Palma de Mallorca

About this spot

The Bay of Palma is a wide, south-facing arc of protected water stretching roughly 25 km from Cap de Cala Figuera in the west to Cap Blanc in the east, with the city of Palma at its head. The bay's geometry shelters it from the prevailing northerly Tramontana that hammers the rest of Mallorca, leaving long stretches of flat or lightly textured water. Mornings are typically glassy until the Embat — the local thermal sea breeze — fills in from the southwest around midday, building to 10–18 knots through the afternoon before dropping at sunset. Launch options span the bay. Playa de Palma and the Ciudad Jardín stretch on the eastern arm offer easy sandy access and are the busiest with rental operators; Cala Major and Illetas on the western arm have smaller beaches with rocky surrounds and are quieter. Portitxol and Molinar near the city centre are convenient but commercial boat traffic and moored yachts make them unsuitable for beginners. The bay holds Spain's densest concentration of charter yachts and motorboats during July–August — eFoil sessions are best run early morning or after 6pm when commercial activity thins. Best months: May–October. Spring sees the cleanest morning conditions; July–August is reliably hot and busy; September delivers the best balance of warm water (around 25 °C) and thinning crowds. Avoid November–March when occasional Tramontana funnels around the island and southerly Llebeig storms produce choppy conditions across the bay.