Choosing a place & type of beach
A Mallorca holiday with a beautiful beach – which place suits you?
Long sandy beach or small cove: the type of beach shapes your holiday more than the beach's rating alone.
Alcúdia combines a medieval old town with the long sandy beach of the bay.
In short
Which Mallorca resort has the right beach?
Mallorca's best beach resorts differ greatly: Alcúdia, Cala Millor, Can Picafort, Peguera and Port de Pollença score with longer sandy beaches, while Cala d’Or is particularly interesting for smaller coves.
How RM24 rates
All assessments on this page come from the same editorial decision matrix as the place finder. They are a guide for choosing a place – not an objective rating of the places.
Places with a long sandy beach
For wide stretches of beach, walks by the water and plenty of space in high season.
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Alcúdia / Port d’Alcúdia
Old town plus long sandy beach in the north
Particularly good if …
- ✓Very long sandy beach on the Bay of Alcúdia
- ✓Gently shelving water in large areas
- ✓The old town as a contrast to a beach day
What you should know
In high season the most popular stretches of beach can get noticeably busier.
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Cala Millor
Long sandy beach with a continuous promenade
Particularly good if …
- ✓Wide sandy beach with a continuous promenade
- ✓Beach, hotels and restaurants along one stretch
- ✓Good for a beach holiday without a car
What you should know
A classic, larger resort – if you want small romantic coves and complete peace, there are better alternatives.
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Can Picafort
Family resort on the Bay of Alcúdia
Particularly good if …
- ✓Sandy beach on the Bay of Alcúdia, quieter than the centre
- ✓Family-oriented resort
- ✓Accommodation close to the beach
What you should know
The transfer from the airport is considerably longer than to places in the south-west.
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Peguera
Walkable beach resort with three beaches
Particularly good if …
- ✓Three sandy beaches right in town
- ✓Short, flat walks from the hotel to the water
- ✓A combination of beach and pedestrian zone
What you should know
If you want lively nightlife or a historic old town, other places suit you better.
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Port de Pollença
Quiet bay in the north with a pine-lined promenade
Particularly good if …
- ✓Wide, sheltered bay with calm water
- ✓Pine-lined promenade right by the beach
- ✓A relaxed beach scene rather than hustle and bustle
What you should know
The long transfer makes it less attractive if being close to the airport is your top priority.
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Cala d’Or
Resort of coves in the south-east with a marina
Particularly good if …
- ✓Several small coves near town
- ✓Rocky scenery instead of endless sand
- ✓Good if switching between coves is part of your holiday
What you should know
The coves are lovely, but smaller and quicker to fill up in high season than long sandy beaches.
Comparison: Mallorca places by type of beach
Type of beach and suitability are based on the same central rating matrix as the place finder.
| Place | Type of beach | Sandy beach | Shallow water | Promenade | Families | Couples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcúdia / Port d’Alcúdia | Very long sandy beach | strong | Shallow in large areas | Long beach promenade | very well suited | well suited |
| Cala Millor | Long sandy beach | strong | Mostly shallow | Continuous promenade | very well suited | well suited |
| Can Picafort | Sandy beach in the bay | strong | Mostly shallow | Promenade in town | very well suited | well suited |
| Peguera | Several town beaches | strong | Shallow in places | Beach promenade | very well suited | very well suited |
| Port de Pollença | Wide, sheltered bay | strong | Sheltered and shallow | Pine-lined promenade | very well suited | very well suited |
| Cala d’Or | Small calas | partly | Depends on the cove | Paths between the coves | well suited | very well suited |
| Colònia de Sant Jordi | Beaches and natural coastline | strong | Shallow in places | Harbour and beach paths | very well suited | very well suited |
| Playa de Palma | Very long city beach | strong | Mostly shallow | Very long promenade | well suited | well suited |
| Cala Ratjada | Coves and stretches of beach | yes | Depends on the cove | Harbour promenade | limited | well suited |
Which Mallorca resort has the most beautiful sandy beach?
There is no absolute number one, because ‘beautiful’ means different things depending on your expectations. If you want lots of space, length and shallow water, the Bay of Alcúdia or Cala Millor are a good choice. If you prefer rocks, pine trees and turquoise-looking water on a small scale, you are more likely to find that around Cala d’Or and in the south-east.
Where are there long, wide sandy beaches?
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Bay of Alcúdia
Port d’Alcúdia and Can Picafort are on the same long sandy bay.
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Cala Millor
Wide stretch of beach with a continuous promenade.
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Playa de Palma
Very long city beach with different sections.
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Peguera
Three town beaches, so the crowds are spread out.
Which places have small turquoise coves?
The south-east is the classic region for coves: Cala d’Or lies right between several calas, and Santanyí is a good base for coves in the surrounding area. There are also stretches of coves around Cala Ratjada. The colour and look of the water depend on the weather, time of day and season – that cannot be guaranteed.
Which beach resort is best with children?
With small children, gently shelving water, short distances and infrastructure on the beach are what count. Port d’Alcúdia, Can Picafort, Cala Millor and Peguera do this most reliably.
Which beach resort is suitable for couples?
For couples, smaller beach resorts with good evenings are interesting: Cala d’Or for coves, Port de Pollença for the quiet bay with a promenade, Peguera as a compact beach resort with short distances.
Where is there a beach and a beautiful promenade?
A continuous seafront promenade makes a noticeable difference to your holiday: evening strolls, restaurants along the way and short distances without a car. This is particularly pronounced in Cala Millor, Port d’Alcúdia, Port de Pollença and on the Playa de Palma. In Port de Sóller the promenade runs around the whole bay, but the beach is smaller there.
Where is there a beach and an old town or historic centre?
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Alcúdia / Port d’Alcúdia
Historic town walls and old town plus a long sandy beach in the same municipality.
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Palma and surroundings
Old town, cathedral and restaurants in the city, beach resorts nearby.
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Pollença / Port de Pollença
Town centre with the Calvary steps inland, a bay for swimming at the harbour town.
Long beach or small cala – which suits you better?
If you want both, choose a place with a sandy beach and coves nearby – for example in the south-east or around the north-east.
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Long sandy beach
More space, long walks, usually more beach facilities and often more family-friendly.
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Small cala
Compact and scenic, but in summer sometimes quicker to fill up and often with fewer services.
More beach options
Other beach profiles – a sensible alternative depending on your priorities.
When a beach resort is less suitable
Less suitable if …
A pure beach resort is less suitable if culture, food and city life should shape your holiday – then Palma is the better base.
Expectations about water colour, cleanliness or seagrass cannot be guaranteed either: beaches change depending on the weather, season and currents.
Related RM24 pages
Read on if a second criterion is decisive for your choice of place.
Found your place? Now plan your trip
From choosing your place to booking – with the right overviews.
Frequently asked questions
Which Mallorca resort has the most beautiful beach?
That depends on the type of beach. For long sandy beaches, Port d’Alcúdia, Cala Millor and Can Picafort are particularly strong; for small coves, Cala d’Or is the obvious choice.
Where are there long sandy beaches in Mallorca?
Above all on the Bay of Alcúdia (Port d’Alcúdia, Can Picafort), in Cala Millor, on the Playa de Palma and in Peguera with its three town beaches.
Which place is suitable for small coves?
Cala d’Or lies right between several calas. Santanyí is suitable as a base for coves in the surrounding area, and there are also stretches of coves around Cala Ratjada.
Which beach resort is best with children?
Port d’Alcúdia, Can Picafort, Cala Millor and Peguera offer gently shelving water, short distances and infrastructure right on the beach.
Where is there a beach and a long promenade?
This is particularly pronounced in Cala Millor, Port d’Alcúdia, Port de Pollença and on the Playa de Palma.
Where is there a beach and an old town?
Alcúdia combines a historic old town and a long sandy beach. Around Pollença and Port de Pollença you can combine a town centre and a bay for swimming, and in Palma the city and nearby beaches.
Long beach or small cala – which is better?
A long beach offers more space, walks and usually more services. A cala is more compact and more scenic, but can fill up more quickly in summer.
Next steps
Choose your Mallorca place by type of beach
In the place finder, say whether you prefer a long sandy beach or a small cove – the rest follows from that.
Image credits: View over the old town of Alcúdia from the city walls: Photo Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Sandy beach at Cala Millor: Photo Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Aerial view of the beach at Can Picafort: Photo Arne Müseler, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Beach at Peguera: Photo Liilia Moroz, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons · Harbour of Port de Pollença: Photo Malopez 21, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Harbour of Cala d'Or with boats: Photo Friedrich Haag, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons