Taking buses in Mallorca
If you are unfamiliar with buses at Palma airport and Mallorca, it might seem challenging to rely on them for your holiday. However, they are frequent and plentiful, and travellers will be able to get to most places in Mallorca using them.
There are essentially two types of buses, buses for Palma city and surroundings and buses for the rest of the island.
The blue, white and green buses are for Palma city and surrounding areas. These are run by the EMT (Empresa Municipal de Transports Urban de Palma de Mallorca).
For routes stretching out across the island you will need the red and yellow buses; these are run by the TIB (Transport de les Illes Balears).
EMT routes from the airport:
Route 1 to Palma city and Palma port
Route 21 to S‘Arenal
TIB routes from the airport (called AEROTIB):
A11 Peguera
A32 Can Picafort
A42 Cala Bona
A51 Campos
For other destinations across the island:
TIB run further routes from the Intermodal Station in Palma City, which is around 8km/ 5miles from the airport and can be reached via the EMT bus service No 1.
Where does the bus stop at Palma Airport?
Once you have collected your luggage and entered the public arrivals area you will need to exit the building. The exits are numbered 1-7. It doesn’t matter which one you exit from.
There are signs for the bus and you just have to aim to walk under the covered walkway, clearly visible from all vantage points.
If you do exit door 4 you will be in the central position for the undercover walkway and only need to walk across this. It crosses the slip roads and car park with pedestrian conveyor belts to assist.
At the end of the covered walkway you will see the bus stops.
Buses returning to the airport will drop passengers off at the departures on the upper level.
Where can I buy a bus ticket at Palma Airport?
Tickets for the EMT- as well as the TIB-buses can be purchased from the driver. You can only use bank notes of €20 or less to pay on the bus. Only if your fare is more than €20 can you pay with a €50 bank note.
Bus from Palma Airport to Palma city and port
EMT Route 1
The route No.1 bus goes to Palma city, around the old city, down to the marina and onto the far end of the port to stop 18 – Escola de Nàutica. From here the bus will return via the same route to the airport.
The city stops provide excellent places to stop off for shopping or visiting the old town. All stops for route No.1 have the number 1 in green on the sign post.
All buses have the next stop on their electronic display system inside the bus.
Buses go every 15 minutes on average during the day and around every 30 minutes after 9.30pm.
Timetable
Winter – November to end of April
Palma airport to Palma city/port: 6:00am to 1:10am
Palma Port to Palma city/airport: 5:30am to 1:00am
Summer – May to end of October
Palma airport to Palma city/port: 6:00am to 1:50am
Palma Port to Palma city/airport: 5:30am to 2:10am
Notable Bus Stops
2 – Plaça d’Espanya: This is where the main bus and train terminals are based in Palma city, even the tourist train to Soller is next to this stop. From here travellers can take a bus or train to virtually any resort and town in Mallorca.
15 – Port de Palma (Estació Marítima): This is the main stop for the cruise and ferry docks for Palma. This bus stop is found just in front of the cruise terminal (Estacio Maritima).
From the Estacio Maritima stop it takes approximately 36min to get to Palma airport and 10 minutes to the main bus and train station in Palma, 2- Plaça d’Espanya.
16 – Dic de l’Oest, 1: If your cruise ship has had to dock in PortoPi you will need to take the bus from here. It is found just to the left of this dock entrance.
Ticket prices
The bus costs €5, under 5’s are free.
There are discounts for Palma residents, students and pensioners but you have to show ID and relevant documents.
For more information about route 1, go to http://www.emtpalma.cat/en/route/-/L/1/aeroport-ciutat-port
Bus from Palma Airport to S’Arenal
For the journey to S’Arenal there are two different options – the EMT bus route 21 or the TIB bus route A51. Route number 21 takes around 30 minutes and goes very frequently. With route A51 the journey time to S’Arenal is around 10–15 minutes. It runs regularly throughout the day in the summer, however, in the winter, there are only 2 buses per day, which need to be booked a day in advance by telephone. For more information on route A 51, please see below.
The price is the same for both bus routes – 5 Euro for a single ticket to S’Arenal.
Route 21 buses from Palma airport to S’Arenal run from:
November to April: 7:00am to 22:10
May to October: 7:00am to 00:30am
Route 21 buses from S’Arenal to Palma airport run from
November to April: 7:00am to 21:30
May to October: 7:00am to 01:00am
Buses leave from the airport roughly every 30 minutes on average.
When using the EMT route No.21 bus to S’Arenal, passengers can get off at several hotels along the way. It departs Palma airport towards Can Pastilla and then along the Playa de Palma and onto S’Arenal. All buses have the next stop on an electronic display system.
From S’Arenal the bus will return on the same route to the airport except it will not return through the center of Can Pastilla.
Passengers who were dropped off in the center of Can Pastilla, Hotel Linda, Bartomeu Riutort and Hotel Miraflores, on their arrival will have to go to the main road bus stops to return to Palma Airport.
These are close by and are stops numbered 434, 435 or 437, this is only to return to Palma airport.
Route 21 has the following stops:
From Palma Airport to S’Arenal
547 – Airport Arrivals
566 – Aeroport (Benzinera)
473 – Camí de Can Pastilla, 110 (Hotel Linda)
474 – Bartomeu Riutort, 16 (Can Pastilla)
475 – Xabec, 2 (Hotel Miraflores)
476 – Manuela de los Herreros (Hotel el Cid)
477 – Manuela de los Herreros (Hotel Java)
384 – Ses Fontanelles (Aquàrium Palma)
479 – Marbella, 10 (Apartaments Les Veles)
480 – Marbella, 22 (Apartaments Pil·larí)
481 – Marbella, 32 (Hotel Cupido)
950 – Marbella, 36
482 – Marbella, 42 (Hotel Acapulco)
483 – Mar Tirrena (Hotel Garonda)
484 – Llaüt (Riu Palace)
485 – Llaüt, 26 (Hotel Playa Golf)
486 – Llaüt, 38 (Mega Park)
487 – Trasimè, 2 (Hotel Hispania)
488 – Trasimè, 24 (Hotel Playa Arenal)
490 – Cartago (Platja)
From S’Arenal to Palma Airport
490 – Cartago (Platja)
891 – Plaça dels Nins
892 – Cra. Militar, 231
313 – Avinguda d’Amèrica (Hotel Géminis)
355 – Avinguda d’Amèrica (Hotel Taurus Park)
423 – Llaüt (Golf Fantasia)
424 – Llaüt (Hotel Neptuno)
448 – Llaüt (Hotel San Francisco)
425 – Llaüt, 21 (Riu Palace)
426 – Mar Tirrena (Hotel Garonda)
427 – Marbella (Hotel Acapulco)
951 – Marbella, 61
428 – Marbella, 51 (Hotel Cupido)
429 – Marbella (Hotel Caballero)
430 – Marbella (Apartaments Les Veles)
366 – Ses Fontanelles (Aquàrium Palma)
432 – Manuela de los Herreros (Hotel Java)
433 – Manuela de los Herreros (Hotel el Cid)
434 – Tramuntana, 9
435 – Octavi August, 60 (Hotel Linda)
437 – Camí de Can Pastilla, 55
546 – Airport – Departures
For more information about route 21, please follow this link
http://www.emtpalma.cat/en/route/-/L/21/s-arenal-aeroport
Contact details EMT
Empresa Municipal de Transports Urban de Palma de Mallorca
Calle Josep Anselm Clavé 5, 07002 Palma
Customer Service Telephone: +34 971 214 444
usuaris@emt.a-palma.es
www.emtpalma.es
Mobile app:
Download the app MobiPalma, available on Apple or Android, to view bus routes across Palma city and surroundings as well as arrival times.
Buses from Palma airport to various destinations across the island (AEROTIB)
A11: Peguera
Aeroport – Costa d’en Blanes – Son Caliu – Palma Nova – Magaluf – Santa Ponça – Costa de la Calma – Peguera
This route has only three buses a day in the winter but runs regularly throughout the summer.
A32: Can Picafort
Aeroport – Inca (Jaume I) – Alcúdia – Port d’Alcúdia – Platja d’Alcúdia – Platja de Muro – Platja de Muro (Càmping) – Can Picafort
This route runs only twice a day during winter but runs regularly throughout the summer.
A42: Cala Bona
Aeroport – Montuïri – Vilafranca – Manacor – Portocristo – s’Illot – sa Coma – Cala Millor –Cala Bona
This route runs regularly in the summer; in the winter there is only one bus a day and no service on Sundays and Public Holidays.
A51: Campos
Aeroport – s’Arenal – Polígon – Son Noguera – Llucmajor – Campos
Runs regularly throughout the summer but only has 2 connections a day in the winter, which need to be booked by telephone under +34 669 773 1 the day before travel.
Timetables and ticket prices
Timetables for the above routes vary throughout the year. The price for your ticket will depend on your destination. To view the current timetables and ticket prices, please follow the link below, then click on “aerotib” and on the route relevant to you. Here you will be able to view ticket prices under „fares and hops“, and timetables under „current times“.
https://www.tib.org/en/web/ctm
Other destinations across the island (TIB)
To use the TIB buses for other destinations across Mallorca, or during the winter season, when the airport buses are less frequent, you will need to get to the main Palma city bus terminal, Plaça d’Espanya. It’s called the Intermodal Station and Mallorca trains are located here too.
To get there from the airport, you will need to take the EMT bus route No.1, which runs on average every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes after 9.30pm.
How to work out which bus to take for your Mallorca destination
The routes are organized into five zones: 100,200,300,400,500. These approximately represent an area of the island, but the routes overlap the zones.
Routes 100 (South West)
Andratx, Peguera, Santa Ponsa, Magaluf, Palma Nova
Routes 200 (West)
Valdemossa , Soller
Routes 300 (North)
Puerto de Pollensa, C’an Picafort, Alcudia, Puerto de Alcudia
Routes 400 (East)
Cala Ratjada, Cala Millor, Porto Cristo, Manacor
Routes 500 (South East)
Cala D’Or, Cala Figuera, Ses Salines, San Jordi, Llucmajor
Routes 800
Special routes for Markets across the island
Tickets and timetables
Once in Palma at the main bus station you will have to purchase a ticket from the bus driver on the bus. Ticket prices will vary, depending on your destination.
You can only use bank notes of €20 or less to pay on the bus. Only if your fare is more than €20 can you pay with a €50 bank note.
To see the individual bus routes, timetables and ticket prices, please follow the link below. Click on “routes” and choose the route most relevant to you. You will then be able to find out ticket prices under “fares and hops” and view the timetable under “current times”.
https://www.tib.org/en/web/ctm
You can also ask for a timetable printout (horario de ruta) for a particular route at the bus station.
Contact details for TIB
Transport de les Illes Balears
Intermodal Station,
Plaça d’Espanya s/n, Palma.
Customer Service Telephone: +34 971 17 77 77
www.tib.org