Mallorca without a car: where to stay and how to get around

Mallorca without a hire car: Palma, Sóller, Pollença, Santanyí and Artà compared, with buses, trains, winter tips and two hotels.

You can have a good holiday in Mallorca without hiring a car. The trick is choosing a base that suits your plans. Stay in Palma or a well-connected town and you can walk to dinner, visit the capital and take occasional trips to the coast or mountains. A finca in the countryside means arranging taxis whenever you want to head out.

We compare five places to stay, from Palma to Artà, and look at two hotels with very different locations. Travelling in winter? Some routes and hotels close for the season; we explain the differences below.

Palma and Sóller: where is it easiest without a car?

Palma is the hub. City bus A1 runs from the airport to the centre, and island buses and trains to Inca, Sa Pobla and Manacor leave from the Estació Intermodal. Stay here and you can walk around the old town and down to the harbour, with direct buses to Sóller and Pollença all year. Trips to the north or east of the island take longer.

There are two ways to travel between Sóller and Palma. The bus takes about 40 minutes and runs all year. For the scenery, take the historic wooden train. The Ferrocarril de Sóller opened in 1912 and runs via Bunyola through the mountains in the north of the island; with only a few departures a day and its own fares, it is more of an outing than a commute. A car-free day might look like this: the train to Palma in the morning, the bus back in the afternoon and down to the sea in the evening. A historic tram runs to the port, where Aleix Viada cooks Mediterranean food at Randemar on the seafront: homemade pasta, wood-fired pizza, rice dishes and fish. If you are having dinner there, check the time of the last tram back or book a taxi.

Pollença: how do you get to Palma without changing buses?

Pollença has a year-round direct bus to Palma. It stops at two places in town and runs via Sa Pobla and Inca to the Estació Intermodal in about an hour. There is no direct bus from the airport, though: take the A1 into the centre of Palma and change there. Once you arrive, you can explore the old town on foot. There is a market on the Plaça Major, and from town you can climb up to the church of El Calvari – the view is the main reason to go. Separate buses cover the short hop to Port de Pollença; the Palma bus doesn't take passengers between town and port.

Santanyí: what is within walking distance, and what can you reach by bus?

In Santanyí, the market, restaurants and bus stop are all within walking distance. The market is on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and buses leave from the Na Ravandella stop in the centre. In summer there is a direct express to Palma on weekdays; in winter you change at Campos. Buses also run to Cala Santanyí and Cala Figuera – before a beach day, check the times there and back. All the connections are in the table “Connections at a glance” at the end.

On market days the centre is packed in the morning. Two places for dinner:

• Es Cantonet on Plaça d’en F. Bernareggi: Erik Eckfelder cooks light Mediterranean food with an Asian twist and adds market specials to a short menu. You can eat in the old townhouse all year round and in the courtyard in summer; paella needs ordering a day ahead.
• At Manique on Carrer Portell, Brazilian chef Marcos Lee cooks on a parrilla over wood and charcoal, with fish and vegetables from the island's fishermen and farmers. Bookings are by WhatsApp, via the website.

Can Ferrereta: what is it like to stay in the heart of Santanyí?

Can Ferrereta is a 17th-century house in the old town, a few steps from the Plaça Major. At the hotel, Àlvar Albaladejo cooks Mediterranean food at Ocre, La Fresca is out in the garden by the pool, and there is the Sa Calma spa. Ask when booking which restaurant will be open during your stay. Guests are welcome from the age of 14. The hotel closes for the winter; more on that below.

Artà: when do you still need a taxi?

Artà itself is easy without a car. There are two bus stops in town, and in summer an express reaches Palma in about 70 minutes. All year round, a bus runs to Manacor station, where the train to Palma takes about 70 minutes. The Vía Verde starts at Artà's old station: a cycling and walking path along the former railway line to Manacor. The station building has bike hire, a visitor centre and the Pas a Nivell café.

Es Racó d’Artà is outside town, on the road to Cala Mitjana. Es Racó suits a different kind of car-free holiday: days spent at the hotel, with its restaurant, spa and guided walks, and taxis arranged for trips into town. The vegetables in the restaurant come from the hotel's own garden. You arrive by taxi too, so check the best way to get there with the hotel before you book. For more to discover around Artà, see our article Quiet Mallorca.

Mallorca without a car in winter: what changes?

Public transport runs a reduced service in winter. The express buses to Santanyí and Artà only run in high season, as do some airport buses; in 2026 the Santanyí express ran from 27 March to 31 October. From November, plan to change at Campos for Santanyí and to go via Manacor for Artà. Sóller and Pollença keep their direct buses to Palma all year. On public holidays such as 8 and 25 December, trains run to a holiday timetable.

Hotels and restaurants have seasons too. Can Ferrereta closes for the winter from mid-November. For stays during the winter closure, choose another hotel; Can Ferrereta is available to book again from 4 March 2027. For Es Racó d’Artà, ask the hotel directly about the winter months. Es Cantonet in Santanyí is open all year; for the other restaurants, check opening times for your dates.

Which town suits you?

• A week with lots to see: Palma.
• Mountains, a harbour and a scenic train ride: Sóller.
• A direct bus to Palma all year: Pollença.
• Market, restaurants and a hotel in the old town, outside the winter closure: Santanyí with Can Ferrereta.
• Countryside quiet and days at the hotel: Es Racó d’Artà, with a taxi there and back.

Practical: timetables, tickets, seasons

• Timetables: buses from TIB, trains from SFM. Journey times in this article are based on the timetables valid from 27 March 2026; winter times are on each line's page.
• Trains: the SFM timetable runs from 1 September 2026 to 30 June 2027.
• Tickets: on TIB buses, trains and the metro you can pay contactless with a bank card. Tap the reader when you get on and again when you get off; everything is charged in one go the following day.
• Sóller railway: separate fares – Palma–Sóller €23 single, €30 return; the tram to the port is €10 per trip. Buy tickets at the station or on the tram. The last tram from Port de Sóller currently leaves at 9.05pm (October 2026); check for your travel day.
• Es Cantonet: open all year, Monday to Saturday from 6.30pm, closed on Sundays. Randemar: open daily from 12.30pm; to book for the next 48 hours, phone.
• More on both hotels in our portraits of Can Ferrereta and Es Racó d’Artà.

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