Palma de Mallorca with kids: How to have a fantastic trip.
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Palma isn’t necessarily the first city you think of for a city break. If you want a city break in Spain you are probably more likely to think of Barcelona or Madrid.
But if you want to combine great food, a charming city and a bit of beach time it can make the perfect destination for a short break. Alternatively, you could take in the main sights on a day trip while enjoying a longer holiday elsewhere on the beautiful island of Mallorca.
When we visited Palma de Mallorca with kids it was actually the latter. It was the first day of our family holiday and the weather forecast was rain and cloud all day.
Instead of letting the weather dampen our spirits we decided to explore Palma. Having heard good reports I had fancied visiting this city so this was the perfect opportunity. We discovered there is plenty to explore in Palma de Mallorca with kids.
Our highlight was probably the aquarium, which was awesome but we’ve listed lots of other things to do and all the logistical information that you need.
How to get to Palma
Being on an island the most common way to arrive in Palma is by plane. The airport is very close to the beach area but still only a short taxi ride from central Palma.
The other route to Palma is by sea. This is commonly on a cruise ship or by ferry from mainland Spain or one of the other Balearic islands. On mainland Spain the routes to Majorca are from Valencia or Barcelona. Direct ferries is a great website for seeing all the options.
Where to stay in Palma de Mallorca with kids
The area of the city that you stay may depend on the age of your children, the time of year you are there and your interests as a family.
1. Staying near the beach
If you have young children that love the sand and sea you may prefer to stay near the beach. There are strings of hotels behind Playa de Palma. This would mean you can get in plenty of beach time and then get a taxi, bus or drive to visit the other sights of Palma.
The Iberostar Selection Playa de Palma, has brilliant reviews for families. It’s right on the beach and has a heated outdoor pool which little kids will really appreciate.
2. Stay in Palma old town
Alternatively you could choose to stay in the beautiful old town. This would mean more of a trek to get to the beach but has the advantage of numerous fantastic bars and restaurants on your doorstep.
You can then make the most of the delicious tapas and other delicacies locally. From here you would also be able to get around more on foot to enjoy the sights of the city.
Hotel Saratoga would be my top pick here. It has a pool for the kids to enjoy and stunning views from the rooftop bar.
Things to do in Palma de Mallorca with kids
1. Visit the Aquarium
We don’t often go to Aquariums but we all thought that the Palma Aquarium was really impressive.
It isn’t cheap but we had picked up a map at the airport with a token on for €5 off each for up to 5 people. On arrival there was a big queue to get in (everybody obviously had the same idea on a cloudy day!). Adam jumped out of the car to get in the queue while I found somewhere to park. This worked well as by the time we got to him we only had another 5 minutes before we were at the front.
The Aquarium is quite close to the beach and the airport, about 10 minutes drive South of the centre of Palma.
Parking proved a bit tricky too! There are a couple of free car parks very close which were all completely full. We just managed to squeeze a space in an underground car park, next door to the Aquarium. It wasn’t expensive and there was €3 discount if you showed your aquarium ticket.
Once inside there is a set route to follow with different zones including Mediterranean, tropical seas, the jungle and big blue.
Most of the tanks are huge and even the toddler could see into all of them without any lifting required. They are mostly floor to ceiling or the smaller ones had steps to give little legs some help up!
There are a couple of cafes and play areas. The children loved the large pirate ship that was in the gardens area outside. There is a separate smaller playground for young children as well and a small splash park if it’s hot. When we were there a man was doing free face painting too.
There is also an indoor soft play area. We didn’t visit this as we had already been in the aquarium for over 3 hours by this point and wanted to see more of Palma. We managed to sneak the children past without them noticing it!
If you are in Palma de Mallorca with kids for a few days you could probably spend at least half a day if not more here.
There were other options that you could pay extra to do in the Aquarium, including an aqua dome and a shark vision boat. These sounded fun but we didn’t pay for them so I can’t comment on what they are like.
I think our favourite section was the ‘big blue’. This is a huge tank which has sharks, rays and loads of different fish in. Apparently at nearly 9m deep it is the deepest shark tank in Europe. What we love is that you could view it from all sorts of different levels and angles. This is the tank that you go over in the glass-bottomed shark vision boat.
Top Tips
– Pick up a map at the airport with the vouchers in. If there are more than 5 in your party get more than one, each voucher is for 5 people.
– If you don’t have a voucher book tickets online in advance here. This means you won’t have to queue for as long to get in.
– The cafe inside had a large queue where we were there. If we went back I would take a packed lunch instead. There is lots of seating outside next to the play areas
2. Look inside Palma Cathedral
Whether you like churches or not Palma cathedral is pretty impressive. You can’t miss it if you are driving past the port as it is visible from quite a distance.
From the outside it is a stunning gothic building. We approached it from the water, which gave great views while we then climbed the steps to get to the cathedral.
We were disappointed at first as when we arrived it was closed! However we called on our way back to the car after dinner to find it open and a service on. Quietly, we sat at the back for a little while to admire the fabulous building and enjoy the beautiful choral music that was part of the service.
Make sure you look up at the amazing stained glass windows.
If you would rather spend more time looking around and learn about the history of this splendid building time your visit for within the tourist hours. You do have to pay an entry fee then but also get an audio tour.
Check out the cathedral website for up to date details of prices and opening hours.
Top Tips
– For a great view of the outside of the cathedral there is a bar called ‘the Guinness bar’ (not very Spanish sounding I know!) in the Parc de la Mar which overlooks the cathedral. The children had amazing ice cream while we had a drink there. There was also space for the children to play while we finished our drinks.
– Check opening times if you are going in the afternoon, it closes earlier on Saturdays and Sundays.
– There is a nice little playground down the first set of steps behind the cathedral that young children will enjoy to let off some steam.
3. Wander around Palma old town
If you go to the cathedral you are already at the edge of the old town. It is a beautiful, atmospheric place to wander and get lost in the narrow winding streets.
The children loved exploring all the alleyways. We stopped for dinner in one of the small Plaças that we passed. We wandered all the way to the Plaça Major (main square) but were quite disappointed with it. In my opinion many of the other smaller squares were much prettier.
We had a lobely meal in Plaça d’En Coll. The old town is a great place to wander and just call in for a drink or food whenever you fancy a sit down.
General Practicalities
If arriving by car like we were there are many underground car parks. We managed to park in one that brought us right into the Parc de la Mar, next to the cathedral.
4. Hang at the beach
Particularly if you are visiting in the summer you are probably going to want to have a few hours at the beach at some point if you are in Palma de Mallorca with kids.
The biggest beach with the most amenities is the Playa de Palma or Arenal beach. It is over 3 miles longs and is lined with bars and restaurants and plenty of opportunities for water sports too.
It’s great for families as the water is shallow and easy to access for all. There are plenty of other beaches surrounding Palma so whichever part of the city you are in you won’t be far away from some sea and sand.
5. Take a vintage train ride
If you like trains, you are going to love the vintage train ride to Soller. You’ll need the best part of a day for this trip as the journey one way is around an hour.
The town of Soller is another beautiful Spanish town. We loved the trams runnings straight through the central square there.
If you love the old-style public transport, there is also a vintage tram that would allow you to continue your journey from Soller to the beach at Port de Soller. The tram ride is an additional twenty minutes each way so it may depend on the amount of time little ones are happy to be sat on transport. We’ve detailed this journey in our Mallorca post.
The Ferrocaril de Soller website has all the information on tickets sales etc. The station is right next to Plaça de España in Palma.
6. Take in the views from Bellver castle
To the west of the city, Bellver castle is a great place to visit for spectacular views. It has a unique circular design which kids will love exploring.
It’s actually the oldest circular castle in Europe, dating back to 1300. As well as admiring the stunning views and unique architecture the castle houses a museum detailing the history of the city. To check up to date ticket prices and opening times have a look on the Castell de Bellver website.
A taxi is probably the easiest way to get to the castle. However if you are on a tight budget there are buses that make the trip up the hill. There is also a walking route up to the castle, which may depend on the age and fitness of your children as well as how hot it is when you visit.
7. Take a boat trip
Set on the sparkling Mediterranean sea, if you’re in Palma during summer a boat trip is a great way to spend a morning or afternoon. This Marine reserve trip is a smaller boat than many others, and would be much more suitable for children.
I’d probably avoid boats with really young kids but it would be perfect for tweens and teens. It gives the chance to appreciate Palma from a different angle (on the water) and also has a couple of stops for swimming/ snorkelling.
8. Stroll along the promenade
There is a wide promenade leading all the way from the port (right next to the old town) to the beach area. This is a fab place for a stroll or run if your kids are anything like ours!
The path is lovely and wide, with some shade from the palm trees. Our kids always love looking at all the boats in the harbour, and a run around is always appreciated after being in a city for a while.
You’ll have chance to pause for a drink or ice cream along the way or let the kids have a break in a playground.
If you have older kids there are bike rental shops in the old town. Cycling along the promenade would be a great way to explore further.
Please get in touch if you have any further questions or suggestions for our next trip to Palma. Also make sure you check out our travel resources page for all our favourite travel planning tools.
If you’re looking for other city break destination ideas, some of our favourites have been Porto, Copenhagen and Venice.
When is the best time to visit Palma?
The best time to visit is probably during the warmer months from May to October. If you are wanting to spend time at the beach June- August will offer the best weather but can be more crowded.
For smaller crowds choose either late spring (May) or early autumn (September/ October) when temperatures should still be pleasant.
Is Palma de Mallorca pushchair / stroller friendly?
Generally Palma is very pushchair friendly. There are a few sets of steps in and around the old town but there are usually ways to avoid these.
