Why May and June Are the Best Time to Visit Mallorca
There's a window every year when Mallorca quietly becomes the best version of itself. The sea has warmed up. The coves haven't filled with deck chairs yet. The Tramuntana road hasn't been handed over to the summer car restrictions. And the temperature sits in that perfect band where you can hike a gorge in the morning and swim by lunch without melting.
That window is May and June — late spring, the front edge of the season. Commit to it and you'll wonder why anyone bothers with August.
Why this season wins
The island's official best-time-to-visit advice is unambiguous: May, June and September for warm seas and fewer crowds. July and August are peak — and "peak" on Mallorca means Palma airport ranks among the busiest in all of Europe, beach parking fills by 9am, and the headline mountain roads close to cars during the day.
Late spring sidesteps all of it. Cap de Formentor and the coiled road to Sa Calobra restrict cars in the peak months — but in May and early June you can often still drive them yourself, early in the day, without a shuttle bus or a boat workaround. The same coves that swallow a thousand sunbathers in August give you space to spread out a towel.
And the island is green. Spring rain has done its work, the terraces are lush, and the wildflowers are out across the interior before the summer sun scorches everything dry.
The weather
Mallorca runs on a classic Mediterranean climate: hot dry summers of 26–31°C (79–88°F), mild winters of 10–16°C (50–61°F) — much like mainland Barcelona a short hop across the water. May and June sit in the sweet spot between.
Expect daytime highs climbing from the low 20s°C in May into the mid-to-high 20s°C (low 80s°F) by late June. Evenings stay mild enough for a light layer. Rain is rare and brief by this point. The sea, which lags the air temperature, is genuinely swimmable from late May and warm by June — no gasping-shock entry required.
What you get, in short: long bright days, comfortable hiking weather, and water you'll actually want to get into.
Events and festivals
Late spring catches Mallorca in full local-life mode before the tourist machine takes over.
The Festa de l'Àngel in Palma falls in spring, with locals heading up to the Castell de Bellver grounds for picnics and music. Towns across the island run their fires i festes — patron-saint fairs with processions, street markets, and food stalls — through May and June. In Pollença and Sóller especially, the calendar of village festivals is busy, and you're far more likely to land in the middle of a real one than during the high-summer tourist programming.
It's also prime season for the island's weekly markets, running at full strength without August's crush: the leather market in Inca on Thursdays, the markets in Alcúdia on Tuesdays and Sundays, and Palma's everyday Mercat de l'Olivar.
What to pack
Pack for two climates in one day — warm sun, cooler mountain evenings.
Layers. T-shirts and shorts for the day, plus a light jacket or jumper for evenings and the breezy Tramuntana viewpoints.
Proper swimwear and a quick-dry towel. You'll swim more than you expect.
Walking shoes with grip. The cove approaches (Cala Deià, the path at Sa Calobra) are rocky, and Pollença's 365 Calvari steps are no joke.
Sun protection, even now. Strong sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses. Es Trenc and the exposed coves offer almost no natural shade.
A reusable water bottle. Tap water is fine to refill in most of the island.
Light rain layer. Spring showers are infrequent but possible — pack one and you'll probably never use it.
What to eat in late spring
This is the season when island produce starts hitting its stride. Lean into it.
Start with the obvious: the weekday menú del día, a three-course lunch with bread and a drink for €13–18 (about $14–20) in the back streets rather than the tourist strips. Spring menus lean on fresh vegetables and just-landed fish.
Try tumbet — Mallorca's layered dish of fried potato, aubergine, pepper and tomato — at its best when the vegetables are spring-fresh. Order arròs brut, the island's soupy "dirty rice," and sobrassada, the soft cured paprika sausage that turns up on everything. For breakfast or an afternoon stop, an ensaïmada (the coiled, sugar-dusted pastry) from a spot like Forn des Teatre in Palma, or a coca de patata in Valldemossa.
And pour yourself a glass of local wine. Drive 30 minutes into the central plain to Binissalem, heart of the island's DO wine region, and taste the Manto Negro reds at a bodega like José L. Ferrer (book ahead; tastings run €15–25 / about $16–27). Spring is a relaxed, uncrowded time to do it.
Crowd levels
Here's the honest comparison, and it's the whole argument for this season.
Period
Crowds
Sea temp
Road access
Prices
May–June
Light to moderate
Warm by June
Mostly open, drive yourself
Lower than peak
July–August
Heavy, peak
Warmest
Cars restricted on top roads
Highest
September
Moderate
Still warm
Easing back open
Dropping
In May and June you'll find beach parking, walk into many restaurants without a reservation, and have viewpoints to yourself that would be three-deep with selfie sticks in August. Accommodation costs less, and the island simply moves at a calmer pace.
The one trade-off: a handful of beach chiringuitos and seasonal services may not be fully running until June. It's a small price for everything you gain.
A sample late-spring itinerary
Four days that make the most of the season — warm enough to swim, cool enough to drive and hike, quiet enough to enjoy.
Day 1 — Palma at ease. Settle into the Old Town near La Llotja. Stroll the marble Passeig del Born and the patio lanes, grab an ensaïmada, and have a sunset vermouth on Plaça de la Reina with La Seu floodlit overhead. Tapas dinner in La Llotja (plates €4–9 / about $4–10).
Day 2 — Cathedral and castle. Visit Palma Cathedral mid-morning for the rose-window light (€10 / about $11). Menú del día in the back streets. Up to Bellver Castle (about €4 / $4.50) for late-afternoon views over the bay, then dinner in Santa Catalina.
Day 3 — The mountain train. Take the 1912 Sóller train from Plaça d'Espanya (combined return ~€32 / about $35), sit on the left, then the heritage tram down to the port for a seafood lunch and a swim in the sheltered bay. Spring sea, spring crowds — both gentle.
Day 4 — Tramuntana drive. With a rental car, loop through Valldemossa (Carthusian Monastery, ~€10), down to Deià, and a swim at Cala Deià — easy to park before the summer scrum. Catch sunset at Mirador de Sa Foradada on the way back — a coastline that holds its own against Italy's Amalfi Coast. In late spring, you can still drive the Formentor road early in the morning if you'd rather chase the northern cliffs instead.
Go now, before the island fills up. Warm water, open roads, green hills, and coves with room to breathe — May and June hand you Mallorca at its very best.
