Mallorca Hop-On Hop-Off Buses

Mallorca is a very diverse tourist destination, which offers you beach entertainment, fun in the best Mediterranean countryside style and above all many stories both in its capital and in the rest of the island's towns and villages. Therefore, the best things to do in Mallorca are those that know how to combine all these tourist attractions and the buses that travel around the most interesting places on the island fall into this category.

I invite you to familiarise yourself with everything that has to do with these tourist buses in Mallorca so that you understand how you can take advantage of them on your trip to get from one place to another in an economical, safe and very entertaining way. Remember that the success of a trip lies in the possibility of enjoying every moment of it and a bus like this is something that offers you entertainment in those moments that are normally boring and transitory in your tourist planning.

As you can imagine, there are many tourist buses in Mallorca and many of them operate openly to the public, while others are booked in advance through hotels or websites. The truth is that the best of all are those that operate on a hop-on, hop-off system that allows you to see the island's attractions on your own terms. That's knowing that another bus from the company will pick you up on site when you finish your tour.

In the particular case of these buses you should know that they follow a very similar route to the best tours of Mallorca, with approximately 18 stops at the most iconic spots in Palma, the island's capital. When I talk about stops and stops, it has to do with the fact that it is a fleet of vehicles that you are entitled to use by paying a daily pass. So you can take advantage of this transport system throughout the day, usually from 7 am to 6 pm.

There are 24 and 48 hour tickets, but the usual 20 euro ticket that works for a whole day is more than enough. Bear in mind that they are labelled as tourist buses because there are audio guides on board who tell you about the history of interesting places on the island, such as the Paseo Marítimo of Palma de Mallorca or Bellver Castle. These are must-see spots in the city if you have a seven-day trip to Mallorca before heading to the northern towns of the island.

Positive aspects of this type of tourist experience are that the audio guides clearly have an option in Spanish and almost always offer you a free cancellation of your purchase if you do so well in advance. There is also the fact that children under the age of 8 ride free of charge. In addition, during busy tourist seasons, the number of buses is doubled so that you don't have to wait more than 20 minutes at each stop for the next bus.

This type of tourist buses in Mallorca that I have been talking about usually have two routes. Actually, most of the year they only offer one route and this consists of a route that goes through the Plaça del Mercat and also through the Bellver Castle, with stops at the Cathedral of Mallorca and also in the Plaza de Toros de Palma de Mallorca. It is a route that focuses primarily on the iconic corners of the city and that is valid for those who want to see them all in a single day.

The other route that is usually only added during the summer to offer a variation to the tourist demand is a much shorter one, but which at the same time connects with other truly inaccessible places on the island if you only go through the historic centre of Palma de Mallorca. This route aims to connect users of the other route from the Bellver Castle stop with a journey that also takes them to Cala Major. This is a coastal district of Palma that is characterised by its beautiful views of the bay.

Bear in mind that the large number of stops on both routes, which can amount to up to 25 if both are combined, makes this trip a very complete way of getting to know Palma de Mallorca and its tourist attractions. Even if there is only the 18-stop route during the low tourist season, it is still one of the best things to do in Mallorca during the winter or autumn.

One thing to note is that these routes are very urban tours that focus on the architectural essence of Palma. It is therefore preferable to opt for one of these cycling tours around Mallorca if you are interested in a more natural route that takes you to the suburbs of Genoa or to the Bendinant Castle area and the nooks and crannies of Palmanova Beach.

As you can imagine, there are several advantages associated with a trip on Mallorca's tourist buses. All of them I will tell you about to be able to assure you that this type of tour is worth it if you are looking for one of the 10 best things to do in Mallorca. Whether during a short, medium or long visit. The first has to do with logistical practicality, as many of the sites on this route are relatively far apart.

This means that you will have to use a vehicle to get to them, but in a tourist bus you only have to pay a small fee for the whole day's sightseeing without even knowing what it's like to take a driving wheel. Comfort also goes hand in hand with this point, as these are first class buses in which you are guaranteed internal air-conditioning. This is to escape the extreme summer heat, as well as comfortable seats that allow you to rest between each stop on the route.

The savings factor is another great advantage, as a fare of approximately 20 euros for adults will never come close to what you would pay for several taxis to take you to half of the places you could visit on a tourist route with these characteristics. In fact, if you want to, you can pay for a 48-hour ticket. This allows you to make the itinerary in a more leisurely way and so you can dedicate the whole afternoon of one of the two days to these activities or one-day excursions in Mallorca with children.

Also, something that you cannot forget is the audio guide on the bus, as this resource can help you to quickly and easily understand the importance of the sites that you get to know on the route. This is clearly not the case when you are in an expensive private car, let alone a taxi.

The duration of these tours is rather subjective, as it all depends on how long you want to stay on the bus. For example, driving the route that includes 18 or 19 stops usually takes about an hour and a half or even 2 hours depending on the traffic and the time of day you are on the bus. That means you can easily spend that time on the bus and you will have used it to its full extent.

On the other hand, the main feature of these buses is the fact that you can get off at all the stops to get to know the area or the nearest specific attraction and then get back on whenever you feel like it. So you can easily spend 3 or 4 hours on the bus if you add up how long it takes you between stops and the section of the route that you will repeat to get back to the place closest to your accommodation.

Bear in mind that the timetables of these Mallorca Hop on Hop off buses are another of the great distinguishing features of the experience. In summer, they usually start to travel the streets in the early hours of the morning and extend their service until around 6 or 7 in the evening.

So by paying an admission ticket, you'll have access to a private transport system that can take you to all your day's activities from when the day starts to when it's almost over. Actually, there are also possibilities for night routes in the summer, but it all depends on the number of tourists.

The route used by this type of tourist bus is restricted exclusively to the built-up area of Palma de Mallorca and its main tourist and historical attractions. This means that you could get off at iconic sites such as the Cathedral of Mallorca, the Bellver Castle which is characterised by its peculiar circular structure and the Paseo Marítimo which offers you the best views of the Bay of Palma de Mallorca and also of its port and private marinas for luxury yachts.

The Royal Palace of the Almudania, the ramblas and the Plaza Major are other corners that are included in this type of route. If you wish, you can finish your tour at the stops closest to the city's coastline, such as those along the seafront promenade or in Cala Major. This is due to the fact that they will leave you just a couple of steps away from the docks from where the best boat rides in Mallorca depart. Which can be your activity to say goodbye to your day enjoying a beautiful sunset.

Keep in mind that Palma de Mallorca is one of the most beautiful cities in the Spanish Mediterranean and specifically is the most historically important in the whole archipelago of the Balearic Islands. So touring this city in all its splendour before setting off on a trip to the coves or more rural villages of the island is an excellent idea and one that I highly recommend with great enthusiasm and confidence.

The average price for a day ticket on these Mallorca sightseeing buses is usually around 20 Euros per person. That's a more than adequate rate, as other equally touristy cities often have similar routes for double this number. In reality, the cost of renting a private car for a single day would be nowhere near this figure during the high season either, and that's if you don't count the cost of having to fill up the fuel tank.

This financial saving is favourable, as the fact that children under the age of 8 can enjoy the tour completely free allows you to use those funds for other fun things that can be done at another time. In fact, you can use that money on the same day for those activities to see or do in Mallorca in the evening. These range from dinner in a restaurant to partying in the bars and clubs of the capital.

It is also worth noting that the price of a two-day ticket has a minimal variation, costing around 24 to 25 euros. This means that it is worth the investment of spending a couple of euros more and you will have much more time to enjoy this transport system without having to worry about speeding up your visit to the tourist attractions along the route.

I've told you about the reference timetables for these buses during most of the year, as the most common is that they start to circulate through the streets at about 7 am and stop their routes at 6 or 7 pm. However, with the influx of tourists during the summer and other seasons such as Christmas, these trips can be extended until 8 pm.

One thing you have to keep in mind is that it makes no difference what time you decide to use these buses, as the fare you pay is fixed and unalterable. That means that by giving your 20 or 25 euros approximately for your ticket you could ride as many times as you want between that time slot.

So if you feel like doing another activity in the middle of your day such as Segway tours in Mallorca you can still continue to count on this service until the buses close their doors at the end of the drivers' working day.

The operation of these buses is quite simple to understand and is actually a formula that has proved successful in all major tourist destinations on the planet. Basically, it is a fleet of 10 to 15 buses that go out simultaneously to the streets of the city so that users who pay their daily fare always have a vehicle at their disposal when they are at some of the stops along the route.

When you get on the bus you will have an audio guide that will tell you all the important details about the area you are passing through and about the monuments you will see at each of the stops. At busy times it is also possible that an English and Spanish-speaking guide may be included in the vehicle in order to favour the interests of users and to make the service stand out from other similar alternatives.

When you get off at one of the stops you have the option of immediately boarding the next bus that arrives at that point on the route. This service actually has an app that allows you to track the frequency and distance of these vehicles so you know exactly how long you have to wait at each of these stops.

The seats are comfortable, the bus is modern and also has internal air conditioning that can protect you from the unfavourable weather conditions that can be felt on the sunniest days of the Mediterranean summer. It is a disabled access vehicle and there is also a section where you can leave pushchairs if you wish.