Things to do in Palma de Mallorca: sights, sea and day trips

If you're looking for things to do in Palma de Mallorca, the short answer is this: the cathedral and the old town on foot, a boat trip round the bay, Bellver Castle with its view over the whole harbour, an evening in Santa Catalina and, if you have a spare day, the old wooden train to Sóller. Everything else depends on how many days you have, if you're travelling with children and, above all, which day of the week you arrive: on Sundays the cathedral is closed to sightseeing and on Mondays most museums shut.

This guide is independent. We are not the official website of any monument or boat company; we earn a commission when you book through GetYourGuide, Tiqets or Headout, and that is exactly why we tell you when the official ticket desk is cheaper (it often is).

Things to do in Palma de Mallorca in 1, 2 or 3 days

Palma is a compact city: the old town, the harbour and Santa Catalina are all walkable, and what lies outside (Bellver, the Fundació Miró, the beaches, the Aquarium) is a city bus ride away. These plans work Monday to Saturday; if your first day is a Sunday, swap day 1 and day 2.

Palma de Mallorca in one day

• Morning: the cathedral first thing (it opens at 10:00). The €10 official ticket includes the Museu d'Art Sacre, which hardly anyone visits, just behind it in the Palau Episcopal. If you're there between March and November and are over 9, the version with the rooftop terraces costs €25.
• Midday: cross to the Palau de l'Almudaina, whose entrance is right opposite (€8; closed on Mondays), then walk down the lanes behind it to the Banys Àrabs, the Arab Baths: €3.50 in cash, 30–45 minutes.
• Afternoon: Plaça de Cort, Plaça Major, the Passeig del Born and Sa Llotja. Finish at Es Baluard with the late light over the bay, then have dinner in Santa Catalina.

If you'd rather have someone tell you the stories, an old town walking tour saves you the map and takes you into courtyards and corners you wouldn't find alone. The detailed route, with times, is in things to see in Palma.

Two days

Day 1 as above. Day 2 is about the sea and the heights: in the morning, Bellver Castle (€4, free on Sundays) and in the afternoon a boat. The shortest option is the 55-minute harbour cruise from the Escala Real below the cathedral (€19, Monday to Saturday); the fullest is a 5-hour catamaran with lunch and a swim in the coves of Llucmajor. Every option, with pier and price, is in Palma boat trips, and if you're after the sunset, in sunset cruises.

Three days (or more)

On day three, leave the city. The two day trips that work best without a car:

1. Sóller by wooden train. It leaves from the station next to Plaça d'Espanya (first departure 10:10), the ride takes an hour, and from Sóller a tram runs down to the port. The train ticket alone is sold only at the station on the day; the train + tram package (€40, or €32 as an online offer on some departures) can be booked. Full guide in Sóller train.
2. Caves of Drach in Porto Cristo, just over an hour away: €18.50 official ticket online, with a concert of about 10 minutes on the underground lake. From Palma there's the TIB bus 401 (about 1 h 15) or an organised tour. Details in Caves of Drach.

With a fourth day, add Valldemossa and Deià (TIB bus 203, about 30 minutes to Valldemossa) or a beach in the south such as Es Trenc or Caló des Moro, which need a car. More ideas in day trips from Palma.

Palma's must-sees and what they cost

Not everything on the lists deserves your time. This is what we recommend, with the official adult price:

The cathedral is the one thing you really shouldn't skip. Mind the dress code: shoulders covered and nothing shorter than mid-thigh, no swimwear and no see-through clothing. In summer keep a scarf in your bag, because people do get turned away at the door.

Cathedral tickets: official desk or booking platform?

The official desk usually wins on price: €10 against €11 on GetYourGuide or Tiqets and €15 on Headout, which also adds a service fee at checkout. An online ticket, official or from a platform, lets you use the fast-track queue at the Portal del Mirador. Discounts (children aged 9 and under, Balearic residents) only apply at the desk with ID. The official ticket can't be refunded or changed; on the platforms cancellation is usually free up to 24 hours before (check each listing). The price changes now and then: confirm it at https://catedraldemallorca.org/en/visits/tours/ before you go.

Every ticket in the city, compared one by one, is in tickets in Palma and in the price comparison.

Palma from the sea, and trips round the island

Boats are the most-booked thing in Palma, and rightly so: the cathedral looks its best from the water. There are two piers, 1.5 km apart, and mixing them up is the most common mistake:

• Muelle de las Golondrinas, opposite the Auditòrium on the Paseo Marítimo: the half-day and full-day catamarans leave from here and sail towards the coves of Llucmajor (Cala Vella, Cala Blava, Cova Verda).
• Escala Real, below the cathedral: the 55-minute harbour cruise and the sightseeing-bus boat.

If you're tempted to hire a motorboat, note that since 1 October 2026 you need a boating licence to rent any motorboat. Without one you can go on a skippered boat, in a kayak or on a stand-up paddleboard. We explain it in boat rental. For jet skis, parasailing or diving, see activities in Palma: none of them leave from the city centre, but from Cala Gamba, S'Arenal, Magaluf or Santa Ponça.

To get round the island in a day with everything organised, the combined train + tram + boat tours to Sa Calobra are the big temptation. Do the maths: the same route done independently, bought from the boat company in Port de Sóller, costs €65, and the guided version with pick-up in the south €78, compared with €103 for one platform tour. In return, the platform gives you reviews and flexible cancellation. It's all in excursions in Mallorca.

What our readers book most

1

First visit, any day except Sunday

Fast-track cathedral entry, rated 4.6 out of 5 from more than 17,000 reviews. It costs €1 more than the desk; in return you can usually cancel up to 24 h before (check the listing).

GetYourGuide

Sights· Palma city

Palma: Cathedral of Mallorca Skip-the-Line Entry Ticket

4.6 (17,716)

from €11Check availability

2

An easy day at sea

5-hour catamaran with lunch and a swim, rated 4.6 out of 5 from more than 12,000 reviews.

GetYourGuide5 hours

Sea· Palma city

Palma de Mallorca: 5-Hour Catamaran Cruise with Lunch & Swim

4.6 (12,441)

from €59Check availability

3

Sóller and Sa Calobra on your own

Train, tram and boat on a single ticket for €65, the same as the independent combo bought from the boat company.

GetYourGuide

Day trip· Rest of the island

Mallorca: Island Trip by Train, Tramway and Boat

4.4 (1,305)

from €65Check availability

Where to book: tickets, tours and activities

We've sorted what's on offer in Palma into five main guides, so you don't have to wade through a thousand identical listings:

• Tickets: cathedral, Almudaina, Bellver, museums and parks, with the official price next to each platform's.
• Excursions: full-day island tours with hotel pick-up.
• Activities: sea, adventure, bikes, buggies, flamenco and hammam.
• Boats: catamarans, sunset cruises, dolphins and Cabrera.
• Day trips: Sóller, Valldemossa, Drach, Formentor and the inland markets.

To know who you're booking with, read our reviews of GetYourGuide, Tiqets and Headout, or the list of operators. Two things worth knowing before you pay: with GetYourGuide's "reserve now, pay later" your card is charged 72 hours before the activity; and official tickets for the cathedral, Drach or the Sóller train are non-refundable.

GetYourGuide8 hours

Day trip· Rest of the island

Mallorca: Island Tour with Boat, Tram & Train from the South

4.4 (4,545)

from €103Check availability

Headout

Day trip· Rest of the island

From Palma: Caves of Drach Entrance, Music Concert, and Boat Trip

4.7 (10)

from €48.60Check availability

GetYourGuide3 - 4 hours

Sea· Palma city

Palma de Mallorca: Sunset Boat Tour and Music

4.4 (3,445)

from €44.91Check availability

GetYourGuide

Adventure· Palma city

Mallorca: Palma Aquarium Entry Ticket with Optional 3D Cinema

4.5 (3,749)

from €30.50Check availability

GetYourGuide1.5 hours

Sights· Palma city

Palma de Mallorca: Old Town and Cathedral Tour

4.6 (831)

from €28Check availability

GetYourGuide1 hour

Sea· Palma city

Palma de Mallorca: Los Deltas Jet Ski Tour

4.5 (1,299)

from €169Check availability

See everything on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 6 October 2026

Things to do in Palma today: what's open each day

The day of the week changes your visit more than the weather does. This table saves you from arriving at a locked door:

Each museum's free day, in full detail, is in things to see in Palma. The festivals that change the calendar (Sant Sebastià on 19 and 20 January, the Nit de l'Art in September, the Christmas market from late November to 6 January) are in festivals and events. Remember that on 20 January, a local holiday, the cathedral is closed to visitors.

When to go to Palma: the weather month by month

Palma gets about 2,800 hours of sunshine a year and very little summer rain: July averages less than one rainy day. The problem with summer isn't the weather, it's the heat (highs of about 30 °C at the harbour in July and August) and the crowds. For the city, our favourite months are May, June, September and October: the sea is already 21 °C in June and still 22 °C in October.

Things to do in Palma in October and in winter

October is the wettest month (6.7 rainy days on average), but the sea is still 22 °C and the city empties out. Bear in mind the end-of-season closures: the boat from Port de Sóller to Sa Calobra runs from 1 April to 31 October, the Western Water Park closes on 31 October, Aqualand El Arenal is closed until the 2027 season, and lifeguards on Palma's beaches finish on 31 October. The cathedral terraces stay open until the end of November. In winter the city works as normal (museums, cathedral, markets) with slightly shorter hours. If you get a rainy day, there's a full plan in Palma in the rain.

Getting to and around Palma

• From the airport: EMT bus A1 runs to Plaça d'Espanya and Passeig de Mallorca every 12–15 minutes during the day and costs €5 in cash; it also takes contactless bank cards. Taxis are metered, with a minimum of €16.95 from the airport rank. Uber works; Bolt and Cabify don't. All of it in airport transfers.
• From the cruise port: the terminal is 2.7–3.4 km from the cathedral as the crow flies, not the 6–8 km you'll read elsewhere. EMT bus 1 takes you to the centre for €2 in cash. There's no water bus at the moment. More in cruise port.
• Around the city: EMT buses. Pay by contactless bank card, which is the cheapest fare; resident cards aren't for visitors. Line 25 runs from the cathedral to Platja de Palma, the 35 goes to the Aquarium via Ciutat Jardí, and the 4 goes to Cala Major and Illetes. Fares at https://www.emtpalma.cat/es/tarifas/tarifas
• By car: don't drive into the old town. There are 12 camera-controlled zones (ACIRE) where only authorised vehicles may enter; if your hotel is inside one, ask it to register your number plate before you arrive. Use an underground car park or a park-and-ride on the outskirts.
• Sightseeing bus: a single operator, City Sightseeing, with 19 stops from 10:00 to 17:30. It's handy for Bellver and the Pueblo Español, which are uphill. We compare it in Palma hop-on hop-off bus.

Palma with kids, as a couple, at night or in the rain

• With kids: the Aquarium (open all year, with one of the deepest shark tanks in Europe: 8.5 m) and the Blue Flag beaches of Ciutat Jardí, Cala Estància and Cala Major. Under-14s get into Bellver free. There are no dolphins at the Aquarium: if that's what you're after, they're at Marineland in Costa d'en Blanes.
• As a couple: a sunset catamaran, the hammam on Carrer Costa i Llobera (90-minute sessions, swimwear compulsory) and the flamenco at Tablao Alma, five minutes from Plaça d'Espanya, with shows at 17:30, 19:30 and 21:30.
• At night: Santa Catalina and Sa Gerreria are where locals go for drinks. The rules against excess tourism (no happy hours or pub crawls, fines of €500 to €1,500 for drinking in the street) only apply in Platja de Palma, S'Arenal and Magaluf. For stag and hen parties, see stag and hen dos in Palma.
• Food: the Mercat de l'Olivar, next to Plaça d'Espanya, and the Santa Catalina market; both close on Sundays. Try an ensaïmada, Mallorca's spiral pastry made with lard, and sobrasada.
• Beaches: Can Pere Antoni is about 15 minutes' walk from the cathedral; for something quieter, take the bus to Ciutat Jardí or Cala Major. Outside the city, the nearest beach resorts are Palmanova, Magaluf and Santa Ponça.
• Accessible Palma: the cathedral and the Almudaina are accessible (the terraces aren't), and several Palma beaches offer assisted bathing from late March to 31 October.

All our Palma guides on one map

Each point on the map is a guide with prices, opening times and how to get there. Tap one to see the driving time from the centre.