Cycling in Mallorca: Bike Hire, Routes, Port de Pollença Stay

A week in northern Mallorca, three rides on a rental bike and a hotel five minutes from the sea. Mallorca is a legend among road cyclists and in March you can tell on the roads. Here is how it went for me, where to hire a bike, what to watch out for and where to stay.

Mallorca is full of pros on carbon bikes and you wonder whether you belong there at all. You do. This is not an article about how to ride a thousand kilometres, but about how to enjoy a week on a bike on the island even if you are not a racer.

When to go cycling in Mallorca?

The best time is March to May and then September to October. In summer it is hot in the hills. I went in March: the sun was bright, but a storm also caught me above Formentor (you will find the photo below).

A few rules that are good to know in advance:

• A helmet is compulsory outside towns.
• You ride on the right, you may ride two abreast unless a sign says otherwise.
• Headphones and a phone in your hand are forbidden.
• Cars must give a cyclist at least 1.5 metres when overtaking. On Mallorca drivers know this, because they meet cyclists all year round.

Why is Port de Pollença a good base for cyclists?

Port de Pollença lies in the north of the island and has everything a cyclist needs: flat cycle paths around the bay, the town of Pollença up the hill above, and Formentor starting right behind the town. In the morning you set off on the flat and in the evening you are back from the hills, without a car and without transporting your bike.

It also suits beginners. Katka, who is only starting with cycling, rode on the flat cycle path along the bay.

Where to hire a bike in Mallorca?

I had a bike hire right in the hotel, which was the simplest solution. The Hoposa bike hire (run by Clips Mallorca Cycling) offers Ridley bikes. Road bikes cost from 120 to 280 EUR a week depending on equipment, about 220 EUR on average, so roughly 31 EUR a day. A pump, a spare tyre and tyre levers come with most bikes. You can book online, but check the prices before you go, as they change with the season.

The same hire shops come up again and again in Port de Pollença. Both sites have online booking, so you can be sure of a bike in advance:

• Bike Island Mallorca - carbon road bikes from Giant, Specialized and the women's Liv, and now also gravel and hybrid bikes. They rent all year round, have a service with Shimano mechanics, organise guided rides and on request will deliver a bike to accommodation outside Port de Pollença.
• Formentor Rent Bike - Canyon, Trek and Orbea road bikes, plus pedals, shoes and helmets. According to their website road bikes cost roughly 39 to 75 EUR a day and delivery to your hotel is free in the northern part of the island. Check current prices directly with them.
• Ultimate Bike Hire - light carbon bikes with Ultegra, free damage insurance and a rescue service in case you get stuck somewhere.

Check the price and availability directly with the hire shop before you go. In peak season the good bikes get taken.

Where did I ride? My three rides

According to Strava the total came to roughly 166 km (103 miles) and 1,600 metres of climbing. The individual days looked like this:

Notice that two of the three days run on the flat around the bay. On Mallorca you can ride without thousands of metres of climbing and it is still worth it.

Cap de Formentor: why does everyone ride there?

Formentor is the most famous road in the north of Mallorca and the reason you meet so many cyclists here in March. The MA-2210 road runs from Port de Pollença along the cliffs to the lighthouse at the very end of the peninsula.

• Distance: roughly 20 km (12 miles) from Port de Pollença to the lighthouse, 36 to 40 km (22 to 25 miles) there and back.
• Climbing: sources differ depending on where they count from, so expect 850 to 960 metres there and back.
• The first hill: the climb to the Mirador de sa Creueta (Es Colomer) viewpoint is about 3.3 km with 220 metres of climbing. Then a descent and on past Formentor beach through forest to the lighthouse.

The asphalt is excellent and the views of the cliffs and the sea are exactly as they look in the photos. The lighthouse is a tourist destination, so expect cars and coaches and set off early. I was there on 11 March and the highest point of my route was around 220 metres above sea level.

Where to run in Port de Pollença?

Between rides I also ran here and it is great. The promenade is flat and runs right by the sea, so you can run without a single hill.

• According to running guides you have almost 7 km (4 miles) of coastal route around Port de Pollença, from Playa Pollença beach to Passeig de Colom and the "Pine Walk" among the pines.
• South of the port the path continues along the beach for another 2 km or so and then along the road with a red-marked lane.
• I ran here twice, both runs from the area around the hotel along the sea: on Monday 10 March 5.04 km in 29:54 (pace 5:56 min/km) and on Wednesday 12 March 4.31 km in 26:02 (6:02 min/km).
• The climbing is practically zero: 46 m and 27 m for the whole run. For a run without hills that is exactly right.

What to see in Mallorca when the bike is resting?

A week without a single day off would be too much, so I mixed it up. These are good around Port de Pollença:

• Pollença - a small town with 365 steps up to the Calvary (Calvari) and a view of the surroundings. The best light is in the morning or before sunset. There is a market here on Sundays.
• Port de Pollença - the market is on Wednesday mornings.
• Alcúdia - an old town with walls and narrow lanes. The market is here every Tuesday and Sunday.
• S'Albufera - a nature reserve between Alcúdia and Can Picafort with wooden walkways along a lagoon. You can see around two hundred bird species here.
• Formentor beach - white sand, pine trees and calm water, and you can also get there by boat from Port de Pollença.

What to eat in the north of Mallorca?

There was plenty of good food at the hotel. This is one of the lunches we shared:

• Pimientos de Padrón - small green peppers fried with salt. Not spicy.
• Gambas al ajillo - prawns in garlic, in oil with a bit of chilli.
• Croquetas - popular tapas with creamy béchamel inside and a crispy crust. Unlike potato croquettes, they are not based on potatoes but on thick béchamel with pieces of ham, for example jamón serrano.

The second photo shows empanadas mallorquinas de cordero, in Mallorcan panades: round pies with lamb, often with peas. They have been baked on Mallorca for centuries, traditionally at Easter, and are usually eaten cold, so they are easy to take along on a bike ride.

Where to stay in Port de Pollença?

I stayed at Hoposa Montelin, in the quiet Pinaret district of Port de Pollença. It is a sporty hotel, which suited me: there is a pool and a gym, the food was great, and it is five minutes' walk to the sea. The bike hire was right in the hotel, so I didn't transport the bike anywhere.