You can see the best of Mallorca in three days without renting a car. It takes a little logistics and some early mornings. Here's the real plan, no extra postcards.
First, the uncomfortable truth: Mallorca without a car works, but it isn't the same as with one. You'll miss a handful of coves in the south and east that only a 4x4 and a dirt track can reach. The good news is that the island's most spectacular corner —the Serra de Tramuntana— is well served by public transport, and three days go a long way if you accept early starts and a bit of planning.
Day 1 · Palma on foot
You land and skip the rental desk: take bus A1, which drops you in central Palma in 15 minutes for about five euros. Leave your bag and walk. The cathedral (La Seu) early in the morning, with light pouring through the rose window, justifies the trip on its own. Eat pa amb oli in a neighbourhood spot, not the tourist square, and lose the afternoon in the old town and the l'Olivar market. Dinner early: tomorrow starts at dawn.
Day 2 · The wooden train to Sóller
This is the big day. The 1912 wooden train leaves Palma and crosses the Tramuntana to Sóller in an hour of pure postcard. From Sóller, the tram runs down to Port de Sóller, where you can swim and eat fish looking out at the sea. If you have the energy, bus 354 climbs to Sa Calobra along a dizzying road (the famous knotted-tie bend) to reach the Torrent de Pareis. Head back to Palma by train at sunset.
Day 3 · Valldemossa and Deià
Bus 210 links Palma with Valldemossa in half an hour. It's the postcard stone village, home to the charterhouse where Chopin spent a winter. From there, another bus brings you near Deià, perched over the sea, with its pebble cove at the end of a footpath. Head back with time to spare for the airport: Mallorca's public transport is reliable, but don't cut it fine.
What you learn the hard way
The good coves fill up after ten. If you want a photo without a hundred towels, you have to be there before the first bus.
Tips we wish someone had given us: download the bus timetables (TIB) before you go, because coverage drops in the mountains. Carry cash for the beach bars. And don't try to squeeze the Drach Caves into the same day as Sóller: they're at the opposite end and you'll only arrive frustrated. Three days is short; choose depth over kilometres.
The best part? All of this is saved, day by day and with the real notes, in an itinerary you can copy to your account in one click and edit as you like. You don't have to rebuild anything: you leave here with the plan already done.
Related itinerary
Mallorca in 3 days without a car: the honest guide