Where should your charter begin depends on what the week is actually for: Palma de Mallorca offers the largest fleet and the easiest flight connections, Ibiza suits groups who want lively marinas alongside dramatic anchorages, Mahón in Menorca rewards a quieter, family-oriented route, and La Savina in Formentera works best as a short extension from an Ibiza-based week rather than a starting point in its own right. This guide compares the four main bases plus several smaller ones worth knowing about, so the choice is based on real logistics rather than which name is most familiar.
Palma de Mallorca
Palma is the busiest and best-connected charter base in the Balearics. Palma de Mallorca Airport handles direct flights from across Northern Europe, and the marina district sits a short, well-signposted transfer from the terminal — typically 15–20 minutes by taxi outside peak traffic. The scale of the base means the widest choice of yacht types, sizes and charter companies of anywhere in the archipelago, from small bareboat monohulls to crewed motor yachts.
Palma also puts the whole west and south coast of Mallorca within a short first day’s sail — Port d’Andratx, the Tramuntana coast and Cala d’Or are all realistic legs from here, which is one reason multi-day itineraries (including our own Palma to Cabrera route) start in this marina.
Palma’s marinas also carry the deepest bench of provisioning, chandlery and repair services in the Balearics, which matters if gear needs replacing or a last-minute repair comes up before departure — a practical reason experienced charterers keep returning to this base even when a smaller marina would suit the route just as well.
Ibiza and San Antonio
Ibiza operates as two distinct bases in practice. Ibiza Town and Marina Botafoch put you close to Dalt Vila’s old town and the island’s more polished restaurant scene; San Antonio sits closer to the famous sunset strip and nightlife. Both share Ibiza Airport, with transfer times of 15–25 minutes depending on which marina you use. Anchorages near Es Vedrà and the south-west coast are within easy reach of either base, so the choice between them is really about which shoreside experience your group wants at the start and end of the week rather than which is closer to good sailing.
Ibiza’s sailing conditions and its nightlife calendar overlap almost exactly, so July and August anchorages here are the busiest of the whole archipelago — worth factoring in alongside the seasonal patterns in our best time to sail the Balearics guide.
If your group is undecided between the two, Marina Botafoch (Ibiza Town) generally suits couples and groups wanting a calmer shoreside evening, while San Antonio suits groups happy to be closer to the island’s livelier bars — neither choice meaningfully changes access to the anchorages that make Ibiza worth choosing as a base in the first place.
Mahón, Menorca
Mahón has one of the longest natural harbours in the Mediterranean and one of the shortest airport transfers in the Balearics — the marina is often within 10 minutes of Menorca Airport. The island’s charter fleet is smaller than Mallorca’s or Ibiza’s, but Menorca’s flatter coastline and famously clear-water calas (Cala Macarella among them) make it a consistently popular choice for families and quieter groups who are less concerned with having the widest possible boat selection.
Menorca is more exposed to wind than the other islands outside the settled summer window, so route flexibility matters here more than it does starting from a Mallorca or Ibiza base.
Mahón’s harbour runs nearly 6km inland, lined with historic fortifications and quieter coves that never see the crowding common to Mallorca or Ibiza in peak season. The marina itself sits directly below the old town, so provisioning and a first-night meal ashore require no transfer at all — a small but genuine convenience after a flight.
La Savina, Formentera
Formentera has no airport of its own. Every charter based at La Savina starts with a ferry or private boat transfer from Ibiza, typically 25–40 minutes depending on the crossing point. This makes Formentera a less practical choice as a standalone starting base for a fly-in group, and a genuinely excellent choice as an extension of an Ibiza-based charter — Ses Illetes and Es Cavallet are among the clearest, shallowest anchorages in the whole Balearics, best reached as day stops rather than as the airport-transfer base itself.
Most operators either run the transfer as part of a package or point charterers to the regular passenger ferries between Ibiza Town and La Savina, which run frequently in season. Because the crossing itself is short and well served, the practical downside of Formentera having no airport is smaller than it first appears — it simply means building a half-day into the itinerary rather than treating La Savina as a same-day arrival base.
Smaller bases worth considering
Beyond the four main bases, several smaller marinas offer a quieter start with a more curated fleet. Port d’Andratx, on Mallorca’s south-west corner, puts the Tramuntana coast and a short hop to Ibiza within easy reach, and suits charterers who want to skip Palma’s size entirely. Cala d’Or, further along Mallorca’s south coast, is close to Cabrera National Park and works well for itineraries built around that marine reserve. Port Pollénsa, in the north of Mallorca, is a genuinely different starting point again — closer to Menorca-facing routes and the calmer north coast.
These bases typically have fewer charter companies operating from them than Palma, Ibiza or Mahón, so it is worth checking live availability for your dates through our charter company directory before committing to a smaller base for a fixed week.
Port Adriano, on Mallorca’s south-west coast between Palma and Port d’Andratx, is a newer, design-led marina with a smaller but well-maintained fleet — a useful middle option between Palma’s scale and Port d’Andratx’s quiet. For broader context on what each island offers beyond the marina itself, the Illes Balears tourism board publishes practical destination information for all four islands.
None of these smaller bases requires a different type of yacht or sailing experience — the boats and the licences accepted are the same across every Balearic base. The difference is entirely about pace, crowd size and which stretch of coastline sits closest to the marina on day one.
Comparing bases at a glance
The table below summarises transfer times and typical use case for each base. For live berthing and marina information, Ports de Balears covers the public ports of Alcúdia, Ibiza, Mahón, Palma and La Savina directly, and Aena’s Palma de Mallorca Airport page has live flight and transfer information for the busiest of the four.
| Base | Island | Nearest airport | Typical transfer | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palma de Mallorca | Mallorca | Palma (PMI) | 15–20 min | Widest fleet choice, easiest flights |
| Ibiza Town / San Antonio | Ibiza | Ibiza (IBZ) | 15–25 min | Nightlife plus dramatic anchorages |
| Mahón | Menorca | Menorca (MAH) | ~10 min | Families, quieter routes |
| La Savina | Formentera | None — via Ibiza | 25–40 min crossing | Extension of an Ibiza charter |
| Port d'Andratx | Mallorca | Palma (PMI) | ~40 min | Quiet start, Tramuntana coast |
| Cala d'Or | Mallorca | Palma (PMI) | ~50 min | Cabrera National Park routes |
Transfer times above assume normal traffic and standard ferry schedules; always confirm the current timetable directly with the operator or, for Formentera crossings, the ferry company, since schedules shift between shoulder and peak season.
Choosing your base around your itinerary
Wind exposure varies meaningfully by base too: Menorca and the more open stretches near Ibiza are more wind-affected outside the settled summer window than Mallorca’s more sheltered west coast, so a spring or autumn charter benefits from weighing that alongside the route itself — another reason where should your charter begin is really a question with a different right answer for June than for October.
The most common planning mistake is choosing a base on name recognition alone and only then looking at the route. It works better in reverse: decide what kind of week you want — a national park and quiet anchorages, a lively marina scene, a family-friendly flat-water route, or an island-hopping mix — and let that decision point to the base, since each one opens onto a genuinely different stretch of coastline. A Cabrera-focused week points to Palma or Cala d’Or; a Tramuntana-focused week points to Palma or Port d’Andratx; a quiet, family week points to Mahón; and a nightlife-plus-anchorages week points to Ibiza.
Seasonal timing interacts with this choice too — some bases are markedly quieter in shoulder season than others, which our seasonal guide covers in full. Whichever base fits your route, compare real, date-specific availability rather than assuming a boat is free — our charter yacht search reflects live fleet availability across all four islands.
So, where should your charter begin?
For the widest choice of yachts and the easiest flight logistics, Palma de Mallorca is the default answer to where your charter should begin. For a livelier marina scene alongside genuinely dramatic anchorages, Ibiza is the better starting point. For a quieter, family-oriented week with one of the shortest airport transfers in the Balearics, Mahón in Menorca stands out. And if Formentera’s shallow, clear water is the main draw, treat La Savina as an extension of an Ibiza-based charter rather than your arrival point.
Whichever base you choose, the same principle applies: match the base to the route you actually want, not the other way around. Our charter company directory lists which operators work from each base, and our charter enquiry form can narrow the options once you tell us your preferred base and dates.
There is rarely a single correct answer to where should your charter begin — only a best fit for a specific group, season and route. If you are still deciding between two bases, tell us both options in your enquiry and we will compare real, current fleet availability at each before you commit to one.
For a side-by-side look at what each island offers once you are aboard, our Mallorca charter guide covers the largest and most varied of the four in more depth.
Questions about choosing a charter base
Clear information before you choose your departure marina.
Which base has the best flight connections?
Palma de Mallorca has the most direct routes from Northern Europe and the largest airport of the four main bases, making it the easiest to reach for most charterers.
Can I start my charter at one base and finish at another?
Some operators allow one-way charters between bases for a relocation fee. Mention it in your enquiry so we only propose boats where the operator allows it.
Is Formentera a good place to start a charter?
It works better as an extension of an Ibiza-based week than as a standalone starting base, since La Savina has no airport of its own.
Do smaller bases have less choice of yachts?
Yes, generally. Port d’Andratx, Cala d’Or and Port Pollénsa have fewer operators than Palma, Ibiza or Mahón, so check live availability before committing.
Does the departure base affect the charter price?
Indirectly. Larger bases like Palma have more competition and choice at every price point, while smaller bases can have less flexibility on dates for a given budget.
Not sure which base fits your group?
Tell us your dates, group and the kind of week you want, and we will point you toward the base and boats that genuinely fit.