Sailing trips in Palma de Mallorca: shared, private and at sunset

Going sailing in Palma is a very different thing from boarding a 100-plus-seat catamaran with a DJ. On a sailing boat there are only a few of you, you can hear the water against the hull and, when there is wind, the skipper switches off the engine and the boat sails on its own. In return, there is less space, the boat heels over and comfort depends a lot on the day's wind.

There are two ways to do it: shared, paying per place on a sailing boat with other passengers, or private, hiring the whole boat with a skipper for your group. Below are prices, marinas, timetables and what nobody tells you about the afternoon wind.

Shared or private sailing: which suits you

The sum is easy: if a €605 private sailing boat takes 8 people, it works out at about €76 a head, less than eight shared places. For two people, shared always wins. If you are torn between a sailing boat, a motorboat or a llaüt, compare them in the guide to private boats in Palma.

Sailing trip prices in Palma

Shared trips

On GetYourGuide, shared sailing trips on the Bay of Palma have these starting prices:

• €89: sailing tour with drinks and tapas, 3 to 7 hours, 5.0 from 124 reviews.
• €95: midday or sunset sailing with an open bar, 4 hours, 4.7 from 954 reviews: the most reviewed.
• €99: sailing boat from Can Pastilla with snorkelling, tapas and drinks, 4 hours, 4.9 from 309 reviews.
• €140: 6 hours around the bay with tapas, drinks and swim stops.

Civitatis sells a 6-hour luxury sailing trip for €140. For reference, the bay's big catamarans cost between €59 and €93 with lunch (see catamarans in Palma): a shared sailing boat is a little more expensive, but with fewer people on board.

Private sailing boat

• €425: private sailing boat for a small group, 4 to 8 hours.
• €500: private sailing boat with optional paella, 2 to 8 hours.
• €605: all-inclusive private sailing boat, 3 to 8 hours, 5.0 from 67 reviews.
• €790: exclusive sailing boat in and around the bay.
• €850: sailing boat from Can Pastilla with food and drinks, 4 hours.

Three private sailing boats with skipper leave from Club de Mar: Trui (14.5 m, up to 12 people), Gambitero (12.5 m, 11) and Servus (11 m, 7). They include fuel, skipper, nibbles, snorkelling and paddleboarding. Paella with an open bar is paid separately, per person: €30 for a half day, €40 for a full day and €25 at sunset.

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From Can Pastilla: Sailing boat trip with Food & Drinks

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Alcudia 6h Sailing to Cap Formentor

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Private and exclusive sailboat in and around the Bay of Palma

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Palma Bay: Private Sailing Experience in a Small Group

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See all on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 6 October 2026

What a day's sailing on the bay is like

Half-day trips last about 4 hours. On the private Club de Mar boats the slots are fixed: 10:00 to 14:00 or 14:30 to 18:30; the full day runs from 10:00 to 18:00 and the sunset trip from 19:00 to 21:00.

You leave the port under engine and, once outside, if there is wind, the sails go up. The shared trips we have looked at include a swim and snorkelling with tapas and drinks on board; ask how many stops your boat makes and how long each lasts.

The coves depend on the marina. From Can Pastilla the boat has the Llucmajor coast close by, with Cala Blava and Cap Enderrocat inside the Bay of Palma marine reserve. From Club de Mar, on the west side of the port, the nearby spots are Illetes and the Calvià coast. In neither place can you drop anchor on Posidonia seagrass: at Cala Blava there is a regulated buoy field and the boat ties up to a buoy.

If you are leaving from the Real Club Náutico de Palma (Plaza San Pedro, at the end of the Paseo Marítimo), note that from 9 to 15 October access and parking are restricted by works (notices at https://www.rcnp.es/). During the sailing regattas the club organises — the Copa del Rey in summer and PalmaVela in spring — berths and parking around the RCNP get very tight. More on each marina in Palma's yacht clubs.

Wind and heeling: what time to go

On the Bay of Palma the wind keeps a timetable. The sea breeze, known here as the embat, comes in from the south-west from midday and peaks around 14:00. In June and July it usually reaches force 3–4; in August and September, force 2–3 (according to a study by the Spanish Climatology Association on the sea breeze in Mallorca).

That cuts two ways:

• In the morning the sea is flatter. This is the slot for anyone who gets seasick, families with small children or anyone who mainly wants to swim.
• In the afternoon there is real wind for sailing, but also a short chop. This is the slot for anyone who wants to feel the boat.

In the wind, a sailing boat heels: it leans to one side. That is normal and not dangerous, but it is surprising the first time. Wear non-slip shoes, stow anything loose and sit where the skipper tells you. If someone in your group is struggling, ask the skipper to reduce sail: the boat straightens up and the ride gets calmer.

Sunset sailing in Palma

The sunset trip is the most photogenic: the cathedral seen from the sea in the last of the light. There are two ways to do it under sail:

• Shared: the midday or sunset sailing trip with an open bar, 4 hours, from €95.
• Private: the Club de Mar sailing boats have a sunset slot from 19:00 to 21:00, with optional paella and open bar at €25 per person.

If you are after the cheapest sunset, even if not under sail, the Magic Sunset Bahía catamaran costs €20 for 90 minutes with one drink. We compare everything in sunset boat trips in Palma.

Seasickness and children on a sailing boat

Seasickness. A sailing boat moves more than a big catamaran, especially in the afternoon. What the NHS recommends:

• Sit in the middle of the boat, look at the horizon and stay out in the fresh air.
• Avoid reading or looking at your phone, heavy or spicy food and alcohol.
• Ginger may help. Pharmacies sell tablets (including dissolving ones for children); patches are for adults and children over 10.

And the most useful tip of all: choose the morning trip.

Children. Sailing trips rarely publish a minimum age, so ask when you book, along with whether they have children's life jackets. With small children, a private sailing boat is better than a shared one with an open bar: you set the pace and can head back early. If you want stability and shade, a traditional llaüt (Mallorcan wooden boat) is more comfortable than a sailing boat.

Sailing from Alcúdia and Portocolom

Not everything happens in Palma. Some of the island's best-rated sailing trips are in the north and east:

• Alcúdia: half-day sailing trip from €100 (4.9 from 540 reviews), sailing with tapas and wine from €145 and 6 hours under sail to Cap de Formentor from €175. Alcudia Sea Trips also sells a 5-hour sailing catamaran with lunch for €69 (€47 for children aged 3 to 12) at https://www.alcudiaseatrips.com/.
• Portocolom: half-day sailing trip from €90 (4.8 from 140 reviews) or a shared full day with food and drinks from €140.

In the northern bays the breeze comes from the north-east, not the south-west as in Palma. More ideas for those areas in boats in Alcúdia and Pollença and on the south-east coast.

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See all on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 6 October 2026

Hiring a sailing boat without a skipper

If you have a boating licence, you can hire a sailing boat without a skipper. If not, the short answer is that you need a skipper. The law only allows unlicensed sailing on boats up to 6 m for leisure use, within 2 nautical miles of the port or beach you leave from, and in daylight. For hire, since 1 October 2026 a licence is required even on small boats; if you want to hire a dinghy at a sailing school, ask the school directly what they require. We explain it in boat hire in Palma.

Sailing in Palma: frequently asked questions

If you are comparing with other trips, see also catamarans in Palma and the best time for a boat trip.