Palma airport to Palma city: the quick way in
Palma de Mallorca Airport sits on the bay about 8 km east of the city, and the drive from the terminal to the Passeig del Born is roughly 12 km. A private ride from Palma airport to Palma city takes about 20 minutes outside the rush hours: your driver meets you in arrivals at Palma Airport and follows the seafront motorway round the bay into town.
For such a short trip, the A1 city bus and the taxi rank are genuine alternatives, and we compare them honestly below. A booked car is worth it when you have luggage or children, when four or more people would need two taxis, for a late landing, for a cruise embarkation with a deadline, or when your hotel is inside the old town's restricted streets and the last few metres need planning.
Heading out of the city instead? See our transfers to Port d'Andratx in the south-west and Alcúdia in the north.
| Pickup | Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) |
|---|---|
| Drop-off | Any hotel, villa or address in Palma city |
| Distance | About 12 km by road |
| Journey time | 20–35 min, depending on traffic |
| Best for | City |
| Busiest season | May–October |
| Availability | 24/7, including late-night and early-morning flights |
The drive from PMI to Palma city
From the terminal, your driver joins the Ma-19 motorway towards Palma. It runs along the edge of the bay, past Can Pastilla and Es Coll d'en Rabassa, then along the seafront by the old fishing quarter of Portixol. From there the road continues below the city walls and the Parc de la Mar, with the cathedral, La Seu, rising directly above, before turning up to the Passeig del Born and Avinguda de Jaume III. That is the line on the diagram: about 12 km.
In normal traffic the drive takes about 20 minutes. On weekday mornings and evenings, and on busy summer afternoons, the seafront approach and the avenues around the old town slow down, and it can take 35 minutes. For hotels on the Passeig Marítim or the cruise terminals, the driver carries on along the waterfront to the west side of the bay.
Palma's old town is protected by ACIRE zones: camera-controlled areas around the cathedral, Plaça del Mercat, Sant Jaume, Santa Eulàlia and other quarters, where only authorised vehicles may drive. Hotels inside them can register a vehicle bringing their guests, so give us the hotel name and ask the hotel to arrange it where needed. If a street cannot be used, your driver stops at the nearest open one, usually a short walk away.
The centre inside the avenues is also a low-emission zone. It mainly restricts older vehicles and foreign-registered cars without authorisation, one more reason to leave the driving to someone local.
Schematic, not to scale. Route line © OpenStreetMap contributors
Pickup · 0 min
Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI)
Your driver meets you in arrivals and loads the luggage.
About 10 min · 8 km
Portixol
The old fishing quarter on the eastern seafront, with small hotels and restaurants. The motorway passes just behind it.
About 15 min · 10 km
Palma Cathedral
La Seu, begun in 1229 and finished in 1601, with a Gaudí restoration in the early 1900s. The road runs right below it.
Arrival · 20–35 min · 12 km
Palma city
The tree-lined boulevard at the heart of the old town. Your drop-off is the hotel door or the nearest open street.
PMI to Palma city: one fixed price for the whole car
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Meeting your driver at Palma Airport
Palma Airport has a single large terminal, and all arrivals come out on the ground floor, floor 0. After baggage reclaim, walk into the arrivals hall, where your driver waits holding a sign with your name. Pre-booked cars collect passengers from the pick-up area outside the terminal on the same level, a short walk from the doors.
Palma Airport has one terminal, and all arrivals come out on floor 0. Your driver waits in the arrivals hall holding a sign with your name, then walks you to the car in the pick-up area outside the terminal on the same level. The driver’s name and number reach you before the trip.
Add your flight number when you book and we track it: the pickup moves with delays at no extra cost, and your 60 minutes of free waiting start when you actually land. For the trip back, or from your ship to the airport, your driver collects you at the agreed time and waits up to 15 minutes. Give us your ship’s name and disembarkation time for cruise pickups.
Arriving here for somewhere else? See every Palma Airport transfer we run.
Where we drop off in Palma
Hotels outside the old town are door to door. Inside the ACIRE zones, access depends on your hotel registering the car, and some lanes are pedestrian, so the driver stops at the closest open street. For apartments, send the exact address and the name of whoever hands over the keys.
Old town and Passeig del Born
Boutique hotels in the lanes around the cathedral, the Born and Plaça Major, inside the ACIRE zones. Give us the hotel name and we plan the closest legal stop.
Santa Catalina
The former fishermen’s quarter just west of the old town, with its market and many of the city’s restaurants. Mostly door to door.
Portixol and Es Molinar
Seafront hotels and apartments on the east side, the closest part of the city to the airport, about 15 minutes away.
Passeig Marítim and the cruise terminals
Hotels along the waterfront boulevard and the cruise piers at the west end of the bay, about 15 km and 25 minutes from the airport.
Son Vida and the hills
Golf resort hotels and villas in the hills north-west of the centre, about 17 km and 25 minutes from the airport.
When to book your Palma city transfer
Palma is a year-round city, not just a summer resort. From May to October the airport is at its busiest and the city fills with visitors and cruise passengers, and on days when several ships are in, the waterfront road towards the cruise terminals is slower. In July and August, the morning and the late evening are the coolest and quickest times to arrive.
Spring and autumn are the most comfortable months for a city break, warm enough for outdoor dining without the summer heat. Crowds are thinner than in July and August, and the drive in from the airport is usually quick.
Winter is mild and quiet, with fewer flights and clear roads. Palma's patron saint festival, Sant Sebastià, falls around 20 January, with bonfires, concerts and street parties in the old town squares on the night before. Expect busy old town streets that evening.
Private transfer vs other ways to reach Palma city
| Option | Door to door | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Private transfer | 20–35 min | Straight to your door, fixed price per vehicle, driver waiting in arrivals. |
| EMT A1 bus | 25–35 minutes + walk | The city bus from arrivals into the centre, with stops around Plaça d’Espanya and the edge of the old town. Frequent through the day and good value, but you walk the last part with your bags. |
| Airport taxi | 15–30 minutes | Metered with an airport minimum fare, from the rank outside arrivals on the ground floor. Door to door and quick, but you may queue in summer, and larger groups need two cars. |
| Rental car | 20–35 minutes plus pick-up | Not needed for a city stay. Parking in the centre is scarce, the old town is camera-controlled, and the rental queues after landing can take longer than the drive. |
Skip the changes: door to door to Palma city
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Vehicles, prices and what's included
You pay one fixed price for the vehicle, not per seat, quoted for your date and group before you book. Tolls, fuel and parking are in the price, and so is waiting time: 60 minutes from your actual landing, or 15 minutes at a hotel or address pickup.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Couples and solo travellers |
| Executive sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Mercedes E-Class or similar |
| Minivan | Up to 7 passengers | 6–7 suitcases | Families and golf or ski bags |
| Minibus | 8–16 passengers | One suitcase each | Groups, weddings, events |
Exact models vary by local partner. Tell us about oversized luggage, golf bags, skis or strollers and we will size the vehicle to fit.
Not included: waiting beyond the free time, and stops or detours added on the day. Planned stops are fine: ask for them with your quote and they are priced in. Tipping is up to you.
Who the Palma city transfer suits
City-break couples
Straight to a boutique hotel in the old town, with the ACIRE access planned in advance, so the first view of Palma is the cathedral rather than a bus stop.
Cruise passengers
From arrivals to the cruise piers with all your luggage in one car. Tell us the ship and the embarkation time, and we plan the pickup around it.
Families with luggage
Child seats fitted before pickup and one price for the car. A minivan takes up to seven people with luggage in one vehicle.
Late arrivals
A tracked flight and a driver who waits, however late you land, and a drop-off at the door instead of a walk through the old town at night.
Plan the rest of your Palma stay
- Visit the cathedral early in the day, when it is usually quieter, and walk on to the Almudaina palace next door and the Parc de la Mar below the walls.
- Bellver Castle, on the wooded hill west of the centre, has views over the whole bay. It is a short taxi ride from the old town.
- Santa Catalina’s market is liveliest in the morning; in the evening the streets around it are full of restaurants. Book dinner ahead from June to September.
- Going on to explore the island? We quote hotel-to-hotel transfers to Sóller, Valldemossa and the resorts, and to the airport for an onward flight to San Antonio in Ibiza.
- Combining Palma with a few days on the mainland? See our Madrid city transfers and other airport routes across Spain.
- For the flight home, leave the city centre about two hours before a European departure. Add 30 minutes in July and August, when the airport is at its busiest.
