Ultimate Mallorca Beach Guide: West Coast
As an island in the Mediterranean, Mallorca has some unbelievably gorgeous coastlines. This charming island off the coast of Spain flaunts over 300 different beaches and a surprising amount of landscape diversity. Expect to find white, pink and even pebble sand beaches as well as jutting cliffs, red rock, and every shade of blue water imaginable. Because there is so much to cover, we split this up to an east and west coast guide. If you haven’t seen our east coast guide, check it out HERE.
And though Mallorca might look relatively small, driving around can take longer than you might expect. The western portion of the island is covered in mountains which makes for amazing views, but also a lot of winding roads and switchbacks. We spent many days and nights driving these roads and pulling over multiple times just to take in the view. You’ll find both rocky and sandy beaches on the western coast and some of the island’s most popular and iconic spots.
Here’s our Guide to 8 of our FAVORitE Spots along Mallorca’s West coast:
1. Sa Calobra
2. Mirador De Ricardo Roca + Estellencs
3. Cala Banyalbufar
4. Palmanova Beach
5. Andratx Sunset Viewpoint
6. Alcúdia
7. Cap de Formentor
8. Port de Pollença View
Where to stay on the west coast
While exploring the island, we actually decided to spend all 10 days split between three different locations on the west side of Mlalorca. First we stay in the small town of Selva. Tucked away in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, this perfectly preserved historic village with cobblestone streets and fresh citrus groves. It was only 1 hour from most of the spots we wanted to hit on the west coast, so the location was ideal. The hotel we stayed at was Petit Hotel Son Arnau. It is a historic building dating back to 1738 that combined the perfect mix of traditional Mallorcan style with modern luxury.
The second place we decided to stay was an old renovated castle called Castell Son Claret close to Palma and Palmanova. It’s located on the other side of the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, tucked away on its own secluded property filled with gardens, patios and walking trails. It’s the type of place you could spend a few days and never leave as there is so much to explore with amenities like, tennis courts, pools, spa, and even a 2-star Michelin restaurant. It was always a dream of ours to stay in an actual castle and this definitely did not disappoint.
The third place we stayed was right off the beach front in Palmanova called Fergus Style Palmanova. This was perfect because it allowed us to walk right out from our room directly out to the beach. They even had umbrellas and loungers available to us, and if we wanted a break from the beach there was pool front overlooking the beaches. Though Palmanova can get more crowded, we had no problem since we didn’t have to fight for parking.
1. Sa Calobra
Getting to this iconic beach was a journey all on it own. The road to Sa Calobra is extremely windy but also one of the most gorgeous drives in all of Mallorca. A portion of the drive looks down from the top of the mountain revealing the snaking road as it leads down to the village. When you first arrive, there is a beautiful of mix of the rocky cliffs and fun little restaurants along the water.
For the real magic though, you’ll need to continue to the right where you’ll find a tunnel carved out of rock. Follow this for about five minutes and see it opens up to a hidden beach, only about 20 meters wide and flanked by two enormous rock cliffs. The view between the cliffs looks out to sea with usually a couple yachts anchored in the bay.
Depending on the time of day, you’ll get a variety of views. If you visit the bay in the morning, you’ll find it fully covered in sunshine and the bluest water. In the late afternoon, you’ll find the high cliffs start to create shade, which can be nice shelter from the heat of the sun, though it will slowly begin to cover the whole bay. This is also a very popular spot for sunset because, depending on the time of year, you can get the sun setting right in between the two cliff sides.
Parking
There is only one place to park and it is HERE. You can also access Sa Colobra by boat (via Port de Sóller) if you don’t wish to make the drive.
2. Mirador De Ricardo Roca + Estellencs
We stumbled upon Mirador de Ricardo Roca as we were driving along the coast. It is easily accessible and provides an incredible view after only a short hike up the stairs. There is a restaurant nearby that draws a lot of visitors because of the view, though we didn’t try the food, we heard the menu wasn’t half bad. This viewpoint is right next to the town of Estellencs which had a more rocky beach. You can opt to hike around the bay to some large boulders perfect for sunbathing. We stopped to have a picnic on a small cement platform that stretched out into the water.
Parking
We just parked along the side of the road HERE for free. There were almost no other tourists when we came, so found it quite easy to come and go as we pleased. To get to the Estellencs beach, you will drive through Estellencs and follow the winding road down to the coast. We parked HERE.
3. Cala Banyalbufar
You will find in Mallorca that a lot of the beach villages located on the western side of the island require time to drive off the main road and down to the ocean front. We loved driving through these small towns and this drive to Cala Banyalbufar was no exception. It opened up into very interesting cove with deep blue green water as clear as we could have hoped for. During high season, we can imagine this place pretty crowded, but as we came in May, we had it all to ourselves. What is unique about this beach is the pillars that seem to be holding up the cliff surrounding the bay.
We also found a fun viewpoint at the end of road Camí des Molí HERE. We recommend driving all the way down to the cliff area if you can. Otherwise you will have to walk quite a while. We had a picnic down here on the cliffs and enjoyed the view! This viewpoint can get very windy though depending on the day and weather.
Parking
This lookout again was easy to find free parking right along the road or at the end close to the cove. Be aware though some roads can be narrow only allowing one car which may lead to blockages if its a crowded time of year. We didn’t run into any problems, though we came in early May which was all together quieter than some of the busier summer months.
4. PalmAnova Beach
Palmanova is a town located less than 30 minutes drive from Mallorca’s main city, Palma. There are 3 beaches in the bay, all with beautiful white sand and shallow blue water. We actually stayed in Palmanova and were able to walk right out onto this beach to enjoy the water. Palmanova is a vibrant city filled with plenty of shops, restaurants and water activities. It’s a hot spot for all types of tourists, from the budget conscious to the luxury seekers.
Though because it is closer to the main city than some of the other beaches we have mentioned, these beach tend to draw a lot of summer crowds. Even still, we would recommend it because of how beautiful the water is and how the bay curls around the horizon.
Parking
You can try to be closer to the beach and snag some street parking on the myriad of side streets winding their way through Palmanova. But if you are not up for that adventure, head to the parking lot HERE (may cost anywhere from €5- €10).
5.Andratx Sunset viewpoint
This little secret spot at Andratx we found by exploring different roads right before sunset. We knew we wanted some sort of peninsula or island on the horizon, so we followed Carrer Congre to the end at a viewpoint, then hiked down a trail until we found a spot we liked. We did not see anyone else during the whole sunset and took the time to soak it in. Our favorite part was watching the towns along the peninsula come to life as the lights slowly powered on while the sun disappeared over the horizon. If you are you looking for a sunset spot near the southwest portion of Mallorca, we would definitely recommend this spot!
Parking
We just drove down along the road until it seemed to end and found a pull out to the side for parking HERE. As we were the only ones here, there was no problem in finding a spot or battling the crowds.
6. Alcúdia
Alcudia is a very popular beach has lots of coastline to spread out, so even if it is crowded, you will be able to snag a spot. We wanted to come here because of the iconic wooden docks that reach out into the ocean. There are boat trips you can do that take off from the dock every 30 minutes or so. But going out to enjoy the dock is completely free. The water here is clear in the shallows and a deep aqua as the ocean deepens. If you are patient, you can wait out some of the crowds on the dock to have some peaceful moments all to yourself.
parkING
There are quite a bit of parking options since Alcudia is such a long stretch of beach. There’s a few car public parks as well as side streets running all along the way (though be sure to check parking signs for residential limitations). If you plan to go to the dock be sure to check your google map when you arrive so you can park somewhere close or else you may be walking for awhile.
7. Cap de Formentor
Cap de Formentor is one of the most stunning spots for sunset on the island of Mallorca. The drive winds through gorgeous vistas of steep cliffs and deep hues of ocean blue. If you are lucky, you may spot some of the wild goats that roam the rocky landscape. While you drive along the road, you will find multiple spots to turn off and enjoy the view. It can be tricky to decide WHERE exactly to watch sunset, because you either choose to drive all the way to the lighthouse at the end of the road, or stop at a spot along the way. Because we loved this spot so much, we came here twice - our first night on the island, and also our last night. If you only plan to visit once, we would definitely recommend viewing sunset from the lighthouse, all the way at the end of the road.
As you drive, you will see several other cars parked at popular spots. We parked at one of the hairpins and hiked for about 5 minutes to get a better view. All that said, the drive to Cap de Formentor is worth the trip, and should not be missed on a trip to Mallorca.
If you plan to come here during the day, some locals recommended Cala Murta and Cala Figuera, but we did not have time to visit these ones!
parkING
If you want to see the lighthouse up close, you can drive all the way down the edge of the coast to HERE. There’s a parking lot attached to the lighthouse that’s free but be prepared because its relatively small and can fill up fast at sunset. If it’s full you can just park along the side of the road and walk over.
For our photos of the views of the lighthouse, we drove up along the road about 1 minute and parked along the side of the road HERE. We then hiked up a rocky area so that we could have the lighthouse in the background.
For photos of the Cap de Formentor viewpoint we drove about 4 km (10 minutes or so) up the road and again parked along the side of the road HERE when we saw a nice bend to the mountain side that we wanted to capture. There was a small turn off where a few cars could fit and then we walked around until we found a spot we liked.
8. Port de Pollença View
The view for Port de Pollenca is found along the road to Cap de Formentor. As you are making your way along the road, you will see several cars parked near the Mirador Es Colomer. There is a road leading off the the right, that works it’s way up to the top of the peak. We took this road and unexpectedly came across this gorgeous view of Port de Pollença. This view is really pretty during the day and at sunrise, but if you are coming this direction for sunset, we would recommend stopping at a viewpoint that looks west. Stopping here after the sun goes down is worth the views of Port de Pollença lit up at night.
Where to Park
To get to this spot specifically, you should plan to park on the corner of this switchback HERE. And then walk out to a view that you enjoy most!
Before you go
Consider visiting a few beaches in one day: Since there are over 300 beaches on the island, it is a shame to not get a taste of at least a few. We usually planned for 2-3 in a day and spent a few hours at each, and only had to drive 15-30 minutes between beaches. It gave a lot of variety and allowed us to get a flavor for the diversity of the island.
Read parking signs: Be sure to read all signs in the area before parking. Just because there are cars already parked there, doesn’t mean it’s legal. We learned this the hard way ;)
Rent a car: Most of Mallorca’s best beaches are the more remote and less popular ones. We were so thankful to have the freedom of a car to really explore the area. Bus routes are limited in some parts of the island and don’t go directly to the hidden coastal areas.
The western coast of Mallorca was so dramatic and we could have spent weeks exploring each town and beach along the way. Did we leave any of your favorites out? Let us know!