Palma de Mallorca cruise port

A golden Gothic cathedral on the water and a beach for every taste.

Palma is the capital of Mallorca, the biggest of Spain’s Balearic Islands, and the ship ties up at the Estación Marítima terminals on the Poniente and Paraires quays (Estación Marítima 1 to 4) or, for the largest ships and busy days, at the Dique del Oeste breakwater served by Estación Marítima 5. Both are across the bay from the cathedral: a shuttle or taxi, or a flat 45 minute walk along the seafront. Most cruisers do La Seu and the old town, then pick a beach or the vintage train to Sóller. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls here from every line, priced with taxes, fees and port expenses included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.

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DockedEstación Marítima 1 to 5, shuttle or taxi to the cathedral, walkable in 45 min

Eurocards everywhere; Spanish and Catalan, English in town

May to Jun, Sep to Oct70s to low 80s, warm sea, lighter crowds

All inevery price includes taxes and fees

Start here

Three ways to do Palma

The cathedral and old town on foot, the Sóller train and mountain villages, or a beach day: pick your style and the buttons filter the list of sailings below.

Old town

La Seu, the Almudaina and the lanes behind them

Shuttle (about €15 round trip on most lines), taxi (about €20 one way) or EMT bus 1 (about €3, every 15 minutes) to the cathedral; the walk along the marina is flat but 45 minutes to an hour with little shade
La Seu cathedral (about €10, Gaudí worked on the interior) and the Almudaina royal palace sit side by side above the harbor; behind them the Arab baths, Passeig del Born and the Santa Catalina tapas bars
Allow 3 to 4 hours, lunch on a pa amb oli and an ensaïmada pastry for about €15, then back on the shuttle

Best for: first-timers, couples, anyone with a shorter call

Sóller train

The 1912 wooden train through the Tramuntana

The Ferrocarril de Sóller leaves from Plaça d’Espanya, about an hour through orange groves and 13 tunnels to Sóller; about €30 round trip as of 2026, or about €40 with the tram on to Port de Sóller
Pair it with Valldemossa, the hill village where Chopin spent a winter at the Carthusian monastery, on a ship excursion (about $90 to $140) or a taxi loop
Ship versions usually ride the train one way and coach the other, which is the safest way to make all-aboard

Best for: scenery lovers, repeat visitors, photographers

Beach day

Illetes, Cala Major or Playa de Palma

Cala Major and Illetes are 10 to 15 minutes west of the port by taxi (about €12 to €18), small coves with clear water and lounger rentals
Playa de Palma is the big 3 mile city beach east of the center, reached by the EMT bus or a €20 taxi, with beach clubs and paella places on the promenade
The sea is swimmable from late May into October and warmest in August and September

Best for: families, summer calls, anyone who has done the town

Live from the cruise lines

Palma de Mallorca cruises: SmartCruiser picks first

Every cruise that calls at Palma de Mallorca from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.

SmartCruiser picks

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Every cruise that calls at Palma de Mallorca

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Prices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.

Where you start

Home ports that sail to Palma

Palma is an overnight sail from Barcelona and sits on nearly every Western Mediterranean loop; pick a home port and the list above filters to cruises leaving from there.

Barcelona7 night Western Med loops on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC and Costa with Palma as the first or last stop Rome (Civitavecchia)7 to 10 night sailings on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian and Princess that reach Palma after Naples or Florence GenoaMSC and Costa Italian loops that cross to the Balearics for a full Palma day MarseilleFrench loops on MSC and Costa with Palma a day out of port NaplesSouthern Italy departures that work west to Palma and Barcelona Southampton12 to 14 night Mediterranean and Canaries cruises from the UK that call at Palma on the way in or out

In port

Things to do in Palma

Count on about 30 minutes each way between the ship and the cathedral by shuttle; here is where to spend the rest of the day.

La Seu cathedralThe honey-colored Gothic cathedral on the seafront, with one of the largest rose windows in Europe and a wrought-iron canopy by Gaudí. About €10 as of 2026, closed to visitors on Sunday; the terrace tours in summer are extra. Allow an hour, more if you book the rooftop.

Old town on footFree and right behind the cathedral: the Almudaina palace, the 10th-century Arab baths (about €3), the courtyards of Carrer de Sant Miquel and the Passeig del Born, Palma’s leafy main promenade. A relaxed 2 hour loop with coffee at the C’an Joan de S’Aigo pastry shop.

Ferrocarril de SóllerThe varnished-wood 1912 train from Plaça d’Espanya climbs through the Serra de Tramuntana to Sóller in about an hour, about €30 round trip in 2026, then a vintage tram runs to the harbor at Port de Sóller (about €10 single). Book the morning departure and give it 5 hours door to door.

ValldemossaA stone village in the mountains 20 minutes north of Palma where Chopin and George Sand wintered at the Carthusian monastery (about €13). Taxi about €35 each way or the TIB bus for a few euros; ship tours pair it with Sóller for about $90 to $140.

Bellver CastleA round 14th-century hilltop castle with a 360 degree view over the bay and your ship. About €4, free on Sundays, 10 minutes by taxi from the port; the city bus leaves you with an uphill walk. An hour is plenty.

BeachesCala Major and Illetes are the closest coves west of the port, 10 to 15 minutes by taxi; Playa de Palma is the long city beach to the east with loungers for a few euros and paella on the promenade. Swim from late May to October.

Caves of DrachLakeside caverns with a classical concert played from rowboats, about 70 km across the island near Porto Cristo. About €17 entry but the drive is an hour each way, so do it as a ship excursion (about $100 to $130) on a long call.

Santa Catalina and the marketsPalma’s food neighborhood west of the center: the Mercat de Santa Catalina for jamón and fresh juice, then tapas on Carrer de la Fabrica. Or the Mercat de l’Olivar near Plaça d’Espanya. Lunch about €20 to €30 a head.

Pick your style

Which lines call at Palma?

Palma is one of the busiest ports in the Mediterranean and a home port for MSC; these are the lines with the most sailings.

      MSC CruisesMSC Grandiosa starts and ends 7 night Western Med loops in Palma, with Virtuosa and Sinfonia also calling, most of the yearSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Royal CaribbeanHarmony, Legend and Explorer of the Seas on 7 night loops from Barcelona and Rome, April to NovemberSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Norwegian Cruise LineNorwegian Dawn calls almost weekly in summer on Barcelona and Rome itinerariesSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Costa CruisesCosta Pacifica and fleetmates on 7 night loops from Barcelona, Marseille and Genoa, including winterSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Celebrity CruisesCelebrity Equinox, Apex and Eclipse on 7 to 11 night Spain and Western Med sailingsSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Virgin VoyagesScarlet Lady summer Mediterranean sailings from Barcelona with a late night in PalmaSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Princess CruisesMediterranean and Southampton itineraries with a Palma day on the way to or from BarcelonaSmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
    

Timing

When to go

Palma is sunny most of the year with hot, crowded summers; the best cruise months are late spring and September, and the island stays mild and quiet in winter.

April to JuneHighs from the upper 60s to the low 80s, almond and orange blossom in the hills, sea warm enough to swim by late May. June is the best balance of weather and crowds.

July to AugustMid to upper 80s and almost no rain, with the beaches and the old town at their busiest and up to three ships in port under the Balearic cap. Do the cathedral at opening and the beach after lunch.

September to OctoberLow 80s easing to the mid 70s, the sea at its warmest in September and the crowds thinning. October is the rainiest month but showers are short.

November to MarchHighs in the upper 50s to mid 60s, mostly sunny, with MSC and Costa still calling and the old town nearly to yourself. Bring a jacket for the breeze on the seafront.

Good to know

Palma de Mallorca questions we answer every day

Where do cruise ships dock in Palma, and how far is the cathedral?

Ships dock, there is no tendering. Most use the Estación Marítima terminals 1 to 4 on the Poniente and Paraires quays, linked by covered walkways; the largest ships and overflow calls go to the Dique del Oeste breakwater with terminal 5. Both are across the bay from the cathedral, about 3.5 to 6 km depending on your berth. The cruise-line shuttle (about €15 round trip on most lines as of 2025) drops you by the cathedral in 15 to 20 minutes, a taxi is about €20, and EMT bus 1 is about €3. The seafront walk is flat and pretty but 45 minutes to over an hour with little shade.

How do I get around Palma?

The old town is compact and walkable once you are at the cathedral. EMT bus 1 links the port, the center and the airport every 15 minutes for about €3 (pay by card on board as of 2026; old 10-trip tickets are no longer valid). White taxis are metered and plentiful at the terminals; the Sóller train and the TIB island buses leave from the Plaça d’Espanya intermodal station, a 15 minute walk north of the cathedral.

What money do I use, and will my phone work?

Spain uses the euro and cards and tap-to-pay work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for the bus and market stalls. Spanish and Catalan (Mallorquí) are the languages and English is spoken everywhere tourists go. Mallorca is on Central European Time, six hours ahead of New York. Most US carriers sell a daily international pass of about $10 to $12, or buy an eSIM before you sail.

Is Palma safe for cruise passengers?

Yes. Palma is a prosperous, well-policed city and the cruise lines and the U.S. State Department flag only the usual pickpockets in the old town lanes and on crowded buses. Keep your bag in front, leave the passport in the cabin safe with a photo on your phone, use the official white taxis, and watch the traffic on the busy road between the port and the city.

What is the best excursion, and should I book it through the ship?

The Sóller train is the signature day and the one worth booking through the ship if your call is under 9 hours, because the vintage train runs to a fixed timetable and the mountain road back is slow. The cathedral and old town are an easy independent half day on the shuttle. Valldemossa, the Drach caves and the Tramuntana drive are coach territory; a beach day is fine on your own by taxi.

Do I need a passport for a Mediterranean cruise?

Yes. Every Mediterranean cruise needs a passport valid for at least three months beyond your return (we recommend six), and there is no closed-loop exception as there is for round trips from US ports. The EU’s new entry-exit system records your arrival at the first Schengen port, and the ETIAS travel authorization is being phased in; check the EU’s official site before you fly. Our specialists keep a current checklist for every sailing.

Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?

Yes. Every price on this page includes the cruise fare, government taxes, fees and port expenses, so the number you see is the number you pay for the cruise. Flights, hotels, shore excursions and onboard gratuities are extra, and SmartCruiser adds bonus onboard credit on the picks at the top that you cannot get booking direct.

Talk to a Palma and Western Mediterranean cruise specialist

Tell us your dates and whether you want the beach or the mountains and we will find the Mediterranean sailing with the best Palma day and the most SmartCruiser value, then book it for you. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.

1-800-444-1560