Day trips from Palma: on your own or with a tour

Day trips from Palma have an advantage few islands offer: almost all of them start from the same spot, the Estació Intermodal beneath Plaça d'Espanya, and the Sóller train leaves right next door. With a regular bus, a train ticket and an entry bought online you can cover Valldemossa, Deià, Sóller, Porto Cristo or the inland markets for a good deal less than a coach tour costs.

An organised tour makes sense in three cases: when the destination has no public transport (Sa Calobra by road, Cap de Formentor in season), when you want to chain train, tram and boat without watching the clock, or when you are short of time and do not want to risk a fixed-time slot at the caves. Below you will find each trip with both options.

The best day trips from Palma at a glance

If you are hiring a car, this table gives the minutes from Palma and from the most popular beach resorts:

On your own or with a tour: what pays off

The rule of thumb: if the destination has a direct bus or train from the Intermodal, go on your own and spend the difference on a good lunch. If you need to combine three kinds of transport on unforgiving timetables, a tour or the official combined ticket saves you the stress.

Two tips for every bus route: pay by contactless bank card on TIB buses, as it is cheaper than cash, and remember that summer buses fill up as they leave Palma. On line 203 TIB is also trialling seat booking on its website.

Sóller, Port de Sóller and Sa Calobra by train and boat

The Sóller train is the most photogenic day trip and also the most confusing. It leaves from its own station next to Plaça d'Espanya at 10:10, 10:50, 12:15, 13:30, 15:10, 18:30 and 19:40 and takes an hour. Return trains leave Sóller at 09:00, 10:50, 12:15, 14:00, 17:15, 18:00, 18:30 and 19:30. The departures the company marks "check at the ticket office" (18:30 outbound, 17:15 back) are best confirmed there on the day. The current timetable is on trendesoller.com.

Prices: €23 single, €30 return. The tram to Port de Sóller costs €10 each way, paid on board. The return train + tram pack costs €40, and there is a €32 online offer on some departures: it is the only ticket you can buy online. Everything else is sold only at the ticket office on the day, non-refundable, with changes allowed until 09:00 that day. Arrive 30 minutes early.

Sa Calobra has no scheduled bus. The only public option is the Barcos Azules boat from Port de Sóller: €35 return, €23 single, 10% less online until 20:00 the day before. It runs daily from 1 April to 31 October (departures from Sóller at 09:50, 11:20, 13:00 and 15:00) and in November only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. From the Sa Calobra quay to the Torrent de Pareis beach is about a 10-minute walk. What nobody tells you: there are only two boats back, at 13:45 and 16:40. Timetables and fares on barcoscalobra.com. If you are 12 to 22, the youth fare is €27 return.

The boat company's combined "island tour on your own" puts train, tram and boat together for €65: the 10:10 or 10:50 train, the 13:00 boat to Sa Calobra, back at 16:40 and the 18:30 or 19:30 train to Palma. The guided version, by coach over the mountain road's famous "nus de sa corbata" (tie knot) bend, with pick-up in Palma, Illetes, Cala Major, Santa Ponça, Playa de Palma, Can Pastilla, El Arenal, Peguera or Magaluf, costs €78. The platforms sell similar tours for over €100: compare what is included before paying the difference.

If the afternoon train is full, come back on the TIB 204, which runs through the tunnel to the Intermodal, or go out along the coast on the 203, via Valldemossa and Deià.

Valldemossa and Deià on the 203 bus

This is the easiest trip without a car. The TIB 203 leaves the Intermodal about 24 times on a weekday and takes around 30 minutes to Valldemossa and 45 to Deià. Note: about nine of those departures terminate in Valldemossa, so if you are heading to Deià check the timetable to make sure the bus carries on. The last bus to Palma passes Valldemossa at 21:25. Line 210, mentioned in older guides, no longer exists. Full details are in the Valldemossa and Deià guide.

The Valldemossa Charterhouse (Cartoixa) opens Monday to Friday 10:00–17:00 and Saturday 10:00–16:00; it is closed on Sundays. A general ticket costs €12.50 (€10 for over-65s) and includes a Chopin recital of about 15 minutes, Monday to Saturday at 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 13:15 and 14:15. Time your visit to catch one of them (cartoixadevalldemossa.com).

In Deià, Robert Graves' house (€10) opens Monday to Friday only, 09:30–16:30 from April to October. Get off the 203 at the S'Empaltada stop, three or four minutes' walk away, not in the village centre. If you drive to Valldemossa, the blue parking zone is charged every day; on the published rates, from April to October one hour costs €2 and five hours €4, so buy the long ticket straight away.

A well-rounded day: the 203 in the morning to Valldemossa, the next bus on to Deià and Sóller, and the train back to Palma in the afternoon.

Caves of Drach and Hams from Palma

The Caves of Drach, in Porto Cristo, are a good hour from Palma. The visit takes about an hour, is not guided and ends with a roughly 10-minute concert on Lake Martel; afterwards you cross by boat or on foot over the bridge, at no extra cost (there are only a few boats, so not everyone gets one). Tickets are €18.50 online, €19.50 at the desk, children aged 3 to 12 €11.50. Online you skip the desk queue and go straight to the entrance.

From 16 March to 31 October there are slots at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00 and 17:00; from 1 November to 15 March, at 10:30, 12:00, 14:00 and 15:30. The quietest, according to the caves themselves, are the first and the last two. There are no discounts of any kind, and if you miss your slot you lose the ticket (cuevasdeldrach.com).

On your own: TIB 401 from the Intermodal, departures every 25–35 minutes; for example, 09:35 from Palma, 10:51 in Porto Cristo. Take a bus that leaves plenty of margin: with the ride and the walk to the entrance, allow at least 1 h 45 before your slot. With a tour: Nofrills sells the half-day tour from Palma (roughly 09:20–14:15) at €54 direct, with entry, coach and guide. This is what it costs today on each channel:

Headout shows up as the cheapest, but it adds a service fee at checkout; Nofrills offers a price-match guarantee. If you choose a tour, ask for the central meeting point rather than a hotel pick-up: long coach loops come up again and again in reviews.

No lockers at the cave and no luggage allowed: do not arrive with suitcases. Pushchairs are not allowed either (use a baby carrier) and it is not wheelchair accessible.

A few kilometres away are the Coves dels Hams (€18.50 online, one hour) and the Coves d'Artà (€17, guided visit). Hams gives residents €2 off and seniors €1 off, at the desk only.

Formentor and Alcúdia: the north without a car

From the Intermodal, the TIB 301 reaches Port de Pollença in about 1 h 20 (departures almost hourly from 06:00 to 21:40). From there you have two ways to reach Formentor beach:

• TIB 334 to the beach and the lighthouse: €1.80 by bank card, €3 in cash.
• Port de Pollença ferry to Formentor beach: €18 open return (come back on any boat that day), about 25 minutes. From June to October it leaves at 11:00, 12:00 and 13:00; the last return is at 16:30.

The cape road is restricted from 15 May to 18 October, 10:00–22:00: cars can only drive to the beach while there is space in its car park, and private cars cannot use the stretch from the beach to the lighthouse. Check the current status on the DGT page. Outside those dates you can drive up.

Alcúdia has a walled old town and a market on Tuesdays and Sundays. You get there on the TIB 302. Boat trips to the cape leave from Port d'Alcúdia and Port de Pollença; you will find them in the cards below.

Weekly markets: which day for which town

A market is the perfect excuse to see the interior. The best known, by day:

Sineu is the classic Wednesday market (mornings, roughly 08:00–13:30) and still has a livestock section. Take the T3 train from the Intermodal: about 51 minutes (for example, 08:45 → 09:36), and you skip the scramble for parking. Inca is on Thursday and also has a train from Palma. In the city, the Olivar and Santa Catalina covered markets open Monday to Saturday mornings; our food and tapas guide covers them.

Es Trenc, Caló des Moro and Cabrera: the south, no direct bus

The south is the hardest without a car. There is no bus to Es Trenc beach: the TIB 508 reaches Sa Ràpita in just over an hour and the 517 goes to Colònia de Sant Jordi; by car, there are only paid car parks. For Caló des Moro, take the TIB 515e to Santanyí and then the 517 (about 1 h 30 in total), followed by a 1.5 km path. Everything, with timetables and rules, is in the Es Trenc and Caló des Moro guide.

Cabrera National Park is not strictly a day trip from Palma: the boats leave from Colònia de Sant Jordi (Classic €58, Express €45). The only one sailing from the Bay of Palma is Life & Sea's, from Can Pastilla at 10:00 and S'Arenal at 10:15, for €90, back around 18:15. The castle interior is closed for safety reasons.

Which trip to choose by day of the week

The calendar matters more than the destination:

• Sunday: Valldemossa Charterhouse and the Graves house are closed, and Palma Cathedral does not open for tourist visits. A good day for Drach and the Porto Cristo market, or for Alcúdia and Pollença, which also have markets.
• Wednesday: Sineu in the morning by train and, if you still have energy, Valldemossa in the afternoon. Valldemossa and Deià together also work, with everything open.
• Saturday: Sóller and Santanyí markets. The Graves house is closed and the Charterhouse closes at 16:00. In Palma it often coincides with several cruise ships, a good reason to leave the city.
• Monday: a good day to get out, because most of Palma's museums, Bellver Castle and the Almudaina are closed.

For everything else in the city, see things to do in Palma, and if you are staying in Palmanova, Magaluf or S'Arenal, the guide to around Palma.

Bookable day tours from Palma

If you would rather someone else handled the transport, these are the most-booked day tours. Check the departure point: some start from the south (Palma and the bay) and others from the north (Alcúdia, Pollença), and a tour "from the north" will not pick you up in Palma.

GetYourGuide5 hours

Day trip· Rest of the island

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

4.4 (1,492)

from €54Check availability

GetYourGuide4 hours

Day trip· Rest of the island

Alcudia: Formentor Beach, Lighthouse Cruise, and Small Group

4.8 (1,348)

from €80Check availability

GetYourGuide

Day trip· Rest of the island

Boat trip from Sóller to Sa Calobra – Torrent de Pareis

4.4 (1,218)

from €35Check availability

GetYourGuide6 - 8 hours

Day trip· Rest of the island

Valldemossa, Soller & Port Soller Tour by Bus and Tram

4.7 (784)

from €49Check availability

GetYourGuide9 hours

Day trip· Rest of the island

Mallorca: Scenic Full-Day Tour from the North

4.6 (654)

from €98Check availability

GetYourGuide8.5 hours

Day trip· Rest of the island

Mallorca Island Tour with Boat, Train, Tram and Bus

4.5 (594)

from €102Check availability

See everything on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 6 October 2026

Our selection

1

First visit, no car

Caves of Drach with concert, boat and coach from Palma in half a day. It takes away the risk of missing your slot.

GetYourGuide5 hours

Day trip· Rest of the island

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

4.4 (1,492)

from €54Check availability

2

Want the mountains in one day

Valldemossa, Sóller and Port de Sóller by bus and tram, without relying on the 203 timetable.

GetYourGuide6 - 8 hours

Day trip· Rest of the island

Valldemossa, Soller & Port Soller Tour by Bus and Tram

4.7 (784)

from €49Check availability

3

Island tour without driving

Train, tram and boat with pick-up in the south. Compare it first with the official €78 guided combo.

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

4

The north on your own

Port de Pollença ferry to Formentor beach, the easiest way there during the car-restriction season.

GetYourGuide1 day

Day trip· Rest of the island

Puerto Pollença: Ferry to Formentor Beach

4.6 (441)

from €19Check availability

All the guided tours are gathered in excursions and tours in Palma; for the sea, see boat trips.