Plane, boat
With more than 22 million passengers per year, Palma airport has entered the top 20 in Europe - and is even one of the most active in the summer. This shows how easy it is to reach the island by air. And the destination is all the more attractive as it is served by many low cost airlines.
Majorca is also accessible by ferry, mainly from Barcelona, Valencia and Denia. If you have your own sailing boat, the archipelago is easily accessible since Ibiza is only 50 miles from the mainland (the North of Majorca is 100 miles from Barcelona). And the islands between them are close: 50 miles between Majorca and Ibiza, only 25 between Majorca and Menorca. It is therefore possible to visit the archipelago in cabotage mode, without even spending a night at sea.
Boat rental
Most of the major charter companies such as Dream Yachts Charter and Sunsail are present in Palma or in the immediate vicinity of the island's capital. Double advantage: proximity to the main port and airport and possibility to discover, in addition to Majorca, the neighbouring islands of Menorca and Ibiza - both close to Palma.
One week is enough to complete the tour of Majorca, as we did. If you would like to visit Minorca and Ibiza as well, please allow a minimum of two to three weeks. Given the generally mild conditions, renting a small sailboat won't necessarily make your cruise more uncomfortable than aboard a more comfortable unit. Even better, a modest boat can slip into any anchorage..
Navigation - Weather - Ports
No tide, negligible currents and very few shoals: crossing Majorca is as pleasant as it is easy - with warm (14° at the coldest, 26 at the best) and turquoise waters at the key. The air is mild in winter with an average temperature of 11°C in January, but hot and dry in summer with 25°C in August (minimum 18°C and maximum 31°C). The weather is generally dry and sunny - 400 mm of water and 2,750 hours of sunshine per year. From June to September, the weather is fine practically all the time... The only constraints are the swell and the lapping which can make some anchorages difficult to sustain.
Generally speaking, you will be tempted to enjoy the countless bays and coves - the calas. But the possibilities to be moored at the quay, to fill up with water and fuel are almost everywhere possible. Mallorca has around twenty fully equipped ports. There are enough safe shelters to ensure a safe and rapid retreat - with the exception of the North Coast: of the 50 miles of spectacular cliffs and peaks, only Puerto Soller is frequentable if the sea is rough.
Although the climate is generally mild and sunny even in winter, the winds can be violent during the bad season - the Tramontane makes itself felt on the north coast of Majorca and the swell can reach two metres. However, from May to October, conditions are particularly favourable for navigation. Or even too much: it's not uncommon for days of flat calm to follow one another... There, the engine imposes itself but all the calas become accessible. The South coast, and particularly Palma Bay, on the other hand, benefits from a regular regime of thermal breezes - of the Southern sector, therefore. 4 Beaufort and just a light chop, what could be better?
The right thing:
Most of the Balearic Islands' nautical guides present anchorages in a clockwise direction; unless weather conditions dictate otherwise, choose this same direction rather than spending your week winding the pages of the guide..
