A Guide to the Public Transport in Mallorca

If you are planning a trip to Mallorca and are wondering how easy it is to go around the island by public transport, you have landed on the right page. The public transport in Mallorca is very reliable, affordable, and easy to use. During my first trip to Mallorca, I used exclusively buses to get around, and I managed to see everything I wanted to without any hassle.

In fact, the public transport in Mallorca makes for a special trip that you can take from Palma, going to Sóller and Port de Sóller. These beautiful destinations can be reached by a gorgeous narrow gauge vintage wooden train, that makes its way through the Sierra de Tramuntana mountains, offering spectacular views along the way.

During my several trips to Mallorca I used public transport and also hired a car, so in this article I want to show you that even if you don’t drive, it’s easy to travel around Mallorca.

One thing to keep in mind is that you won’t find any car sharing apps such as Uber or Bolt in Mallorca. In my opinion, they are not needed anyway. If you do want to hire a car though, check out my article about how to save money when you rent a car in Mallorca by clicking here.

Public Transport to and from the Palma Airport

Palma Airport is located about 5 miles from the city centre and very well connected to all parts of the island by buses, taxis, and private transfers. I experienced all of these options on my various trips to the island.

The Airport Bus

The cheapest way to get into Palma from the airport, is by the A1 bus. The journey takes around 20 minutes and costs 5 euros. The bus leaves every 15 minutes or so, and stops in several places in the city, the first station being in front of the Palacio de Congresos – which is very handy if you are staying at Melia Palma Bay. The city centre bus stop is called “Plaça d’Espanya”. The bus has digital panels that display each stop. 

It’s important to know that you can only pay by cash on the A1 bus, either by buying a ticket at one of the machines in the airport bus stop, or directly from the driver. If you buy the ticket at the machine, you can buy a return for 8 euros. I couldn’t figure out how to use the machines, and because the bus was ready to go, I bought my ticket from the driver. Just remember that you can only pay with bills of 20 euros or less. 50 euros bills are not accepted. 

The A2 bus connects the airport with the resorts of Can Pastilla and S’Arenal. It runs every 45 minutes and also costs 5 euros. 

The A1 bus runs between 5:30am and 10:10pm, whilst the A2 bus runs between 6:20am and 10:10pm.

During high season there is a limited bus service from the airport to Camp de Mar, Can Picafort, Cala Bona and Magaluf.

Airport Taxis

A taxi journey from the airport to the centre of Palma costs between 20-25 euros. Whilst travelling around Palma by taxi is very cheap, getting to the airport by car requires paying a tax which is passed on to the passengers. Also, the fee depends on your arrival time as well, as taxis are more expensive between 10pm and 6am than during the day.

I travelled to the airport by taxi from El Molinar neighbourhood of Palma, and the trip cost 18 euros.

Airport Transfers

A cost-effective solution if there are more of you travelling, is to book a private transfer. There are plenty of options, from private ones that will drop you directly to your hotel anywhere on the island, to minibus hoppers that will stop at different hotels along the way.

I used such a transfer when I stayed in Port Alcudia, booked it through Hoppa if I remember correctly. It cost me 10 euros each way, and it dropped me off and picked me up from my hotel. It was a shared service, so there were other passengers on the bus. When I returned to the airport, the receptionist confirmed the pick-up time for the following day, and the minibus collected me without any delays.

Public Transport in Mallorca

There are two types of buses in Mallorca: the EMT ones, which serve Palma and the surrounding areas, and the TIB ones, which connect the capital to all the other corners of the island. In general, unless you want to reach a remote village, you will be able to get to your destination easily by bus.

City Buses

I’ve used the local bus in Palma quite a lot. During my last visit to the city, I rented a town house with a few friends in El Molinar, which is a 40 minute walk to the Cathedral, near the beach. The walk along the seafront to the city centre was beautiful, but we did have quite a few rainy days when we had to take the bus. By the way, if you are interested in what to do in Mallorca when it rains, check out my article on this topic by clicking here.

We used bus number 35 quite a lot, which had a stop very close to the town house we rented. It usually took around 15 minutes to reach the end of the route – Plaça Reina, which is near the Cathedral.

Using the city buses in Palma is really easy. The fare is 2 euros, which you will have to pay to the driver. Keep in mind that they won’t accept notes higher than 20 euros and they will prefer exact change as they usually don’t carry much cash with them. If you are going to use the buses regularly, you can buy a pass which includes 10 journeys for 15 euros, at any corner shop.

Same as in England, when you are waiting at a designated stop and you want the bus you need to pull over,  just flag it down by waving your arm when it approaches. Always get on at the front of the bus and pay the driver. When you want to get off, just press the button and the bus will stop at the next station.

TIB Buses

The TIB busses connect Palma de Mallorca with other destinations on the island. They depart Palma from the Intermodal bus station, in Plaça d’Espanya. They are very affordable, and you can easily use them for day trips from Palma if you want to explore the countryside of Mallorca, but don’t want to hire a car.

I used the TIB buses on a day trip from Palma to Valdemossa and further on to Deià. Even if I was travelling during winter, there were plenty of buses each day, one almost every hour. I liked that I could pay for the fare directly with my card, using a tap on – tap off system – same as on the London underground. I used three different buses on this trip, and the total cost was 7 euros. I don’t know how much each trip was, as the system charged my card with the total amount at the end of the day. It’s really important not to forget to tap off, otherwise you will get charged the maximum fare for that trip.

The TIB buses are modern and very comfortable, with proper leather seats. They have electronic systems that show you which is the next stop. Same as on the city buses, you have to press the button to let the driver know that you want to get off at the next stop.  

Metro

As a tourist, it’s not likely that you will have to use the metro. Palma has two metro lines that serve the suburbs of the city, running every 20 minutes on working days (between 5:35am and 9:30pm, and every 30 minutes on Saturdays (between 7am and 2:30pm). There is no service on Sundays.

Train

Even though it’s such a small island, Mallorca also has a train that serves three inland destinations: Inca, Sa Pobla and Manacor. They all leave from the Intermodal station in Plaça d’Espanya, same as the TIB buses and the metro, and stop in several places before reaching the final destinations. The trains share the same line until they reach Inca, where the line splits.

The trains run very frequently between 5:45am and 10:20pm, and most of them allow bikes on board. Check out the schedule here to choose a bike-friendly service.

Taxis

I used quite a few taxis during my last trip to Palma. Going out at night, it was much easier to take a cab home – even cheaper than the bus when four of us were heading home at the same time. A trip from the centre of Palma to our house in El Molinar never costed more than 8 euros.

I felt very safe taking cabs in Palma. All the drivers I met were really friendly and helpful, they always helped me with my luggage when getting in and out of the car for example. The drivers were usually very chatty and happy to recommend their favourite restaurants or cafes.

I haven’t encountered a taxi with a card reader, so when you want to travel by taxi, make sure you have cash on you.

The Ferrocarril De Sóller Train

I can’t end this article without mentioning the vintage wooden train that connects Palma to Sóller. Yes, it’s expensive, but in my opinion, is a well worth the experience. The train crosses the mountains passing through tunnels and over bridges, offering spectacular views along the way.  During the journey to Sóller, the train stops at a wonderful viewpoint, from where you can see the town below and the mountains surrounding it.

Further on, from Sóller to Port de Sóller, you can jump on Mallorca’s first electric tram, inaugurated back in 1913. 

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