Dog-friendly beaches in Mallorca

Dog-friendly beaches are rare in Mallorca. Only five municipalities have beaches designated for dogs and their owners, where man's best friends have unrestricted access to the sea, even in high season.

Es Carnatge - "Doggie Beach" pilot project at Playa de Palma

The establishment of separate beaches for dogs has only recently become a topic of discussion for the coastal communities of Mallorca for decades. Our four-legged friends were virtually denied access to all Top 10 Best Beaches in Mallorca on the island until 2012. Thanks to the "doggie beach" being set up as a pilot project at Es Carnatge a few years ago on Playa de Palma, things are now starting to change.

In all reality Es Carnatge is more a piece of wasteland with sandy and rocky shores, lying directly on the flight path to the Airport in Mallorca than it is a piece of island paradise but nevertheless it is still a beach where you can spend a pleasant hour or two with your four-legged friends providing that the noise from above doesn't bother you too much. Most visitors come by car, although the bus line 31 stops nearby and is one of the few bus lines in Mallorca which takes dogs. The "doggie beach" project proved to be a successful experiment and today Mallorca has five designated beach areas for dogs.

Established dog-friendly beaches in Mallorca

In addition to Es Carnatge, located between Palma de Mallorca and Can Pastilla, the Llenarie beach near Pollença in the north of Mallorca and Na Patana in the municipality of Santa Margalida are both reserved for pooches and their owners. In 2014, a doggie beach was added at Cala Blanca in Andratx. The stony beach is located between Camp de Mar on the southwest coast of Mallorca and Cala Llamp and has crystal clear water. Dogs are allowed to frolic on the beach and plunge into the warm water. As with all doggie beaches in Mallorca, the owners are obliged to scoop up their own pooches' poops.

The island's newest doggie beach is at Playa de Alcanada in the bay of Alcúdia in the north of Mallorca. The section accessible to dogs is marked with the appropriate signs and is opposite the lighthouse. So far, our four-legged friends have been allowed access to the beaches in the Bay of Alcúdia between the 1st of November and the 31st of March. These dog-friendly beaches have allowed owners who spend their Holiday on Mallorca in the north of Mallorca, the wonderful opportunity to play with their pets on the beach.

Beach access for dogs in low season

In Mallorca in the high season, there is a strict ban on dogs on beaches apart from on the designated dog beaches. Infringements are punishable by heavy fines. In low season, many communities loosen the rules and allow dogs on the beaches. In the Bay of Alcúdia dogs are allowed from the 1st of November to the 31st of March. The Mallorcan municipality of Artá is even more liberal and permits dogs to play on the beaches from 1st October to 30th April. Dogs also have unrestricted access in the winter months in the municipalities of Capdepera, Andratx and Pollença. In the recent past, some dog activity schemes have been set up in Mallorca. They are called "Parques Caninos" and are fenced. About a dozen areas of this kind are distributed across the island and give your dog a perfect chance to let off steam.