A warm climate almost all year round, incomparable natural beauty, and wonderfully hospitable people are just some of the reasons why Mallorca is the best destination for your holiday. This short guide will provide you with everything you need to know as a cycling enthusiast, whether you want to ride alone, with your friends, or with your family.
In total, the Balearic Islands have 40 signposted cycle tourist routes, covering over 500 kilometres of spectacular scenery for you to visit on your bike. Whether you are an amateur or a professional, cycling alone or with a group, there are numerous routes that take you through quaint villages, pine forests, beachside, or around the city, allowing you to discover Mallorca in a different, more sustainable way.
These cycle routes form part of the worldwide professional cycling calendar and are very important for the island. The Mallorca 312 is celebrated in April, the Mallorca Cycle Challenge in January, the ‘Marxa de Llevant’ in March, and in October the International Masters Cycle Week takes place, among others.
If you love cycling as much as we do – Garden Hotels is ‘cycling friendly’ – you can’t miss our active tourism cycle route suggestions. Take some special memories of the island away with you.
Starting in the capital, Palma, you can ride along the 13 kilometres of promenade on the clearly marked cycle path. Running alongside the Mediterranean, it’s an easily accessible, flat route, which passes in front of the Royal Yacht Club, the Almudaina Palace, Mallorca’s Cathedral with its stunning gothic rose window, the Calatrava neighbourhood in the old town, and after passing through the old fishing ports at Portixol, El Molinar, and Ciudad Jardin, arrives in Coll d’en Rabassa, declared a Natural Area of Special Interest (ANEI). If you’re feeling energetic, you can carry on past Es Carnatge until you reach Can Pastilla and s’Arenal. Or you could go in the opposite direction, towards Porto Pí, visiting the emblematic neighbourhood of Santa Catalina and Bellver Castle on the way, and then cycling down to see the San Carlos Castle.
Outside Palma, there are other easily accessed cycle routes such as the one in Calvià, which goes through Palmanova, Magaluf, El Toro, and Santa Ponça along the way. It’s about 31 kilometres that can be cycled in around 2 hours. Another route that will surprise you with the peace and beautiful scenery is one in Llucmajor, where you can visit the church of Sant Miquel or the talayotic settlement of Capocorb Vell. If you head to the north of the island, you’ll find an environmental treasure in Pollensa Bay: s’Albufereta nature reserve, a wetland area covering 211 hectares which you can cycle around in approximately two hours. The family will enjoy seeing the wild birds; cormorants, falcons, and herons are commonly sighted. To the southeast of the island, you have the town of Andratx and the port; in the Levant area of the island, you could cycle along the Green Way (Via Verde) which goes along a disused rail track from Manacor to Artà. As you can see, the island provides a wide range of options for cycling enthusiasts.
