Renting a car in Mallorca ...easy ...safe??

Easy? Yes
Safe? Yes
Easy to navigate the area? Yes

I've been renting cars and driving all over the island for at least the past two decades. It's a very easy island to drive on and in October it's usually a bit quieter due to less tourists. The pace of driving is a lot less manic than on the mainland and outside of Palma and Manacor the traffic is generally quiet to non-existent.

The mountain roads require a bit more concentration, particularly if you're not used to driving through mountains. The biggest obstacle is finding yourself behind a group of lycra clad cyclists (of which there are many) as passing them can be difficult on winding roads.

I always pick my car up at the airport, usually Budget/Avis however there are plenty of options, some better than others.

The nice thing about an island is it is an island, so no matter where you are, you're not that far from where you want to be :)

"Safe" is a vague question. It really comes down to how good of a driver are you (defensive and aware) and how comfortable are you driving an unfamiliar car in a place with narrow roads and different (albeit similar) road rules, signage, and behaviors.

IOW, Mallorca likely has a pretty "normal" rate of accidents and some rare serious injuries/death from auto accidents, but like in mainland Spain or in the US, a lot comes down to your driving skills and comfort, so safety is mostly in your hands.

Thank you for the replies on renting a car...seems pretty easy. I have not read as much, and not seen as much written about Mallorca as other cities. What would you suggest as "must do" activities, cities....etc. for 2 days. I am NOT a beach and book guy, but my wife is.

Is there a city you would choose as a hotel spot for a couple of nights...any areas to avoid, or not worth the time/effort??

. I have seen some cave exploration and off-road trips that look fun. Any experience with these activities, or others? Thank you in advance!

With two days you don't have a lot of time. Palma is a fantastic city and it can easily occupy an entire day with the cathedral, the Roman baths, the castle, roaming the various squares and districts. It's not somewhere I would choose to stay however as it's very busy and traffic is difficult.

One of the most popular things to do is to take the old wooden train from Palma to Soller in the mountains. The journey provides some spectacular views as it winds its way through the mountains. You then have an option to take the tram down to Port Soller. I found the easiest option was to board the train at Bunyola. It's the stop before the train starts its ascent into the mountains and is a very small, quiet station with free parking. It means you avoid the hassle of parking in Palma although if it's really busy you might have difficulty in finding a seat however that might not be an issue in October. I'd also recommend visiting the gardens of Alfabia nearby.

The mountain towns of Soller, Valdemossa and Deia are amongst my favourite however be mindful if a cruise ship is in port then those villages often feature on guided tours and they can get very busy.

If you want caves then the caves of Arta are the best in my opinion and the nearby town of Arta is worth a visit. The Drach caves are more prominantly advertised however I found that it was a much more touristic experience. Access is timed and by guide only and you're hurried through the caves without much opportunity to take in the surroundings. When you reach the bottom you find yourself in an amphitheatre with tiered bench seating where you'll wait until the place is filled up (if you're one of the first groups expect to sit there for around an hour!) and once full you're serenaded by a string quartet that pass by on boats (there's an underground lake) for about five minutes before being herded out all at once through a narrow exit. Some people like it, I didn't, I wanted to see the natural wonder of the caves not to sit around and watch a couple of boats pass by with a handful of musicians playing.

There's lots more to see. You can drive along the coast and stop off at quaint fishing villages and discover small hidden coves. There are fantastic markets at towns all over the island full of wonderful produce. Excellent restaurants and superb wine with a number of wineries offering tasting tours. You can visit gorgeous beaches in nature reserves where there's hardly a soul or you can spend time in upscale beach resorts surrounded by €million yachts.

I'll be there in two days time and despite visiting for over 20 years there's still places I've yet to explore. Admittedly much of our time will be spent lounging around the pool and having leisurely lunches and dinners but with two weeks we'll certainly be spending some time visiting old favourites and exploring new places.

One website I always recommend is this one: https://www.abc-mallorca.com

While unlikely what you are asking for, but Mallorca is a road cycling mecca! If you like riding bikes, Mallorca is world class.

@JC

I always enjoy your posts about Mallorca.

My wife and I will be staying in Palma for 4 nights this August. Can you provide a sense of how crowded Palma, and Mallorca in general will be at that time? Keep in mind, we live in Manhattan, so we know from busy. Crowds do not bother us, but we are hoping for some relaxing times at the beach, and we will plan to rent a car to explore the Island for 2 days, and dedicating the other 2 days to exploring Palma.

Any thoughts on this plan would be appreciated!

Hi dnatoli73,

With Palma being the capital city of Mallorca it's busy all year round with both locals and tourists. I really cannot stand crowds and whilst it's busy I've never felt too oppressed by the crowds. The main attractions feature the greatest number of tourists, most notably the cathedral, and the crowds tend to congregrate around the surrounding squares however the further you move away from the focal point of the cathedral the less crowded it becomes. Being from Manhattan I don't think you'll be too bothered by the crowds however the August heat will likely test your patience.

August is absolutely peak holiday season and will be the period when most families with kids visit. We tend to avoid August now and travel elsewhere and prefer to visit Mallorca in May/June and October. Some of the more popular destinations for families on the island include Alcudia, Pollença, Palma Nova and Santa Ponsa.

With a car it's very easy to explore the island. I enjoy the mountain villages of Deia, Valldemossa and Soller and then taking a drive along the east coastal route taking in Pollença, Alcudia, Arta and Porto Cristo. If you really want to make a long day of it you can carry on to Cala d'Or, Santanyi, Colonia de Saint Jordi and Cala Pi which will give you a taste of the quieter southern part of the island.

Beaches are going to be busy everywhere with those in Palma being the busiest. The beaches to the south tend to be quieter, especially during the week when the locals are less likely to be visiting. My favourite is Es Trenc and because there is little in the way of infrastructure and hotels it doesn't have the beach resort feeling however it is very popular with locals who descend on it during the weekends in large volumes with parking on the roadside it can be a long walk to the beach if you don't arrive early enough.

Don't be surprised if you find yourself in a town where everyone is speaking German, the wait staff will address you in German and you'll be offered menus in German, particularly in the southwest of the island. Germans and Brits by far make up the largest contingent of tourists to the island and there are small pockets in the island where there is a concentration of either nationality. Once the staff know that you're English they'll happily switch to English and offer you an English language menu or converse in Spanish if you're happy enough to do so (Catalan if you really want to impress!).

Enjoy Mallorca, it truly is a wonderful island.

Hello JC,

Thank you very much for your informative response.

Just a couple of follow up questions/comments.

Would you say that once out of Palma, even though peak holiday season, the island will be somewhat mellow as far as heavy traffic on the roads, parking, beaches etc? We will be there Wed-Saturday so perhaps the beaches and coastal towns will be quieter during the week?

We have been advised to stay away from certain areas that are considered "party-zones"as this is not our vibe- Magaluf, S'Arenal, Portals Nous. Would you agree and are there other areas you might advise to avoid?

Which southern beaches aside from Es Trenc would you suggest for a nice time during the week?

We definitely have Deia, Valldemossa and Soller on our radar and also look forward to exploring Palma, as we like cities quite a lot.

Thanks again for all the valuable insight!

Palma and Manacor are the two busiest cities for traffic and outside of those two the traffic eases considerably. I find the south and southwest to be the quietest particularly inland from Campos down to Cala Pi and west. I've often found myself to be the only car on the road for several miles outside of the M roads although that's been in the quieter months but generally traffic is never really an issue. If you can cope with Manhattan traffic then even the busiest Palma traffic is a breeze. Honestly, I wouldn't sweat the traffic, I can easily land in Palma, get in the car and drive off with no issue and I'm used to driving on the left. I've driven in the US for well over 15 years and driving in Mallorca is so much more pleasant in comparison. The only issue you may have is parking. Valldemossa and Soller both have centrally located parking lots but they're not very big and do fill up quickly so my advice is to get there early and have some coins for the ticket machine. Other towns may necessitate street parking which can be more of a challenge if parallell parking is not your strong point. I like to rent a large car and my wife has to cover her eyes when I'm parking in somewhere like Llucmajor old town, built long before cars were invented. There is always the option to park somewhere outside of the old centre but this comes with the trade off of having to walk further.

I've never heard of Portal Nous having a bad reputation so I'll be interested in learning how this came up on your radar. Magaluf and S'Arenal however are truly deserving of their reputation. Magaluf is the hotspot for young Brits hell bent on having the most hedonistic time of their lives. Cue excessive drinking, excessive puking, excessive lewd behaviour and excessive fighting. It's no wonder the locals are sick and tired. S'Arenal is exactly the same with the only difference being that the tourists are young Germans. Both areas are easily avoided and fortunately for the rest of us are pretty much well contained, leaving the rest of the island for us to enjoy. Other than those two areas there's nowhere else I'd suggest avoiding other than perhaps Port de Alcudia. Whilst I really like the town of Alcudia I don't particularly like the beach area. It's quite tired and run down and in the summer is swamped with families with young kids which isn't my idea of a relaxing holiday.

For beaches the following article is a good guide: https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/best-beaches-mallorca
Essentially the more difficult a beach is to access then the quieter it is likely to be. Bear in mind that beaches on the northern coasts tend to be windier and the sea a bit rougher than those in the south however some of the best little coves surrounded by high, pine clad cliffs can be found in the north. Along with Es Trenc I also really like the beach at Cala Mondragó nature reserve but be aware that facilities are pretty much non existent so you'll have to take all that you'll need but it's worth it for the pristine environment and peace and quiet. Accept that the locals also know the best beaches so expect them to frequent them during the weekend, in August you're not going to find yourself without company however remote the beach is. Further along from Cala Mondragó is Cala S'Amarador, a larger beach and worth visiting if Mondragó is too busy. A few years ago it was voted the best beach in Europe.

Hopefully that answers your questions but if you have anymore then feel free to fire away, I'm more than happy to share my experiences.

Does anyone know if the Rick Steves Spain book covers Mallorca? If not, any suggestions?
We are thinking of spending 3 or 4 nights there the first week of April 2025 and cannot decide whether to stay in Palma and take car trips to the smaller towns or stay in Deia (someone I trust suggested this)? Would rather stay in one location rather than move, but, open to suggestions. Thanks for any guidance.

Palma is a real hassle with traffic and parking in particular. The late afternoon rush hour can be bad and leaving Palma yesterday the traffic heading into the city was backed up solid for miles. I've never actually seen it that bad previously so there may have been an additional cause.

Deia is a lovely, peaceful town in the mountains, some people don't enjoy driving the mountain roads so that might be a consideration if you're planning on driving to other parts of the island. What small towns are you interested in visiting?