Car Hire Palma Airport: Picking Up and Driving in Palma

For a short city break, probably not every day. The headline sights in Palma sit almost on top of one another: Palma Cathedral, the Royal Palace of La Almudaina, the Basilica of St. Michael, the Museu Fundació Juan March and the Museu de Mallorca are all in the old centre, and Es Baluard is barely half a mile away. That part of the trip is best done on foot.

A car becomes useful once you look beyond the old town. Bellver Castle and Portopí Lighthouse are around 2 miles out, the Fundació Miró Mallorca and the Palace of Marivent about 2.5 miles, and Marratxí roughly 6 miles inland. Car hire in Palma also opens up the rest of the island, including the ferry port at Alcúdia, some 27 miles away. Many travellers book a car for just part of their stay and spend the city days without one.

The obvious choice is car hire at Palma airport, Mallorca's main gateway and the one with direct flights from the UK. Picking up as you land saves a separate transfer, and with Palma and Marratxí both about seven minutes away by road, the first drive is short and gentle.

If you only want a car for a day or two in the middle of your stay, look at car rental in Palma itself rather than paying for days the car would sit unused. Those arriving by sea will find Palma's ferry port about a mile from the city. Our comparison lists the car hire companies at Palma airport and in the city side by side, so you can weigh up pick-up location as well as price.

Distances around Palma are short. Most of the sights worth driving to, from the Poble Espanyol de Palma and the bullring at just over a mile to Bellver Castle and the Palace of Marivent at 2 to 2.5 miles, are a few minutes in the car. Across the island, Alcúdia is about 27 miles from the city, an easy morning's drive.

The weather is worth planning around. July and August reach around 32°C, so air conditioning matters and early starts help. September to November is the wettest stretch, with nine or ten rain days a month and September the rainiest month at 68mm, so allow a little extra time on wet roads. Winter is mild, with highs of 15°C to 17°C.

When you compare car hire for Majorca at Palma airport, look past the headline rate. A full-to-full fuel policy, where you collect and return the car with a full tank, is usually the fairest arrangement. Check the excess on the standard insurance and decide before you travel whether you want cover to reduce it, rather than deciding at the desk.

Families should reserve child seats at the time of booking and confirm the ages they suit. Demand rises with the school holidays and the hot summer months, so booking early for those dates gives you more choice. The live comparison on this page shows car rental at Palma airport from several providers, and you can check hotel prices, tours and package holidays here too.