Palma Water Bus Now Running: What Is Live, What It Costs and What Changes on 15 January
Palma water bus update: running since 1 November, with €9 and €10 fares, 50-cent resident passes and a regular city line from 15 January 2027.
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The Palma water bus has been running since 1 November 2026. The Balearic Islands Port Authority now describes the Bus Nàutic as fully operational, with fares from €9, resident passes at 50 cents a trip and a regular city line due on 15 January 2027.
In October we wrote about the plans for the Palma water bus before it launched. Ten days in, here is what is actually on the water, what it costs, who runs it and what changes in the new year. We have been selling homes in Calvià since 1985, and for many of our clients in the southwest, Palma is the city they drive into every week.
What Is Running Now
According to the Port Authority's announcement of 9 November, the service started on 1 November with the lines that carry passengers and cruise visitors from the port terminals to the city centre by sea. The main stop in town is the Escalera Real at La Lonja, a few minutes' walk from the Born and the cathedral.
The aim is practical. Every passenger who crosses the harbour by boat is one fewer seat in a coach or taxi on Avenida Gabriel Roca, the road along the Paseo Marítimo that fills up on busy cruise days. The Port Authority describes the service as a way to take pressure off road traffic on the seafront and to encourage cleaner, quicker movement around the bay.
For now, the lines in service are the ones built around the port terminals. The regular inner-harbour line for everyday journeys, the one most residents have been waiting for, starts in January.
Palma Water Bus Fares
The fares confirmed by the Port Authority depend on where you travel:
- To Maritime Station No. 6, on the Dique del Oeste: €10 single, €18 return.
- To the Muelle de Poniente: €9 single, €16 return.
- Babies aged 0 to 3: free on every route.
Regular users have two passes:
- Bono 100: €50, valid for one year, which brings each journey down to 50 cents.
- Bono 20: €20, valid for six months, or €1 a journey.
One detail is new since our first article. The original figures gave a single €10 fare and an €18 return. The Port Authority's launch notice now separates the two destinations, with the shorter Poniente trip a euro cheaper each way.
Who Runs It, and Why It Is an Interim Service
The boats are run by Palma Cruises under a temporary authorisation from the Port Authority. According to Gaceta Náutica, the operator is Armadores de Paguera, which trades as Palma Cruises, so the company behind the first months of the service has its roots in Calvià. The authorisation lasts one year and can be extended up to a maximum of three, or until a long-term operator takes over.
The interim arrangement exists because the earlier tender fell through. A joint venture led by TUI withdrew from the project, and the Port Authority chose to start the service with a temporary operator rather than leave the boats tied up while a new tender ran.
That new tender is now open for an exclusive concession of 15 years. Gaceta Náutica reports that it sets four compulsory routes:
- a circular line between Poniente, La Lonja and the Tráfico Local terminal;
- a cruise connection from the Dique del Oeste;
- a route between the Tráfico Local terminal and Portitxol;
- an extra Poniente to La Lonja service on cruise days.
What Changes on 15 January 2027
The next step is the one that turns the Palma water bus into everyday transport. From 15 January 2027, a regular inner-harbour line will link the Muelle de Poniente, La Lonja and the Tráfico Local terminal, better known in Palma as the Golondrinas terminal.
Gaceta Náutica reports that this line will run every day of the week, with at least one service an hour. The Port Authority adds that the route will later extend to Portitxol, and that weekend sailings in the high season will run until midnight.
That late weekend timetable is the part residents will notice most. A boat from the western end of the port to La Lonja, and back after dinner, removes the question of where to park on the Paseo Marítimo on a Saturday night. With a Bono 100 in your pocket, it costs a euro for the round trip.
Using the Palma Water Bus From the Southwest
From Santa Ponsa, Bendinat or Portals Nous, the western side of Palma's port is the first part of the city you reach on the Ma-1. Once the regular line starts in January, a simple pattern opens up: drive or take the bus to the Poniente side, cross to La Lonja by boat, spend the day in the old town and come back the same way.
If you would rather leave the car at home, our guide to getting around Calvià by TIB bus explains the island bus routes into Palma. Our complete guide to living in Palma covers the city once you arrive, and our article on the Paseo Marítimo reform explains how the seafront the boats run along has changed.
The Calvià connection runs the other way too. The operator's name points back to Paguera, one of the quieter resort towns at the western end of the municipality, covered in our guide to Peguera and Costa de la Calma.
What We Still Do Not Know
Some details have not been published yet, and we would rather say so than guess:
- The full timetable for the current terminal lines has not been set out in the Port Authority's notice.
- How and where to buy the Bono 100 and Bono 20 has not yet been explained in detail.
- No date has been given for the Portitxol extension or for the award of the 15-year concession.
We will update this article as the Port Authority publishes more, and again when the regular line starts on 15 January.
How We Help
We have been selling homes in Calvià since 1985, and easy access to Palma is one of the reasons buyers choose the southwest. If you are thinking about a move to the area, or selling a home here, we would be happy to talk. Start with a free, no-obligation valuation, or browse our current homes in Santa Ponsa and across Mallorca.
Call us on +34 971 692 434, message us on WhatsApp, or email help@imperial-properties.com.