The Magaluf Coast You Can Only See by Boat — Hidden Coves, Caves & Palma Nova

There's a side of Mallorca you can only see from the water. We walked out onto a small pier on Magaluf beach, boarded a glass-bottom boat, and spent two hours along the coast toward Palma Nova and beyond — hidden coves, towering cliffs, a cave with a real secret, and water that doesn't look real until you're swimming in it. Here's what the trip actually involves, and how to book it yourself.

Where It Starts

These glass-bottom and coastal boat trips depart from small piers directly on Magaluf beach, with some operators also picking up passengers at Palma Nova a little further along the coast. You'll usually see ticket stands right on the way to the beach — walk-up booking is easy, but buying online in advance locks in a spot and, on the busiest days in July and August, can save you from a sold-out trip.

The Boat

The boats used on this route are glass-bottom catamarans — a double hull, with small underwater viewing cabins below deck on each side. Sit down there while the boat is moving, and the sea rushes past the windows in a glowing blue; don't expect guaranteed fish sightings, but the colour and the sandy seabed sliding beneath you are worth it on their own. Upstairs, there's an open top deck with seating and usually a small bar. If your family isn't sure about spending a full day at sea, the shorter 2-hour trips are the easiest way in — enough to feel like a real adventure without giving up the whole day.

Along the Coast

From Magaluf, the boat cruises up toward Palma, often stopping at Palma Nova to pick up more passengers before continuing. As you approach Palma, keep an eye inland — on a clear day you can spot Bellver Castle on its hill above the city, looking tiny from the water. Depending on the route, boats also pass the Cala Figuera lighthouse (built in 1847, standing on a headland that's now a protected natural area with old watchtowers and cliffside pines), along with a steady procession of yachts, small islets, and coves you could never reach by road.

The Cove & the Cave With a Secret

Most of these trips include a swim stop in a turquoise cove — commonly around the Portals Vells area, known for its marine-reserve-clear water. Boats typically drop a slide off the side and let passengers jump straight in. Nearby, boats often cruise close to caves cut into the pale, golden-beige cliffside. That stone is called marés — a soft sandstone quarried from this exact coastline centuries ago and used to help build the Cathedral of Palma. One of the caves in the area even holds a small chapel carved into the rock. It's an easy detail to float straight past without knowing — the same stone from these quiet coves helped build the cathedral that still watches over the whole city.

Walking Palma Nova

If you have time on land, the seafront promenade connecting Palma Nova and Magaluf is worth the walk on its own — turquoise water, small rocky coves between the beaches, pine trees leaning out over the sea, and yachts resting in the bay. It's the calmer, quieter side of this coast, better suited to slow mornings than nightlife, and walkable in either direction between the two towns.

Magaluf After Dark

Back on land, the coast changes completely once the sun goes down. Magaluf's strip lights up with bars, clubs and music, and the town's giant slingshot ride — visible from much of the resort — fires riders straight up into the night sky. It's a young, loud, energetic scene, a world away from the quiet coves earlier in the day, but it's very much part of what this stretch of coast actually feels like after dark.

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