Tips for summer holidays: Six dream beaches on Germany’s favorite island of Mallorca
Anyone who hasn’t seen it with their own eyes will find it hard to believe: sandy beaches ranging from powdered sugar white to golden yellow, sometimes long and wide, sometimes small and hidden in rocky coves. There are more than 180 beaches on Mallorca – we present the most beautiful ones.
How would you like it? White, soft or golden sand, fine pebbles or rather flat rocks? Mallorca’s beaches have something for every taste. Long, golden beaches stretch along the south coast. In the west, the steep coast rises steeply into the blue sky and boasts hidden sandy bays.
On the rugged east coast, one picturesque rocky bay follows the other and wide dune beaches await in the north. As different as the beaches along the 560-kilometer-long coastline are, they all have one thing in common: They are located on the crystal-clear sea, which in many places shines in Caribbean-like turquoise. The Mediterranean climate with an average of eight hours of sunshine per day ensures that the bathing season on the beaches lasts from May to the end of September. We present your personal favorite beach.
1. Can Pastilla: Gold piece in the Bay of Palma
Marvel at the city beach: Just a few minutes east of Palma de Mallorca Cathedral lies one of the most underrated beaches on the island – Ca’n Pastilla. It stretches several kilometers along the Bay of Palma, is wide and boasts the finest, golden-yellow sand. The entry into the sea is also suitable for children, as it only gets deep slowly and the water is calm and shallow, since the bay protects against waves.
There are parasols and sun loungers for rent here. A few cozy beach cafés take care of your physical and communicative well-being. The central location also offers the advantage that you can quickly commute by bus to the center of Palma or jog, walk or cycle on the palm-lined beach promenade.
2. Cala Llombards: Hidden mini cove
Reddish cliffs protect a small bay with white sand against which the turquoise water laps: what sounds like prose from a travel brochure is reality on the southeast coast between the fishing villages of Santanyi and Llombards. Cala Llombards is the name of this work of art, with old pine trees and only a few sun loungers and parasols and a rustic beach bar.
Despite these wonderful conditions, the sheltered bathing bay is not overcrowded. The reason: the journey is quite cumbersome. Most tourists are caught off the turnoff to Cala Figuera, a well-known dream beach nearby. However, those who make it to Cala Llombards will be rewarded: in the morning the rock faces offer shade, in the afternoon the beach bar calls. If you want to enjoy the beautiful view in a romantic way, retreat to the flat rocks next to the bay.
3. Cala Monadragó: Romance in a nature reserve
Triple happiness for lovers, dreamers and romantics: Cala Mondragó on the southeast coast of Mallorca, a little north of Cala Figuera, consists of two rocky bays (Cala Mondragó and Cala S’Amarador) with three beaches connected by footpaths. From Cala Mondragó it goes over rocks to the larger section of beach Cala S’Amarador – both beaches are in the middle of a nature reserve.
Bird lovers, hikers, swimmers and sun worshipers will find their happiness here. Sailors are also magically drawn to the nature park bay, where they can drop anchor and enjoy life with a drink at the Cala S’Amarador beach bar with a view of the pine-covered hills. More than 20 years ago there were major development plans for the area, which was placed under nature protection at the last second. Lucky for us, otherwise Mondragó’s beaches, lagoons, wetlands, sand dunes and pine forests would have given way to a massive resort complex.
4. Cala Rajada: Handful of sandy beaches and cave diving
Small fishing village with the largest port and a handful of sandy beaches: Cala Rajada in the east was the party alternative to Ballermann before Corona – in a much more stylish environment. Because one looks in vain for bed castles in the lively port town. Instead, low houses in the Mediterranean style determine the picture. If you are looking for a particularly quiet spot for your towel, you will find a few quiet sandy beaches not far from the village.
Because towards the north, a little built-up coastal strip opens up. Cala Rajada enjoys an excellent reputation among cave divers: crystal-clear water and several cave entrances, just under seven meters below the water surface. The caves themselves are up to 150 meters deep. If you prefer to look towards the sky, you can spot the small sister island of Menorca at the lighthouse on a clear day. Or experience a fantastic sunrise.
5. Platja de Muro: Paradise for dune freaks
Highlight in the northeast: The Platja de Muro stretches out in the extensive bay of Alcúdia, directly in front of the Albufera nature park and bird sanctuary. White dune hills quit the natural beach. Because of its fine powdered sugar sand, its length of six kilometers, the view of the bay and the calm and gently sloping water, the beach is not only popular with families.
Many locals also come here because there is enough space. When the wind blows offshore, kitesurfers and windsurfers glide across the water. In the surf school you can borrow the right equipment.
6. Platja de Formentor: Dreaming at the Cape
Beach with a famous past: The idyllic Platja de Formentor used to belong to the luxury hotel “Cala de Formentor”, where guests like Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill and the Shah of Persia stayed. But when the hotel went bust, the pine-fringed, narrow, white-sand beach was opened to the public.
It is on the way to the northernmost tip of the island, the Cap de Formentor, about ten kilometers before. And it is an ideal bathing stop on a trip to the cape, which is one of the most spectacular sights in Mallorca because of its rock faces that drop more than 150 meters vertically into the sea.