Just a short distance from mainland Spain, Mallorca is an incredible destination that offers a wide range of outdoor and adventure activities. With a spine of mountains stretching along the northern shore and stunning beaches, there really is something for everyone on this island.
Dave and I visited the island in November of 2023 as part of a week away while our parents held down the fort with the kids at home. We spent 4 days on Mallorca and have selected our top activities to put together this 3 days in Mallorca itinerary.
Who Should Use this 3 Day in Mallorca Itinerary
This itinerary offers an adventurous visit to Mallorca. This 3 day itinerary in Mallorca is for you is you enjoy hiking, visiting remote beaches, and exploring local towns. Mallorca is truly an adventure destination and there are so many amazing outdoor activities.
This itinerary is not for you if you are looking to relax at a resort for a few days (no judgement though – we’ve done that too)!
This itinerary assumes you will have 3 full days on the island, but you can easily adjust the schedule if you are arriving on the morning of the first day or leaving on the last day.
Overview of this 3 Day Mallorcan Itinerary
This itinerary includes visiting several village in the northern part of Mallorca. Two of the days involve medium to long hikes and the final day includes visiting some of the beaches in the northern part of the island. You can put these days in any order.
If you have time, we also enjoyed visiting Cala Mondagro in the South of Mallorca, but due to the long drive, it is hard to fit this into this 3 day itinerary.
For this 3 days in Mallorca itinerary we recommend staying in one of the northern towns. You can see some specific suggestions below, but Soller or Valedmossa are both good options.
Day 1: hike the Archdukes Trail Loop, dinner in Valdemossa
Day 2: Breakfast in Fornalutz, hiking Cuber Reservoir, Drive and walk to Cala Figuere and Cala Murta. Dinner in Pollenca.
Day 3: Drive along the coast stopping at Deia and Banyalbufor. Hike the trail to La Trapa Ruins, Drive to Port d’andratx for dinner.
If you are looking for other activities, Mallorca is also a biking destination, so consider renting bikes for a day or visit Sa Calobra.
Things to Know about Spending 3 Days on Mallorca
Best Time of Year to Visit Mallorca
Mallorca is a year round destination, assuming you aren’t set on spending everyday at the beach. The best time of year to visit the island is during the spring and fall when temperatures are comfortable and there are far fewer crowds.
Summer in Mallorca can be quite hot and many of the hikes offer very little shade.
Dave and I visited Mallorca in November and got lucky with clear skies and temperatures in the 70s.
How to get Around Mallorca
For this itinerary, you will need to rent a car. Car rentals are fairly cheap on the island and you can compare prices through Discover Cars. We found the roads generally easy to drive and navigate.
It is possible to take buses around the island, but you will want to choose a slightly less ambitious itinerary if you will be counting on public transportation.
How Many Days Should you Spend on Mallorca?
We loved spending 3-4 days on Mallorca, but honestly we could easily have kept busy with a full week on the island. We recommend at least 3 days to explore the island.
Where to Stay in Mallorca
For this itinerary we recommend staying in the heart of the mountains. Our top choices would be Valdemossa, Soller or Fornalutz. These towns all offer beautiful town centers, plenty of places to eat and sweeping views of the surrounding mountains. Soller is the biggest of these towns, and Fornalutz is the smallest and is very cute.
We found some of the best places to stay through booking.com and ended up booking through this site for our apartment.
Dave and I stayed in Port de Soller which was lovely, but in the off season was very quiet and hard to find places to eat. We wished we had stayed at one of the inland towns.
Map of 3 Days in Mallorca Itinerary
Click on the map below to navigate and save it to your own google account.
Details of the 3 Days on Mallorca Itinerary
Below you can see details of each of the days for your 3 days on Mallorca itinerary. This is based on exactly what we did during our visit as well as a few tweaks based on our visit and research. You can also switch these days around into any order since you will staying in the same place every night.
Day 1 in Mallorca: Hike the Archdukes Trail Loop, Dinner in Valdemossa
Start the morning by driving from your lodging to Valdemossa. Stop hear for breakfast. There are two small parking lots right in town where you can park for the day.
Walk into town and enjoy breakfast. There are a few pedestrian streets in town and several small restaraunts to grab some food. You can also pop into some of the small shops in town.
Grab some sandwiches or snacks in the small grocery market in town.
Walking from town, head off on the Archdukes Trail Loop Hike. This hike will take most of the day.
Here’s a brief overview of the Archduke Loop hike. See complete details of the Archduke’s Trail.
- Distance: 8.8 miles
- Elevation Gain: 2,250 feet
- Difficulty: Challenging
- Trailhead: Start directly from Valdemossa
Paid parking lots are available in Valdemossa, with limited roadside parking near the trailhead. From town, walk up to the trailhead (find detailed location below or refer to the map).
The trail begins in a scenic forest with steep climbs leading to the Mirador de Ses Puntes viewpoint. Once on the ridge, the path officially becomes the Camà de s’Arxiduc, offering expansive views of the coast to the west.
Named after Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Habsburg-Lorraine, a renowned 19th-century aristocrat and naturalist, this trail pays homage to his extensive exploration of Mallorca’s wildlife.
Following a lengthy ridge walk, the trail loops around, descending through the Es Cairats Valley back to Valdemossa.
After the hike grab a drink in town or head back to where you are staying for dinner.
Day 2 in Mallorca: Breakfast in Fornalutz, Hiking Cuber Reservoir, Drive and Walk to Cala Figuere and Cala Murta. Dinner in Pollenca.
This day will involve more driving depending on where you are staying.
Start by driving to Fornalutz for breakfast. This pretty, small mountain town is adorable but has somewhat limited parking. Wander the narrow streets befor hopping in the car for a drive.
From Fornalutz, drive to the Cuber Reservoir. This is a short and easy walk with sweeping views on the mountain. If you don’t feel like taking the whole walk, you can easily just walk down to the waters edge for the view.
Continue driving east and north to the northern tip of the island. Once you pass through Pollenca, the views become incredible and it’s worth stopping at Mirador de El Colomer on your way.
Park at the parking lot to Cala Figuere and take two small walks to the beaches on either side of the peninsula. The walk to Cala Murta is generally easy and flat with a gentle downhill. Once you reach the beach, continue to the right out to El Castellet. The view here is gorgeous!
Return to the parking lot and grab your bathing suit. Take teh short but slightly steep hike down to Cala Figuere. This is a beautiful beach with rocks lining the shortline. Take a swim or even a small jump into the water.
Finish up the day by driving back to Pollenca for dinner or head back to where you are staying for the night.
If you are looking for one more activity or if you want o substitute something, consider driving the winding road down to the stunning Sa Calobra beach.
Day 3: Drive along the Coast Stopping at Deia and Banyalbufor. Hike the trail to La Trapa Ruins, Drive to Port d’andratx for Dinner.
On your third and last day on Mallorca, drive to the west along the coastline. This will take you through the gorgeous towns of Deia and Banyalbufor. Stop along the way for some breakfast or take a small walk through one of these mountain towns with views down tothe coast.
Drive to the parking lot to hike to the La Trapa ruins Mallorca and Mirador d’en Josep Sastre.
- Distance: 9 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1500 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Hiking Time: 4 hours
- Special Considerations: A significant portion of the trail passes through a “Caça major” big-game hunting area inhabited by wild goats. Stay on the trail. Exercise caution in cliff areas.
The trail commences at a medium-sized parking lot at Coll de Sa Gramola. The initial half follows a wide, mostly flat path with stunning views overlooking Palma. At a well-marked intersection, make two small turns (new signposts and a map aid navigation).
Subsequently, the trail narrows and becomes rockier, hugging the coastline. The stretch to La Trapa offers amazing views to both the east and west. Although mostly flat, progress is slower. Upon reaching a large cairn, walk a short distance to the Joseph Sastra viewpoint, providing vistas of Sa Dragonera Island.
Descending to the La Trapa Ruins, this section is not particularly challenging but constitutes the hike’s toughest part. The final approach to the ruins involves a steep but short descent along a wide path.
Established by Trappist Monks in the 19th century, La Trapa served as a monastery for monks seeking refuge in Mallorca, having escaped France. While now in ruins, the site, cultivated for centuries prior, remains a popular destination, attracting thousands of visitors annually with its breathtaking cliffside views of Sa Dragonera.
After savoring the scenery from La Trapa, retrace your steps to Coll de Sa Gramola.
After you hive continue driving west to the town of Port Andratx for dinner or head back to where you are staying for the night.
Dave and I loved getting to explore the island and balanced seeing as much as possible while still getting out on the hiking trails across teh northern part of the island. This itinerary is busy but still gives you time to enjoy sites along the way. We also spent our 4th day on the island driving to the southern area to hike Cala Mondrago.
We loved this part of the island, but it is far away from the other sites so only worth it if you have more time. We also chose not to visit Palma although with more time we would have like to see the biggest town on Mallorca.
Dave was also hoping to bike while on the island, but with a limited time, we chose to prioritize hiking on the island verus biking.
Looking for more Adventure Travel Ideas? Follow along with us on INSTAGRAM
Just wish to say your article is as surprising The clearness in your post is just cool and i could assume youre an expert on this subject Fine with your permission allow me to grab your RSS feed to keep updated with forthcoming post Thanks a million and please keep up the enjoyable work