Hotel Juma
Why we like it: Family-run hotel of seven rooms on Pollença's Plaça Major, open since 1907: the oldest hotel still operating in Mallorca.
Duration2 nights
From PalmaAbout 50 min by car
FormentorCar-free from 10:00 to 22:00 in summer
Best timeApr – Jun · Sep – Oct
Getting thereCar via the Ma-13 or bus 301
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to leave Palma on Friday afternoon and sleep two nights on the Plaça Major in Pollença. Saturday depends on the date: from mid-May to mid-October, Formentor is done by bike or on bus 334; the rest of the year, by car and early.
Friday
- 118:00Arrival at the Plaça Major
Leave the car and your bags at Hotel Juma. The square and the terraces around it are the best place for your first hour in the village.
- 219:30The Calvari at sunset
Five minutes on foot to the 365 steps. At the top, the oratory and the low light over the rooftops and the bay.
Saturday
- 108:30Breakfast at Gran Cafe 1919
On the Port promenade, six kilometres away. It opens at 8:00.
- 209:30The Formentor lighthouse by bike
Electric bike from Rent March, from €18.20 a day. About 20 km to the lighthouse, with the road closed to cars from 10:00. If you do not cycle, go up on bus 334, roughly every 35 minutes from the Port.
- 313:00A swim at Formentor beach
On the way back from the lighthouse, the white-sand beach under the pines. If you went by bus, it has its own stop.
- 415:30Lunch at Stay, on the Moll Nou
The kitchen is open until 20:00, so a late lunch is no problem. Mallorcan bluefin tuna, grilled fish or Mallorcan lamb.
Sunday
- 109:30Plaça Major market
You come down from the hotel and you are already at the market, open until 13:30. Afterwards, the Museu de Pollença, free until 13:30.
- 211:30Climb to the Puig de Maria
An hour and a half there and back, 4.3 km, to the 14th-century sanctuary with views over the bay.
- 314:00Lunch at Celler La Parra and the drive back to Palma
Suckling pig or oven-roast lamb in the 1962 house at the Port. You leave after lunch and are in Palma in under an hour.
Pollença is an hour from Palma, close enough to go and come back in a day and far enough for two nights to change the trip. With the Plaça Major as your base you see the village once the day-trippers have gone, go up to the Formentor lighthouse first thing or by bike on the road free of cars, and on Sunday you wake up right above the market.
How to get there from Palma?
By car, along the Ma-13 motorway towards Alcúdia and the Sa Pobla and Pollença exit: about 55 km, close to 50 minutes. Without a car, take TIB line 301, which stops in Pollença and at the Port. If you drive and sleep at the Hotel Juma, ask when booking for its free parking, which has limited spaces: the centre has narrow streets.
Where to sleep?
| Accommodation | Area | Who for |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Juma | Plaça Major, Pollença | Seven rooms, everything on foot, the market at the door |
| Hotel Illa d'Or | Pine promenade, Port de Pollença | Sea, pools, spa and bikes; bus and boat to Formentor nearby |
| Son Brull | 2 km from the village, among vineyards | Five stars with a spa; closed until 11 April |
Out of season
From late October to mid-May there is no bus 334 and no restriction: on Saturday drive up to the lighthouse before 10:00, stop at the es Colomer viewpoint on the way back and go down to the beach. The boat to the beach runs from April to October.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Pollença and Cap de Formentor, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Pollença and Cap de Formentor
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
By car from Palma, with the Formentor clock in mind
From Palma it is about 55 km along the Ma-13 motorway to Pollença, a little under an hour, and ten minutes more to the Port. The car is convenient for moving between the town, the Port and the Puig de Maria; at Formentor the calendar rules. From mid-May to mid-October, from 10:00 to 22:00, you can drive in only as far as the beach while there is room in its car park, and you cannot drive up to the lighthouse.
90–170 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Juma, on Plaça Major…
- Getting aroundPark in the Port and…
- Where to eatCeller La Parra, Mallorcan cooking…
- ServicesTourist offices on Plaça Major…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Juma, on Plaça Major, with limited free parking if you book direct
- Son Brull, on the outskirts, with its own grounds; closed until 11 April
- Hotel Illa d'Or, in the Port, to leave the car and get around on foot
Getting around
- Park in the Port and go up to Formentor on bus 334 or by boat
- Out of season, or before 10:00, the Ma-2210 is open to the lighthouse
- Do not stop outside the marked spaces on the Formentor road: it is fined
Where to eat
- Celler La Parra, Mallorcan cooking open on Sunday lunchtime
- Stay Restaurant, on the pier, every day from 12:00 to 20:00
Services
- Tourist offices on Plaça Major and on Passeig Saralegui
- Road incidents on the Consell de Mallorca website
Car-free, on the TIB bus and by boat
Pollença is one of the few corners of northern Mallorca that is easy to get around without a car. TIB line 301 runs from Palma to the town and the Port; in season, the 334 climbs from the Port to Formentor lighthouse, and the Lanchas La Gaviota boat crosses to the beach. In summer you do even better than by car, because the lighthouse road is closed to cars from 10:00 to 22:00.
80–150 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Juma, on Plaça Major…
- Getting aroundBus 301 Palma – Pollença…
- Where to eatGran Cafe 1919, on the…
- ServicesPort tourist office, on Passeig…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Juma, on Plaça Major, within walking distance of the market and the Calvari
- Hotel Illa d'Or, in the Port, close to the boats and the 334 bus
Getting around
- Bus 301 Palma – Pollença – Port de Pollença; check the Sunday timetable
- Bus 334 from the Port to the lighthouse, roughly every 35 minutes, from 15 May to 18 October
- Boat to Formentor beach from the Moll Nou, April to October
- Bóquer starts on foot from the Port itself
Where to eat
- Gran Cafe 1919, on the promenade, from 8:00 to 23:30
- Celler La Parra, five minutes' walk from the pier
Services
- Port tourist office, on Passeig Saralegui
- Bus timetables and fares at tib.org
By bike, with the lighthouse road almost to yourself
The climb to Formentor lighthouse is one of the classics of Mallorca cycling. From mid-May to mid-October, from 10:00 to 22:00, bicycles can ride the whole Ma-2210 while cars are kept out. From the Port to the lighthouse is about 20 km with two long climbs.
100–180 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Illa d'Or, with bike…
- RidingFrom the Port to the…
- Where to eatGran Cafe 1919, breakfast from…
- ServicesRent March, on Carrer Joan…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Illa d'Or, with bike hire, a garage, a washing area and a washing machine
- Son Brull, with electric and mountain bikes for guests
Riding
- From the Port to the lighthouse along the Ma-2210, stopping at the es Colomer viewpoint
- E-bike at Rent March, from €18.20 a day
- The road is narrow with no hard shoulder: helmet, light and water
Where to eat
- Gran Cafe 1919, breakfast from 8:00 before you set off
- Celler La Parra, continuous kitchen until 22:30 for the ride back
Services
- Rent March, on Carrer Joan XXIII in the Port
- The boat to Formentor beach takes bicycles on board
Fly to Palma and an hour to Pollença
Pollença is about 60 km from Palma airport, which has direct flights from almost every city on the Spanish mainland. From the airport, the Palma ring road and the Ma-13 motorway towards Alcúdia put you in Pollença in a little under an hour. If you are staying in the town or the Port and getting around by bus and boat, you can do without a car.
- Getting therePalma de Mallorca (PMI), the…
- Getting aroundHire car at the airport…
- Where to sleepHotel Illa d'Or, in the…
- ServicesPort tourist office, on Passeig…
Getting there
- Palma de Mallorca (PMI), the island's only airport
- From Palma, TIB line 301 goes to Pollença and Port de Pollença
Getting around
- Hire car at the airport, to combine Pollença with the Serra de Tramuntana
- In season, bus 334 and the boat take you to Formentor without a car
- Bicycle hire in Port de Pollença
Where to sleep
- Hotel Illa d'Or, in the Port, if you arrive late and want to wake up facing the sea
- Hotel Juma, on Plaça Major, to get around the town on foot
Services
- Port tourist office, on Passeig Saralegui
- Bus timetables at tib.org
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingwithout a carif you're cyclingif you're flying
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hotel Illa d'Or
Why we like it: A 1929 hotel on Port de Pollença's pine walk, beside the sea, with its own jetty, pools, spa and bicycle garage.
Son Brull Hotel & Spa
Why we like it: A Relais & Châteaux five-star in a former 18th-century monastery, among 32 hectares of vines and olive trees 2 km from Pollença.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Pollença | The village: market, Calvari, museum and small hotels | |
| Port de Pollença | Beach, boats and bus to Formentor; the best base without a car | |
| Formentor | Viewpoint, beach and lighthouse; nowhere to sleep inside |
Where to eat
Where to eat in Pollença and Cap de Formentor
Celler La Parra
What to order: the suckling pig or the roast Mallorcan lamb, and the trampó or the frito to start.
Carrer de Joan XXIII, 84 · 971 865 041 · closed Mondays
Stay Restaurant
What to order: the bluefin tuna tartare caught in Mallorca or the Mallorcan shoulder of lamb; the set menu includes wine, water, dessert and coffee.
Moll Nou · 971 868 020 · kitchen 12:00 to 20:00 every day
Gran Cafe 1919
What to order: a sobrasada and cheese coca with a coffee, or tapas to share on the terrace; children have their own menu.
Passeig Anglada Camarasa, 2 · 971 86 84 26 · every day from 8:00 to 23:30
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Book Sunday lunch
Celler La Parra fills up on Sunday at midday.
- 2Check the restriction dates
Every year the DGT publishes the new dates for the Formentor road.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the getaway cost?
It depends mostly on the hotel. Not counting accommodation, allow €50–90 per person per day for meals, bike or bus and boat.
Can I do it without a car?
Yes: bus 301 from Palma to Pollença, bus 334 and boat to Formentor in season, and everything else on foot.
Which day is best to arrive?
Friday, so you have Saturday for Formentor and Sunday for the market.