Cala Mondragó, in the nature park on Mallorca’s south-east coast.
There are plenty of beautiful coves. Finding the right one for your day comes down to four practical things.
Start your beach plans with the wind and the way down to the water. A sheltered sandy bay is very different from a rocky shore reached by a steep path. Shade and facilities matter too.
A photo only shows one moment. The wind, waves and number of visitors may be quite different on your day out. Check conditions before leaving, then decide again at the beach whether to go into the water.
Here are four things to help you choose, followed by all our beach and cove guides, arranged by coast.
Check the wind and waves before you set off.
A cove facing away from the wind may be more sheltered. That does not necessarily make the water calm or safe: swell, currents and the shape of the bay matter too. Check the forecast, then follow the beach flags and lifeguards’ advice when you arrive. A red flag means no swimming; a yellow flag calls for particular caution.
How far is it from the car, and how steep is the path?
Some beaches are close to a car park. Others involve steep paths, steps or rocks. Check access beforehand, especially with children or limited mobility. A longer walk does not guarantee peace and quiet: even remote coves can be busy in summer.
The same cove can feel very different in the morning and at four in the afternoon.
Popular beaches are often quieter early in the morning. There is no fixed time when a cove empties out. Plan to return in daylight, and remember that lifeguard cover may finish before your beach day does. In narrow rocky coves, the shade moves as the day goes on.
Sand, pebbles, rock shelves or seagrass.
Not every beautiful cove is suitable for swimming. On the south coast, washed-up seagrass helps protect the shore and is deliberately left in place at many beaches. Rocky entries can be slippery. Water shoes offer some protection but do not make an unsafe access point safe. Waves can also make getting out much harder.
In the north, Alcúdia and Pollença bays offer long sandy beaches and smaller swimming spots. Much of the west coast is rocky and steep; the south-west also has sandy bays with plenty of facilities.
In the east and south-east, larger beaches alternate with little coves. Around Es Trenc in the south, there are long stretches of sand and dunes. Palma Bay combines beach life with city facilities.
No coast is automatically safe in a particular wind direction. Follow the 112 beach safety advice, the flags and the lifeguards on the spot.
Access may be restricted when car parks are full. Have another beach in mind and keep emergency access clear. Even arriving early does not guarantee a parking space.
All 37 swimming spots on Mallorca Fritz
Choose a coast, then open a guide for the season-by-season advice, access, beach surface and facilities.
Pollença and Alcúdia bays combine long sandy beaches with smaller swimming spots. Wind and waves can change your plans here too.
A quieter alternative to Port d’Alcúdia, 3 km to the east. Low villas sit among pines beside a pebbly, sandy shore without rows of sunbeds. Just offshore is Illa d’Alcanada, with its 19th-century lighthouse.
Four small coves beneath the dramatic cliffs of Cavall Bernat, rising around 300 metres above the coast. Houses and hotels cluster around the water, in a landscape that has drawn painters for more than a century.
A small fishing settlement first recorded in 1860 has become a busy holiday resort. Come for the beach, the promenade and everything within walking distance. For more space on the sand, head north towards Platja de Muro.
One of the north's best-known beaches: pale sand beneath old pines, the peninsula's mountains behind and water in shades of blue ahead. Summer road access needs planning.
A long sandy stretch of the Bay of Alcúdia, with protected dunes and pines at Es Comú rather than a continuous hotel frontage. S'Albufera lies behind it, while near Can Picafort around 140 little holiday houses stand among sandy lanes.
Five kilometres of pale sand shelving gently into the sea, backed by hotels, bars and shops. A classic beach holiday on Alcúdia bay, with a medieval walled town just two kilometres inland.
A quieter, more expensive neighbour to Alcúdia bay, with the waterfront Pine Walk, a royal yacht club and reliable afternoon sailing breezes between the mountains. Some local life continues through winter.
A planned village of grid-pattern streets, no hotels and houses no higher than two storeys. In front lies a long, natural beach backed by protected dunes — a coast that narrowly escaped becoming another Rimini.
Sandy beaches and rocky coves between Cala Mesquida and Porto Cristo. Access, shade and facilities vary from place to place.
A broad sandy bay north-west of Cala Ratjada, backed by pine woods and dunes. Pale sand fills the centre, with rocky shelves in the shallow water at either end. There are beach bars and a car park, rather than a line of hotels.
Cala Anguila lies south of Porto Cristo, beside Cala Mandia. A small sandy beach opens between low rocks and pines, with clear, shallow water. A restaurant and sunloungers make a beach day easy. Many families share the bay in high summer; outside the main season, there is more room to relax.
Cala Mandia, also called Cala Mendia, lies south of Porto Cristo. Pale sand, clear water and gently shelving shallows make this small bay popular with families. Hotels and holiday homes stand behind it. High season is busy; spring and autumn offer a more relaxed beach day.
A broad stretch of pale sand with protected dunes behind it and a wooden boardwalk crossing them. Cala Mesquida faces north, so waves and currents can be strong. Check the beach flags before swimming.
Nearly two kilometres of pale sand, a car-free promenade and hotels behind it. Cala Millor is an unmistakable holiday resort, with a few more year-round services than many of its neighbours on the east coast.
A small cove beyond Cala Agulla, reached by a ten-minute walk over rocky ground. There is a narrow strip of sand between the rocks, sometimes boats offshore, and no kiosk, sunloungers or lifeguards.
A working fishing harbour and lively holiday resort on Mallorca's north-east coast. Three different beaches are within reach on foot, with a 19th-century lighthouse and sculpture gardens on the hills above.
A sandy bay backed by pine-covered slopes, a handful of hotels and a golf course. Canyamel is one of the quieter beach resorts in the north-east, with the Coves d'Artà in the cliffs nearby.
Founded in 1880, this small coastal town has a harbour, a short beach and a promenade with a handful of restaurants, backed by the mountains of Artà. A quieter alternative to the larger resorts around the Bay of Alcúdia.
A town with two different daily moods. From ten until four, coaches bring visitors to the Coves del Drac. Before and after, Porto Cristo is a quiet harbour town with an old centre, a beach and a watchtower dating from 1577.
Wide beaches around Es Trenc and smaller coves near Santanyí and Felanitx. Take water and sun protection for the more remote stretches.
A small, undeveloped bay with no kiosk or road to the sand. A rough path between dry-stone walls leads past a low wall to cross, the remains of a fisherman's house and trees offering welcome shade.
Golden sand, gently shelving water and a nearby bus stop make Cala d'en Marçal Portocolom's convenient family beach. It is easy to enjoy — and understandably busy in summer.
A resort planned in the 1930s by an Ibizan who brought the style of his home island with him. Low white buildings surround turquoise coves and a marina, giving Cala d'Or a distinctive look.
Pale sand between high rocky sides, clear water and boathouses built into the shore. Cala Llombards is no secret, but outside the busiest weeks it still makes a lovely place to spend time by the sea.
Three beaches within a natural park — S'Amarador, Ses Fonts de n'Alís and small Caló des Borgit. Pale sand lies between pines and rocks, reached by walking from the designated parking areas.
A narrow inlet reaches roughly 400 metres inland, ending in a small sandy beach. Old boathouses line the water, while a watchtower built in 1663 stands above the cliffs. A steep flight of 147 steps leads down to the sand.
Around 110 steep steps lead down to fishermen's cottages, boathouses, rock and a tiny strip of sand. Cala s'Almunia is quite different from a conventional beach. Paths continue towards Caló des Moro, but remember the climb back when planning your day.
Pale sand and gently shelving water in a rocky-sided bay, with hotels close behind. Cala Santanyí is a practical family beach and a useful starting point for a walk to the Es Pontàs rock arch.
One of Mallorca's best-known small coves, with turquoise water below steep rocky sides. Reaching the tiny sandy area involves rough paths and a demanding final descent. The nearby Cala s'Almunia route also includes a long flight of steps.
A former fishing harbour in southern Mallorca, now a holiday resort with several beaches close by. Boats leave for Cabrera, and you can walk along the coast towards Es Trenc.
Pale sand, dunes and turquoise water: Es Trenc lies on Mallorca’s south coast between Ses Covetes and Colònia de Sant Jordi. Behind the beach are the Salobrar de Campos wetlands and salt pans. The landscape has been part of a natural park since 2017.
A strip of white sand between Colònia de Sant Jordi and Mallorca's southern tip, reached on foot or by boat. The water is clear enough to see the seabed a long way out — a good reason for the walk.
A kilometre and a half from Cala d'Or, but a different world — a natural harbour where fishermen still unload their catch, small sandy coves and a quiet enough pace to linger over dinner by the water.
One of Mallorca's largest natural harbours, with a quieter atmosphere than many east-coast resorts. Fishing boats line up outside colourful boathouses, backed by an old town where people still live and work.
A marina on the flat south coast, with an old watchtower and a beach strewn with seagrass rather than loungers. From here, you can walk along the shore to Es Trenc.
Rocky and pebbly swimming spots along the Tramuntana coast, with well-equipped sandy bays in the south-west.
Around two kilometres from Paguera, Cala Fornells feels quite different. Rocky shores and small patches of coarse sand meet turquoise water, with terraced houses climbing the hillside. Bring a snorkel as well as a towel.
A residential neighbourhood above a south-western bay, beside Port Adriano, the marina redesigned by Philippe Starck. A small sandy beach sits between the homes and the yachts.
A shingle cove at the mouth of the Torrent de Pareis, reached by a winding road completed in 1932 that is almost more famous than the destination. Twelve kilometres, 800 metres of descent and a full 360-degree bend.
City beaches and seaside resorts close to cafés, shops and bus routes.
There is no single answer, thankfully. The cove that makes your best beach day depends on the conditions: north wind or south wind, young children or snorkelling, August or May. Think about wind direction, access, time of day and what is underfoot. Below you will find the beaches and seaside places covered by Mallorca Fritz.
Coves on the coast facing away from the wind may be more sheltered. Wind direction alone does not tell you whether swimming is safe. Swell, currents, beach flags and advice on the spot matter too.
No. Posidonia meadows help protect the coast, and washed-up material helps stop the beach being eroded in winter. It is deliberately left in place at many beaches. Seagrass on the shore does not, by itself, indicate poor water quality.
Early mornings and times outside peak season are often quieter. Popular coves can still be busy then. Access roads may be restricted when car parks fill up, so have an alternative in mind.
The sea is much colder than in summer. Mallorca Fritz’s climate averages show the warmest water in August, with September often still pleasantly warm. Many beaches have no lifeguards in winter. Take account of the cold, waves and how you will get out safely.
