Boat trips and sailing routes around Mallorca

If you’re looking for boat trips and sailing routes on Mallorca, choose the coast first – and the boat second. From Palma, you can explore the large bay on a short sailing trip. In the north, trips head towards Formentor; along the east coast, routes pass small coves and sea caves. Port de Sóller gives you access to the west coast by water, while Cala Figuera is a starting point for trips along the south-east coast.

This guide covers departure points, specific routes, trip durations and example prices. You’ll also find out which coves feature on advertised routes, how to tell a guided trip from a private charter, and what’s available near Canyamel and Cala Ferrera. If you’re planning to bring your own boat from Germany, you’ll also find a straightforward answer to how long the journey takes: without a departure port and a planned route, it’s not possible to give a reliable number of days.

Which boat trips and sailing routes suit the coast you want to explore?

It doesn’t make sense to plan a trip around Mallorca by water as a single route. A short trip in the Bay of Palma is quite different from sailing along the Tramuntana coast or visiting the coves in the south-east. The following selection shows advertised routes, not a guarantee of a particular swimming stop: the route you actually take depends on the trip you book and conditions on the day.

These examples come from published tour descriptions by sunbonoo. On a private charter, you decide what you’d like to do together with the skipper; don’t assume it will follow a fixed route. For more on choosing a boat and type of trip, see the guide Planning a boat charter on Mallorca.

North: Formentor, Pollensa and the Bay of Alcúdia

If you’d like to see Formentor from the water, you’ll find trips departing from Port de Pollença to Formentor beach. Trips towards Formentor are also available from Port d’Alcúdia. In the north, there are also sailing trips from Alcúdia and shorter coastal trips from Can Picafort.

When choosing a trip, the name of the boat matters less than whether it stops at the beach or only shows you the coast from the water. Before booking, check the description of the swimming stop and the exact departure point. A trip from Port de Pollença does not necessarily follow the same route as one from Port d’Alcúdia.

The prices are published examples for Alcúdia, not island-wide rates; sunbonoo describes its overview as prices for 2026. Compare what is included and the available dates for the specific trip. Choosing a dolphin-watching trip does not guarantee a sighting.

East coast: Which coves can you reach on a boat trip?

On the east coast, trips run between places including Cales de Mallorca, Porto Cristo, Sa Coma, Cala Millor and Cala Bona. One glass-bottom boat route passes coves such as Cala Bota, Cala Virgili, Cala Magraner and Cala Varques. A two-hour snorkelling trip from Porto Cristo is also described, taking in Cala Varques, Cala Sequer, Cala Magraner, Cala Pilota and Cala Virgili.

Passing a cove and going ashore are 2 different things. If a particular cala matters to you, ask whether it is just part of the coastal scenery or whether the trip actually stops there. For a sailing trip rather than a coastal cruise, options include Cala d’Or, Porto Cristo and Portocolom are listed as departure points; half-day and full-day trips are available from Portocolom.

Are there boat trips from Canyamel or Cala Ferrera?

If you’re staying in Canyamel, you can look into trips departing from Cala Ratjada or Porto Cristo. Before heading to the harbour, check which quay your chosen tour actually departs from.

For Cala Ferrera too, don’t assume the departure point from the name of the bay where you’re staying. For a sailing trip in the south-east, Cala d’Or and Portocolom are listed as departure points. What matters is the meeting point and boarding harbour shown on your booking confirmation.

South and south-east: From the Bay of Palma to Cala Màrmols

Palma and Arenal are good departure points if you want to explore the Bay of Palma on a guided trip. Both shorter trips with a swimming stop and sailing and catamaran trips are available there. One trip departing from Arenal, with swimming and snorkelling, lasts around 2 hours.

Further south-east, Cala Figuera is a departure point for coastal trips towards Es Pontàs, Caló des Moro, S’Almunia and Cala Màrmols. The places visited and stops made vary by trip. From Portocolom, sailing trips are described to coves between Cala Marçal and Cala s’Almonia.

If a particular swimming stop matters most to you, don’t choose based on a photo of the cove alone. Compare the advertised route with the stops actually planned.

West coast and south-west: Sa Calobra or Dragonera?

The trip from Port de Sóller to Sa Calobra shows you the west coast from the sea. It is a different kind of excursion from the routes in the south-west: there, options include trips around Santa Ponsa, Paguera, Port Adriano and Dragonera.

These durations refer to the sunbonoo excursions described. A 4-hour private tour does not automatically include a full circuit of Dragonera: always check the route and journey time together.

Guided excursion or yacht charter: What’s the difference?

With a guided boat excursion, you generally book an advertised route or a tour with a set format. That makes it easier to compare departure points, durations and planned stops. A private trip with a skipper gives you more scope to discuss what you’d like to do; whether a particular cove is reachable still needs to be confirmed for the day of your trip.

For a sense of what’s available, published examples include 4-hour sailing trips in the bay departing from Palma, and half-day and full-day trips departing from Portocolom. For a private sunset sailing trip in the Bay of Palma, sunbonoo gives a starting price of €590 per boat. Don’t compare a price per boat directly with a price per person.

If you’re looking for a yacht rather than a single excursion, the guide Charter a yacht in Mallorca. A note about our own services: mallorca.com offers yacht charters; the operator of this guide presents its own offering there.

How long does it take to sail from Germany to Mallorca?

There is no reliable one-size-fits-all answer. “From Germany” specifies neither a departure port nor the planned route to the Mediterranean. The boat, crew, stopovers and conditions on each leg also affect the journey. A sailing time for a trip around Mallorca therefore cannot be applied to the voyage there in your own sailing boat.

Plan the voyage there as a separate trip, starting by choosing your departure and destination ports and the intended legs. Only then can you estimate the sailing time for your specific route. If your main aim is a day’s sailing off Mallorca, you could choose a trip that starts on the island instead.

Before booking: questions to clarify what the trip involves

A tour description may name several places without the boat stopping at each one. Before booking, check the following step by step:

1. Check the departure point: Does it specify a town, a port or an exact berth?
2. Read the itinerary: Which coves are sights to view from the boat, and which are explicitly listed as swimming stops?
3. Compare the boats and available space: Is it a group excursion or a private boat?
4. Check how the price is charged: Is the stated amount per person, per activity or per boat?
5. Clarify the arrangements for the day: Ask about changes to the route and what happens if the tour cannot go ahead as described.

If you’re planning your own sailing trip, you’ll find further points to consider under safety and weather when sailing in Mallorca.

The most common route-planning mistakes

Assuming the best-known cala is a guaranteed stop. A name in the route description may simply mean the boat passes the cove. Look for an explicit statement that it stops there.

Confusing the holiday resort with the departure port. Especially for places like Canyamel or Cala Ferrera, what matters is the confirmed boarding point, not how close it looks on the map.

Comparing prices without checking what they cover. A starting price per person is different from a price for a private boat.

Trying to fit too much coastline into a short trip. The published examples range from short outings to half-day and full-day trips. Choose a tour whose duration suits the coastline you actually want to see.

What next?

Once you’ve chosen a coastline, pick the specific departure port and compare tours of similar duration with the same type of pricing. If you want to take out a boat yourself, read up on what matters when hiring a boat in Mallorca and what it costs. If you’re mainly looking for a straightforward coastal outing, you’ll find more options in the overview of boat trips in Mallorca.

Note: Details of an advertised route are no substitute for checking the conditions on the day. For private trips in particular, ask which destinations the skipper has in mind for your specific outing.

Checklist for your boat trip

• Choose a coastline: the Bay of Palma, the north, east, south-east or west coast.
• Check the exact port and boarding point on your booking.
• Decide whether you want coastal views or a particular swimming stop.
• Compare tour durations and types of boat.
• Check whether the price is per person or per boat.
• For a private trip, discuss your preferred route with the skipper.
• Before departure, find out how any route changes will be handled.

Conclusion

For Formentor, trips from Port de Pollença or Port d’Alcúdia are good options; for coves on the east coast, you’ll find trips from Porto Cristo and other departure points along that coast. Palma is a starting point for trips around its bay, while Port de Sóller is the departure point for Sa Calobra. The best choice isn’t the tour listing the most coves, but the one where Departure, actual stops and duration suit your day on the water.

Official sources

The tours, durations and starting prices mentioned in the article are examples of what's on offer, not officially designated routes or fares. Not legal or tax advice.