Living with a boat: Mallorca’s marinas and yacht clubs

Who runs the harbours

Before looking at individual marinas, it helps to know who is in charge. The port of Palma, like Alcúdia’s commercial port, is a state port run by the Autoritat Portuària de Balears. Most of the island’s other harbours belong to the Balearic government and are managed by its ports agency, Ports IB, either directly or through concessions to yacht clubs and private operators.

The sea, the seashore and port land are public property in Spain, so a berth is never something you own outright. In the harbours Ports IB runs directly, a base berth is held under a personal permit of up to four years that cannot be sold on. In marinas run under a concession, what changes hands is a right to use a berth. Under the Balearic ports law that right can never outlast the concession itself, and a transfer must be notified to Ports IB with a copy of the contract so it can be registered. Before paying for a berth right, ask how many years the concession has left, what the yearly charges cover and what the operator’s own rules say about transfers.

Palma: the city clubs

Palma’s waterfront holds the island’s best-known clubs. The Real Club Náutico de Palma, formed in 1948, sits on the seafront just below the old town and has more than 900 berths. It organised the first Copa del Rey regatta in 1982 and is one of the hosts of the Princesa Sofía Trophy for Olympic classes. Further west, Club de Mar, at the foot of El Terreno, takes yachts of all sizes and reopened in spring 2026 after a large rebuild.

Smaller options line the bay. To the west, the Calanova marina at Portopí and Sant Agustí began as a national sailing school in the 1970s and still runs courses. To the east, Portixol, in Portixol and El Molinar, is a small harbour for local boats within the state port, followed by small clubs at Cala Gamba, Can Pastilla and s’Arenal.

The southwest: from Puerto Portals to Port d’Andratx

West of Palma, Puerto Portals opened in 1986 below Portals Nous and has around 700 berths for boats of up to 60 metres, with restaurants and shops on the quay and winter regattas. Port Adriano, below El Toro, was designed by Philippe Starck and has 487 berths for boats of 6 to 80 metres. Santa Ponsa has its own Club Náutico.

At the western tip, the natural harbour of Port d’Andratx is run by Ports IB, with fishing boats, public moorings and the Club de Vela Port d’Andratx sharing the water. Boat owners who also want the airport within easy reach tend to look along this Southwest coast first, and it is where berths are most in demand.

The north, east and west

In the north, Port de Pollença has a large harbour where Ports IB manages around 600 berths directly, including berths for visiting boats, alongside the Reial Club Nàutic. Across the headland, Port d’Alcúdia has the Alcudiamar marina, with more than 700 berths and a boatyard, and the Marina de Bonaire sits between Mal Pas and Bonaire.

Down the east coast, Ports IB runs small harbours at Cala Bona, Porto Cristo, Portocolom and Cala Figuera, and Cala d’Or has a sheltered marina of more than 500 berths in its longest inlet. On the north-west coast, the harbour of Port de Sóller is also run by Ports IB and shared by fishing boats and leisure craft.

Berths, waiting lists and the house

• Ports IB keeps waiting lists for base berths in the harbours it runs directly, and publishes them online, port by port. In popular ports the wait can be long.
• Yacht clubs often tie berths to membership. Ask early about joining, the club’s rules and any waiting list of its own.
• Visitor berths are for short stays and fill up in summer, so they are no substitute for a base berth.
• In a marina run under a concession, a berth right bought from another owner has to be notified to Ports IB and registered, and it ends when the concession does. Permits for berths in harbours Ports IB runs directly cannot be sold on.
• A house near a marina does not come with a berth. If a boat matters, settle the berth question before you sign for the property.

Through the year

July and August are the busy months on the water, with charter boats, visiting yachts and crowded anchorages. Out of season the marinas stay open, the clubs keep sailing and Puerto Portals runs a winter regatta programme. If you will be away for long spells, ask what the marina offers for keeping an eye on the boat, and where it can be lifted out for maintenance. Our guide to moving to Mallorca covers the wider practicalities of life here.

Areas in this post

Portals Nous & Puerto Portals · Port d’Andratx · Palma · Port de Pollença · El Toro & Port Adriano · Port d’Alcúdia