Flights from Belfast to Majorca
Under three hours from Belfast and the shortest transfer list in the Mediterranean. Majorca's problem is not getting there — it is that four completely different holidays are sold under one island's name.
- Flight time
- 2h 50mfrom BFS
- Airport
- PMIPalma de Mallorca
- Season
- May to October
- Direct from Belfast
- Yes
Why this route matters from Belfast
Majorca is the closest properly warm sea to Belfast International. Under three hours in the air, then usually less than half an hour on the ground. For a week’s holiday that is a meaningful amount of the trip you do not spend travelling, and it is the main reason the island has the depth of hotel stock it does.
Four islands, one name
Ask two people about Majorca and you can get two descriptions with nothing in common. Both will be accurate, because the island splits into four distinct holidays.
The west. Palma Nova, Magaluf, Santa Ponsa. Closest to the airport, densest hotel supply, cheapest to book and most variable in tone from one street to the next.
The north. Alcúdia and Pollença. Long, shallow, sandy bays that are as good for small children as anywhere in the Mediterranean, an hour from the plane.
The south east. Cala d’Or, Cala Mondragó, Cala Llombards. A coastline carved into small pine-backed inlets. Prettier, quieter, and the beaches are small enough to fill up by eleven.
The north west. The Serra de Tramuntana, a UNESCO landscape of terraced mountainside dropping into the sea. Sóller, Deià, Valldemossa. Not a beach holiday, and better for it.
Who Majorca suits
Book it if you are travelling with small children, you want the shortest possible transfer at the end of a flight, or you want the option of doing something other than lying on a beach.
Look elsewhere if you want to travel outside May to October, or you want one consistent island character rather than four.
Choosing your coast in one line each
| Coast | Book it for | Avoid if |
|---|---|---|
| West | Short transfers, cheapest beds | You want quiet |
| North | Shallow sandy bays, families | You want nightlife |
| South east | Pine-backed coves, calm | You have toddlers |
| North west | Mountains, villages, scenery | You want a beach holiday |
Getting from the airport to your resort
Palma airport sits in the middle of the island's south coast, which keeps almost everything within an hour. By Mediterranean standards this is the short list.
| Resort | Typical transfer |
|---|---|
| Palma city | 15 min |
| Palma Nova | 20 min |
| Magaluf | 25 min |
| Santa Ponsa | 30 min |
| Cala d'Or | 50 min |
| Alcúdia | 55 min |
| Port de Pollença | 1h |
Door-to-door times vary with traffic and with how many stops a shared coach makes before yours.
Where to stay
- Families with small children
Alcúdia
A genuinely shallow, genuinely enormous sandy bay on the north coast. You can walk a long way out and still be standing. The single most family-suited beach on the island.
- Short transfers and easy value
Palma Nova
Twenty minutes from the terminal, sandy, sheltered and unpretentious. Next door to Magaluf but a different atmosphere.
- Cove-hopping in the south east
Cala d'Or
A cluster of small pine-fringed inlets rather than one beach. Prettier than the west coast resorts and quieter.
- Mountains, and the tram
Port de Sóller
A horseshoe bay on the wild north-west coast, connected to Sóller town by a wooden tram and to Palma by a 1912 railway through the Tramuntana.
- A city break that happens to have a beach
Palma
A real Mediterranean capital with a Gothic cathedral, a serious food scene and a beach fifteen minutes away. Works in March, which almost nowhere else on the island does.
When to go
Majorca has a hard season, which is unusual for somewhere this far south. Outside it, the weather is fine and the resorts are shut.
| Month | Air | Sea | How busy |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°C | 14°C | Resorts closed |
| February | 15°C | 14°C | Resorts closed |
| March | 17°C | 14°C | Palma only |
| April | 19°C | 15°C | Waking up |
| May | 23°C | 18°C | Sweet spot |
| June | 27°C | 22°C | Busy |
| July | 30°C | 25°C | School holidays |
| August | 30°C | 26°C | Peak |
| September | 27°C | 25°C | Sweet spot |
| October | 23°C | 22°C | Winding down |
| November | 19°C | 19°C | Shutting down |
| December | 16°C | 16°C | Resorts closed |
Typical averages, not forecasts. Sea temperature lags air temperature by roughly two months, which is why October often swims better than June.
Mistakes people make
Booking a cheap November flight without checking whether your resort is open. This is the classic Majorca error. Out of season whole resorts board up. Palma stays alive; Cala d'Or does not.
Choosing the south east for a toddler. The coves are beautiful and many of them shelve steeply into deep water within a few metres of the sand.
Assuming the Tramuntana is a day trip from anywhere. The mountain roads are slow and spectacular in equal measure. Sóller from Alcúdia is a serious drive, not an afternoon.
Writing off Palma as just an airport name. It is one of the better small cities in the Mediterranean and the only part of the island with real year-round life.
Frequently asked questions
Which part of Majorca should I book?
North coast (Alcúdia, Pollença) for families and long sandy beaches. South east (Cala d'Or, Cala Mondragó) for coves. West (Palma Nova, Santa Ponsa) for short transfers. North west (Sóller, Deià) for mountains rather than beach life.
Is Magaluf still Magaluf?
Less than it was. A lot of money has gone into the seafront and several of the old party hotels have been rebuilt at a higher standard. The reputation is now a partial description rather than the whole picture, but the strip still exists.
Can I go in winter?
Palma, yes. The resorts, no. Large parts of the island genuinely close from November to March — hotels, restaurants and beach bars shut, and the cheap flight you found exists because there is nothing at the other end.
How long are the transfers?
Short by Mediterranean standards. Fifteen to thirty minutes for the western resorts, around an hour for the far north. Palma airport sits right in the middle of the island's south coast.
Before you book
- Guide
What actually fits in hand luggage
Why bags that fit at home fail at the gate, and the measurement everyone gets wrong.
- Explainer
Flight only, or a package?
What the bundle is really worth, and the protection you lose by booking the parts separately.
- 2h 55m
Ibiza
The reputation covers roughly two square miles. The rest is pine forest, hidden coves and a walled Renaissance old town that is a UNESCO site.