The Formentor lighthouse, located on the Cap de Formentor, is the best known and most visited lighthouse in Mallorca.
It belongs to the list of the 14 lighthouses of Mallorca and is one of the most impressive in the Balearic Islands, if not the most impressive, given its location and the distance to be travelled to reach it.
It is located at the end of the Formentor Peninsula, right at the easternmost part of the Sierra de Tramuntana, and its image is an inseparable part of it. Its location is the final attainment of many mountain features that would have been lined up at will by a creative hand. Hence the mystical character of this place.
The Formentor lighthouse is one of the most special and unique places on the island, as its location allows you to see the sun rise and set, making it one of the best places to watch the sunset in Mallorca.
Characteristics of the Formentor lighthouse
It has a nominal range of 91 nautical miles and a luminous appearance of 4 flashes every 20 seconds.
Its tower measures 22 metres and its focal point is 210 metres above sea level, making it the highest of all the lighthouses in the Balearic Islands and one of the highest in Spain.
History of the Formentor Lighthouse
This lighthouse was designed by Emili Pou in 1860 with a budget of 662,535.91 reales de vellón, and was inaugurated in 1863. When it began to operate it was with a rotating optic with 12 central panels that flashed every 30 seconds in 1927. The old one can be seen in the exhibition on the lighthouses of the Balearic Islands in Portopí.
This optic installed in 1927 only lasted one year and ended up being placed in the lighthouse of La Mola in Formentera . A new optic was then installed at the Formentor lighthouse, which now has 4 flashes.
In the 1960s, an attempt was made to install a power line, but due to the storms in the area, the lighthouse suffered constant breakdowns, so it continued to maintain its signal with generators.
In 1971 the lantern and optics were changed.
It was a very difficult lighthouse to build due to its wild location and isolation, and the construction work lasted about 6 years. To speed up the work, the workers had to work on Sundays and public holidays, so the Bishopric of Mallorca had an altar built so that they could receive mass there and thus stop the construction of the lighthouse.
Current days
Today its signal is solarised and remote-controlled and the old lighthouse keepers’ houses have been reused as a bar, taking advantage of the fact that the Formentor is one of the most visited places in Mallorca.
There is still the camí vell to the lighthouse of Formentor, which was a difficult and winding path of more than 20 kilometres that left from Cala Murta along which, thanks to the help of mules, they carried the olive oil with which they used to light the lighthouse.
The Faro de Formentor lighthouse is currently undergoing works to repair a section of the road that suffered landslides just before the summer of 2021. Work is expected to continue until spring 2023.
How to get to the Formentor Lighthouse
To get to the Faro de Formentor lighthouse you will first have to go to Puerto de Pollença if you are not already there.
If you are thinking of going by car to the Faro de Formentor and you don’t have one, below we provide you with a price comparator for rent a car in Mallorca so that you can find the type of car that best suits your needs.
⚠ You should know that the Formentor Lighthouse has a handicap during the summer months and the fact is that you will not be able to reach the lighthouse itself with the car during daytime opening hours, you will have to leave your car in the car park of the Formentor Beach and then take a shuttle bus that will take you to the Formentor lighthouse. Here you can check the conditions of the car park at Formentor beach if you come by car.
The Govern ended up taking this decision in order to avoid the crowds in the vicinity of the lighthouse that had been occurring year after year. So our advice is to use public transport during these months.
To get to Formentor beach by bus, from anywhere in Mallorca, you will first need to go to the area of Port de Pollença (Puerto Pollensa) in the bus line of the area you are staying in and once there make a transfer and take the line 334, which operates only in summer. There you can take the shuttle bus to the Formentor lighthouse. Taxis can also be a good option. Check here for the timetables and telephone numbers of the bases of all the places in Mallorca, don’t forget to ask for the price of the trip beforehand!
If you don’t have a rental car to get there, don’t worry! You can visit the incredible Formentor peninsula with this panoramic excursion by bus or from the sea, taking a boat trip from Alcudia.
Mallorca map
Do you want to follow the route of the other lighthouses of Mallorca and you don’t know where they are? Below you will find a map of Mallorca that we have designed exclusively for you and for the rest of the readers of Yo soy Mallorca where you will find all the lighthouses of Mallorca and many other points of interest that you should not miss on your visit to the island.
With this map, which you can carry on your device, you will always know what to see and where to go in Mallorca.
Download your map of Mallorca
Did you find the Formentor lighthouse as impressive as we do, and are you planning to visit it? Tell us about your experience, we’ll read you!
