Route from Alcúdia · start & finish Alcúdia
Alcúdia – Artà – Betlem
- Medium
- 117 km
- 1,208 m
- ≈ 4½–5½ h
Map and elevation profile
Move along the elevation profile to see where you are on the map.
Food & coffee stops
Tried-and-tested places where cyclists like to stop for coffee, food or water.
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Café 33 kmLa Bicicletta Artà
Café-bar at Carrer de Ciutat 2, the pedestrian street a few steps off the route: coffee, homemade ice cream, bruschetta, sandwiches and pizza, with a terrace outside. Listed hours are 10:00–18:00 daily; on Tuesday mornings the market fills the street.
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Café 51 kmCafeteria Sant Salvador Artà
Self-service café with a courtyard terrace inside the sanctuary walls, at the top of the ramp: drinks, sandwiches, tapas and cakes with a view over Artà, and paella to pre-order. Listed hours are Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–18:00; closed on Mondays.
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Restaurant 70 kmBar Centre Colònia de Sant Pere
Simple local bar behind the church (C/ Sant Mateu 20) with homemade food: pizzas, meatballs, garlic prawns, salads and coffee. An unfussy, friendly lunch stop before or after the out-and-back to Betlem.
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Café 92 kmSa Granja Santa Margalida
Café, bakery and restaurant on the main square, Plaça de la Vila, in business since 1960 and open from 7:30: coffee, Mallorcan pastries and dishes such as octopus and paella. Closed on Thursdays.
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Artà, Betlem and Sant Salvador: the long eastern loop from Alcúdia
Route summary:
The long eastern classic from Alcúdia: 117 km and about 1,200 m of climbing for fit riders who want distance and proper climbs without the high mountains. It is also your best plan B when the Tramuntana is wet or windy. A fast run along the bay takes you to Artà. From there a near car-free road climbs over the Coll des Pescadors to the Ermita de Betlem, and a short, very steep ramp leads up to the walled sanctuary of Sant Salvador. After lunch by the sea in Colònia de Sant Pere, quiet inland roads via Santa Margalida, Muro and Sa Pobla bring you home. Plan on 4.5–5.5 hours in the saddle. Refuel in Artà, at Sant Salvador, in Colònia and in Santa Margalida.
Cycling route summary:
A quiet back road behind the Port d'Alcúdia hotels leads to the Ma-12, the main road round the bay. Traffic is fast, but there is a bike lane through Platja de Muro and a wide shoulder beyond: ride single file. Past Can Picafort, at Ses Pastores (about km 22), the road drags up to the Coll d'en Morell (6.5 km, 3%, 194 m) and drops into Artà (km 33).
Fill your bottles and head north on the Ma-3333. The Coll des Pescadors (5.7 km, 4.6%, 374 m) starts gently; the last 2.5 km climb through nine hairpins at 6–7%. From the top (km 40.6), 1.5 km of switchbacks drop to the Ermita (km 42). Dead end: turn, climb 1.5 km at 6.7% and descend with care – narrow road, bumpy surface, blind bends, goats.
In Artà, a short, steep ramp climbs to Sant Salvador (km 51) and back. Cross the Coll d'en Morell again (1.7% from this side), drop to Colònia de Sant Pere and follow the coast road to the end of the asphalt at Betlem (km 67). A gentle 5 km drag returns you to the Ma-12; at km 82 leave it for quiet roads rising to Santa Margalida (km 91) and Muro. The flat Sa Pobla plain takes you home, often into the wind.
Tourist summary:
Alcúdia's walls, begun in 1298 under Jaume II, see you off; the reed beds of s'Albufera, the largest wetland in the Balearics, line the first kilometres. The highlight is Artà, a stone town crowned by Sant Salvador, a walled enclosure of Islamic origin whose sanctuary dates from 1825–1832. On Tuesday mornings a market fills the centre. The Ermita de Betlem, founded in 1805, hides in a silent valley of the Serra d'Artà; from the col above you see the bays of Alcúdia and Pollença. Colònia de Sant Pere, founded in 1880 as a farming colony, is a quiet seaside village below Cap Ferrutx. Inland, look out for Santa Margalida's hilltop church and Muro's Gothic church with its bridge-linked bell tower.
Climbs click to show on the map
- Coll d'en Morell from Ses Pastores (Ma-12) 6.5 km · Ø 3 % · top 194 m km 22–28
- Coll des Pescadors from Artà (Ma-3333) 5.7 km · Ø 4.6 % · max. 8.4 % · top 374 m km 35–41
- Coll des Pescadors from Ermita de Betlem (Ma-3333) 1.5 km · Ø 6.7 % · max. 9.3 % · top 374 m km 42–44
- Coll d'en Morell from Artà (Ma-12) 2.8 km · Ø 1.7 % · max. 3.8 % · top 194 m km 54–57
Tips from our guides
- Leave Alcúdia by 8:30. With 117 km, about 1,200 m of climbing and three out-and-back detours you need 4.5–5.5 hours of riding plus stops. An early start puts you in Colònia de Sant Pere for lunch and gets you across the Sa Pobla plain before the afternoon wind builds.
- There is no café or water at the Ermita de Betlem. Carry two bottles, fill them in Artà before the Ma-3333 and again in Colònia de Sant Pere – much of the route is hot and exposed.
- About 45 km are on the Ma-12, the main road along the bay, with fast traffic. Use the bike lane through Platja de Muro and the wide shoulder elsewhere; ride single file and signal clearly at the turns in Artà, at the Colònia junction and at km 82, where you leave it.
- The Ma-3333 to Betlem is narrow, with tight, blind hairpins and a bumpy surface near the hermitage – expect goats, the odd hire car and a crosswind on the col. Artà's old-town streets are one-way and the ramp to Sant Salvador is very steep: walk if you need to and brake early on the way down.
- Load our GPX and stay on the asphalt: some apps send you along unpaved tracks between Colònia de Sant Pere and Son Serra de Marina or towards Cap Ferrutx. A standard road bike with compact gearing is plenty – the steepest ramps on the Betlem road reach about 10%.
Did you know?
- The Ermita de Betlem was founded in 1805 by hermits from the communities of Sant Honorat de Randa and La Trinitat de Valldemossa; its church was blessed in 1824. source
- During the plague of 1820 the walled enclosure of Sant Salvador in Artà served as a hospital, and almost everything inside it was burned; the present sanctuary was built between 1825 and 1832. source
- Colònia de Sant Pere was founded in 1880 as an agricultural colony on the lands of the Devesa de Ferrutx estate, and 108 families settled there. source
Places along the route
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10 km
Alcúdia
The loop starts at the roundabout by the old-town walls, begun in 1298 under King Jaume II; the Porta del Moll and Porta de Mallorca gates still stand. Right next to them lie the ruins of the Roman city of Pollentia – a good walk after the ride.
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25 km
Platja de Muro & s'Albufera
The Ma-12 runs between the beach hotels and s'Albufera, the largest wetland in the Balearic Islands and a natural park since 1988. It is a paradise for birdwatchers – come back on a rest day with binoculars. Traffic is busy here, so stick to the bike lane.
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333 km
Artà
The town at the foot of the Serra d'Artà is your main refuelling point: fill your bottles here, as there is nothing at the Ermita de Betlem. The pedestrian Carrer de Ciutat is lined with cafés, and on Tuesday mornings the weekly market fills it – walk your bike then.
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442 km
Ermita de Betlem
Founded in 1805 by hermits from Randa and Valldemossa, the hermitage sits at about 280 m in a hidden valley of the Serra d'Artà. A cypress avenue leads to the small church, blessed in 1824. There is no café or water, and the road ends at a small car park.
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551 km
Santuari de Sant Salvador
The walled enclosure above Artà, known as the Almudaina, is of Islamic origin, and worship of Sant Salvador is recorded here as early as 1282. The present sanctuary was built in 1825–1832. Walk along the walls for views over Artà's rooftops to the sea, then take a break on the café terrace.
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664 km
Colònia de Sant Pere
A quiet seaside village founded in 1880 as an agricultural colony on the Devesa de Ferrutx estate. Its seafront and small harbour make a relaxed lunch stop. Refill your bottles here for the final 50 km or so.
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767 km
Betlem, below Cap Ferrutx
The asphalt ends at the Betlem settlement, with the cliffs of Cap Ferrutx ahead and the hermitage hidden in the hills above. Turn round here: the tracks towards Cap Ferrutx and west to Son Serra de Marina are unpaved.
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891 km
Santa Margalida
A hilltop farming town whose parish church stands at its highest point. On the first weekend of September it celebrates La Beata, with one of Mallorca's best-known processions, in honour of Saint Catalina Thomàs. Sa Granja on Plaça de la Vila is the place for a last coffee.
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998 km
Muro
The Gothic church of Sant Joan Baptista, built from 1570 to around 1611, is linked by a small bridge to its 46 m bell tower. The Ethnological Museum, in a 17th-century manor house on Carrer Major, shows traditional rural life in Mallorca. From here the road drops to the plain.
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10103 km
Sa Pobla
The heart of Mallorca's market garden is famous for its potatoes, most of them grown for export. Every January it celebrates the Sant Antoni fire festival with its dimonis. The last 15 km to Alcúdia are flat lanes between the fields.
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