Where to stay in Mallorca

Palma's old town puts the cathedral, La Llotja and the Born within walking distance, and the airport sits about 12 km away by road. It is the base for a city break, for bad-weather days and for a month with the services of a city. Press reports of the council's 2018 zoning vote say Palma keeps holiday lets out of apartment buildings.

Sóller, in the Serra de Tramuntana, is a valley town with its port on a round bay about 6 km away. It suits walkers. The north has two bays: Pollença, an old town with its port and beach about 8 km away, and Alcúdia, a walled town about 3 km from its beach. Both suit families and anyone planning Cap de Formentor.

In the south-east, Santanyí is a town inland from small coves and fishing harbours such as Cala Figuera and Cala Llombards. It suits slower trips in which each beach day starts with a short drive.

Palma's old town has twelve restricted areas, the ACIRE, controlled by cameras and open only to authorised vehicles. Hotels and holiday lets inside can obtain a one-off authorisation for a guest's car, so send the plate before arriving. The low-emission zone inside the ring of avenues, in force since December 2024, only restricts cars with no DGT label, and the roads to the Parc de la Mar and Via Roma car parks stay open to all. Blue ORA street parking inside the avenues costs EUR 1.45 an hour for a maximum of 2 hours, charged on weekdays from 09:00 to 14:30 and 16:30 to 20:00 and on Saturday mornings.

Outside Palma the limits are seasonal. From 15 May to 18 October 2026, between 10:00 and 22:00, private cars may not drive the Formentor road beyond Formentor beach; bus 334 runs from Alcúdia and Port de Pollença every 35 minutes, and there is a park and ride on the Port de Pollença ring road. In the Tramuntana the viewpoint and village car parks fill in summer, and on 12 August 2026 four of them were closed once full. In the south-east the street down to Caló des Moro is closed to non-residents from 1 June, so park at Cala Llombards and walk about 1.5 km.

GetCar's guide Driving in Mallorca: the Airport, Palma's Restricted Zones, Parking, Cyclists and the Rules covers the roads in full. For a stay, book a hotel or house with its own parking outside Palma's old town, or a Palma hotel that registers the plate.

Every tourist lodging in the Balearic Islands charges the tourist stay tax of Ley 2/2016, per person and per night. The rates published by the Balearic tax agency in September 2026 are EUR 2 in holiday homes and in one to three star hotels, EUR 3 in four star and three star superior hotels, EUR 4 in five star and four star superior hotels, and EUR 1 in hostals, campsites and hostels. Under 16s are exempt. From 1 November to 30 April the tax drops by 75%, and from the ninth night of a stay longer than eight nights in the same place it halves. The host collects it before the stay ends.

Holiday lets are regulated by Ley 8/2012, the Balearic tourism law. A tourist stay in a home means the whole home, never a room, and it may not pass 30 nights. Every advert must show the home's tourist registration number, and a guest has the right to know it. The contract must ban parties, and if guests hold parties or events against the rules of coexistence, the host must require them to leave within 24 hours. The Consell de Mallorca publishes a search of its register by registration number, name and municipality.

Since Decreto-ley 4/2025 of April 2025, no new holiday lets in flats may be declared anywhere in the Balearic Islands, apart from terraced and semi-detached houses and lets of the owner's main home. Press reports say Palma's plenary gave final approval on 28 May 2026 to extending its ban to all new tourist-let places. At national level, the national registration procedure was largely annulled in May 2026, regional registers still apply, and whether a national number must still appear on a listing is unsettled as of September 2026. At check-in every guest over 14 signs a registration form with ID details under Real Decreto 933/2021.

Two dates shape the calendar. From 1 November to 30 April the tourist tax is a quarter of the full rate, and outside the 15 May to 18 October window the Formentor road is open to cars. In summer, plan the bus for Formentor and an early start for the Tramuntana car parks.

For longer trips, the rule to plan around is the 30-night limit on holiday lets. A booking of up to 30 nights in a registered holiday home is a tourist stay; anything longer needs a seasonal lease, which the monthly guide covers.

A city break or a first visit on foot: Palma, with the car in a car park or a hotel that registers the plate.

Walking and mountain roads: Sóller and Port de Sóller.

Beaches for families: Port de Pollença or Alcúdia.

Coves and small harbours: Santanyí and the south-east.