Palma sightseeing bus: route, stops, timetable and whether it is worth it

The Palma hop on hop off is City Sightseeing's open-top red bus: a 19-stop loop linking the cathedral, Plaça d'Espanya, the Poble Espanyol, Bellver Castle, the cruise port and the Passeig Marítim (the seafront avenue). You buy a 24-hour ticket, get on and off as often as you like and listen to the audio guide between stops.

My view, to cut to the chase: Palma's old town is best covered on foot, and the bus does not show it to you any better. Where it pays off is for the places that are far away or uphill: Bellver, the Poble Espanyol and the harbour stretch. If you plan to see those two and do not want to wrestle with the city buses, it is worth it. If you only want the historic centre, save your money.

One operator: it makes no difference where you buy

There is no competition. No other sightseeing bus runs in Palma: the EMT's old "Bus Turístic" (line 50) no longer exists, even though the Bellver Castle website still mentions it. GetYourGuide, Tiqets and Headout all resell the same City Sightseeing bus, with the same route and the same timetable. The only differences between them are the price on the day and the cancellation policy.

Today all three platforms start at €27 for the 24-hour ticket, a little less than the City Sightseeing website, where it is around €31 and the price varies by day. Two things to know before you pay:

• Headout adds a service fee at the end of checkout: compare the total, not the listed price.
• On GetYourGuide, the "reserve now, pay later" option charges your card 72 hours before the date.

On the official website the pass is valid for 12 months and can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before. If you want to know more about the company, read our City Sightseeing Palma review.

Palma sightseeing bus stops: the full route

The Red Route is a loop with 19 stops. You can board at any of them, but the main one is stop 1, on Avinguda Antoni Maura, opposite the cathedral.

You get a route map with your ticket. This plan shows the stops people use most:

The stops that actually justify the ticket

• 9, Poble Espanyol. Scale replicas of buildings from all over Spain, €12 entry, open daily 10:00–18:00. See the Pueblo Español guide.
• 10, Castell de Bellver. A circular Gothic castle inside a wooded park; €4, free on Sundays, closed on Mondays. On foot from Plaça Gomila it is about 20 minutes of slopes and steps. More in the Bellver guide.
• 13 and 14, the port. If you arrive on a cruise ship, the bus picks you up at the quay and drops you opposite the cathedral. We explain it in the cruise port guide.

Sightseeing bus timetable and frequency

The bus runs from 10:00 to 17:30. In the morning it comes every 30 minutes until 14:30; in the afternoon, every 45 minutes until the end. The difference matters: if you get off at three or four stops, afternoon waits add up.

City Sightseeing does not publish how long a full loop takes without getting off, or whether the frequency changes in winter: if you are travelling in the low season, check when you buy.

Palma sightseeing bus prices and combo tickets

City Sightseeing does not show child prices or age bands on its listing: check them when you book.

GetYourGuide1 day

Sights· Palma city

Palma de Mallorca: City Sightseeing Hop-on/Hop-off Bus Tour

4.1 (5,165)

from €27Check availability

GetYourGuide

Sights· Palma city

Palma de Mallorca: City Sightseeing Hop-on/Hop-off Bus Tour

4.0 (346)

from €46Check availability

Tiqets

Sights· Palma city

Mallorca: 24 or 48-Hr Hop-on Hop-off Bus + Boat Tour

4.2 (54)

from €46Check availability

Tiqets

Sights· Palma city

Mallorca: Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour with Attraction Entry Tickets

No reviews yet

from €30Check availability

Headout

Sights· Rest of the island

Mallorca Sightseeing Tour : Boat + Vintage Train

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from €92.70Check availability

See everything on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 6 October 2026

Is the 9-attraction pass worth it?

The 48-hour pass covers the cathedral, the Banys Àrabs (Arab baths), Palau March, Es Baluard, CaixaForum, the Museu Marítim, Sant Carles Castle, Bellver or the Poble Espanyol, plus the boat or an immersive show. Let us do the maths with official prices:

The pass costs €65.20. In other words, it only pays off if you really go into four or five paid sights within 48 hours. And the calendar works against you: the cathedral has no tourist visits on Sundays, Es Baluard closes on Mondays and is pay-what-you-wish on Fridays, and Bellver is free on Sundays. To see just the cathedral and one other monument, the bus on its own plus tickets at the desk is cheaper. Prices for every entry are in the Palma tickets guide.

The City Sightseeing boat

The bus-and-boat combo adds a 50-minute trip around the harbour and the bay, with a bottle of water. It leaves every hour from 11:00 to 17:00 from the Escala Real, the landing stage by the Llotja, below the cathedral. It runs from 1 April to 30 November, Monday to Saturday. Before boarding you have to collect your boarding card at the kiosk by the quay. Children aged 0 to 5 travel free, but they must be included in the booking.

What nobody tells you: the boat is not City Sightseeing's but Sa Calma Boats' Marco Polo, which sells the same trip directly for €19. If you only want the boat, buy it from Sa Calma (Sa Calma Boats review). And if your bus day falls on a Sunday, there is no boat: a combo bought for that day loses half its value.

For longer trips, with a swim or at sunset, see the boat trips from Palma.

The cheap alternative: the city bus

If what you need is to get around rather than the audio guide, the EMT city buses cover much of the route for €2 in cash, and for less with a contactless bank card:

The climb to Bellver from Plaça Gomila includes a staircase of 463 steps. In summer, with children or with limited mobility, that is the best argument for the sightseeing bus. More about the city bus lines in the public transport guide.

Accessibility, children and other practical questions

• Wheelchairs: the buses are accessible. Other adapted options in Palma are in the accessible Palma guide.
• Dogs: allowed in a carrier.
• Languages: audio guide in 8 languages, earphones included.
• Ticket: on your phone or on paper.
• Cruise passengers: board at stop 14, Estació Marítima, or at stop 13, Sant Carles.

If you are travelling with children, the bus handles a morning at Bellver and the Poble Espanyol well. More ideas in Palma with kids.

Frequently asked questions