First time in Mallorca

[BebeBelge]

Hello, we have just booked a holiday to Majorca in July (myself, DH, DD17, DS14, DS13) and are very excited and looking for suggestions.

We will have a car and are keen to explore off the beaten track if possible. We are not bothered by nightlife / water parks but will definitely want to kayak/ snorkel / walk and try local food and tapas etc.

If anyone has any great ideas and must-do's, I'd love to hear them! Thanks!

No help, but being nosey as we are going for the first time too!

It's just the best place! Where are you staying?

Just outside Pollensa

Mallorca is such a lovely island to explore!
You could drive up to Cap Formentor easily from Pollensa which has a stunning beach and amazing views if you can find a spot to stop on the way up. There are definitely water sport options there too.

Valldemossa is lovely to have a look around, there's an old monastery and just pretty little streets to wander around. From there you could go to Soller and Port de Soller, although it might be a bit much for one day.

Palma is also a great city to spend the day in, it's about an hours drive from Pollensa.

I know the west coast better and there are lots of little places you can stop at with great seafood from St Elm down south west up to Deia. It will probably be pretty busy in July though so be prepared to wait for tables or you may have to bite the bullet and reserve places in advance which takes away the spontaneity but is the way it's going in Mallorca in high season now.

Hope you have a great time!

You have to go to Soller, and have an orange ice cream

Was just coming back to say Formentor beach as well! We took the boat out from puerto pollensa- might be exceedingly busy in July mind you.

Pollensa old town is lovely for a wander, climb the steps for a great view.

Go to Soller and take the little tram out to puerto soller.

Palma is great for teens, shops and aquarium.

Agree with Deia and Valdemossa.

People always say Inca market too, altho I've never been there.

You do need to book restaurants in advance mainly.

Alcudia old town was nice too.

There is nature reserve near Pollensa, the name has escaped me!

Lots of opportunities for kayak, paddle board etc in puerto pollensa

Look on the no frills excursion website for ideas!

I’ve tried to go to Deia many times and there’s nothing there. I do agree with all the other recs too. A day in Palma is lovely. I would also give formentor beach a miss too, it’s extremely busy. On my next trip I also want to go to Sa Pobla. It’s meant to be very nice. My favourite place in the world. I’m jealous

The caves of drach are fascinating.

The pirates show is very entertaining, but the meal they serve is terrible.

We had a lovely holiday in Mallorca in late September it is a beautiful island (although be aware of the Mosquitoes). We hired a car for part of the time and also used public transport which was very good and reasonable.

The city of Palma on Mallorca is vibrant and beautiful, with its gothic cathedral, Almudaina Palace, the Bellver castle, etc. You could easily spend a few days here, walking along the promenade, the port, gardens, shops, museums, etc. We had a tourist pass as we wanted to visit a number of attractions (which not only saved us money but allowed us to skip the line). There are a few different attraction passes and prices vary, so carefully consider if this is right for you. There are a number of great tapas restaurants here, which are fairly reasonable outside of the main tourist areas.

I would also recommend the old town of Alcúdia. You can walk around the walls and there is a lovely market here on a Sunday.

Like others we visited the lighthouse at Cap de Formentor, along with half the island (it is a very popular place to visit at Sunset). Another popular place is the Drach caves (and the caves of Hams), in the Drach Caves there was a short concert and boat ride and it was lovely and cool on a hot day!

I know you said you had hired a car but I would really recommended a day trip on the old Sóller train through the Tramuntana mountains. The Tramuntana Mountains are a Unesco World Heritage Site and train ride was great experience. We then took a tram from Soller to the Port. The highest peak of the mountains is Puig Major, there is a road up most of it. Go early on a clear day for a fantastic view of the whole island.

Pollenca, old town is lovely. We walked down the 365 steps into the town area and then walked up Puig De Maria (probably not recommended in July because the path is very uneven and slippery towards the top). However, there is a stunning view at the top by the convent. Port de Pollenca is also very pretty with a lovely promenade. There are also a number of snorkelling boat trips and other water activities that you can take from here.

We spent two weeks on the island and didn’t run out of things to do. I am sure you will have a great time too.

That sounds right up my street!

We went to Pollença last year and had a great time. Valldemossa is great. You can visit where Chopin and George Sands stayed where they wintered there. If it's of interest Pollença also has a classical music festival between July and August - last year's headliner was Yuja Wang. It takes place late in the evening outdoors in the cloisters of an old friary and is really atmospheric.

In Palma we really enjoyed visiting the Banys Arabs.

The food in and around Pollença was fine but not super-authentic. It felt like pretty much eveywhere was geared up to tourists. Palma was unsurprisingly much better in this regard.

Also - MOSQUITOS! I cannot emphasis this enough - we were there in August last year and they were next level. I normally get a few bites wherever we go, but the rest of the family get left alone. This year we were all eaten alive. Take plug ins (sold out in Pollença when we were there), take anti-histamines (cheaper in the UK), bug repellant, and if I went again I would blast the aircon overnight and sleep in long pyjamas.

They won’t be able to drive to Formentor in July, no car access except residents, buses, emergency services and cyclists in the summer months. Can get the bus from Pollensa though.

Another vote for Caves of Drach (and also Ham which I prefer).

Yes to the train from Palma to Soller and the wooden train to the port.

In Palma Olivar market is a wonderful food market.

Es Verger Alaro, Sa Foradada or go to restaurant Orient (in the tiny village of Orient) for a really special meal.

@OldGothsFadeToGrey I didn’t know that tourists aren’t allowed to drive to Formentor. This is probably a stupid question, but is this also true for June?

@StrangewaysHereWeCome I had almost forgotten about the mosquitoes. It’s such a shame

You’ll be able to kayak and snorkel in Puerto Pollensa. There is also a very good sail and surf school here too.

The road restrictions on driving to for formentor will start on first of June until the end of October. It’s easier just to get the bus to it or just get the ferry to for enter from Puerto pollensa

Not a stupid question! Yes it applies to June too. Normally it’s from 1st June until 30th September, but this year it’s been extended to the end of October. So no access from 1st June to 31st October 2025. Restrictions are in place 10:00 - 22:00.

They will fine you if you access during the restrictions - not a nice surprise for the unaware tourist on their return home, as rental companies often add their own charge if you get a fine.

On the subject of mosquitos - Nenuco baby cologne after a shower is a good repellant, it’s widely available at supermarkets and pharmacies and it’s less than 5 euros. Buy the local plug ins and sprays. We take pestects mosquito patches and found these to be very effective for the whole family.

Thanks for that. We are going in June, and had planned on hiring a car

Also in June - Calima (sandstorms). Last year was particularly bad, although it was only 2/3 days in total, just made such a mess everywhere. We are going a bit later this year so will hopefully miss it.

Yes, we were there last June, and I noticed all the sand on the car windscreens.

We used public transport all the time, and will probably do the same again this year

Love Mallorca, especially Pollensa. We were just saying if we could move anywhere in Europe it would be there. The walk up the Boca valley is glorious (go early morning before the crowds and heat hit)The nature reserve near there is great BUT, it’s more a bird reserve and at that time of the year will be pretty dead. If you do go take a picnic as there’s no refreshments available on sight and maybe a bike as it’s huge. It’s wetlands too which leads me to...
But yeah , mosquitoes. We last went at Easter a few years ago, had a lovely evening walk along the beach, through the pine forests lining it. I was like a relief map of the Himalayas.

The pools were all full of it, we had a really good owner though who came and cleaned it every day so we could use it.

@OldGothsFadeToGrey thanks for the update on car access to Formentor! It's been a good few years since we drove there in the summer.

Arta is a very nice old town - home to lots of expats and easy from pollensa area- drive down east side to Cala figuera( looks like a Norwegian fiord and then on to Cala d’or for lunch - nice swimming as a biggish low rise resort based round coves

es trenc isa great beach in the south - quite wild, huge but does get busy

I agree with your Sa Pobla recommendation. I lived there for a year. It's a very authentic Mallorquín village. Lovely pedestrianised town square with a range of eateries and bars. Definitely recommend!