Spain's Balearic Islands: Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca holidays

The Balearic Islands of Spain are four islands rather than one destination, and each has its own character. Mallorca carries most of the demand and most of the resorts, from Calvià's coast near Palma to the long northern bays around Alcúdia and Can Picafort. Ibiza and Menorca draw similar numbers of British visitors to each other, and Formentera is the small, little-searched outlier.

Beyond the beaches there is more history than many first-timers expect. Near Alcúdia lie the Roman remains of Pollentia, Can Picafort has the Son Real necropolis and the Dolmen de Son Bauló de Dalt, and Menorca around Maó has archaeological sites such as Sa Cudia Cremada and Cornia Nou. At the far northern tip of Mallorca, the Far de Formentor lighthouse is reached from Port de Pollença.

On Mallorca, the south-west cluster of Magaluf, Santa Ponsa and the wider Calvià municipality is closest to Palma airport, which makes it the easy choice for a short break. The north offers Alcúdia, with its old town of l'Alcúdia, plus Port de Pollença and the inland town of Pollença; Can Picafort lies along the same coast. On the east side, Cala Millor sits beside the protected headland of Punta de n'Amer, and Porto Cristo is the base for the caves.

Ibiza gives you two distinct bases. Sant Antoni de Portmany, on the west coast, puts Cala Salada and Cala Bassa within reach, while Santa Eulària des Riu, the island's most populous town in our list, is close to Cala Llonga, Cala Pada and Platja des Niu Blau.

Menorca revolves around Maó, a working port town with the most points of interest of any resort here. It suits travellers who want a town to wander as well as a beach, and it is barely out of the airport before you arrive.

May and June are the best months, based on the Palma weather record. May reaches around 24°C by day with 7 rain days, and June climbs to 29°C with only 5. July and August are the hottest and driest, both peaking at 32°C, with July seeing just 7mm of rain over 2 days.

September stays warm at 28°C but is the wettest month, with 68mm across 10 days, and October and November also bring 9 rain days each. Winter is mild rather than beachy, with highs of 15°C to 17°C from December to February, which suits walking and sightseeing more than sunbathing. Expect the school summer holidays to be the busiest and most expensive time to travel.

Each of the three main islands has its own airport with direct flights from the UK. Palma de Mallorca (PMI) is 16 minutes by road from Magaluf, 18 minutes from Calvià and 20 minutes from Santa Ponsa, while Can Picafort on the northern coast is about 38 minutes away.

Ibiza airport (IBZ) is 12 minutes from Sant Antoni de Portmany and 16 minutes from Santa Eulària des Riu. Menorca airport (MAH) is just 4 minutes from Maó. Ferry ports at Palma and Ibiza connect the islands, and Dénia is listed among the ports serving the islands from the mainland.

Most British travellers book the islands as a package: flight, hotel and airport transfer together, usually with a choice of board basis from room only to all inclusive. With transfers this short, a package takes much of the effort out of arrival. You can compare package deals from Jet2holidays, TUI, loveholidays and On the Beach on this page, and check hotel prices directly if you prefer to arrange flights yourself.

Tours and tickets are available across twelve of the resorts here, from cave visits near Porto Cristo to excursions around the islands, and you can compare car hire too, which is useful for reaching Far de Formentor or the archaeological sites around Alcúdia and Can Picafort.