Mallorca ferry: from the mainland, between the islands (Ibiza, Menorca) and what counts as public service

Baleària links Barcelona with Palma and with Alcúdia. Its website gives about 3 hours 30 minutes for the Margarita Salas fast ferry and about 7 hours 15 minutes for the conventional ferries on that route, and it also mentions overnight ferries with cabins to Palma or Alcúdia.

From Valencia, Baleària runs an overnight crossing to Palma that its website describes as a daily connection; it gives 7 to 9 hours depending on the ship and the sea. From Dénia, its fast ferry to Palma takes about 5 hours 15 minutes because it includes a short stop in Ibiza.

Trasmed (Grimaldi group) lists Barcelona–Palma, Barcelona–Alcúdia and Valencia–Palma; only on the last one does it give a duration, about 7 hours, with day and night sailings. GNV (MSC group) lists Barcelona–Palma and Valencia–Palma: about 7 hours from Valencia and, from Barcelona, between 6 h 15 min and 7 h 30 min depending on the page of its website.

From France, Corsica Ferries lists Toulon–Alcúdia and Sète–Alcúdia on its website; for Mallorca it mentions 3 sailings a week from Toulon, an overnight crossing arriving the next morning. The Baleària, Trasmed and GNV routes we checked leave from Barcelona, Valencia or Dénia. Dates and season: check with the operator.

We do not quote prices: each operator shows 'from' fares that change with the date, the accommodation (seat or cabin) and the vehicle. Compare them for your dates and check what each fare includes.

Palma's port is in the middle of the city, right in front of the old town, and the Passeig Marítim runs along it from end to end, according to the Balearic port authority (APB), which also manages the ports of Alcúdia, Maó, Eivissa and La Savina. GNV places its terminal at Avinguda Gabriel Roca 44D, a few minutes from the historic centre.

By bus, EMT line 1 (Portopí–Sindicat) has a stop called Portopí Estacions Marítimes 1, 2, 3 i 4; it runs along the Passeig Marítim and passes Plaça d'Espanya–Estació Intermodal. The night line N1 serves the same stop. Check timetables and fares at emtpalma.es and see on your ticket which terminal the ship leaves from.

In Alcúdia, ferries use the commercial dock of the port (APB). For 2026 the TIB announced line 323 with a stop at the maritime station, between Alcanada, Alcúdia and Es Mal Pas, running hourly from 8:00 to 21:30 from 1 May until the end of October, and line 327 between Alcúdia, the port and the beach (Estany Petit), from 7:40 to 23:25. Outside those dates, check at tib.org which lines are still running.

Baleària, Trasmed and GNV carry cars, motorbikes and vans. Baleària and Trasmed state on their websites that there is no luggage limit (Trasmed adds that, without a vehicle, you must be able to carry your bags aboard yourself in one go), and Baleària and GNV accept bicycles.

Bringing your own car tends to make sense if you travel as a family, with lots of luggage or plan to cover the whole island; for a few days in Palma or in an area with good bus links, it may pay off more to go without a car and hire one only for the days you need it. Compare the ticket with a vehicle against a hire for your dates, and see requirements, insurance, excess and deposit in our car hire guide.

If you continue from Mallorca to Ibiza or Formentera with a vehicle, separate rules apply: Balearic law requires anyone boarding a motor vehicle for those islands to carry the administrative authorisation that allows driving there during the restricted periods, and Trasmed states that Ibiza has a vehicle regulation fee from 1 June to 30 September.

Palma–Ibiza: Baleària operates the Eleanor Roosevelt fast ferry, which according to its website takes around 2 hours and arrives at Ibiza's port (Botafoc); it lets you leave Mallorca early and come back late in the afternoon, that is, make a day return trip. Trasmed also lists the Palma–Ibiza route. We did not find a general frequency table on those websites: use each operator's search tool with your dates.

Alcúdia–Ciutadella (Menorca): Baleària covers it with the Margarita Salas fast ferry, which takes between 1 hour and 1 hour 15 minutes depending on the page of its website, and with conventional ferries. In summer there are morning and afternoon sailings and a double rotation at weekends; the rest of the year it keeps regular sailings. Trasmed lists Alcúdia–Ciutadella, Alcúdia–Maó and Palma–Maó.

Mallorca–Formentera: Baleària lists a route with a short stop in Ibiza and a connection to another ship, with departures from 8:00 that allow a day return. Between Ibiza and Formentera the crossing takes about 30 minutes and, according to Baleària, there are departures every 45 minutes in summer.

First of all: the ferries between the islands and to the mainland are run by private companies (Baleària, Trasmed, GNV and others). We did not find any passenger line with ships owned by a public authority. What does exist is public regulation of those lines, and this is what the official sources show.

Balearic law (Ley 11/2010 on maritime transport): it declares three regular inter-island lines of strategic interest (Eivissa–La Savina, Ciutadella–Alcúdia and Eivissa–Palma) and sets minimum public service obligations: ten daily passenger frequencies between Eivissa and Formentera, three a week between Eivissa and Palma and one a day between Ciutadella and Alcúdia. The law also provides that the Conselleria may contract the service if those obligations are not enough. A 2023 business report (Última Hora) noted that Balearic maritime transport then had no public service obligation in force, and we did not find a later public contract: treat it as a legal framework, not as a contracted public service.

State rules (RD 1516/2007): they set a minimum of three trips a week on the Barcelona–Palma, Valencia–Palma and Dénia–Palma lines (and the equivalent ones to Ibiza and Mahón), which the operators can meet individually or jointly. It is an obligation placed on private companies, not a public ship.

Resident discount: regular maritime transport has a discount for Balearic residents (50% from the State and 25% from the Balearic government) for citizens of the EU, the European Economic Area and Switzerland living on the islands, and 39% on Eivissa–Formentera for Formentera residents of any nationality. It does not apply to visitors: if you do not live in the Balearics, it is not for you.

Passenger rights on routes between Balearic ports (article 25 of Ley 11/2010): if the expected delay exceeds 60 minutes, the operator offers food and refreshments; if it exceeds 2 hours, it offers alternative transport or a refund, and you may ask for compensation of 25% of the ticket for delays of 1 to 2 hours and 50% for delays of 2 hours or more, except in exceptional circumstances. To board you must carry an ID card, passport or other identity document (article 27).

What is public on land: the TIB (Mallorca's transport consortium, part of the Balearic government) and Palma's EMT, the municipal bus company, are what take you from the ports to the rest of the island.

Balearic law separates regular maritime transport between ports from passenger transport of a touristic or recreational nature, that is, excursions: the latter is subject to prior notification, must be provided under conditions different from regular lines, and only some passenger rights apply to it (articles 23 and 24). The boats in this section are run by private companies with an excursion or tourist-transport ticket; we did not find any of them listed as a public line.

Port de Sóller–Sa Calobra: boat trips by private companies along the north coast, of about 2.5 hours according to our listing. We could not check timetables and season in an official source: ask the company. The road and the other ways to get there are in the Sa Calobra guide.

Port de Pollença–Formentor beach: Lanchas La Gaviota, a private company, lists on its website a 25-minute ferry with an open ticket. It is an alternative to the road, which the Consell de Mallorca regulates in summer (from 15 May to 18 October, 10:00 to 22:00, according to its website): only TIB public transport, chartered coaches, taxis and authorised vehicles reach the lighthouse section, and the beach section has limited access up to the capacity of the authorised car park. Confirm the dates for the year at formentor.conselldemallorca.es.

Colònia de Sant Jordi–Cabrera: this is the most regulated case. According to the Balearic government, the National Park can only be entered by sea, with authorised passenger transport companies or with your own boat and a navigation permit (free and valid for one year); the tourist boats leave from Colònia de Sant Jordi in the summer months. For 2026 the government lists four authorised companies: Aventura IB Sub, Cabrera Sea Fun, Excursions a Cabrera and Life&Sea. The park's booking platform allows you to request authorisations to enter with collective transport.

Sa Dragonera, from Sant Elm, is also visited by boat: we cover it in its own guide.

Book ahead, especially if you travel in summer, with a car or on an overnight crossing with a cabin: Baleària and Trasmed recommend booking early for a better price and a place, and Baleària advises avoiding weekends and public holidays if you want the lowest fare.

Get to the port in good time: each operator sets its own. Trasmed states 60 minutes before departure with a vehicle and 30 on foot (and recommends 90 with a vehicle on Valencia–Palma); GNV, 2 hours before with a vehicle and 1 hour on foot, and after check-in only the driver goes up to the garage. Baleària shows it when you book.

Documents: ID card, passport or another valid identity document (article 27 of the Balearic law). GNV reminds travellers that children under 14 must travel accompanied and, if not with their parents, with a signed authorisation; also bring the vehicle documents.

Pets: Trasmed accepts dogs and cats on all its routes, in an adapted cabin, a kennel or, in a seat, up to 8 kg in a carrier, and asks for a valid health booklet and a separate ticket for the animal. Baleària offers calm-down kennels with video surveillance and pet-friendly seats; GNV accepts pets and refers to its pet policy (carrier, health documents). Check your operator's conditions before paying.

Sea and timetables: durations depend on the type of ship and the state of the sea, and GNV warns that timetables may vary by season. If you need to change your ticket, Trasmed allows it up to two hours before departure depending on the fare chosen: check which fare level you buy.