Themed route · start & finish Can Pastilla
Cap Blanc
- Easy
- 46 km
- 245 m
- ≈ 1½–2 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.
-
Restaurant 4 kmRestaurante Club Nàutic S'Arenal S'Arenal
The yacht club's restaurant, a few hundred metres off the route at km 4.3 (km 41 on the way back), with a terrace by the marina. It opens at 7:30, so it works for breakfast or a coffee before the ride and a Mediterranean dinner afterwards. Closes at 21:00 on Mondays and Tuesdays, 23:00 on Sundays and midnight Wednesday to Saturday.
Open in maps ↗ -
Restaurant 6 kmMés Tertúlia S'Arenal
Neighbourhood bar and grill on Carrer de la Rambla, about 250 m off the route at km 5.5 (km 40 on the way back). Tapas, grilled dishes and plates to share. Tue–Sat 10:00–23:00, Sunday until 17:00, closed on Mondays.
Open in maps ↗
Cap Blanc: a sunset ride to the lighthouse on the white cliffs
Route summary:
A short evening ride with one goal: watching the sun go down from the white cliffs of Cap Blanc, where a lighthouse from 1863 marks the eastern end of the Bay of Palma. From the shop you roll along Platja de Palma to S'Arenal, climb gently on the Ma-6014 above Cala Blava and cruise out to the cape: 23 km there, the same 23 km back in the dusk. With about 250 m of climbing it suits anyone who rides comfortably for two to three hours, even after a beach day. Lights are a must. There is nothing to buy at the lighthouse, so fill your bottles before you leave; coffee and dinner wait on the Platja de Palma promenade and in S'Arenal.
Cycling route summary:
Km 0–4: flat and easy. You follow the old beach road behind the Platja de Palma promenade (carretera de s'Arenal, Carrer de Cartago): paving stones, a 20 km/h limit, one-way for cars in places but open to bikes both ways, and plenty of pedestrians. Around km 4 you cross into Llucmajor and pass the S'Arenal marina.
Km 4–9: the only real climbing. The streets of S'Arenal give you the first 25 m; at km 6 you join the Ma-6014. Above Cala Blava it rises for 3 km at 2–3%, steepest between km 7 and 8.7 (1.7 km at 3.4%), to 92 m.
Km 9–12.5: after a short dip at Maioris, 2.5 km at about 2%, with a 4% ramp just before the top, lead to the high point: about 140 m at Badia Blava.
Km 12.5–22.8: a long, gently rolling descent to about 90 m. Beyond Badia Gran the Ma-6014 is called Carretera dels Presos: open country, 80 km/h limit, ride single file. At km 22.2 go round the roundabout and take the 0.6 km asphalt spur to the gate by the lighthouse.
Back the same way: 10 km of barely noticeable climbing to 140 m, then an 8 km descent into S'Arenal in the dark, with lights on and care at the roundabouts and in town.
Tourist summary:
Cap Blanc stacks up centuries of coastal defence. The Far des Cap Blanc, designed by Emili Pou, was first lit on 31 August 1863, and its light shines 95 m above the sea. The compound is fenced, but the cliffs around it are open. About 250 m east stands the Torre des Cap Blanc, a watchtower built in 1579–1584 against Barbary pirates, with the concrete emplacements of a 20th-century coastal battery nearby. Even the road has a story: the Ma-6014 was built by Republican prisoners of the Franco regime. On the way out you pass the sandy beach of Platja de Palma, more than 4 km long, and the S'Arenal marina; on the way back Palma glitters across the bay.
Tips from our guides
- Leave about 2 hours before sunset: the ride out takes 45 minutes to an hour and leaves time for the walk to the cliff. At Cap Blanc the sun sets at about 21:20 in late June, 19:35 at the end of September, around 18:00 after the clocks go back on 25 October 2026 and 17:30 in December. Civil twilight lasts only about 30 minutes, so the second half of the return is in darkness.
- The return runs on the Ma-6014 outside built-up areas after dark. Spanish rules: white front light, red rear light and red rear reflector, and on interurban roads at night a reflective garment visible from 150 m. From 1 October 2026 every cyclist must wear a helmet on interurban roads, with no exceptions. Ride single file.
- Bring a lock: you leave the bike at the gate at the end of the spur and walk to the cliff. The limestone is slippery in cleats and the cliffs have no railings, so keep well back from the edge as the light fades. There is no café, water or shelter at the lighthouse; carry a full bottle and a windproof layer for the ride home.
- Rather not ride far in the dark? At the roundabout at km 7, leave the Ma-6014 and ride through Cala Blava to Passeig de les Dames in Bellavista, about 9 km from the shop. You still see the sun set over the Bay of Palma, the whole ride is only about 18–20 km, and the way back stays almost entirely in built-up areas. You still need lights.
- Any road bike will do: the gradients are gentle, with only short ramps of around 4%, and the whole route is asphalt or smooth paving. On the beach road (km 0–4 and 41.5–45.6) keep to the 20 km/h limit and watch for pedestrians crossing between the promenade and the beach.
Did you know?
- Since 1970 the Far des Cap Blanc has shone through an optic made in 1859 for the Artrutx lighthouse in Menorca. It is the only lighthouse in the Balearics still using a complete optic from the reign of Isabel II. source
- Between 1936 and 1942 about 8,000 Republican prisoners were forced to build 166 km of roads on Mallorca. One of them is the Ma-6014 from S'Arenal to Colònia de Sant Jordi, the road this route follows. source
- The coastal battery by the lighthouse was armed with 305 mm Vickers guns taken from the battleships España and Jaime I. It fired its last shots in May 1994 and was abandoned two years later. source
Places along the route
-
11 km
Platja de Palma
This sandy beach, more than 4 km long, links Can Pastilla with S'Arenal. You ride the quiet road just behind the promenade, with the sea on your right. When you come back after dark, the promenade is lit up and lively.
-
24 km
S'Arenal and the Club Nàutic
Just before the marina you cross the Torrent des Jueus, the dry stream bed that splits S'Arenal between Palma and Llucmajor. The yacht club's terrace, a few hundred metres off the route, looks over the marina to the bay. It works for a coffee before the ride or dinner after it.
-
37 km
Cala Blava and Bellavista
Villa districts on a rocky shore, looking across the Bay of Palma to the city and its cathedral. The Ma-6014 bypasses them inland; for the view, turn off at the roundabout at km 7 and ride about 2 km to Passeig de les Dames in Bellavista, a street running above the shore. This is also the turnaround of the short variant without night riding.
-
416 km
Carretera dels Presos
Beyond Badia Gran the Ma-6014 carries the name 'road of the prisoners'. It is one of the Mallorcan roads that Republican prisoners were forced to build between 1936 and 1942. The Consell de Mallorca now marks these roads with signs reading 'Via construïda per presoners republicans'.
-
523 km
Far des Cap Blanc
The asphalt spur ends at a gate where cars park; lock the bike here. The fenced lighthouse and the cliff top beside it are a 3–5 minute walk away. Watch the sunset from the open cliff, and as there are no railings, stay well back from the edge. Together with the light on Cap de Cala Figuera across the water, it marks the entrance to the Bay of Palma.
-
623 km
Torre des Cap Blanc and the coastal battery
About 250 m east of the lighthouse stands a 10 m watchtower from 1579–1584 that guarded Llucmajor against pirates. Its door is on the upper level and was reached by rope. Around it lie the concrete emplacements of a coastal battery abandoned in 1996; the bunkers are no place for cleats at dusk.
-
733 km
Descent to S'Arenal
From Badia Blava the road drops almost 140 m over 8 km to the sea, with the lights of Palma and the whole bay ahead of you. Keep some margin: it's dark, and at km 38.7 a roundabout leads into the streets of S'Arenal.
More routes
All routes →Rides of similar difficulty you might also like.
