The first day of seasonal traffic restrictions in Formentor offered a familiar glimpse of summer in northern Mallorca: long queues of vehicles, cyclists weaving between buses, pedestrians walking along narrow roadside verges and confused tourists attempting to navigate one of the island’s most congested beauty spots.
The new measures, introduced to ease pressure on the Formentor peninsula during the peak tourist season, restrict private vehicle access to the lighthouse road between 10am and 10pm. But despite the controls, traffic built steadily throughout Friday morning along the route connecting Puerto Pollensa, Formentor beach and the lighthouse, exposing the continuing struggle to balance mass tourism with mobility and environmental protection.
Conditions were hardly ideal. Grey skies and strong winds swept across the Mirador des Colomer and the exposed lighthouse cliffs, yet visitors continued arriving in large numbers. Around the popular viewpoint, drivers competed for a handful of parking spaces while buses attempted difficult manoeuvres on the winding road alongside overtaking cyclists and rental scooters. The atmosphere was not openly hostile, but increasingly chaotic.
Confusion appeared widespread among visitors unfamiliar with the restrictions. One parking attendant said a tourist had even asked whether they were in Can Picafort. Similar scenes unfolded near Formentor beach, where many drivers continued towards the lighthouse apparently unaware that access for private vehicles is prohibited during daytime hours. Under the new rules, drivers who entered before 10am but leave the restricted area afterwards can still face fines of up to €200.
Authorities have installed automated barriers and surveillance cameras to monitor authorised vehicles, while council staff have been deployed throughout the area to direct traffic and explain the restrictions. Public transport is now being presented as the main alternative, with shuttle buses operating every 35 minutes between Puerto Pollensa, the beach and the lighthouse. Yet as another summer begins in Mallorca, Friday’s scenes suggested that managing visitor numbers in Formentor remains as complicated as ever.