Written by our Mallorca transfers desk in Palma · Fares and port information last checked 14 September 2026
Palma Airport to Palma Cruise Port taxi and transfers
It is about 12 km from the terminal to the Estació Marítima, and the drive takes 20 to 25 minutes. On the meter you will pay roughly €30 to €42 depending on the tariff band and which quay you need. Our fixed price is €34 for the car, to any terminal. The thing that actually decides whether this journey goes smoothly is not the fare — it is whether your driver knows your Estació Marítima number before setting off.
Airport to the quays
Drive time
Fixed, per car
Price agreed before you fly
Free cancellation up to 24 hours
timeline From wheels-down to the gangway
Door-to-door totals for a Saturday turnaround in high season, Moll de Ponent berth.
A1 bus, change in the city
1h 15m
Two buses, with cruise luggage
Rank taxi, turnaround day
55m
A 30-minute queue for a 25-minute drive
Pre-booked private car
25m
Straight to your terminal door
On most of our routes, time saved is a convenience. Here it is the buffer between you and a ship that sails without you. That is the only reason this page is different from the others.
How much is a taxi from Palma Airport to the cruise port?
Roughly €30 to €42 on the meter, against €34 fixed with us. Mallorca has run a single island-wide reference tariff since May 2025: journeys from the airport start at a minimum fare of €16.95, which includes the €4.65 airport or port supplement and the first seven kilometres, then run at €1.20 a kilometre on weekdays between 07:00 and 21:00 and €1.35 at night, at weekends and on public holidays. Note that the supplement is charged once, not twice — you will see it claimed elsewhere that this route collects both an airport and a port surcharge, and it does not. The full breakdown is on our Palma Airport taxi guide.
| Your journey | Tariff band | On the meter | Our fixed price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekday midday, Moll de Ponent | Weekday daytime | €30–34 | €34 |
| Saturday turnaround, city traffic | Weekend | €35–40 | €34 |
| Dique del Oeste berth, peak season | Weekend / night | €38–46 | €34 |
Guide figures calculated from the Balearic reference tariff and checked September 2026. Stationary time is billed on top at roughly €19–21 an hour, which is what the Porto Pi approach adds on a busy turnaround morning.
thumb_up Where the rank matches us
A quiet weekday, a Ponent berth, no delay. The meter reads about €31 against our €34 and the rank is the cheaper walk-out option. We would rather say so than pretend three euros is a saving. What you are giving up is knowing, before you fly, that a car is waiting — which on the one journey of your trip that has a hard deadline is worth more than three euros to most people.
lock What the €34 actually buys
One price whichever quay your ship ends up on. A Dique del Oeste assignment adds real distance and a real fare on the meter, and you often do not learn about it until your boarding documents arrive. The fixed price absorbs that, along with the weekend band, the night band and a three-hour flight delay.
Which Estació Marítima do you need?
Palma's passenger terminals are numbered Estació Marítima 1 upwards, and they are not all in the same place. The main cluster sits on the Moll de Ponent and Paraires quays; the Dique del Oeste berths are out on the western sea wall, past Porto Pi and the Castell de Sant Carles. The gap between the two is not a walk you would attempt with cruise luggage.
Moll de Ponent & Paraires
Estació Marítima 1 to 4
The main terminal cluster and where most cruise ships berth, linked by covered walkways. Number 2 is the principal building — the one with a white rooftop sign — and has cafés, a cash machine, toilets, a taxi rank and the bus stop directly outside.
Avinguda de Gabriel Roca, via Porto Pi
Dique del Oeste
The western sea wall berths
Used by the largest ships and whenever the Ponent berths are full. It is a genuinely separate location on its own access road, beside the commercial and industrial zone — further from the city, further from the other terminals, and not somewhere to arrive at by mistake.
Carrer Dic de l'Oest — allow 10 minutes more
Only your documents know
Terminal assignment is not fixed by cruise line. It shifts with ship size, berth availability, ferry movements and how many vessels are in that day, and it can differ between two sailings of the same ship. Any page telling you "your line always uses Terminal 3" is guessing.
Take the number from your boarding documents
Give us the Estació Marítima number at booking. It is one field on the form and it removes the entire problem. A driver told only "the cruise port" will head for the Ponent cluster, and if your ship is on the Dique del Oeste that is a mistake you cannot fix on foot. If your documents have not arrived yet, book anyway and send the number when you have it.
How much time to allow before boarding
Work backwards from the all-aboard time on your ticket, not the departure time. All-aboard is typically 60 to 90 minutes before the ship sails and it is the deadline that actually matters. Then subtract the drive, the walk into the terminal, check-in and security, and whatever the airport decides to do to you that day.
| When you are sailing | At the terminal by | Land by |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday, shoulder season | 13:30 | 12:00 |
| Weekend, shoulder season | 13:00 | 11:30 |
| Peak summer turnaround | 12:30 | 10:30 |
| Dique del Oeste berth, peak | 12:30 | 10:00 |
Based on a 16:30 all-aboard. Adjust proportionally for your own ticket, and add time if you are arriving on a non-EU passport — biometric border checks have lengthened arrival processing, which our EES guide covers.
Fly in the day before if you possibly can. Those buffers look generous until you price the alternative. A missed hotel connection costs you a night; a missed sailing costs you the cruise, and travel insurance rarely treats a late inbound flight as the cruise line's problem. This is the one route on our network where we would rather you booked an earlier flight than a faster taxi.
Why turnaround days are unpredictable
Palma limits cruise traffic by agreement rather than by law. A memorandum between the Balearic government, Palma city council and the cruise industry caps the port at three cruise ships at a time, only one of which may carry more than 5,000 lower berths, with a further reduction in daily passenger numbers phased in from 2027. More than two dozen lines have now signed up to it.
The practical point for you is that it is voluntary and it is about the big ships. Smaller expedition and luxury vessels sit awkwardly within it — in August 2026 six ships were in port on the same day, most of them small — so a quiet-looking calendar can still produce a heavy morning at the quays and a long line at the airport rank. Plan for the busy version of your sailing day rather than the average one.
Is there a bus from Palma Airport to the cruise port?
Not directly, though the two halves both exist and both are cheap. The EMT A1 airport line runs into the city, and the EMT line 1 runs out along the waterfront to the port, stopping opposite the Estació Marítima 2 exit and continuing to the Dique del Oeste. So it is airport bus, change in central Palma, port bus — typically getting off the A1 around Passeig Mallorca or Plaça d'Espanya and picking up line 1 from there.
Leg one: airport into Palma
EMT city service, every 15 minutes or so
From the stops facing the terminal on Level 0 into the centre, around €5 for a single bought on board. Get off in the Passeig Mallorca or Plaça d'Espanya area depending on where you want to pick up the connection.
Leg two: city out to the quays
Roughly every 15 minutes
The waterfront line that serves both port areas: it stops opposite the Estació Marítima 2 building and runs on towards the Dique del Oeste near the Castell de Sant Carles. It is the bus most day-visiting passengers use to get into town and back.
Four reasons it works less well than it reads
- luggage Cruise luggage is not cabin luggage. These are city buses with limited space, and you are loading and unloading it twice, in the street, in the middle of Palma.
- schedule Two separate timetables mean two waits, and the total swallows most of an hour on a journey that drives in twenty-five minutes. On sailing day that hour comes out of your buffer.
- directions_walk The bus stops serve the port, not your specific terminal. For the Dique del Oeste in particular you are set down at the gate area, with a walk still to come.
- card_membership The free island transport you may have read about for 2026 is a residents' scheme and the EMT lines are outside it anyway. As a visitor you pay the normal fare on both legs.
Honest version: if you are arriving a day early with light bags and staying in Palma, the bus is fine and we would not talk you out of it. If you are going airport to gangway on sailing day with hold luggage, it is the wrong tool. Timetables shift seasonally — check your date with EMT Palma.
Bus, rank taxi, cruise-line transfer or private car
Costed for two passengers with hold luggage on sailing day.
| Bus + change | Rank taxi | Cruise-line coach | Private transfer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | About €10 each | €30–42 metered | Per person, sold with the cruise | €34 per vehicle |
| Door to door | About 1h 15m | 25 min, plus the queue | Tied to a coach departure slot | ~25 min |
| Goes to your exact terminal | No — nearest port stop | Yes, if you know the number | Yes | Yes |
| Waits if your flight is late | No | No | Only on cruise-line air packages | Yes — 60 min free |
| Luggage | You carry it, twice | Loaded for you | Loaded for you | Loaded for you |
| Price known before you fly | Roughly | No | Yes | Yes |
One thing worth checking on the cruise line's own transfer: it is usually priced per person, so a couple often pays more than a whole car costs, and a family of four considerably more. Its real advantage is that if you also bought the flight from the cruise line, a delay becomes their problem rather than yours — which is a genuine benefit and nothing to do with the coach.
Ferries to Ibiza, Menorca, Barcelona and Valencia
The inter-island and mainland ferries work out of the same Estació Marítima complex on the Moll de Ponent, but from their own check-in halls and berths rather than the cruise terminals. It is one port, not one building.
In practice a ferry passenger set down at a cruise terminal, or the reverse, faces a walk across a working port with luggage and no shortcut. Tell us at booking that you are catching a ferry and name the operator — Baleària, Trasmed or GNV — and the driver takes you to the right hall rather than the nearest building. Foot passengers should allow at least 90 minutes before departure; if you are taking a vehicle across, follow the operator's own check-in window, which is usually longer.
Off the ship at 07:00, flying at 16:00
Disembarkation day catches people out. You are off the ship early, your cabin is gone, your flight is hours away, and Palma's left-luggage options fill fast on a turnaround Saturday. Standing outside a terminal with four suitcases is not a plan, and neither is paying for a day room you will use for two hours.
The alternative is to keep a car for the day. We collect you at the terminal, your luggage stays locked in the vehicle, and the driver waits while you spend the hours you have been given on something better than a departure lounge.
A day that works
- 07:30
- Collected at your terminal, cases loaded, nothing left to carry
- 08:30
- Into Palma — La Seu, the cathedral, is quietest before the coaches arrive
- 11:00
- Santa Catalina market, the old town lanes, or Bellver Castle if the weather holds
- 13:00
- Lunch somewhere your driver actually rates, not the one nearest the port
- 14:30
- Straight to Departures with your bags already in the boot
Priced by the hour with a three-hour minimum, one vehicle and one driver, agreed before you sail. It works just as well in reverse for a port-day call, and for anyone whose ship is in for the day rather than turning around. One thing to know if you are planning your own driving that day: Palma's low-emission zone covers the old town within the Avenidas and the Paseo Marítimo, which is a hire-car problem rather than a licensed-vehicle one.
schedule Ask about a day-use carPalma Airport to the cruise port: common questions
How much is a taxi from Palma Airport to the cruise port?
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Roughly €30–34 on the meter on a weekday daytime, €35–40 at weekends, and €38–46 to a Dique del Oeste berth in peak season. Our pre-booked price is €34 for the whole car to any terminal, and it does not change with the tariff band or a delayed flight. Note that the €4.65 airport or port supplement is charged once on this route, not twice.
How long does it take to get from Palma Airport to the cruise terminal?
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Twenty to twenty-five minutes for the 12 km, running west on the Ma-19, joining the Ma-20 ring road and dropping down to the port at Porto Pi. Add about ten minutes for the Dique del Oeste berths, and allow more on a summer Saturday when several ships turn around at once and the port access roads carry coaches, taxis and hire cars in the same window.
Which terminal will my ship use?
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Only your boarding documents can tell you. Assignment is not fixed by cruise line — it moves with ship size, berth availability, ferry movements and how many vessels are in that day, and it can differ between two sailings of the same ship. Estació Marítima 1 to 4 are on the Moll de Ponent and Paraires quays; the Dique del Oeste berths are further out on the western sea wall. Take the number from your e-ticket and give it to us at booking.
Can I walk between the cruise terminals?
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Within the Ponent and Paraires cluster, yes — those terminals are linked by covered walkways. Between that cluster and the Dique del Oeste, no. That is a separate quay on its own access road out past Porto Pi, alongside the commercial port, and it is not a walk anyone should attempt with cruise luggage.
What time should I land if I am sailing the same day?
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Work backwards from all-aboard, which is usually 60 to 90 minutes before the ship sails. For a 16:30 all-aboard we would want you landing by around midday on a quiet weekday and by 10:00 to 10:30 for a peak-season Saturday or a Dique del Oeste berth. Better still, fly in the day before — travel insurance rarely treats a delayed inbound flight as grounds to recover a missed cruise.
Is the transfer price per person or per vehicle?
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Per vehicle. The €34 covers up to four passengers in a saloon; larger vehicles are quoted separately, and it is worth booking one if you are carrying full cruise luggage for four. Cruise-line coach transfers are usually priced per person, which is why a couple often pays more for two seats than a whole car costs.
Is there a bus from Palma Airport to the cruise port?
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Not a direct one. You take the EMT A1 airport line into central Palma, then change to EMT line 1, which runs along the waterfront to the port and stops opposite the Estació Marítima 2 building before continuing towards the Dique del Oeste. Both legs are cheap and frequent, but it is roughly an hour and a quarter with two luggage loads — fine if you are arriving a day early, poor on sailing day.
Can you take me to the ferry rather than a cruise ship?
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Yes. The Ibiza, Menorca, Barcelona and Valencia ferries use their own check-in halls within the same Estació Marítima complex on the Moll de Ponent. Name your operator — Baleària, Trasmed or GNV — at booking and the driver goes to the right hall. Allow at least 90 minutes as a foot passenger, or the operator's own longer window if you are taking a vehicle across.
What do I do with my luggage between disembarking and my flight?
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Left-luggage options in Palma fill quickly on turnaround days, so do not count on finding space on the morning. The practical alternative is to keep a car for the day: we collect you at the terminal, the bags stay locked in the vehicle, and the driver runs you around Palma before taking you to Departures. It is priced by the hour with a three-hour minimum and agreed before you sail.
Planning the rest of your trip
Pre- and post-cruise stays
Land, walk out, and board.
€34 agreed before you fly, to whichever Estació Marítima your ship is on. A driver holding your name in Arrivals, and 60 minutes of free waiting if the flight runs late.
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