Where to stay in Palma: the best neighbourhoods (2026)
Mallorca shuts down in winter, but Palma does not. While the beach hotels pull the shutters down from November to March, the capital keeps its terraces, its market and its cathedral open above the bay. Worth knowing before you book: here the city and the beach do not follow the same calendar.
The rest depends on what you want on the hotel doorstep. In the city, a night in a good central hotel comes to between $152 and $240*, far more in July and August; on the beach side you start nearer $94* in spring. Four sectors follow, from the maze of golden stone under the Seu to the six kilometres of sand at Can Pastilla.
But let's be honest, people come here for the partying and the nightclubs.
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At a glance: our picks by traveller type
Pick the profile that suits you to head straight to the recommended neighbourhood.
The neighbourhood map in Palma
Get your bearings on the neighbourhoods and must-see sights before choosing where to drop your bags. Click a name to jump to its description.
Old Town & the Seu The historic centre, under the cathedral
for a first visit and for doing everything on foot
Under the huge Seu and the Almudaina palace lies a maze of golden stone lanes, palace patios and terraced squares, from the Plaça Major to the Passeig del Born. Everything is done on foot, including the Sóller train station. The drawback is the one of every old centre: it is busy by day, and the narrow streets throw the noise back. Ask for a room on the patio side.
What to see & do in the area
Where to stay in this area
Sant Francesc Hotel Luxury
An 1860 palace on its own square, now a forty-two room five-star with a patio and a rooftop terrace. The exceptional address of the centre, the cathedral five minutes away.
Brondo Architect Hotel Mid-range
Twenty rooms, each named after an architect, in a central lane. A human-sized four-star, halfway between the Plaça Major and the Born.
Brick Palma Budget
A converted 19th-century ceramics factory in the Gerreria quarter. Industrial decor, a rooftop terrace, and the best price for sleeping inside the historic centre.
Pros
- The cathedral, the squares and the patios on foot
- The Sóller train station in the quarter
Cons
- Busy by day
- Narrow streets that throw noise back: aim for a patio room
Sa Llotja & Santa Catalina West of the centre, from the old exchange to the market
for good food and going out at night
This is where Palma dines and goes out: the lanes of Sa Llotja around the Gothic exchange, the carrer dels Apuntadors and its rows of bars, then the market and the tables of Santa Catalina, a little further on. One caveat before you book: Santa Catalina is a quarter where people eat, not where they sleep. It counts barely a handful of addresses, and the lodging is concentrated on the Llotja side.
Where to stay in this area
Nivia Born Boutique Hotel Luxury
A five-star on carrer dels Paraires, two steps from the Born and the Llotja. Small, quiet and perfectly placed for walking home after dinner.
Hotel Hostal Cuba Mid-range
The 1904 corner-tower building at the entrance to Santa Catalina: fifteen rooms, a restaurant and a rooftop bar. It is the only real hotel in the quarter, and it fills up fast.
Apuntadores 8 Budget
Thirty-five simple rooms, with private or shared bathroom, on the liveliest street of the Llotja. A panoramic rooftop terrace and the Plaça de la Reina fifty metres away.
Pros
- The best tables and the bars at your feet
- The cathedral a ten-minute walk away
Cons
- Loud late at night, above all on carrer dels Apuntadors
- Santa Catalina has almost no hotels
Passeig Marítim & el Terreno The western seafront, below Bellver
for the bay view and the marina
The Passeig Marítim runs along the marina for several kilometres, lined with palms and with large hotels that look out over the bay. Above it, the wooded hill of Bellver castle, round and unique in Spain, commands the whole city. You sleep facing the water, some twenty minutes' walk from the centre, in a sector that is airier and often cheaper than the old town. The drawback: a four-lane avenue runs between the hotels and the water.
It is accessible by car or on foot via a staircase that climbs up from the harbor. If you choose the stairs, it is a bit long but still doable!
What to see & do in the area
Where to stay in this area
Gran Meliá Victòria Luxury
The historic grand hotel of the seafront, on Avinguda Joan Miró, facing the marina. The upper rooms look out over the bay and the cathedral.
Hotel Artmadams Mid-range
A four-star open since 2000, on carrer Marquès de la Senia, a ten-minute walk from the centre. It offers proper family rooms; its outdoor pool, however, closes from October to April.
Hotel Amic Horizonte Budget
A simple three-star on the Vista Alegre hill, between the centre and the harbour, with a terrace over the boats. The good deal when the view matters more than the address.
Pros
- The marina and the Passeig Marítim at your feet
- Bellver castle and its park above
Cons
- A four-lane avenue between the hotel and the water
- Some twenty minutes on foot from the historic centre
Can Pastilla & Playa de Palma East, along the great beach
for the beach, families and the lowest prices
Six kilometres of sand and one continuous promenade, from Can Pastilla in the north down to s'Arenal in the south. This is the cheapest and most family-minded area, with the aquarium on the spot and the metro back into town in a quarter of an hour. Two caveats: the southern tip of s'Arenal already belongs to the neighbouring municipality of Llucmajor and lives to the rhythm of the summer party, and most hotels here close from November to March.
What to see & do in the area
Where to stay in this area
Iberostar Selection Playa de Palma Luxury
A five-star on the front row, on carrer de Marbella, with a spa and family rooms. The upmarket end of the beach, a quarter of an hour from town.
Aparthotel Fontanellas Playa Mid-range
A four-star with its feet in the sand at Can Pastilla, holding more apartments than rooms. Built for families and for cyclists, with a bike store.
Hotel Amic Miraflores Budget
A three-star on the front row at Can Pastilla, with a pool, a few minutes from the metro. It is the price floor of the sector, but the hotel closes from late October to the end of March.
Pros
- Six kilometres of sand and the promenade at your feet
- The metro back to the centre in a quarter of an hour
Cons
- The heritage is eight kilometres away
- Most hotels close from November to March
Our tips for booking the right place
- The metro, the bus and a wooden train: The centre is covered entirely on foot. For the airport, reckon a quarter of an hour by bus to the Plaça d'Espanya, and the metro serves Can Pastilla and the beach. From that same square leaves the Sóller train, a wooden line from 1912 that crosses the Serra de Tramuntana: it is an excursion in itself, not a means of transport.
- The season counts for more than the day of the week: July and August push prices up and fill everything: book several months ahead if you are coming then. The best value is in May, June and September, when the sea is good and the city still breathable. From November to March, choose the city: the beach has closed its hotels, Palma keeps its own open.
- What you go and see from the city: A car is of no use inside Palma, where parking is expensive, but it opens up the rest of the island: Valldemossa and Deià are three quarters of an hour up in the mountains, the turquoise calas of the south and east about an hour away. Without a car, the Sóller train and day trips cover the essentials.
- Booking in s'Arenal in July or August and hoping for an early night: the southern tip of the beach is the heart of the summer party and lives by night. Can Pastilla, at the north end of the same beach, is far quieter at the same distance from town.
- Taking a room on carrer dels Apuntadors or on the going-out streets of Santa Catalina if you are a light sleeper: the bars serve late. Ask for a courtyard room, or move back two streets.
- Booking on the beach side between November and March without checking opening dates: most of these hotels close at the end of October and reopen in spring. Off season, the city is the safe choice.
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