Port d’Andratx
Port d’Andratx is the harbour town; Andratx itself lies inland. The waterfront has walks among the boats and restaurants beside the water. Sant Elm is another village on this southwestern coast.
Balearic Islands
Mallorca
Around Mallorca, city waterfront, mountain coast and small harbour towns lead to different places ashore. Palma meets the sea in the southwest; the Tramuntana stands behind Sóller, while Pollença and Alcúdia occupy separate northern bays.
Photo: Sigismund von Dobschütz
Mallorca’s coasts
The southwest centres on Palma and Port d’Andratx. Along the western coast, mountains rise behind Port de Sóller. Pollença and Alcúdia sit on separate bays in the north; Portocolom and Portopetro are eastern harbour towns. Colònia de Sant Jordi is on the south coast, near Es Trenc’s beaches and the passenger-boat connection to Cabrera.
- 1 · PalmaMarket, old town and city waterfront.
- 2 · Port d’AndratxHarbour life and dinner by the water.
- 3 · Sant Elm and sa DragoneraA beach looking towards the island; a conditional park outing.
- 4 · Port de SóllerA mountain-backed harbour, with a tram to the inland town.
- 5 · Port de PollençaBay and waterfront, with old Pollença inland.
- 6 · Port d’AlcúdiaBeach, old town and Roman Pol·lèntia.
- 7 · PortocolomSmall boats and low houses around a natural harbour.
- 8 · Portopetro and MondragóA harbour village near paths, wetland edges and beaches.
- 9 · Colònia de Sant JordiA southern town for Es Trenc and passenger trips to Cabrera.
- 10 · CabreraNational park south of Mallorca, with separate access arrangements.
Palma and the southwest
Palma’s marinas lie along the city waterfront. Santa Catalina’s food market, the old-town streets, the cathedral and Es Baluard are part of the city ashore. Farther west, Port d’Andratx has its own harbour life, while Sant Elm looks towards sa Dragonera. Road connections also link these places with Palma.
Photo: Arieleisenhammer
Sant Elm and sa Dragonera
Sant Elm’s beach looks across to sa Dragonera. Tourist boats from the village offer an island excursion; a yacht visit uses the permitted landing at Cala Lledó, which does not mean leaving the yacht alongside. The park’s dock-works notice gives a closure from 15 October without a year, so access to Cala Lledó remains the unresolved point for an island walk.
Sa Dragonera: access and notices ↗At Sant Elm’s regulated Posidonia buoy field, landing is by the boat’s own tender and someone must remain aboard under the public buoy terms. A walk ashore with the whole crew therefore needs another berthing arrangement. Those terms do not automatically apply to Andratx’s private buoys or Cabrera’s separate system.
Public berths and buoy conditions
PortsIB’s larger standard visitor berths booked online accept boats up to 15 m long and 4.46 m wide; Colònia de Sant Jordi has a smaller 12 × 4 m limit. These are limits of the online product, not dimensions for every berth in a harbour.
Bookings last up to five days and cannot be extended through successive reservations. The terms also prohibit two reservations in the same port within a period of six days or less. Longer berthing requires a different agreement.
The public Posidonia buoy terms are for favourable sea conditions and exclude use as a refuge. Their crew-presence and own-tender requirements matter when choosing an outing ashore.
PortsIB: dimensions and visitor berths ↗Public visitor-berth terms ↗Public buoy terms ↗
Photo: Enric
4 · Port de Sóller and Sóller
A harbour below the mountains
The Tramuntana rises behind Mallorca’s western coast and Port de Sóller. The waterfront promenade belongs to the port; the tram runs inland to Sóller, with its square, café tables and side streets.
From the southwest, the sea approach to Sóller follows the coast around the western headlands. The northern bays lie farther along the coast. On land, the train connects Palma with Sóller, and the tram continues between the town and Port de Sóller.
Train and tram timetables ↗Berths in Port de Sóller
PortsIB public visitor berths and private Marina Tramontana are separate choices.
Two bays: Pollença and Alcúdia
Port de Pollença and Port d’Alcúdia sit on separate northern bays. Both have a waterfront and beaches, with an older town inland. The distinction between port and town matters here: Pollença’s streets and Calvari steps are inland from its harbour, while Alcúdia’s old town and Roman Pol·lèntia are beyond the beach and port.
Photo: H. Zell
Port de Pollença and Pollença
Port de Pollença has the bay and waterfront promenade; old Pollença lies inland. The Calvari steps are a steep climb, more comfortable before the heat of the day.
Port d’Alcúdia, the old town and Pol·lèntia
Beyond the port and beach lie the old town and Roman Pol·lèntia, with remains of houses, the forum and a theatre. Pol·lèntia belongs to Alcúdia; it is not the town of Pollença across the headland.
Photo: AlbertoDV
7–9 · East and south
The eastern harbours and southern beaches
Portocolom’s low houses and small boats line a natural harbour, with waterfront walks and places for a fish meal ashore. Farther south, Portopetro is another harbour village, near Mondragó’s paths, wetland edges and beaches. The two towns belong to the same eastern coastal group. Mondragó’s appeal ashore does not establish an overnight anchorage.
Colònia de Sant Jordi is on Mallorca’s southern coast, near Es Trenc’s sand, dunes and wetlands. Road access also connects Portocolom, Portopetro and Colònia with the rest of the island.
Where anchoring is permitted, both anchor and chain must stay clear of Posidonia seagrass. The restrictions of the individual bay still apply; sand alone is not permission to anchor in a protected or regulated area.
Harbours in the east and south ↓Harbours in the east and south
Portocolom · public harbour and yacht club
Photo: Rikki Mitterer
10 · South of Mallorca
Cabrera
Cabrera is a national park south of Mallorca, with walks along the bay and permitted park paths, and swimming in designated areas. The park reports that the castle is closed (checked September 2026).
A yacht visit requires navigation permission, plus a separate buoy reservation for an overnight stay. Anchoring is prohibited. Tender landings use the main dock in Port or the dock at Cas Pagès. Authorised passenger excursions also leave from Colònia de Sant Jordi.
Cabrera: visits and reservations ↗Mainland passages
The mainland lies a different scale of passage away from Mallorca’s coastal harbours. The connections below approach Sóller on the west coast, Port de Pollença in the north and Santa Ponça in the southwest.
- La Ràpita and the Ebro Delta ↔ SóllerLa Ràpita stands beside the Ebro Delta, with wetlands, birdlife and food from the delta ashore. The municipality describes its Ruta dels Poetes connection as just over 100 nautical miles. This cultural sailing connection is not a scheduled ferry.
- Port Ginesta ↔ Port de PollençaA northern connection. Port Ginesta is on the coast near Barcelona; a day in the city needs a separate land transfer. The race between the ports is listed as 104 nautical miles.
- Salou ↔ Santa PonçaA link to southwestern Mallorca, with a published race distance of 110 nautical miles. Visitor-berth arrangements at Santa Ponça and the details of a Salou stop remain unconfirmed here.
At an assumed average 5–6 knots, 104–110 nautical miles gives about 17–22 hours underway, before extra time for approaches and detours. That can include a night at sea. A return crossing depends on a suitable weather window in both directions.
Joining in Palma or Alcúdia
Palma and Alcúdia are also points for joining a yacht or arranging boat work. Airport links lead to the town or port, with a final transfer to the marina.
Palma
From PMI, the A1 runs to the city centre, followed by a transfer to the chosen marina. A direct taxi is another option. STP is a separate yard for work and lifting; storage and care need their own agreement rather than being assumed from a marina booking.
Airport buses ↗STP: yard facilities ↗Alcúdia
The seasonal A32 links the airport and Port d’Alcúdia, with a final transfer to the marina. Alcudiamar has both berths and a yard. Its published yard limits include a 150-tonne lift and 6.80 m maximum beam; preparation, lifting, storage and care require the relevant service agreement.
A32: timetables ↗Alcudiamar: yard facilities ↗A week with visitors aboard
Palma and a trip to SóllerA personal film about family visiting the boat. The link starts during the land excursion towards Sóller, around 2:25.Photo credits and planning sources Core sources reviewed 18–19 September 2026; Palma marina additions checked 21 September 2026
Creator, capture date, source and licence appear beside each photograph.
Towns and land outings
Santa Catalina market ↗Palma’s old town ↗Pollença ↗Roman Pol·lèntia ↗Portocolom ↗Mondragó ↗Es Trenc ↗Boats and passages
Private marina in Sóller ↗Posidonia and regulated buoy fields ↗Organiser’s distances to Pollença and Santa Ponça ↗La Ràpita and Sóller: Ruta dels Poetes ↗AEMET: Balearic coastal forecast ↗Map sources
Sophie maps with coastline from Natural Earth 1:10m, version 5.1.1.
Natural Earth: coastline data ↗Natural Earth: public-domain data ↗Sophie map design · CC BY 4.0 ↗