Photo: Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0
Which Cala Ratjada beach should you go to?
With small children, Son Moll or Font de sa Cala. For a long day on the sand, Cala Agulla. For dunes and surf, Cala Mesquida. On a windy day, let the direction decide.
There's no single best beach here, because this coast faces two ways and the wind changes its mind daily. Start with the table, then look at the forecast. All times are from the apartment, and summer traffic will add to the driving ones.
| Beach | Getting there | Underfoot | With toddlers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Son Moll | 5 min on foot | Sand, rocks at the sides | Yes, within arm's reach | Every day, no planning |
| Sa Pedruscada | 10 min on foot | Not confirmed | Have a look first | An evening stroll |
| Cala Gat | 15 min on foot | Fine sand and pebbles | Not ideal, there are steps | Snorkelling |
| Cala Agulla | 25 min on foot or by bus | Fine white sand | Yes | A full beach day |
| Cala Moltó | Car, then 500 m on foot | Rock, gravel, some sand | No | Peace, no facilities |
| Cala Lliteres | 10 min by car | Rock and gravel | Better not, no gentle way in | A swim, diving |
| Font de sa Cala | A short drive | Fine sand | Yes, within arm's reach | Families, diving |
| Canyamel | About 15 min by car | Fine tawny sand | Yes, watch the waves | A change of scene |
| Cala Mesquida | 15 min by car | White sand, dunes | No | Waves, open space |
| Cala Torta | About 30 min by car | Sand with gravel | No | Undeveloped coast |
Pick by the wind
In a northerly, Cala Torta and Cala Lliteres quickly get rough, and Mesquida is rarely tame at the best of times. Son Moll and Font de sa Cala, on the eastern side, generally stay calmer.
In a strong easterly, the trouble moves to exactly those beaches, along with Canyamel, and Font de sa Cala picks up currents too. Try Cala Agulla first, which the town council describes as usually calm, though no beach is reliable in a real blow. From mid-May, your fallback is the pool at the apartment.
Check the wind before you pack the car, then go by the flags once you're there. Capdepera's beaches have also introduced a lightning flag, flown alongside the yellow or red.
If you have children with you
Son Moll is the obvious answer: five minutes away, with toilets, showers, a restaurant and a paved approach you can push a buggy along. You wade in over shallows, but the bottom drops noticeably after the first few metres. Font de sa Cala also shelves gently, and has freshwater springs in the sea that cool the water, which is lovely in August and rather less so in May. Our page on Cala Ratjada with kids sorts everything by age.
Mesquida looks made for children, with its flat sandy bottom. The wind and currents say otherwise, and Cala Torta is a firmer no still.
The smaller coves
Cala Gat sits on the coast path from the harbour towards the lighthouse, 15 minutes on foot from the apartment. You go down steps and over an uneven stretch, so leave the buggy behind. Fine sand in the middle, pebbles and rock at the edges, and the rocks are where to take a snorkel. Trees at the back give a little shade. There's no lifeguard, the guides disagree on what's open, and the place fills early in season, so bring water and turn up in good time. In 2026 it was awarded the Ecoplayas flag for the first time.
Font de sa Cala is a few minutes' drive, or take the seasonal 423 bus, which stops right by the beach. About 100 metres of fine sand, with sunbeds, a bar-restaurant, toilets, showers and a dive centre. Parking is a slog in high season and you won't have it to yourself. A seaside path runs on from the beach to the little cove of N'Aladern.
Cala Lliteres is really a bathing spot in the rock, about 30 metres by 10, and you get in from a platform or steps. In return there's the Sa Cova bar, toilets and a dive centre, but no sunbeds. The stones are slippery, so wear something on your feet. A coast path of just under a kilometre takes you on to Cala Agulla.
Sa Pedruscada is ten minutes on foot. The council lists it among the quieter coves with no lifeguard, and we have no reliable information on what the bottom is like. Have a look on an evening stroll before you carry the swimming things down.
Canyamel is a proper bay of fine tawny sand about a quarter of an hour's drive south, with lifeguards in season, showers, sunbeds and two bar-restaurants. It pairs well with the caves and other sights nearby. Mind the spot where the stream meets the sea.
Worth knowing wherever you go
Lifeguards work in season only, and only on the municipality's five big beaches: Mesquida, Agulla, Son Moll, Font de sa Cala and Canyamel. In the most recent years on record the sunbeds and beach bars ran from April or May to the end of October, so don't count on them early in the year.
The sizes we give are approximate. The council's own measurements show most of these beaches losing width up to 2023, and a beach after a winter of storms rarely matches the figures anyway.
Several of these coves are joined up by coast paths, and the routes are set out in walks, cycling and golf.
Information checked on 9 November 2026