Palma, great for families or a long, unhurried beach walk.

Cala Formentor

Cala Formentor sits along the drive out to the Formentor lighthouse, with pine trees with calm blue water and mountain views on almost every side. It’s a good spot for swimming or kayaking, and the drive itself is worth doing even if you don’t stop.

Worth nothing – from May 15 to October 18, between 10am and 10pm, there are seasonal traffic restrictions on the road out here.

Private cars can still reach the beach parking area during that window, but only while spaces last, once it fills up, you’re turned away. The stretch beyond the beach toward the lighthouse is restricted to authorized vehicles during those hours, so that part is bus, taxi, bike, or walk only.

The TIB 334 shuttle covers the whole peninsula, beach and lighthouse included.

These rules shift a bit year to year, so check the current dates before you plan your day around it.

Cala Murta

Cala Murta is a small pebble cove near Formentor that most people drive right past without a second glance. It takes a short walk to reach, and that little bit of friction is exactly why it stays quiet, clear water and a peaceful setting while the main Formentor beach fills up without you.

Cala Boquer: best for avoiding crowds

Cala Boquer is less of a beach day and more of a hike with a reward at the end. The trail through the Boquer Valley near Pollença leads to a rocky cove that feels pretty untouched, with clear water and almost no crowds since most people don’t make the walk.

Best beaches in west Mallorca and the Serra de Tramuntana

The southeast calas might be my favorite for actually swimming, but the west coast is where I watched one of the best sunsets of the whole trip. The Tramuntana mountains drop straight into the sea out here, and the drive alone is worth doing even before you get to a beach.

Sóller Playa (Port de Sóller)

This is the beach right in front of Hotel Marina Wellness and Spa in Port de Sóller, where we actually stayed. We spent every day there lying out, reading, and sipping sparkling water while the little wooden tram rattled by in the background, and it was honestly lovely.

It’s calm, sandy, and an easy walk from most of the hotels in town, a great home base beach if you’d rather walk than drive. This stop is part of my one week in Mallorca itinerary if you want to see how it fits into a longer trip.

The sunsets are pretty spectacular and definitely one of my highlights from my week in Mallorca.

Cala Deià vs Sa Calobra

Cala Deià is a small rocky cove beneath dramatic cliffs, with deep, clear water right off the rocks. It’s a steep walk down from the village of Deià, but it’s one of the more picturesque swimming spots on the island, mountains on one side and open sea on the other.

Sa Calobra is a pebble cove at the end of one of the most dramatic drives in Mallorca, a road that switches back on itself down the mountainside before dropping you at the water.

This is the one beach on this list I actually skipped on my own trip, and I regret it. You can reach it by boat from Port de Sóller on a tour like this (which I really wish I had done and visits Cala Tuent also!).

Cala Tuent

Cala Tuent is a quiet pebble beach backed by the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, and it stays noticeably less crowded than the beaches closer to Palma, no surprise given how far you’ve driven to get there. It’s on the same road that leads to Sa Calobra, so it pairs naturally as a stop on your way there if you do decide to drive.

Where to stay for the best beaches in Mallorca

First, I have a one week in Mallorca itinerary I highly recommend checking out if you’re trying to figure out how many days to spend where (I am really quite proud of how spectacular the itinerary is).

If you’re only in town for a couple days Palma is a good city base near restaurants, and nightlife, but you’ll be driving 45 minutes or more to reach the southeast calas. Hotel Cappuccino is gorgeous and central, it felt like a little European dream.

Cala d’Or puts you right in the middle of the southeast, which is where I stayed and where I’d stay again. We booked Hotel Cala d’Or, directly on the beach, book a sea view room if you can! You trade city energy for walking straight from your room to the water, and same-day access to Calo des Moro, Cala Llombards, and Es Trenc without a long drive.

I just honestly cannot recommend it enough.

Port de Sóller is the best base spot on the west coast. We stayed at Hotel Marina Wellness and Spa, walk straight to the beach with marina views from the room.

It’s a slower, quieter base, and it puts Cala Deià, Cala Tuent, and Sa Calobra within easy reach.

How to get to Mallorca’s best beaches

A few of these beaches you can drive right up to. A few take a hike or a boat to reach (but makes them that much more secluded!).

• Easiest by public transportation: the near-Palma beaches, Cala Major and Playa Ciudad Jardín especially, plus Cala d’Or itself if you’re already staying in that town. If you want the full picture on getting around without a car, I go into it in my driving in Mallorca guide, but the west coast and the southeast calas are easier with a car (though you can do by bus).
• Easiest with a rental car: nearly everything else. This is honestly the only way to hit most of the beaches on this list in one trip, especially the southeast calas and the west coast. I wrote a full breakdown of driving in Mallorca as a tourist, including whether you actually need an international permit.
• Difficult parking: Calo des Moro, Cala s’Almunia, and Es Trenc in high season. Arrive early or expect to circle for a spot.
• Reached by hiking: Cala Boquer and Cala Varques both require walking in, so wear real shoes and bring more water than you think you need.
• Particularly convenient by boat: Cala Varques, Sa Calobra, and a handful of the harder to reach coves are much easier this way, and you’ll usually see a few extra calas along the route that aren’t accessible by car at all. I put together a guide to the best Mallorca boat tour for every part of the island if you want to go that route.

If you’re planning a full week and want a day by day breakdown that includes several of these beaches plus where to stay and eat, my one week in Mallorca itinerary covers the whole trip.

What to pack for a Mallorca beach day

Most of these beaches, especially the calas, have little to no shade, so packing right actually matters more here than it does at a typical resort beach.

• A towel you don’t mind getting a little sandy or salty. Most beaches on this list don’t rent them.
• Reef-safe sunscreen, and reapply constantly. The Mediterranean sun is brutal, and salt water washes it off faster than you’d think.
• Water shoes if you’re hitting any of the rocky calas, think Calo des Moro, Cala s’Almunia, or Cala Deià. The stairs and rocks down to the water are not kind to bare feet.
• An umbrella or a chair. Most calas have zero shade of their own. You can buy a cheap umbrella in town at a tourist shop for around 10 euros, or pay about 20 euros to rent a chair for the day right on the beach. Either one is 100 percent worth it to not roast in the sun for hours.
• A reusable water bottle. A lot of these beaches don’t have a shop nearby, especially the calas you hike or drive to.
• Snacks or a packed lunch, especially for beaches like Cala Varques or Cala Boquer where there’s nothing to buy once you get there.
• A waterproof phone pouch so you can actually swim without worrying about your phone, and still get the photo.
• Your swimsuit on under your clothes before you head out. A lot of the smaller calas don’t have a changing area.

Want more Mallorca planning like this?

I send out my real trip research and planning notes for Mallorca and the rest of Spain, the stuff that doesn’t always make it into a full post. If that’s useful, drop your email below and I’ll send the next one your way.

FAQ: best beaches in Mallorca

Final thoughts on the best beaches in Mallorca

If you’re a first timer and only get one beach day, spend it in the southeast. Rent a car and string together Cala Mondragó, Cala Llombards, and Calo des Moro (or Cala s’Almunia if Moro is too packed by the time you get there). That’s a full, realistic day without trying to cross half the island.

Save Sa Calobra and the west coast for a separate day, the drive alone deserves its own afternoon.

If you’re planning the rest of the trip around it, my one week in Mallorca itinerary is the next thing to read. Go. Book something.

You won’t regret it.

Cheers to your next beach day 🌊🇪🇸