Mallorca beaches in winter: planning a visit outside summer

Can you swim in Mallorca in October, November or March?

October is usually still swimmable for most people, with the open sea around 22 °C. November cools to about 19 °C. From December to April the sea sits between about 14 and 17 °C, cold enough to cause cold water shock, so winter swims are for people used to cold water.

These figures are long-term satellite averages for the open sea south of the Bay of Palma (NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020): 22.5 °C in October, 19.2 °C in November, 16.5 °C in December, 14.9 °C in January, 14.2 °C in February, 14.4 °C in March, 15.7 °C in April and 18.3 °C in May. The sea is coldest in late winter, not in December. Water at a particular beach can differ by a degree or more, and a single year can run warmer or cooler.

Cold water shock is the main winter risk. The US National Weather Service warns that the sudden gasp and rapid breathing on entering cold water raise the risk of drowning, even for confident swimmers in calm water, and that water of 10 to 15 °C can cause it as severely as near-freezing water. A short swim does not protect you from it. If you are not used to cold water, stay out of the sea in winter.

If you want to swim in Mallorca in November or in spring, the sea temperature matters more than the air. Our swimming score reads it directly: when the forecast water is 15 °C or colder, a swimming score cannot rise above 4 out of 10, however calm the sea is, and water below 20 °C is shown as a limit. The score never changes by month; it follows the forecast for the day.

Air temperature is the other half of comfort. AEMET's long-term normals for Palma airport (1981 to 2010) give average daily highs of 23.9 °C in October, 19.0 °C in November, 16.1 °C in December and 15.2 °C in January, rising to 17.5 °C in March and 23.7 °C in May. Nights at the port of Palma stay several degrees milder than at the airport.

How long are the days in Mallorca in winter?

Short enough to plan around. In Palma the day lasts about 11 hours in mid-October, 10 hours in mid-November and 9 hours 23 minutes in mid-December. Days lengthen again from January and pass 13 hours by mid-April.

Sunrise and sunset in Palma in the middle of each month, for the 2026 to 2027 season: 15 October 07:59 and 19:10, 15 November 07:33 and 17:34, 15 December 08:03 and 17:26, 15 January 08:08 and 17:49, 15 February 07:42 and 18:25, 15 March 07:01 and 18:56, 15 April 07:13 and 20:27. Times are local and come from the US Naval Observatory's sun tables.

Clocks go back on the last Sunday of October and forward on the last Sunday of March, under Spain's summer-time rule. The change moves sunset an hour earlier overnight, so an afternoon at the beach that worked in mid-October ends in the dark a few weeks later. After sunset our scores switch to the next morning's forecast: the card you see in the evening is about tomorrow, not tonight.

Rain is more frequent than in summer but rarely constant. Palma airport averages about six rain days a month from October to December and about five from January to April, with 152 to 166 hours of sunshine a month in December, January and February.

Which beaches in Mallorca are sheltered in winter?

Choose by wind, not by reputation. Cold north and northwest winds are common in winter, so south-facing bays near Palma and deep coves on the south coast are usually calmer, while beaches facing north and northeast take the waves.

Palma's own beach information describes Cala Major as fully protected from the north winds, which are very cold at this time of year, and Cala Estància as sheltered enough to enjoy almost all year. On the south coast, Cala Pi's southern orientation and steep walls make it a classic choice when the tramuntana or the llevant blows.

The opposite applies on the north and northeast coast. Pollença's council notes that the stony shore of Cala Sant Vicenç takes the full force of the cold north wind, and Capdepera's beach records list rip and longshore currents at Cala Agulla, with waves arriving from the north and northeast. These beaches can be calm one winter day and rough the next.

AEMET's guide to Palma airport describes the mestral, a northwest wind, as typical in winter. Wind direction still changes from day to day, so use the forecast for your date: our guide to beaches on windy days lists the sheltered beaches for each wind.

Cala MajorCala EstànciaCala PiCala Sant VicençCala Agulla

See also:Windy days

Are there lifeguards in Mallorca outside summer?

Usually not. The Balearic default lifeguard season runs from 1 May to 30 October, and each council sets its own dates and hours. Outside the published season, assume that no lifeguard is on duty, whatever a beach guide or an old sign suggests.

A 2016 technical instruction from the Balearic government's emergencies department sets the general season from 1 May to 30 October; a shorter season needs a technical report. Some councils go further: Llucmajor announced a 2026 season from 1 May to 31 October, and Palma's rescue plan for Platja de Palma set autumn hours until 31 October 2026.

Calvià runs its beach services on a longer calendar, from 15 March to 30 November, with shorter low-season hours of 11:00 to 16:00 in the second half of March, in April and in November. That calendar covers beach services in general; it does not promise lifeguards at every beach on every day.

Our beach guides mark lifeguards in Mallorca as listed when a council has published a service. A listing never confirms that someone is on duty today, and in winter it usually means the opposite. Swim within your depth, close to shore and with someone watching from the beach.

Cala PiPlaya de PalmaPalmanova

What is open at Mallorca beaches in the off season?

Expect the basics to be missing. Kiosks, sunbeds and many beach toilets are seasonal, and each authorisation sets its own dates. Some summer limits lift instead: parking can be free, and the Formentor road limits on private cars end in autumn.

Spain's coastal regulations allow seasonal beach services for up to four years at a time, but the installations must be taken down at the end of each season. The dates sit in each authorisation: at Cala Mesquida the park plan allows one removable kiosk from 1 May to 31 October, and at Es Trenc the toilets placed along the beach in summer are not provided in winter.

Some things get easier off season. In the Mondragó natural park, the car parks for s'Amarador are run and charged by a contractor in summer, but the park states that parking is free outside the tourist season. On the Formentor peninsula, the traffic authority's 2026 limits on private cars, and the summer bus line 334, ran from 15 May to 18 October; the dates change every year.

In 2026, public buses switched to winter timetables on 1 November, and some beach lines stopped: the 2026 timetable for line 422 to Cala Agulla and Cala Mesquida ended on 31 October. Check the TIB timetable for your date, and bring water and food in case nearby kiosks and restaurants are closed.

Cala MesquidaEs TrencS'AmaradorCala Formentor

Is the sea dangerous in Mallorca in winter?

It can be, mostly on storm days. From October to April, AEMET's yellow coastal warning for Mallorca starts at 3-metre waves or 50 km/h wind, a higher bar than in summer. On warning days, stay away from jetties, breakwaters and rocks where waves break.

The Balearic government's emergency advice is direct: a heavy sea can knock you over and drag you in, so do not go near stretches of coast hit by strong waves, or onto jetties, breakwaters and promenades where they break. If someone falls in, call 112 and keep your eyes on the spot.

Storms also change beaches between visits. After the October 2025 storms, Manacor's council reported that the sea had torn away the beach walkway at Porto Cristo. At Platja de Palma, winter storms leave banks of dead Posidonia seagrass at some points of the beach.

Routes to the coast carry their own winter risks. The Torrent de Pareis gorge above Sa Calobra is an extremely difficult route at any time, and its official leaflet warns that in winter its pools make it very dangerous and require technical equipment.

Porto CristoPlaya de PalmaSa Calobra

How do you plan a beach day in Mallorca outside summer?

Check the forecast on the day, choose a beach sheltered from that day's wind and plan around daylight. Bring warm layers, water and food. Unless you are used to cold water, do not swim in winter; lifeguards are usually off duty.

Use the live scores on this site the same morning. They read the forecast wind, waves, water and air temperature for every beach, so on a cold day low swimming scores are expected. A family visit score falls too when the water is too cold for children to go in.

Mallorca in winter is still a good reason to visit the coast without swimming: for a walk on the sand, a picnic or the light. This guide does not rate walking routes or paths, which can change after storms. Check the conditions on the spot and turn back if waves are breaking over the shore.

Travelling with children? Our family beaches guide lists shallow entries and facilities. Outside summer, check which of those facilities run in your month before you set off.

See also:Family beaches