A Three-Day Cycling Tour in Mallorca

One hotel, two riding days, and both of Mallorca's signature climbs — this is what we send guests who tell us "I've only got a long weekend."

Cycling Holidays · Mallorca · 7 min read

Three days isn't enough to see Mallorca. It is enough to ride it hard. We built this itinerary for the guests who keep asking the same question: "I can only get away for a long weekend — is it even worth it?" The answer is yes, but only if the route is designed around that constraint rather than just a shortened version of a longer trip. That means one hotel for the whole stay, so no morning is lost to checkout, and a single, deliberately hard mountain day rather than several medium ones.

Add the optional Sa Calobra extension and day 2 climbs 2,050 m in a single ride — close to the biggest mountain days on our 5-day and 7-day itineraries — while still starting and finishing at the same hotel door. Skip it, and the compulsory Sa Batalla loop alone is still a genuine Tramuntana climbing day at 65.3 km and 911 m. Either way, it's the trade-off for compressing the island's two most famous climbs into 48 hours.

The Route at a Glance

Three-Day Weekend Route — Key Facts

Total distance	135 km
Total elevation gain	1,885 m
Riding days	2 (out of 3 days / 2 nights)
Hotels	1 — El Vicenç de la Mar, Cala Sant Vicenç
Level	Intermediate (e-bike option available)
Average per riding day	~68 km / ~940 m
From	€950 per person

Your Three-Day Route, Day by Day

Day 1 — Arrival at El Vicenç de la Mar

You land, and there's no riding today. Check into Hotel El Vicenç de la Mar, a 5-star boutique hotel on the seafront in Cala Sant Vicenç, near Pollença and just minutes from Cap de Formentor. Your bike is fitted and delivered the same afternoon, so day 2 starts the moment you're ready — no time wasted on a weekend this short.

Itinerary day: No riding · Accommodation: El Vicenç de la Mar

Day 2 — Sa Batalla & the Tramuntana Loop

65.3 km · 911 m elevation gain. The reason this weekend works. Straight from the hotel's front door, the ride climbs into the Tramuntana forest to Coll de Sa Batalla — 7.9 km at 5.0%, accounting for 386 m of the day's climbing — as the compulsory centrepiece, roughly 4 hours round trip. Sa Batalla Café at the top is a real stop, not a tourist trap, and the historic Santuari de Lluc monastery sits just beyond it if there's time to look around. For riders who want the full experience, the route can extend into Medfeel's own Sa Calobra Challenge — a short, sharp ramp above Escorca, then the descent to Sa Calobra and back up Coll des Reis through the Nus de sa Corbata hairpins — 9.5 km of 26 hairpins at 7.2% average, 11.4% at its steepest — stretching the day to 107 km and 2,050 m, as an optional add-on, not a requirement. Do both and you've ridden two of Mallorca's five hardest-rated climbs in a single day.

Itinerary day: Distance: 65.3 km · Elevation: 911 m (Sa Calobra extension optional: 107 km / 2,050 m) · Accommodation: El Vicenç de la Mar

Day 3 — Cap de Formentor & Departure

69.8 km · 974 m elevation gain. Legs tired from yesterday, you still get a full morning on Mallorca's most photographed road — and since El Vicenç de la Mar sits just minutes from the peninsula, it starts right from the hotel's front door. The route crosses Coll de la Creueta on the way out and again on the way back (3.4 km at 5.8% each time) before the long, exposed run up Cap de Formentor itself — 10.8 km at a gentle-looking 2.9% average — don't be fooled, there are ramps to 18.3% along the way — out to the lighthouse and back, with a stop at the Es Colomer viewpoint over the cliffs and dramatic cliff views the whole way. You're back at the hotel with time to shower and relax before your airport transfer.

Itinerary day: Distance: 69.8 km · Elevation: 974 m · Airport transfer included

Where to Stay

With only two nights, there's no case for moving hotels — everything about this weekend is built around staying put. El Vicenç de la Mar sits on the seafront in Cala Sant Vicenç, near Pollença and Cap de Formentor, with sea views, secure bike storage and guided-ride support on site — you roll out of the same door both mornings, and there's no luggage to think about at all.

Is Three Days Enough to Cycle Mallorca?

Honestly, no — not to see the island. Three days won't get you to the west coast villages or across the full Tramuntana range the way a 5- or 7-day trip does. What it is enough for is riding both of Mallorca's signature roads, Sa Batalla/Sa Calobra and Cap de Formentor, in a single trip, if a long weekend is genuinely all the time you have. Riders who finish this itinerary and want more usually come back for the longer version: our 5-day or 7-day itineraries cover the west coast and the full island crossing that three days simply can't fit in.

How Fit Do You Need to Be for a Weekend Like This?

This route is rated Intermediate, but be honest with yourself about day 2 if you take the Sa Calobra extension: 2,050 m of climbing in 107 km, including the 9.5 km Coll des Reis climb out of Sa Calobra, is a harder single day than most riders do in a typical week at home. The compulsory version — the 65.3 km, 911 m Sa Batalla loop — is a genuine but manageable mountain day, built around one sustained climb rather than several. You should be comfortable with back-to-back riding days and limited recovery between them either way. The Sa Calobra extension is entirely optional, and Medfeel's Trek Domane+ and Charter+ e-bikes are available for anyone who'd rather flatten the gradient than grind it — a sensible call on a weekend where there's no rest day to recover on.

Best Time of Year for a Short Trip

March–June and September–November are the best windows, with daytime temperatures around 15–24°C and quieter roads at both Sa Calobra and Formentor than in peak summer. Because this is a short, high-intensity trip rather than a relaxed week, avoiding the midday heat matters even more here — book an early departure for day 2 if you're travelling in July or August.

Three Ways to Ride This Weekend

Independently. A single-hotel weekend sounds simple to arrange yourself, and logistically it is — the harder part is timing. Renting a bike, having it fitted correctly, and getting GPX routes sorted all take longer than a typical weekend allows if you're doing it from scratch on arrival, and there's no buffer day if a flight is delayed or a bike needs adjusting.

Through a general operator. Some operators sell short Mallorca cycling breaks, usually built around a fixed hotel and a set route rather than the optional Sa Calobra extension that lets you scale day 2 up or down on the day, depending on how the legs feel.

With Medfeel. This is the exact weekend we run as the Mallorca Weekend Cycling Escape — bike fitted and waiting at El Vicenç de la Mar before you land, the Sa Calobra extension built in as a same-day option rather than something you have to plan for in advance, and airport transfers on both ends so a short trip doesn't lose hours to logistics. As Jaume Agustí, Medfeel co-founder, puts it:

"The best cycling holidays go beyond the bike. We tailor every detail—from routes and hotels to local experiences—so you can experience Mallorca the way we do."

That's the point of a one-hotel weekend done properly: even with only two days on the bike, nothing about the trip feels rushed except the riding itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

If a long weekend is genuinely all the time you can spare, the route above is exactly what we run as the Mallorca Weekend Cycling Escape — one hotel, two hard days, and both of the island's signature climbs. Get in touch and we'll build your dates around it.