Car Rental in Palma?

[roothy123]

We were in Palma several years ago, and rented a car there. It took us a while to walk to the car rental place, but on the way we noticed an AVIS office near the port. Is this still in existence? If not, is there a bus that we could take to get to where there is a car rental place? Thanks for any information anyone can share!

 

Also, is it possible to drive up north to see the lighthouse at Cap de Formentor, and if so, about how long might it take from the cruise port?

[LondonTowner]

There are loads of car rental places in Mallorca. Although I have worked in Mallorca and visited about 40 Times since, I have never been there on a cruise. These days there are lots of cruise lines that visit, so I would imagine that somebody else can be more specific, but I would imagine a hired car can be delivered to the port, but there ay be offices within the vicinity.

 

Have a look on a car broker's site like AutosEurope as they ask where you want the car delivered.

 

The drive to Formentor would probably take about an hour to an hour and a half.

[roothy123]

Thank you. It's good to know that the drive to Formentor is doable. Last time we simply drove to Soller, plus a tower on the water (forget which one), almost got the car stuck in a small street where a festival was going on, and then spent some time in Palma. We'd like to branch out this time. (Any suggestions as to where to go and what to do? I'm mostly interested in scenery, and things to photograph. Are Drach Caves near by and worthwhile? I read about them briefly.)

 

I will look for a car rental place that will either deliver a car to the port or that we can reach via a short cab ride or bus ride from the port.

[Elmartellama]

You can go to Formentor, but it will take you a good hour and a half from Palma to the cape's lighthouse. The first 40km are highway so it's quite fast, from there to Pollença and then Port de Pollença the road is Ok. But the road along the Formentor peninsula is narrow, windy and there's a lot of traffic in summertime.

 

If you go to Formentor, I don't think you have time to go to the Drach Caves, since it's too far away. And even if you did, you'd spend like 5 hours driving that day.

 

There's also the Campanet caves on the way Palma - Formentor (exit Ullaró, km 37 or so). They're are smaller, but less crowded:

 

http://www.covesdecampanet.com/home.php?lang=en

 

And, if you go there after the heavy rains of late autumm / winter, next to the Campanet caves you might be able to see the "Fonts Ufanes" in action. Fonts Ufanes are a unique hidrogeological phenomenon. Basically, after heavy rains a natural underground water deposit is full and the water just pops up from the ground. It's hard to describe yet very beautiful. It only occurs for 10 to 20 days a year at maximum. Entry is free since it's a public finca run by the government, no parking, just park at the Campanet Caves parking. If you go there when they're in action the place gets super crowded and people park along the road.

 

Even if they are not in action the finca itself is very nice for an hour walk, and free! You need boots.

 

[roothy123]

cansas: When we were in Palma, we only did a little bit of coastal driving, and that was around the area of Soller (port, on the water) to the Torre de ses Animas, which is on the northwest coast. It is one of those watchtowers that fascinated me at the time. I don't remember it being anything challenging. The route to Cap Formentor looks to be quite a different bit of driving, but still fine for me personally (and my husband). However, perhaps our new local friend will come back on here, see your question, and give an opinion. I would say, however, that: 1) Most people don't really want to go all the way to Cap Formentor like I do, so they probably won't have any reason to worry about driving on Mallorca. 2) There is the train to Soller, which might be fun for children, depending upon their ages. There is nothing (in my mind, anyway) magical and "must do" about Soller, but it DOES appear to be a destination that many cruisers like to visit, either by shore excursion, rental car or train, as it's not too far from Palma. I wanted to see the Torre I mentioned before, as it looked so nice sitting right up high next to the water, so that was what steered me in the direction of the NW coast. Of course, there are things in other parts of Mallorca to see and do, and also in Palma itself. We just like to go out into the countryside if we can. 3) I went on Google Earth and I see the narrow, twisty roads Elmartellama mentions. It does look slow....The coastal route in the NW part of the island, however, is NOT right on the side of the water, so I would guess you'd be fine on that one. If you have the time and interest, you might want to download Google Earth, as it's a wonderful tool for looking at actual views of a place, including roads (check the "roads" checkbox!) and sights. If you check the "photos" checkbox, you will also see little squares which indicate there are photos you can double click to see what people in the past have photographed there. I'm a photographer and I love seeing where lots of other photos have been taken, from what side of a landmark, etc. You can also play around with the orange man in the top right corner - drag him onto a blued-out road and he'll show you the actual road. 4) I know that there are at least a few guide books on the island of Mallorca at Barnes and Nobles. Those were helpful in planning my first visit to Mallorca!

 

As to AutoEurope, LondonTowner, I tried that, and it would not give me anything. I don't know if it's just too far in advance to book, or it didn't like a rental for only one day or what, (or two - tried that!) but I'll keep at it. Thanks.

[Elmartellama]

While renting a car in Mallorca, is it safe enough to use serpentine road along the coast?(i'm not used to them and there are children with us). Or probably it's better to rent a car with a driver?

 

Which road do you mean exactly? If you mean the Ma-10 road that runs along the northern side of the island, it's safe and wide. Take into account that it's more than 100km long, so you don't want to do the whole of it in a day, since it's very curvy.

 

The only roads I do not reccommend if you don't like driving are the road from the Ma-10 to Sa Calobra, and the road from Formentor beach to the cape. (or any narrow detour from the Ma-10 to that effect).

 

The road to Sa Calobra (its a detour from the Ma-10) It's not that bad, but you might be stressed and not enjoy it. On the other hand, many people would love it since its quite dramatic:

 

 

The road to Fomentor has 2 parts. From Port de Pollença to Formentor beach the road is OK, narrow but doable, just take care. Many people just stop when they suddenly stumble upon the nice views, but there's a parking to enjoy them safely:

 

 

This is Formentor beach, parking price 8€ in summertime. Free in winter and if you go there during summertime afternoons (since the guard just go home, I guess).

 

 

The second part of the road, from Formentor beach to Cape Fomentor is too narrow in my opinion. The scenery is beautifull though:

 

 

And on the way there, there's Cala Figuera. Parking free, 20 minutes walking descent to the beach, not suitable for everyone. The water is crystal clear, nice for snorkeling. No sand, though, so maybe not the best for children.

 

[Elmartellama]

Elmartellama : thank you!that's just great!as i understood it's not the question of safeness but just self confidence on the road.

 

Of course, if you are on holiday I think it's about enjoying the most without unnecessary stress. Just take care, use common sense and drive slowly if you don't feel confident enough. Mallorca receives 9.5 million tourists per year (and its population is just 800.000), so infrastructure is quite good in the main roads, as well as in touristic roads like the Ma-10.

 

Like I said, there are a few detours and windy roads that might be challenging, but they don't register a particularly high amount of accidents either, it's just that the road is narrow, parking can be tough, you have cliffs, a lot of curves and so on. That's because they were built before the 60s and the tourist boom, (who could have though at that time that a road that just leads to a lighthouse would be such a visited place?) and since they are in the mountains and protected landscapes they are barely improved.

 

Enjoy!