4 Nights Mallorca (Balearic Islands)

What does a Mallorca holiday include, and what does it cost?

Four nights at the Hotel JS Palma Stay or similar 4★ with return flights from London and daily breakfast listed in the package. ATOL protection under licence 10713 applies and a £99 per person deposit holds it. Regional UK airports are available at a supplement confirmed at enquiry. Excursions, car hire, transfers, the Balearic tourist tax and travel insurance are not included, and your meal arrangement is confirmed in writing before you pay. Mallorca is by far the most varied of the Balearics, and the base here puts you a short ride from Palma itself.

Is Mallorca just Playa de Palma?

No, and this is the misunderstanding worth clearing up first, because it puts people off an island they would probably love.

The strip at Playa de Palma and Magaluf is what Mallorca is known for in the UK, and it is a small fraction of a large island. Twenty minutes in one direction is Palma, a genuine Mediterranean city with a Gothic cathedral, a proper old town and a food scene that has nothing to do with the resorts. Forty minutes in the other is the Serra de Tramuntana, a UNESCO World Heritage mountain range of terraced hillsides, stone villages and a coast road that is one of the best drives in Europe.

For a similar price, Mallorca gives you considerably more island. Ibiza gives you the better nightlife and the better small coves. For families and for anyone who intends to hire a car, Mallorca is the stronger choice.

When is the best time to go?

November is the cheapest month, and it is worth knowing what that buys: a mild, quiet island with Palma at its most pleasant and a sea too cold to swim in. The city, the mountains and the food — that is a good trip. Want a beach holiday? It is not.

August is the dearest on school-holiday demand. September is the value month — the sea is at its warmest, the island is emptying, and it is seventy pounds below August.

What you will actually do

Palma deserves a full day. La Seu, the cathedral on the seafront, is one of the great Gothic buildings of the Mediterranean, and the old town behind it is a maze of courtyards, tapas bars and independent shops. It is a working city rather than a resort, and it is twenty minutes from the hotel.

The Serra de Tramuntana is the reason to hire a car. The MA-10 coast road runs the length of the range through Valldemossa, Deià and Sóller, with drops to the sea on one side and terraced hillside on the other. Sóller is reachable by a vintage wooden train from Palma if you would rather not drive.

Playa de Palma is the beach on the doorstep — long, sandy and busy, with everything you would expect along it. It is not the prettiest beach on the island but it is the most convenient.

The coves on the east and north coasts — Cala Mondragó, Cala Formentor — are where the postcard beaches are. All need a car or a bus and a half day.

What changes your price?

• The month. November at its cheapest against August at its dearest for the same four nights.
• Departure airport. Priced from London, with regional UK airports at a supplement confirmed at enquiry.
• Hotel and location. The JS Palma Stay or similar is 4★ near Playa de Palma. Properties in Palma itself, in the Tramuntana or on the quieter east coast are quoted individually.
• Nights. Five or seven nights rather than four is priced on request.
• Car hire. Not included, and it changes what Mallorca can be more than on any other Balearic island.

Who this holiday suits

• Families, because the island has the widest range of beaches and things to do in the Balearics.
• Anyone who wants a beach holiday with a real city twenty minutes away.
• Walkers and cyclists — the Tramuntana is a serious destination for both, particularly in spring and autumn.
• Couples who will hire a car and spend half the trip out of the resort.
• Food-led travellers: Palma’s restaurant scene is the best in the Balearics by some distance.

Who might prefer something else

• Want to swim? Do not book November to April. The Mediterranean is cold and the £209 price reflects that.
• Want nightlife? Mallorca has it in a few resorts; Ibiza has it as an industry.
• Want to stay put? The best of Mallorca needs a car. Without one you have a decent beach and a good city.
• For a quiet, undeveloped island, Playa de Palma is neither. Ask us about the east coast or the Tramuntana instead.
• If August is fixed, you are paying the top price at the busiest time.
• Still weighing it up? Compare this against every one of our beach holidays.
• If this is nearly right, look at our 5 Nights Lanzarote Escape too before you decide.

Ways to upgrade

All quoted at enquiry against your dates.

• A sea-view or upgraded room at the JS Palma Stay
• A hotel in Palma itself, in the Tramuntana, or on the quieter east coast
• Five or seven nights rather than four
• Half board or all-inclusive where the hotel offers it
• Car hire for the Tramuntana and the coves
• Airport transfers, and the Sóller train as an arranged day out

What is not included?

• Transfers from Palma airport, around fifteen minutes to Playa de Palma.
• Car hire, fuel and parking — and parking in Palma is genuinely difficult.
• The Balearic sustainable tourism tax, charged per person per night at the hotel.
• Meals beyond the board arrangement, which we confirm in writing before you pay.
• Excursions, the Sóller train and boat trips.

How do you get there and get around?

Flights are from London, around two and a half hours, with regional UK airports at a supplement confirmed at enquiry. Spain is one hour ahead of the UK.

Transfers are not included. Palma airport is around fifteen minutes from Playa de Palma — one of the shortest transfers in the Mediterranean. Buses along the bay and into Palma are frequent and cheap.

For the rest of the island you want a car. The Tramuntana, the east-coast coves and the northern beaches are all an hour or more away and the bus network thins considerably outside the Palma bay. If you would rather not drive the mountain road, the vintage train from Palma to Sóller is a genuinely lovely alternative.

Entry requirements for UK travellers

Checked against GOV.UK foreign travel advice on 17 September 2026.

Spain is in the Schengen area, so British passport holders need no visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years of your arrival date and be valid at least three months after you leave.

The EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System is rolling out, replacing passport stamps with fingerprints and a photograph on your first crossing. It is free, lasts three years and speeds up later trips. ETIAS is not currently required.

Practicalities worth knowing

The Balearic Islands charge a sustainable tourism tax per person per night, payable at the hotel. It varies by season and star rating and it is not included in the package price.

Parking in Palma is difficult and the old town is largely pedestrianised. If you hire a car, use one of the underground car parks on the ring rather than looking for a space.

The Tramuntana road is narrow, winding and shared with a great many cyclists, particularly in spring and autumn when professional teams train there. Allow far longer than the distance suggests and do not plan it as a quick loop.

The sea is Mediterranean — warmest in September, cool in May and June despite the air, and cold from November to April.

Booking and protection

Your booking is covered by our ATOL licence 10713 and we hold IATA accreditation 91285611. It is held with a deposit of £99 per person, with the balance due before travel.

Prices are per person, based on two people sharing. September is the month we would point most people towards — warmest sea, emptying island, and well below the August price.