Palma cruise port: terminals, getting to the city centre and what to do on your port day

Palma cruise port is not a single building: depending on your ship, you berth either on the Poniente quay, next to the Estacions Marítimes 1-4, or at the end of the Dic de l'Oest, the long breakwater that closes off the port to the west, beside Castell de Sant Carles. The first thing to check in your cruise line's daily programme is the berth. That decides whether you walk, take the bus or pay for a taxi.

Second: count your hours until "all aboard", not until departure. With 4 you have time for the cathedral or a short boat trip; with 6, the cathedral plus a boat trip or a short catamaran cruise; with 8, the Sóller train or a full-day catamaran.

Palma cruise port terminals: where your ship berths

Of the four areas of Palma port, cruise ships use two: Poniente and the Dic de l'Oest (west breakwater).

• Estacions Marítimes 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Poniente quay, Paraires area). Shared by cruise ships and ferries. This is the terminal closest to the Passeig Marítim. The bus stop is called "Portopí Estacions Marítimes 1, 2, 3 i 4".
• Dic de l'Oest (west breakwater). The port authority calls its terminal Estació Marítima 6, and several guides refer to EM5 and EM6; the biggest ships and those on the busiest days usually berth here. It is further from the centre, next to Castell de Sant Carles. The bus stop is "Dic de l'Oest – Museu Sant Carles".

If your cruise line only says "Estación Marítima", ask at reception for the number before going ashore: leaving from EM2 is not the same as leaving from EM6.

Getting from Palma cruise port to the city centre and the cathedral

EMT bus 1: the cheap option

EMT line 1 (Sindicat – Dic de l'Oest) is the bus you want. Heading into town it runs: Dic de l'Oest – Museu Sant Carles, Portopí Estacions Marítimes 1-4, Port – Club de Mar, the whole of the Passeig Marítim (with a stop at the Auditòrium, where the catamarans board), Es Jonquet, Argentina – Sa Feixina, Passeig Mallorca (Jaume III) and Plaça d'Espanya – Estació Intermodal, where the Sóller train station is.

• Price: €2 in cash, no transfers; the driver gives change for notes up to €10. With a contactless bank card you pay less (a discount from 40% for the first person, up to five passengers on the same card) and you do get transfers.
• Note: the city council has given initial approval to a new bylaw raising the cash fare to €3. Until the final text is published, it stays at €2. Check the current fare at emtpalma.cat.
• Line 1 does not stop in front of the cathedral. For the old town, get off at Jaume III or Plaça d'Espanya and walk; for the catamarans, at Passeig Marítim – Auditòrium.

Taxi

Tariff 1 (weekdays, roughly 07:00 to 21:00): €2.50 flag fall and €1.20/km. Tariff 2 (nights, weekends and public holidays): €2.85 and €1.35/km. On top of that there is a €4.65 supplement per journey from the port. There is no legal supplement for luggage, the meter is compulsory and drivers must accept cards.

On foot

From Poniente you can walk into the centre along the Passeig Marítim: long but flat, with the cathedral ahead of you. From the Dic de l'Oest you add the whole length of the breakwater, which is hard going at midday in July. Our advice: go in by bus or taxi and, if you have time to spare, walk back.

Cruise line shuttle and sightseeing bus

Many cruise lines sell a paid shuttle (each line sets its own price) to Avinguda Antoni Maura, next to the cathedral. The City Sightseeing bus has stop 14 at the Estació Marítima and stop 1 on Antoni Maura, opposite the cathedral. It runs from 10:00 to 17:30, every 30 minutes until 14:30 and every 45 after that, and costs from about €31. More details in the hop-on hop-off bus guide.

Cruise ships in Palma today: which ships are in port

To find out which cruise ships are in Palma today, the official source is the Ports de Balears "Ships in port" page (more about the port authority in our Port of Palma guide). It embeds the Posidonia viewer, which shows each ship at its berth. The same port authority has the Posidonia SmartPort app for iOS and Android. Lists of past months' calls are published monthly by the Govern (Balearic government), before the 7th, on the cruise agreement page.

In high season the pattern repeats. Last August, on Saturdays AIDAcosma (roughly 04:00 to 22:00) and Marella Explorer (05:20 to 23:00) were in port together, often with Norwegian Dawn. On Mondays Legend of the Seas came in; on Tuesdays, Marella Discovery 2 and Costa Pacifica; on Fridays, MSC Grandiosa.

Palma's cruise ship limit: what the agreement says

The Balearic government, Palma city council and the cruise lines signed a memorandum of understanding to limit cruise ships. It applies to ships with 500 berths or more:

• A maximum of three cruise ships in port at once, and only one with more than 5,000 berths.
• A maximum of 8,500 berths a day as a weekly average. From June to September in 2027, 2028 and 2029 this drops to 7,500.

The agreement is voluntary and covers the 2027 to 2031 seasons. Because the cap is a weekly average, an individual day can exceed it: on 17 August three ships with 11,886 berths in total were in port together. What was met throughout the month was the rule of no more than three large ships a day.

What to do in Palma from your cruise ship: plans by hours ashore

Before you choose, three things an agency won't usually tell you. The cathedral does not open for sightseeing on Sundays. On Mondays the Palau de l'Almudaina, Bellver, the Miró foundation and Es Baluard are closed, although the cathedral is open. And the bay's afternoon sea breeze, the embat, picks up from midday: morning boat trips are calmer.

4-hour port stop: the cathedral or a short boat trip

With four real hours, pick one thing and do it well.

• Cathedral (La Seu). Official ticket €10 (cathedral and museum) or €25 with the terraces. In high season it opens Monday to Friday 10:00–17:15 and Saturday 10:00–14:15; in winter, until 15:15 on weekdays. With an online ticket you use the fast-track entrance at the Portal del Mirador. Everything you need is in the cathedral guide.
• One-hour boat trip. Mallorca City Boat (formerly Cruceros Marco Polo) runs a 55-minute loop of the bay for €19, Monday to Saturday, hourly between 11:00 and 17:00, from the Escala Real below the cathedral. It passes the cruise port and Castell de Sant Carles, so you see your ship from the water. Water and a snack are included; there is no swim stop.
• 3-hour trip with a swim. Palma Cruises leaves from the Golondrinas quay (Auditòrium stop on bus 1) at 11:00 and 14:00, with a swim stop, for €27 online. It works if you arrive mid-morning and sail in the evening.

6-hour port stop: the cathedral and a boat trip, or a short catamaran cruise

Six hours lets you combine. In the morning, the cathedral and old town (the Banys Àrabs (Arab baths) and the Palau de l'Almudaina are close by; see the old town guide). Then the 55-minute loop from the Escala Real, a couple of minutes from the cathedral.

If you would rather be on the water, there are catamarans of about 4 hours with a swim. Oasis runs a 4-hour-30 trip from the Escala Real itself (10:00–14:30, €78 in spring and autumn and €82 in summer on its website, maximum 36 people), with a barbecue at Cala Vella; drinks other than water are extra. On GetYourGuide, the 4-hour deluxe catamaran with snacks, paddleboarding and snorkelling starts from €45.60. The Magic, Oasis and Attraction catamarans anchor at Cova Verda, Cap Rocat, Cala Vella or Cala Blava, on the Llucmajor coast. To compare options, see the guide to catamarans in Palma.

If it is your first visit, the guided tour of about 2 hours around the historic centre (from €39, rated 4.9) saves you wasting time hunting for streets.

GetYourGuide

Palma: Cathedral of Mallorca Skip-the-Line Entry Ticket

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GetYourGuide4 hours

Leaves from Palma

Palma: Deluxe Catamaran with Snacks, Drink, SUP & Snorkelling

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GetYourGuide105 minutes - 2 hours

Palma de Mallorca: Guided Tour of the Old Town

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from €39Check availability

See all on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 6 October 2026

8-hour port stop or longer: the Sóller train or a full-day catamaran

Sóller train. EMT line 1 takes you without changing to Plaça d'Espanya, next to the station. Trains leave Palma at 10:10 (arriving in Sóller at 11:10) and 13:30. From Sóller, the tram goes down to the port in about 30 minutes (€10 each way). Coming back there is a train at 14:00 (arriving in Palma at 15:00) and another at 17:15, which the company asks you to confirm at the ticket office. With a ship sailing in the evening, the 14:00 leaves you a comfortable margin.

• Tickets: €23 one way, €30 return. Train and tram, €40, or €32 with the online offer for some departures.
• Only the combined train-and-tram ticket is sold online. Everything else is bought at the ticket office on the day, and you need to be at the station 30 minutes before. The 10:10 is the one that fills up most.
• If the return train is full, the TIB 204 bus goes back from Sóller to Palma through the tunnel and is faster.

There are also organised half-days with the train and tram; check their return time before booking. More in the Sóller train guide.

GetYourGuide5 - 6 hours

Mallorca: Exclusive Soller Train and Tram Half-Day Tour

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GetYourGuide5 hours

Mallorca: Train and Tram to Sóller and Port de Sóller (Half Day)

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from €57Check availability

See all on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 6 October 2026

5-hour catamaran. The bay's big catamarans leave from the Passeig Marítim, next to the Golondrinas quay and opposite the Auditòrium, from 10:00 to 15:00. The Magic Catamarans trip makes two swim stops and has a barbecue on board, with soft drinks included. The 5-hour catamaran cruise with lunch and a swim starts from €59 and has more than 12,000 reviews averaging 4.6. On bus 1 you get off at the Auditòrium stop and you are at the quay.

See times for the 5-hour catamaranfrom €59Affiliate link: if you book, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

One last rule: if you go independently, getting back to the ship on time is your responsibility. That is why on short port stops we recommend plans in Palma itself and leaving Sóller for 8 hours or more. For everything there is in the city, see things to do in Palma and the boat trip comparison.

Palma cruise port: frequently asked questions

If your cruise starts or ends in Palma, our guides to cruises from Palma and cruise lines explain which lines embark here and how to get to the terminal with luggage.