Palma's Old Town Car-Free Saturday: What Visitors Need to Know

On Saturday (September 20), a large part of Palma's Old Town will be closed to cars and some buses from 08:00 to 16:00. Read which streets are affected and what alternatives exist.

A Different Palma This Weekend: Car and Bus Traffic Restricted

If you planned to stroll through Palma's Old Town on Saturday morning, make sure to allow a little more time. The city is celebrating Mobility Day – and that means that between 08:00 and 16:00 several streets in the historic center will not be open to regular car traffic. For visitors with rental cars, as well as for users of public transport, this will cause noticeable detours.

Which streets are affected?

Primarily the classic shopping and strolling streets will be accessible only to a limited extent that day: parts of Plaça Joan Carles I (between Bar Bosch and the fashion house C&A), the Passeig del Born, the shopping axis Jaume III, and Carrer Unió will be accessible during the day only to pedestrians, cyclists, and event traffic. Access to the parking garage beneath Plaça Mayor will remain open, which can help if you want to park a vehicle.

Buses and Public Connections

The traffic measures affect not only cars. Some lines of the municipal EMT as well as regional connections will be diverted or served at provisional stops. Affected are especially lines popular with tourists – including numbers 3, 4, 7, 20, 25 and 35. Notices at the stops inform about alternative stops, and the transport operators have announced that they will still ensure transportation.

Experience shows that buses come later or run an alternative route. If you need to catch a connection (ferry, airport bus, sightseeing tour), you should leave at least 20–30 minutes earlier or look for an alternative connection.

Tips for Guests and Residents

My tip after years between Plaça Major and Paseo Marítimo: venture the Old Town without a car. Park your car in one of the parking garages on the edge and explore the narrow streets on foot to save stress. Taxis will also take detours – expect small delays and a changed pickup option if you live in the historic core or have rented an apartment.

Check the EMT app or the website of the city’s public transport operator before departure. Many hotels also post notices in the lobby. And if you need to act spontaneously: ask at information booths or at one of the cafés on Passeig del Born – the baristas often know exactly where things are closed currently.

Why All This?

The city is using Mobility Day to highlight alternative forms of transport: more space for pedestrians, less noise, and temporarily more room for street actions and information booths. For visitors, this is usually pleasant – for the organizers it also means lots of detours and thus disorder, at least for one day.

If you’re out in Palma today: take a breath, treat the detour as an opportunity for a longer espresso on a terrace, and allow a bit of extra planning time. By the way, the Old Town is especially beautiful at 23°C in the morning – before the sun has fully hit the façades.

In short: Time windows 08:00–16:00; affected streets Passeig del Born, Jaume III, Plaça Joan Carles I, Carrer Unió; Parkhaus Plaça Mayor reachable; EMT lines (including 3,4,7,20,25,35) partially detour. Check traffic information before departure.