Glass-bottom boats in Mallorca: which one to take and what you'll really see

A glass-bottom boat in Mallorca is usually a boat with a below-deck lounge and windows that sit under the water. It isn't a submarine or an aquarium: you see sand, Posidonia seagrass, rocks and fish when the seabed is close and the sea is calm. With swell or over deep water, you see blue water and not much else. Knowing that beforehand saves you the disappointment.

From Palma you have two options: proper underwater viewing off the Calvià beaches, or a short, cheap trip around the bay. Both are below, plus the boats on the east coast and in the north. If your children already swim with a mask, a calm cove shows more seabed than any glass panel: see the snorkelling and paddleboarding guide.

What you really see from a glass-bottom boat

Underwater viewing works when three things come together: shallow water, a calm sea and high light. That's why the boats hug the coast, between islets and coves, and why the operators themselves add the small print. Palma Cruises, for example, advertises its underwater-viewing deck "when sea conditions allow".

The most honest comparison comes from an operator in the north. Lanchas La Gaviota, in Port de Pollença, has windows below the waterline on all its boats, but admits the seabed is only clearly visible on two routes: Cap de Formentor and Cala Sant Vicenç–El Colomer. Elsewhere, the water is too deep. The same logic applies across the island: the shallower the water, the more you see.

On a good trip you'll see small fish, Posidonia and rocks. Dolphins, don't count on them: even if a boat has "dolphin" in its name, it follows the coast and doesn't guarantee sightings. To actually see dolphins, read the guide to dolphin watching in Mallorca.

Esmeralda Dos: the glass-bottom boat from Magaluf and Palmanova

The most practical glass-bottom boat if you're staying in Palma or Calvià is the Esmeralda Dos run by Cruceros Costa de Calvià, a family firm from Magaluf. It's a three-deck semi-submersible catamaran: a sun terrace on top, a main deck with bar, toilet and seats beside large windows, and the underwater-viewing area below.

The operator sells it under the name "Dolphin", and that's where the confusion starts. It isn't a dolphin trip: the route follows the west side of the Bay of Palma, past islets, coves and beaches. Some resellers also advertise it as "Britannia Jet", which is another boat from the same company.

Click-Mallorca sells the same trip at the same price, with a child rate for ages 3 to 10 and free for 0 to 2. It describes the route past Cala Vinyes and Portals Nous, with a swim stop if the sea allows, and ice creams on sale on board. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

The operator doesn't publish capacity, season dates or whether the swim stop always happens, and its website still shows notices from past seasons. Confirm the departure on the Cruceros Costa de Calvià website or at its sales points in Magaluf, Torrenova and Palmanova. Under-18s must travel with an adult.

How to reach each jetty: guide from Palmanova and Magaluf. About the company: Britannia Jet and Costa de Calvià review.

The other Costa de Calvià boats

• Britannia Jet, "Day at Sea": 4 hours with slides, lunch and soft drinks, beer or sangria included. Wednesdays and Sundays, leaving Magaluf at 11:10 and returning at 16:45. Adult €60, child €40.
• Britannia Jet, "Palma City": takes you from Magaluf to Palma on Tuesdays and Saturdays and picks you up in the afternoon. Adult €32, child €22, return included.
• Limitless, a 30-seat speedboat: 2 hours with an anchor stop at the Malgrats islands for swimming and snorkelling. Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Adult €40, child €30.

Cheap boat trips around the Bay of Palma

If you just want the cheapest way out on the water, you don't need a glass bottom. These are the short trips with the operator's direct price:

Mallorca City Boat is the cheapest and the easiest to fit into a morning in the centre: it leaves every hour from 11:00 to 17:00, Monday to Saturday (times may change with the season), from the Escala Real (the old royal landing steps) below the Cathedral (look for the Marcopolo sign and arrive 10 minutes early). It passes the Almudaina, the Cathedral, Bellver, the Porto Pi lighthouse, the cruise port and the Castell de Sant Carles. An aperitif and water are included, and the boat has a bar and toilet. There's no swim stop. If the weather doesn't cooperate, you get a refund or a different day. Full details in the Mallorca City Boat review.

Palma Cruises gives a lot of time for little money if you want a swim: 3 hours with one swim stop, at 11:00 or 14:00, from the Muelle de las Golondrinas, opposite the Auditòrium. Note: Palma's two quays are 1.5 km apart. The guide to Palma port jetties explains which is which.

If you're staying in Playa de Palma, Sa Calma and Life & Sea leave close to your hotel: see the guide from S'Arenal and Can Pastilla.

Glass-bottom boats on the east coast: Cala Millor, Porto Cristo, Calas and Cala Ratjada

The east coast has most of the glass-bottom boats sold on the booking platforms, with routes between coves and cliff caves. Many trips pick up passengers at several beaches, so the sensible thing is to board at the beach closest to your hotel, not drive to the port.

Around Porto Cristo and Calas de Mallorca, the advertised routes pass the Cova dels Coloms, a "pirates' cave", Cala Romàntica and Cales Varques to Calas de Mallorca. In the south-east, the Starfish fleet (large catamarans with slides and a bar; resellers mention 145 to 245 passengers) picks up at several Cala d'Or beaches: Cala Ferrera, Cala Esmeralda, Cala Gran, Es Fortí and Cala Egos. Resellers list it from €35 (children €25) for 3 hours to Porto Petro, with 45 minutes for swimming and an hour free in the port.

These operators barely publish their own prices, so the useful benchmark is the platform prices:

Glass-bottom boats we'd book

1

If you're staying in Paguera or Santa Ponsa

The best-rated glass-bottom trip on this list: 4.6 from almost 4,000 reviews. A 2.5-hour route along the west coast.

GetYourGuide2.5 hours

Leaves from Palmanova & Calvià

From Paguera: Dolphin-Watching Cruise in a Glass-Bottom Boat

4.6 (3,855)

from €40Check availability

2

For caves and coves on the east coast

3–4 hours between caves and unspoilt coves, with a better rating (4.1) than the area's generic trips.

GetYourGuide3 - 4 hours

Leaves from East coast

Mallorca: glass-bottom boat excursion - Caves & Unspoilt Coves

4.1 (291)

from €32Check availability

3

If you're staying in Cala Millor

You leave from your own resort, no car needed, and choose between 1.5 and 3 hours depending on how far you want to go.

GetYourGuide1.5 - 3 hours

Leaves from East coast

From Cala Millor: East Coast Glass-Bottom Boat Trip

3.8 (1,133)

from €28Check availability

East-coast ratings hover around 3.7–4.1 out of 5: big boats and viewing that depends on the day. Go for a coastal trip with a swim, not an underwater documentary.

GetYourGuide2.5 hours

Leaves from Palmanova & Calvià

From Paguera: Dolphin-Watching Cruise in a Glass-Bottom Boat

4.6 (3,855)

from €40Check availability

GetYourGuide2.5 - 6 hours

Leaves from East coast

From Calas de Mallorca: Scenic Glass-Bottom Boat Tour

4.0 (164)

from €32Check availability

GetYourGuide2 - 6.5 hours

Leaves from East coast

Font de Sa Cala: East Coast Glass-Bottomed Catamaran Tour

3.9 (104)

from €29Check availability

GetYourGuide2 - 4.5 hours

Leaves from East coast

From Cala Bona: East Coast Glass-Bottom Boat Trip

3.9 (72)

from €25Check availability

See all on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 6 October 2026

Alcúdia and Pollença: boats with underwater windows

In the north, Alcudia Sea Trips (Transportes Marítimos Brisa, with an office on the Passeig Marítim in Port d'Alcúdia) runs a 2-hour underwater-viewing boat for €29 (children 3 to 12, €19) that passes the Alcanada lighthouse and Coll Baix. According to travellers, the windows are on the sides.

In Port de Pollença, Lanchas La Gaviota offers the trip round Cap de Formentor (2.5 hours, €29 / €16) and the Cala Sant Vicenç–El Colomer–Formentor route (3.5 hours, €35 / €19). These are exactly the two routes where the operator itself says the seabed is clearly visible, so if you want underwater viewing in the north, pick one of those. More options in the guide to Alcúdia and Pollença.

Seasickness, timing and when to go

The viewing lounge is below deck and keeps your eyes fixed downwards: exactly the opposite of what's recommended to avoid seasickness. The NHS's basic advice applies here:

• Sit in the middle of the boat and look at the horizon, not the glass, if your stomach starts to turn.
• Go up on deck for fresh air.
• Avoid reading or looking at your phone, heavy meals and alcohol before boarding.
• Pharmacies sell seasickness tablets (including children's versions); ginger helps some people.

Choose the morning departure. In the Bay of Palma, the sea breeze (the embat, the afternoon sea breeze) comes in from the south-west from midday and peaks around 14:00. The Esmeralda Dos 11:00 departure usually catches a flatter sea than the 15:00 one. The month-by-month outlook is in the guide to boating weather.

There's no single season: each operator sets its own, and several in Palma and Calvià sell trips in October.

How to book without surprises

If the operator cancels for bad weather, GetYourGuide refunds you and with Click-Mallorca you choose another date or a refund; with the latter, light rain or cloud doesn't entitle you to cancel outside the deadline. To compare with other boats in the bay, see the guide to catamarans in Palma and the boat trip comparison.