4 days in Mallorca
Arriving in Mallorca
Accommodations
Stay in Palma if you are a first time visitor. This allows you to enjoy the cultural capital in the mornings and evenings, with plenty of options for meals. It is also a great home base if looking to explore the island since there are big roads to many key destinations to visit.
Getting Around
It is best to rent a car, if feasible, for a first time visit to Mallorca as it provides you with the most flexibility and enables you to explore different areas of the island on your own time.
Snapshot itinerary for 4 days in Mallorca
Day 1 - Palma, Valldemossa, & Deia
Arrival and check-in to accommodations
Explore Palma, Valldemossa, and Deia
- Grab a snack at Santa Catalina market
- Check out the Palma Cathedral and Passeig del Born
- Drive to Valldemossa and wander around the town
- Grab lunch in Valldemossa at QuitaPenas Valldemossa
- Visit the town of Deia and Cala Deia
Dinner in Palma or Soller
Day 2 - the coves
- Head to S'Almunia and Calo de Moro
- Visit Cala Llombards
- Stop in Santanyi and pick-up a jamon sandwich from Jamones y Embutidos marco Sanchez
- Stop at Mirador Es Pontas and enjoy your jamon sandwich with a view
- Walk around Parc Natural de Mondrago and be sure to see S'Amarador Beach and Cala Mondrago
- Enjoy dinner in Palma
Day 3 - northern coast
- Drive up to the northeast side of the island and visit Mirador de Es Colomer
- Formentor beach
- Visit the town and Port of Soller
Day 4 - Adios
Head to the airport to leave Mallorca
Detailed Itinerary for 4 days in Mallorca
Day 1
Day 1 | Morning
Arrive in Mallorca and check out Palma
Arrive in Palma early and head to your accommodations to check-in after you've picked up your rental car. Leave your bags and the car, and start with a morning in Palma. Walk over to Santa Catalina market to peruse the options and find yourself a snack to enjoy. If in need of a coffee, or a more substantial meal, there are restaurants and cafés around the market.
Depending on the time, if you'd like to explore more of Palma today, you can meander the streets with a few points of interest including Passeig del Born which is nice street with shops and large trees running along the street making a covered arch around it, and the Palma Cathedral.
Day 1 | Afternoon
Small villages of Valldemossa and Deia
If happy to get on your way for the day, hop back in the car and head towards the small village of Valldemossa. Park your car and plan to stay for 1-2 hours here. Walkthrough the small streets and enjoy the charming village. If hungry, sit down at QuitaPenas Valldemossa for lunch or an afternoon snack. This restaurant is just off one of the main pedestrian paths and feels a lot less touristy than spots along the busier road. It has a nice garden area with tables, along with a bunch of tables inside if weather does not accommodate outdoor dining. Order some tapas to share, or try the selection of spreads on bread they offer. After finishing up, head back to your car and head on your way to your next destination. Depending on the time, you may want to add a stop at Sa Forada Viewpoint before hitting the town of Deia. Visiting the Sa Forada viewpoint may add about 40 minutes onto your journey.
Regardless of your choice on the viewpoint, Deia is a must stop location. This town is embedded into the mountain. Find a spot to park along the road entering the town or in the small parking lot in the town and plan to spend another hour here. (Note: if there is no parking available when you first pass through Deia, you can head to the cove first and then plan to come back to the town.) Walk along the path away from the town to enjoy a view of the town. Enjoy the tranquil feeling this town provides.
Once finished visiting Deia, continue on the road to Cala Deia. In order to head down to Cala Deia, there will be a gate to the road which you must passthrough to continue onward. Almost immediately, the road begins to wind and narrow. There are sharp turns the entire way down until you reach the parking lot. Note, this is a two way road, and the road you will take back up once leaving the cove so drive cautiously.
Park the car, pay for parking, and head out to the cove. If you've note eaten yet, Ca's Pastro March and Ca'n Llucare are two restaurants alongside the cove providing stunning views of the sea. If you know you'd like to eat here, plan to call in advance to make a booking, but if going on a more spontaneous schedule then stop by to see if they have space for you to dine. Check this first, as it can be quite busy, and there may be a wait time. While visiting the cove, you can enjoy time relaxing on the rocks, going for a swim (be careful of jellyfish), or walking on the path above the cove for a nice bird's eye view of Cala Deia.
Day 1 | Evening
The first evening
After wrapping up at Deia, either head back to Palma or over to Soller. Three key options here include:
Option 1 - if you're ready to get back to Palma, drive to your accommodations and park the car for the day. Head to Sa Volta or La Cueva for dinner in the old town. As sister restaurants, the menus are quite similar. Both of these offer a wide variety of Spanish dishes and Mallorcan specialties. The waitstaff is very friendly and helpful, making sure you do not order too much food.
Option 2 - drive to the town of Soller. You can park in the town, wander the streets, and then hop on the tram which takes you to the port. For a unique dinner location, check out Neni. You may want to book in advance if this looks like a place you'd like to priortize on your visit.
Option 3 - drive to the town of Soller. You can park in the town, wander the streets, and then hop on the tram which takes you to the port. Walk along the port and enjoy the port town. Consider stopping at Santo Sol for a charcuterie board and drink, taking the tram back to the town and heading back to Palma. As Spain is a late night country, you can easily plan for a later evening dinner in Palma. As mentioned in option 1, plan to dine at Sa Volta or La Cueva for dinner in the old town. As sister restaurants, the menus are quite similar. Both of these offer a wide variety of Spanish dishes and Mallorcan specialties. The waitstaff is very friendly and helpful, making sure you do not order too much food.
Day 2
Day 2 | Morning
Jump start the day planned to visit many of Mallorca's beautiful coves
Today plan to get an early start on the day. You will be road tripping around the coves on the southeast coast of the island. Grab a coffee and snack from a spot near your accommodations and get on the road. Head to S'Almunia and Calo de Moro, your first stop of the day. Park the car and walk to S'Almunia. Note parking is limited and many will park about 15 minutes away. You can take a chance and head closer to the cove, but parking is limited to a very small dirt patch as roadside parking is not permitted.
Take in the views of the cove and then take the five minute walk to Calo de Moro, which is known to be one of the most beautiful coves in Mallorca. Calo de Moro can get very busy as the day goes on, and only has limited sand and spots to sit. With that in mind, it is best to reach it early in the day before it is busy to enjoy a birds' eye view of the cove. After satisfied with your visit, head back to your car and drive onto your next stop, which will be Cala Llombards. This cove has a proper sand beach so if you would like to spend some time sitting out, this is a better option than your first stop. However, for those happy to continue exploring, grab a coffee at the beach shack to enjoy the beach for a stop and then head on your way.
Day 2 | Afternoon
Lunch on the go
From Cala Llombards, head to the town of Santanyi. From the road, this town does not look like much. However, plan to stop and park at the Santanyi parking lot just outside of the center. It is on the way from Cala Llombards to Es Pontas and not out of the way. Hop out of the car and walk towards the cathedral. Walk around the cathedral where you will be able to see the small town looking a bit busier among the shops and restaurants. The main reason for this stop is to head over to Jamones y Embutidos marco Sanchez and grab a jamon sandwich to takeaway. Bring this sandwich with you back to the car and wait to enjoy it at the next stop. Continue on your way and head to Mirador Es Pontas. This destination is not far from the town, and there should be plenty of parking. Park the car and walk out to the viewpoint of Es Pontas. Find a spot with a view to sit, and enjoy your jamon sandwich while looking out at Es Pontas. From here, you will also be able to see Cala Llombards, the cove you stopped at earlier.
Continuing on your southeast coast adventure, hop back in the car and head towards Parc Natural de Mondrago.
Beware that if driving from cove to cove, the navigation system may route you through smaller backroads to reach the national park. These roads are quite narrow with rock walls along both sides and are designed for two cars. With this in mind, if you prefer to drive on a larger road, consider choosing the slightly longer option which takes you onto the larger highway rather than the winding roads closer to the coast. For us, this was much better as the roads often had blind corners which was nerve-wracking knowing there could be cars coming from the opposite direction.
Pay a few euros to park in the car park, and then walk out to S'Amarador Beach. There are a variety of walks you can explore in the national park or you can just hit the beach for a swim. I'd recommend walking the paths along the coast to get some steps in if its summer, but then stopping for a swim at the beach. When visiting the park, S'Amarador Beach and Cala Mondrago are two famous stops not to miss.
Day 2 | Evening
An evening in Palma
From here, either head back to Palma or add one more stop to your day. Cala d'Or and Cala Figuera are two coves to choose from for your last stop.
Head out for dinner in Palma for the evening. If you did not try Sa Volta or La Cueva on day 1, be sure to give these a try tonight. An alternative option is heading to the area of Santa Catalina around the market and finding a dinner spot here.
Day 3
Day 3 | Morning
A beautiful viewpoint
On your last full day in Palma head to the furthest northeast point on the island. Hop in the car and drive directly to Formentor. Located on the northeast tip of the island, there is a beach which you can visit, along with an incredible viewpoint at Mirador de Es Colomer. First head to the port de Formentor and from here, drive to Mirador de Es Colomer. Note, this drive is not too challenging. The road up to the viewpoint is a proper two-way road with enough space along the entire journey for two cars. Local buses will also take this road up and down. The only challenging aspect is a few very sharp hairpin turns, but these can be taken slow.
Mirador de Es Colomer is well worth a stop. Grab the first parking spot you see once you arrive at the viewpoint as there are only a few marked spots, with all other cars parking along the side of the road. The views from here are stunning.
From this viewpoint, you can head down to the Formentor beach. If looking for more views, you may choose to head all the way out to the tip where the lighthouse sits. Note, in the summer season, this road is closed to cars and the only way to reach the point will be on a shuttle bus.
Day 3 | Afternoon
The northern coast
Spend some time relaxing at the beach, or else head to Soller if you did not manage to reach it on Day 1. If your driver is a comfortable one, the coastal path from Formentor to Soller is supposed to be one of the best drives. However, if you are not a keen driver or do not enjoy more challenging roads (constant twists and turns in the road along the coast), then you may want to skip this route. There's an option to take easier roads to drive more inland; it does not have the same nice views as the coastal path but is an easy drive.
Day 3 | Evening
Final dinner
After arriving in Soller, you can either start in the town or the Port. One nice option is to park in the town, wander the streets, and then hop on the tram which takes you to the port. Walk along the port and stop for a snack or a drink. If you are happy to stay in Soller for dinner and skip a final evening in Palma, look up Neni for dinner with a view. Alternatively, make your way back to Palma for one last dinner.
Day 4
Day 4 | Morning
Adios!
Head to the airport early and catch your flight out of Mallorca! If you only have 3 nights, you can shorten options from day 3 and plan around when you need to head to the airport!
