Bicycling

Want to escape the biting winds and short dark days of autumn and spring in the Northern Hemisphere?

Want to swap thermal bib tights for bib shorts?

It’s simple. Go and cycle Mallorca.

You’ll find world class cycling routes in Mallorca 

But you knew that already….

Over the last two decades, Mallorca has been cementing its cycling destination credentials. It’s been helped along by the pro teams training there, well-marketed winter training camps and challenge rides like Mallorca 312.

For us, Mallorca has become the benchmark cycling destination by which we judge all others. In short, it’s a classic and it’s somewhere we think every cyclist should visit, at least once.

Why cycle in Mallorca?

Cycling Mallorca has a long list of virtues – in a nutshell, think warm weather most of the year, smooth tarmac, consistent gradients, testing but do-able ascents, flatter options, easy flights from Europe, great accommodation and bike hire…

But one of Mallorca’s other, less talked about virtues, is that it works whether you’re on a cycling training camp or with your family/non-cyclists. There are towns, accommodation, bike rides and things to do to suit everyone. Need we say more? Just go!

Want to cycle Mallorca?

In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to plan unforgettable Mallorca cycling holidays: detailed information on the best Mallorca cycle routes plus where to stay, when to visit and where to get the best road bike hire on Mallorca.

Read on and plan your Mallorca road bike adventure.

  Mallorca cycle routes

Wondering where to cycle in Mallorca?

Mallorca’s superb road network is heaven for cyclists; there are hundreds of potential rides you could do. The difficulty comes when you’ve only got a week and are trying to work out which are the best.

We’ve tried to make it easy.

Below you’ll find our pick of the best cycle routes in Mallorca; our favourite Mallorca cycling climbs and routes. These include some of the island’s most famous rides but also lesser-known gems, so hopefully something for everyone. We’d recommend browsing these, but if you’re really short of time, you might also find our pick of our top three Mallorca cycling routes helpful.

Most of our rides are in the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range. This is located north of Palma, between Pollença and Andratx. It’s very distinctive: craggy grey limestone cliffs with Alpine-style hairpins and vertigo-inducing drops down to the turquoise sea. The range is also home to some of the loveliest villages: Sóller, Deià, Valldemossa, Fornalutx… Mallorca bike trips are a bit of a dream.

Mallorca cycling climbs

Below are some of our favourite climbs on Mallorca. Click the relevant tab on the map below to see the whole route – or you’ll find our in-depth guide to each climb just below the map.

(And don’t miss the really nice Sa Calobra t-shirt we’ve got over in our shop! Click here to take a look.)

Cap de Formentor

• Distance: 36km
• Elevation: 960m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Coll de Soller
(from north and south)

• Distance: 7.5km
• Elevation: 420m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Ermita de Betlem Climb

• Distance: 4km
• Elevation: 160m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Port de Valldemossa climb

• Distance: 6 km
• Elevation: 380 m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Port des Canonge climb

• Distance: 5 km
• Elevation: 310 m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Puig de Randa climb

• Distance: 5km
• Elevation: 260m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

San Salvador climb

• Distance: 5km
• Elevation: 350m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Sa Batalla Climb

• Distance: 8km
• Elevation: 430m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Sa Calobra climb

• Distance: 12km
• Elevation: 680m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Santa Magdalena climb

• Distance: 2km
• Elevation: 120m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Sobremunt climb

• Distance: 7km
• Elevation: 580m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Mallorca cycle rides

Below are our pick of the best Mallorca cycling routes. Click the relevant tab on the Mallorca cycling routes map below to see the whole route – or you’ll find our in-depth guide to each route just below the map.

Feeling overwhelmed by choice?! Shortcut your decision process and head to our article that shares three of the best cycling routes on Mallorca!

One of the most challenging cycle routes in Mallorca is known as the “Big Daddy”, which takes in the whole of Mallorca’s northwest coast. Many say this is the best cycle route in Mallorca – but you’ll have to decide that!  The route is accessible even if you don’t have transport as Mallorca Cycle Shuttle allow you to cycle one way and they pick you up and drive you the other direction. 

Andratx to Port de Pollensa

• Distance: 115km
• Elevation: 2,425m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Bay of Pollensa cycling route

• Distance: 77km
• Elevation: 1,480m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Coll de Femenia and Sa Batalla loop

• Distance: 66km
• Elevation: 950m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Puig Major loop:
Mallorca’s top cycling climbs

• Distance: 138km
• Elevation: 2,640m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Sineu Velodrome, Mallorca

Sóller, Deià and Port de Valldemossa loop

• Distance: 61km
• Elevation: 1,430m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Best of Mallorca 312 route

• Distance: 61km
• Elevation: 1,450m
• Difficulty:   
• Epic rating:   

Easy cycling Mallorca

If you’re less keen on the Puig Majors and “Big Daddy” rides and are after some easier Mallorca bike rides, they do exist!

Even in the northwest of Mallorca, there are many scenic, flat roads and good cycle paths. Examples of some easy cycle routes in Mallorca include:

s’Albufera Natura Park: 12 km paths around the nature reserve: entrance is free, and the paths are obviously traffic free!  Use this map of the park to decide where to go. The Park is located south of Alcúdia, between Alcúdia and Can Picafort.

Port Pollenca to Alcúdia (or further to La Victória): a bike path on the sea-side of the road takes you much of the way along the bay road to Alcúdia. You can then head on normal roads to Mal Pas and all the way along the peninsula to La Victória. The highest point is 444 m. Be aware of all the non-cyclists on the bike path: skaters, runners, wind-surfers coming up from the beach…

Port de Pollença – Alcúdia – Sa Pobla – Pollença – Port de Pollença loop: 42 kilometres: head around the bay to Alcúdia and then Port d’Alcúdia and Parc Natural de s’Albufera. Head inland, southwest to Sa Pobla and then north again, past the beautiful church of Santa Margalida des Crestatx. You’re soon in old town Pollença, before completing the loop back to Port de Pollença.

Alternatively, consider the lanes out from Port de Pollensa through Sa Pobla towards Bunyola. Also the roads that take you to the island’s centre, around Sineu are pretty good for a flattish spin.

If you stay near Palma, there’s easy riding around Palma Bay on a 30km (20 mile) cycle path (out and back). You can cycle from the city to the resort area of Playa de Palma, entirely on cycle paths. It’s an out and back route so you can choose to do as much or as little as you want.

Cycling around the centre of Palma

Wondering about children’s bike hire in Mallorca? We hired children’s bikes from Nano Bicycles in Palma

Cycling along the seafront near Can Pastilla: great for Mallorca bicycle trips with kids

Mallorca sportives (If you need more excuses to road bike Mallorca…)

Mallorca 312 sportive offers a serious challenge for around 6,000 amateur riders each year. It was originally a 312 km ride around the island, but in 2016 it became a closed-road event in the north and west of the island with 167 km, 225 km and of course the famous Mallorca 312 route. If you’re interested in finding out more, don’t miss our in-depth guide to Mallorca 312.

Ironman 70.3 Mallorca is held around Alcúdia and the Tramuntana mountains in May each year. It’s very well known with competitors coming from across the world to swim 1.9km in Alcúdia Bay, bike 90.1km through the Tramuntana mountains and then run a half-marathon through the town.

Visit Mallorca to watch the pro Vuelta Mallorca cycling race (aka Cycling Challenge Race or Tour of Majorca) in January each year. It comprises four one day races with cyclists and teams choosing whether to race each day. Lots of the top pro teams use it as a season warm-up race.

Not a sportive, but if you’re in Mallorca, don’t miss the outdoor velodrome!  The municipal velodrome is in the town of Sineu in the middle of the island.

Cycling Mallorca: Where to stay 

Deciding where to stay in Mallorca can be a headache. Not because of the usual issue of whether the hotel is bike-friendly, but because there are so many good Mallorca bike hotels, it’s difficult to work out which is the best for you.

Our choice: Hotel Illa d’Or, Port de Pollença

We loved our stay at Hotel Illa d’Or and would recommend it to friends. Its Port de Pollença location and good looks will appeal to both cyclists and non-cyclists. It’s an excellent option for cyclists that don’t like traditional, vast all-inclusive style cycling hotels.

What we loved

•  Elegant and sophisticated 4-star hotel with a dramatic Tramuntana mountain backdrop.
•  Pretty location on the Pine Walk (the footpath around the bay); the waters of the bay lap the hotel’s front terrace.
•  Bike garage with bike racks for up to 15 bikes, a huge cyclist’s wall map for route planning, track pumps, a work station with tools and lockers.
•  This is not an “in your face” cycling hotel. It has great facilities for cyclists, but it’s also a lovely hotel in its own right. The rooms are luxurious and decorated in muted taupes, many with sea views. Or you can stay in one of the apartments with kitchens and balconies.
•  Food is a highlight and eating outside on the hotel’s terrace overlooking the bay is a treat you won’t forget. 
•  Other facilities include a spa, sauna, Turkish bath, ice fountain, heated pool, smallish gym and speed tennis court (the hotel can supply kit).

Things to know

•  Popular with older generations.
•  Located on the Cap de Formentor side of town. This means you have to ride through/around Port de Pollença to get to most rides.

Conclusion

If you’re trying to persuade a non-cycling companion that Mallorca is a great place for a holiday, this is the way to do it.

Road Bike hire Mallorca

Looking to rent a road bike in Mallorca? Good news: cycle hire in Mallorca is easy. The quality of bike rental in Mallorca is generally high – there are plenty of cycle hire shops in all the main resorts and some companies will deliver to you wherever you are staying.

Below we list as many road bike hire shops as we could find, to help you with your planning. Please note:

• This information is offered as an indicative guide only: we periodically update it but prices, services and bike brands may change. Please let us know if you find anything that is incorrect.

Tips:

• Book your Mallorca bike hire in advance, particularly in peak season.

When to cycle in Mallorca

Mallorca’s reputation is built on being an awesome place for early season training. But if you want to play it safe, don’t go too early. Snow is possible in January and February. November to the end of February is a quieter period for cycling in Mallorca and many cycling facilities (bike hire shops, hotels etc) may be shut or only open for limited hours during this period.

If your priority is cycling, we’d avoid June to August (especially school holidays) as the roads get pretty clogged up, and the heat can be searing.

We have visited four times, three times in the early season – end of February and March – when we found the skies were blue and the roads blissfully quiet, though the temperatures still required arms and legs to be covered. We also visited at the end of October and had a week of cloudy skies and rain – perhaps bad luck, but statistically October is one of Mallorca’s most rainy months.

While the below should be a good guide, remember that the Tramuntana mountains have a particular microclimate. Also remember to stash that jacket, because at higher altitude, you’ll find temperatures a bit cooler than they were when you left your hotel room!

Tips and articles

Books about Mallorca

Mallorca guide books

Our favourite general guidebook on Mallorca is Lonely Planet Mallorca. It gives useful general information about the island and is a good guide to Mallorca resorts. The sections on island history, local customs, culture and food are well-written.

If you’re only in Mallorca for a few days, and want something a bit lighter, try the DK Eyewitness Top 10 Mallorca. It gives you the essential places you need to go in a convenient pocket-size, but doesn’t dwell on the details.

Novels set in Mallorca

Not cycling related, but if you want to get a feel for Mallorca away from the “Brits boozing it up in Magaluf” cliché, the books by British expat Anna Nicholas are for you – the first in the series is A Lizard in My Luggage.  Part travelogue for the armchair traveller and part practical guide for those that like to get off the beaten track, the books will make you want to get a trip planned as soon as possible. 

Peter Kerr’s books offer a more humorous take on life in Mallorca. We love the vivid, spikey descriptions of places, people and local cuisine that make you want to jump on a plane. The first in the series is Thistle Soup, which is the prequel to the Mallorcan based books. The first book based in Mallorca is Snowball Oranges.

Winter in Majorca by George Sand is the classic book about Mallorca. George Sand was Chopin’s lover. They lived in Valdemossa during the winter of 1838-39 while Chopin was suffering from tuberculosis. Sand’s book is an interesting read and shows her love for Mallorcan nature – though she seems to have pretty much hated everything else!

Films about Mallorca

Unsurprisingly, Mallorca’s fine vistas have been used as the backdrop for a number of famous TV series and films. What better way to get into the holiday spirit than via the big screen?!

• 2014 film “A Long Way Down” starring Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette and Aaron Paul.

Good to know

Where is Mallorca?

Mallorca is the largest of the Spanish Balearic islands. It is found in the Mediterranean, east of the Spanish mainland.

How do I get to Mallorca?

Though there are ferries to Mallorca from the Spanish mainland (Barcelona and Valencia), most people get to Mallorca aboard an aeroplane. 

Thankfully Mallorca is well-served with flights and flight times from the UK are about 2.5 hours. In summer more than 14 flights per day leave London Gatwick alone. There are fewer flights out of season, but it’s still possible to get to Mallorca cheaply since both national carriers, such as BA, and budget airlines, such as Easyjet, Ryanair and Monarch fly to Palma.

Palma de Mallorca Airport is located 11km (6 miles) southeast of Palma.

Mallorca or Majorca?

Is it Majorca or Mallorca? We think Mallorca. “Majorca” is a British invention, needed because they couldn’t get their tongues around the fact that double “ll” is pronounced “y”.

Talking of names, did you know that Alcúdia and Port d’Alcúdia are different places – as are Pollença and Port de Pollença! But some guides talk about Pollença or Alcúdia when they mean the ports – so be careful. You’ll see Port de Pollença also referred to as Porto de Pollenca, Puerto de Pollenca, Porte de Pollenca, Port Pollenca, Porto Pollenca – as well as all of these but with Pollensa or Pollenca instead of Pollença. They’re all the same place!

What’s more, everyone knows the popular climb as Sa Calobra, but its official name is the Col dell Reis.  Sa Calobra is the name of the town at the bottom.