Where to sail in the Balearic Islands

The Balearic Islands have more than their fair share of attractive and varied landscapes.

These range from the steep and dramatic cliffs around Cap Formentor and Cap de Pera in the north-east to the low sandy beaches of the south coasts, with a enormous variety of beautiful inlets, calas and anchorages in-between.

It would be impossible to visit them all in a month, even if you focused on only the most attractive or most deserted. These pages will hopefully guide you towards some of the most attractive harbours, towns, anchorages and marinas in Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and throughout the Balearics.

Recommended reading

Pilot book

Most charter yachts will have a copy of a pilot book on board. These give a less formal guide to harbours and marinas than a chart, and are absolutely invaluable to any crusing sailer. If you intend to sail in the Balearics regularly, or wish to undertake some preparatory research or itinerary planning, I recommend the Islas Baleares by the RCC Pilotage Foundation. It is clear, full of pictures and information and makes choosing an anchorage or harbour extremely easy.

General tourist guides

There are a wealth of guides to Mallorca and the Balearics available. I recommend Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza (Eyewitness Travel Guides), but others are available from the The Rough Guide to Mallorca and Menorca (Rough Guide Travel Guides) and "Time Out" Mallorca and Menorca (Time Out Mallorca & Menorca)

Articles

Practical Boat Owner offers serveral articles on Mallorca and the Balearics, which can be purchased through their back issue service here.

Tourist websites

www.majorca-mallorca.co.uk provides practical first hand objective advice on a wealth of topics for anyone wishing to visit Majorca.