I travelled to Mallorca (‘Majorca’) for eight days as a solo female on a budget travel trip. So, is Mallorca good for a solo trip? It definitely is, I would recommend to any solo travelers out there to visit this beautiful Balearic Island. I felt safe and found exploring Mallorca solo and on a budget easy to do.
With turquoise waters, picture perfect calas ‘coves’, countless beaches, mountains, and beautiful towns this Spanish island shouldn’t be missed.
A trip to Mallorca will land you in the Mediterranean Sea with a climate to be desired. Sun-kissed shores are more than likely to be your welcome, with hot summers, and very pleasantly warm spring/autumn temperatures. I visited in May and found this a great time. The weather was amazing for being able to walk/hike comfortably, while hot enough to sunbathe on the beach. So if you can visit during shoulder season, plan your trip for then.
Mallorca is easy to get around, meaning there’s no need to worry about travelling the island on a solo trip, while knowing you won’t get bored as you can easily explore new places each day, even when on a budget.
The whole island is welcoming and once you start exploring it you don’t want to stop. So many places and never enough time. I spent 8 days (9 nights – I arrived late and left early, giving me 8 full days) on the island and managed to hit up each coast. Therefore 8 days allowed me to get a good grasp of the island as a whole, without rushing and trying to do too much each day. Many people visit for much shorter periods of time too so even if you only have 4/5 days, don’t let that put you off – you can still cover a lot!
So in this post I’ll give you a little insight into how I went about a budget solo trip and inform you of some of the best places to visit in Mallorca.
Quick links:
How to get to Mallorca?
Fly into Palma de Mallorca (PMI) Airport.
Flights are readily available from most places in Europe, especially going into spring/summer.
I always check for the best deals on Skyscanner.
From the airport, a public bus is available to take you into the city of Palma for only €5. The bus leaves from just outside the terminal building – you won’t miss it.
The bus runs until the early hours of the morning, meaning even with a late flight you don’t need to worry about how you will then reach the city. An important factor for a solo (female) traveler.
Where to stay in Mallorca on a solo budget travel trip?
First of, what city/town to base yourself in?
Mallorca’s main city – Palma is where you will want to be located. This is the best place you can stay for the easiest and most convenient way to explore the island in its fullest. Exactly what you want when on a solo budget travel trip to Mallorca.
So now that we know you want to stay in Palma, what accommodation in Palma?
Since I was on a Mallorca solo budget travel trip, hostels were my go to.
Some of the best hostel options in the city are:
- The Boc Hostels – Palma
- The Boc Hostels – City
- El Josemari Youth Hostel
- Palma Port Hostel – Alberge Juvenil
- We Hostel Palma – Youth Hostel
I spent the majority of my trip staying in The Boc Hostels – City, with one night in the middle in Palma Port Hostel (I thought I night spend some nights elsewhere on the island, before realising it would be easiest, in terms of exploring as much of the island as possible, to stay in Palma for the duration of the trip). So I messed up and ended up moving hostels for a night (it was a Saturday and Boc City was sold out). Actually the only hostel available was Palma Port Hostel.
I would definitely recommend staying in the The Boc Hostels – City however it is not the most budget option out there. If you’re on super budget mode you can find a cheaper hostel, but for budget, nice, comfortable hostel The Boc Hostels – City is the go to, I’d say. After spending 8 nights in this hostel I would go back there on another visit. I’ve noted some of the main points and positives of this hostel:
The Boc Hostels – City
- Location – very well located
- 3 minute walk to the supermarket (Mercadona) – good sized supermarket with everything you could need
- 10 minute walk to the beach (Platja de Can Pere Antoni)
- 16 minute walk to Palma Cathedral
- 16 minute walk to the bus station – Estació Intermodal
- 24 hour reception, so no hassle to check in even if arriving late
- Very good sized kitchen – I never hesitated to cook food here, there was always enough space to comfortably cook a meal. Perfect for the budget travellers! Kitchen is well equipped with everthing you would need. There were the basics such as oil, salt and pepper kicking around – what you need and don’t want to buy.
- Good hostel for digital nomads
- A lot of common area space from where you can comfortably work from, as myself and many others were doing when I was there. Indoor and outdoor space.
- Wifi is also very good – I teach online, need a strong wifi connection and can very much vouch for it.
- Rooms
- Beds are very comfortable and not your typical hostel style bunk beds. They are bunks, sure, but not of the rickety type. It’s hard to explain, but if you check out some pictures from the hostel you will understand. You have in a sense your own bed cubby hole. Bed area is equipped with a curtain for good privacy and it very much keeps the light out. There is a plenty of space in your bed area. Lights which you can easily put on at any hour without disturbing anyone. Plug and USB sockets by each bed.
- Big lockers to keep your belongings in. However, do be aware that these operate with your key card, therefore be careful not to leave your key lying around just in case.
- Sinks in the room.
- Female only dorms available.
- Bathrooms
- Located on each floor.
- Very good size, in particular the showers – biggest hostel shower cubicles I’ve ever been in – that’s the shower itself and the area to get changed in. Plenty places to hang your belongings and frankly comfortably shower and get ready.
- Hairdryer in the bathroom.
- Rooftop Pool
- Gym
Since I did also experience Palma Port Hostel briefly, lets take a little looks at this hostel too. It is more affordable than Boc City and has good reviews, however does have more downsides.
Palma Port Hostel
- Located at Palma Port.
- A good, lovely location which, however, is not as good as that of Boc City.
- Further from the main city action. You could apply this also if considering a different hostel in the area of the port – how far it is from the likes of the main bus station and the beach.
- 46 minute walk to the main bus station (you can take the city bus and easily then catch a regional bus so it’s not like you always have to have such a big walk, but it’s just a bit more inconvenient (and adds on those extra euros you thought you were saving by staying there!)).
- 50 minute walk to the beach (Platja de Can Pere Antoni)
- Relatively small hostel, which can be viewed as a positive, as it definitely has more of a friendly/homely vibe than the likes of the bigger Boc Hostels.
- Kitchen area very welcoming to cook in albeit if it’s busy in the hostel you may have to wait a bit as there is not a lot of cooking space.
- Shared bathrooms – shower cubicles are very small, no where to really put your stuff.
- Big underbed lockers to easily store your belongings.
How to travel around Mallorca on a solo budget trip?
The easiest way to travel around Mallorca is by bus, especially if on a (budget) solo travel trip.
The key to being able to do this easily, however, is by staying in Palma, which is why that is where I would recommend you to base yourself. The reason for this being that, essentially, the buses leave from Palma. If you want to get from, say, the west to the north of the island, you would have to return to Palma before heading north.
There are two main buses you will encounter:
- EMT buses
- Run in Palma city
- Blue and white buses
- Accept cash (you cannot tap on and off with a bank card)
- Single ticket in the city €2
- To/from airport €5
- TIB buses
- Regional bus service
- Red and yellow buses
- Can easily tap on and off with bank card
- Can buy a single ticket with cash on board, however you will be charged more
- You can switch buses (or take a train/metro) within a 60 minute window of leaving the previous transport and have it tack onto the same fare.
- Zone based fares – range from €1.80 – €5.40. So a return trip will never be more than €10.80. Take a look on the TIB website here for a closer look at the fares for the trips you may wish to make.
So, bus is a great, convenient, affordable transport method especially when on a solo budget trip. However, an even better way to discover the island would be to rent a car. A good option if you meet some people in a hostel wanting to explore similar areas for one of more days. You could definitely see a lot more in one day this way. Maybe check out parking spots for your desired location(s) if you decide to do this though. There are some super cheap cars available on rentalcars.com – do check this out if you are considering this option for travelling around.
What to do on a solo budget travel trip to Mallorca?
Lets look at this in a what to do/where to GO kind of way. I wanted to try to see as much of the island as possible, while having time to enjoy each place and not feel rushed. Remember you can never do everything and visit everywhere (even if you really want to!). All of the places I visited I would recommend going to on a budget solo trip, so I’ll give you a little insight into them to help with your Mallorca itinerary.
Since you will (most likely) be leaving each day from Palma, it doesn’t matter what order you visit each place. I just woke up and went where I had the strongest desire to visit that day. But for a little insight my itinerary was….
Day:
- Palma
- Palma
- Port d’Alcúdia
- Cala d’Or
- Palma
- Sóller + Port de Sóller
- Ses Illetes
- Port de Pollença (Puerto Pollensa)
Palma
Palma, the main city, and your base. You need to of course take time to enjoy Palma city itself. If you’re like me, sometimes you may want to explore so much that you feel you need to get out of your immediate environment. Sure, that’s great, but soak in where you are!
As you could see I spend 3 days in Palma itself, I was working the first two days of my trip which ate into my day a little so choose just to enjoy the city those days after work, then had a full day on day 5 in Palma (kind of – I had to change hostels which involved some hanging around so my morning/early afternoon was dedicated to that!). So you probably don’t need to dedicate 3 days to Palma itself like it seems I did, especially when on a solo trip, but it is a really lovely and lively city in Mallorca that you can easily spend 2 full days enjoying.
- Visit Palma Cathedral (Catedral Basilica de Santa Maria de Mallorca), even if you don’t want to enter the cathedral, you must admire it from the outside. You can’t miss it.
- Parc de la Mar, a beautiful area which sits with the cathedral on one side and the sea on the other. It is the perfect chill out spot with an artificial lake, palm trees, grassy area and benches. The best view of Palma Cathedral is from here.
- Royal Palace of La Almudaina – sits next to Palma Cathedral
- Palma Old Town – found just behind the cathedral. Wander the narrow streets of the old town and take in this beautiful area of the city.
- Palma Port – walk east and you head along Palma Port (perhaps you’ll even be staying that way, hello Palma Port Hostel). A lovely flat walkway perfect for a stroll at any time of day.
- Platja de Can Pere Antoni – the main, closest beach to Palma city. Not the most beautiful beach on the island for sure but it’s in a super handy location and perfect for beach chilling in the city itself.
- Scenic walk/run – head west from the beach and enjoy the palm tree lined promenade that extends for miles. Essentially a lovely, scenic flat walkway that allows you to stumble upon more beaches and places to take in the sea air. I wasn’t running on this trip – this would have been my running route if so, a little out and back along here – so I headed out here for a morning walk and walked 5 miles easily because you kind of just want to keep going to see what’s further along!
- Shopping – of course Palma is a city so there are all your major shops here. If looking for something to do on a (usually rare) rainy day and you like to go shopping (even us budget travelers like to shop sometimes, right?), I’d recommend heading to Porto Pi Centro Comercial. This is a big indoor shopping centre located round from Palma Port.
Cala d’Or
One of the best aspects of Mallorca is its many beautiful ‘cala’s’, aka coves. You should definitely dedicated at least a day to exploring some of these. It’s really the perfect Mallorca experience and easily done on a solo budget travel trip. There are many to choose from but I chose to head over to Cala d’Or and was not disappointed.
- Located on the southeast of Mallorca
- 1 hour 15 minutes on buses from Palma – note there is no direct bus so you must take 2 buses. They link easily so don’t let that put you off. Switch buses at La Verge 2 – you will leave the bus then go onto the next from the same place. Most other people are doing the same so no stress! Take bus 501 which is heading to Campos (of course descend at La Verge 2), then jump on bus 515 to Cala d’Or. The bus fare carries on from the first bus as long as you get on the second bus within 60 minutes of leaving the first.
- Cala d’Or is not simply one cala, but a village from where you can easily wander around and take in multiple calas. I made it to: Cala Esmerelda, Cala Gran, Cala Ferrera, Cala Serena, Calo de ses Dones.
- Turquoise, crystal clear water that once you get into, you don’t want to get out of.
- Avoid some of the crowds on the beaches by perching yourself on some of the rocks nearby. You get an even better view of the cala on a whole this way too!
Alcúdia (Port d’Alcúdia)
Alcúdia is beautiful. When I got off the bus and saw Alcúdia Bay I loved it straight away. Alcúdia felt to me like somewhere you wanted to just come and fully chill out at – exactly what I wanted to do (and did do) the day I was there. I would have gone back here or even spent a few nights here had I been staying even longer. There are watersports on offer should you feel tempted for some activity though.
- Located in the north of the island
- 55 minute bus ride from Palma, bus 302 goes direct
- Beautiful sandy beaches at Port d’Alcúdia – Platja d’Alcúdia and Platja de Muro which sit on Alcúdia Bay.
Port de Pollença (Puerto Pollensa)
- In the northern part of Mallorca. Port de Pollença is the town next to Alcúdia.
- 1 hour 5 minute bus from Palma, bus 301 goes direct
- Beautiful beaches, beautiful scenery in general. I would have liked to have spent more time in this area – I really loved the north of the island!
- Fitness hub’ of the island – many cyclists, walkers, runners around this area.
- For the cyclists, this area seems to be pretty dreamy. That’s to say, as the bus heads further north suddenly you realize you have entered the cycling heaven when looking out the window to those on two wheels. If cycling is your thing, hire a bike and get out there! Cap de Fermentor is a very popular cycling route from Port de Pollença. Lots of incline on this one so you do have to be a pretty keen cyclist.
- For the walkers/hikers, I definitely recommend Cami de Cala Bóquer. A relatively short hike/trail walk (around 5.5km return) through Bóquer Valley to Cala Bóquer. The scenery is gorgeous and you feel like you are miles away from the port. You will be hit with a beautiful view down to the ocean, before you descend a very rocky trail (you will need decent shoes – trainers are fine) and reach the beach area. Cala Bóquer is a small pebble beach. It’s the perfect spot for taking a picnic lunch to – just be aware of the goats who may try to steal your food like they did mine! The many goats roaming around adds to the experience. It really is a must do walk on a day trip to Port de Pollença.
Check out my post Camí de Cala Bóquer – must do hike in Mallorca for more information on this walk.
Sóller + Port de Sóller
I would highly recommend visiting both the charming town of Sóller and beautiful Port de Sóller. I’d recommend heading to Sóller town first, then head down to the beach area for the rest of the day. Sóller town can be seen pretty quickly unless you want to head to a bar/restaurant. I took a picnic and ate it at the lovely main square (Mallorca solo budget travel life on point!).
- West coast
- 30 minute bus ride from Palma to Sóller, 40 minutes if you continue onto Port de Sóller – bus 204. There is the option to also ride the historic train from Palma to Sóller (bus is much cheaper for the budget travellers, but perhaps you would want that historic train experience).
- Enjoy the small but bustling main square – Plaza de la Constitución.
- Watch the historic tram run through the main square.
- Explore the cute narrow streets surrounding Plaza de la Constitución – I was so surprised, in a good way, by the town of Sóller. It is just so cute!
- Head to Port de Sóller by walking/bus/train/historic tram.
- For the budget, active, and those who like to explore as much as possible, the best way to get to the port is to walk. Of course the option I opted for – definitely makes in into more of an adventure! There is a proper little trail which meant the walk got bonus points from me – got to love a trail walk. It’s not far either, about 4km.
- In Port de Sóller you get to experience the beautiful scenery of sea and mountains, feeling somewhat secluded from the rest of the island.
Illetes
- Illetes (Ses Illetes) is a lovely beach resort lying on the southern coast, just 9km west from Palma.
- Can be reached by Palma city (EMT) bus – just €2 each way – pay by cash. Around a 30-40 minute ride. Short distance but it stops at many stops since it is the city bus.
- Playa de Illetes is the main beach. This is could easily be the most beautiful cala closest to Palma city. Very popular and therefore busy spot.
- Cala Xinxell – another beach area on the peninsula just round from Playa de Illetes. Likely to be somewhat quieter than the main beach.
- Take a walk further along the coastline. After my time on the beach I headed back up from Playa de Illetes and started walking along the main road in the direction of Palma. You don’t need to go far but there are some lovely views since you are higher up and you can see a little more of the coastline. There are bus stops all along the route so you can then hop back on the bus to Palma from any of them.
Wanting to sick around the Palma area, I hopped on a bus here on a whim. The day I went was a public holiday and unsurprisingly the beach was very busy, even with arriving in late afternoon. I can only imagine what it would be like in peak season. A little walk round from the main beach and down the peninsula called to me, where I passed many people sunbathing and entering the water from the rocky areas on the way round. You get a lovely view back into Playa de Illetes from round there. In the end I chose to mainly beach chill at Cala Xinxell because it was much quieter, before heading back round to Playa de Illetes a little later. Note that the sun will disappear from Playa de Illetes quicker than from an open beach, such as Cala Xinxell since it is nestled below the cliffs. It’s no wonder it’s such a busy spot, it’s super beautiful and just on the outskirts of Palma city. Well worth a visit even just for a couple of hours if you have an extra afternoon free.
Overall, Mallorca is great for solo budget travel trip. Or, any kind of travel trip! There is something to suit all budgets. That’s to say, there is so much more you can do in Mallorca too, and plenty of activities on offer if you are willing to spend a little more. Take a look on GetYourGuide if you want some extra adventures!
