• Distance 4 km
  • Elevation gain 160m
  • Difficulty
  • Epic rating

The ride to Ermita de Betlem is one of those Mallorca cycling climbs that gives serious bang for buck!

With average gradients around 5.5%, it’s relatively accessible (we toyed with a one difficulty rating) and repays the effort with sublime scenery and majestic solitude. It feels like a cross between a quiet, mini Sa Calobra (due to the fact you climb to a col before descending) and a quiet, mini Formentor (for the impressive views across the sea).

In early November we found it almost car-free, reflecting what others had told us about this ride. So perhaps the fact it’s often quiet makes it a particularly good choice if the more famous roads of the Serra Tramuntana are too busy for your liking.

All metrics in this article are approximate.

Ermita de Betlem Mallorca: higlights

There’s beautiful scenery on the climb, but the jaw-dropping “wow” moment is when you come over the summit and get a panoramic view of Alcúdia and Pollença bays, the Serra Tramuntana mountains and Cap de Formentor.

Bring your camera.

Mallorca Cycling climb to Ermita de BetlemTowards the bottom of the climb
Riding to Ermita de Betlem by bikeA stunning backdrop!
Riding to Ermita de Betlem MallorcaThe road is narrow and the road surface is patchy in places

Route notes

1. Artà to Betlem turn off

After a climb up through the pretty town of Artà (perhaps via one of the lovely cafés?!), you find the route out north on the Ma-3333 beneath the mighty walls of the Santuari de Sant Salvador.

Helpfully, the Ma-3333 is signposted to Betlem so you shouldn’t go too far wrong.

It’s a gentle climb through farmland for around two kilometres before the gradients start to increase, coinciding with the turn off left to Ermita Betlem.

Note: this section isn’t on the GPX file as it’s not part of the climb

Old houses of Arta MallorcaThe pretty town of Artà
Cyclist riding from Arta towards Ermita de Betlem monasteryLeaving Artà and heading for the climb
Cyclist turning off for road to Betlem monasteryThe turning to the climb

2. Turn off to summit

The narrow road climbs the hillside via a series of switchbacks.

The scenery on the way up the climb is reminiscent of British moorland; green, grassy slopes dotted with trees.

The views stretch back towards Artà and the lack of development and traffic means a calm, peaceful atmosphere prevails.



Climbing up the Ermita de Betlem climbWe found the ride quiet and serene – though it was November!
Climbing up towards the summit of the Betlem climbNearing the top of the climb
Cyclist on hillside cycling towards summit of Betlem climb MallorcaWhat a road!

3. Summit to Ermita de Betlem, Mallorca

At the top there’s a 300m straight section before you descend down into a ladder of switchbacks. It’s around here that you get your first glimpse of the staggering views across the bays of Alcúdia and Pollença.

Enjoy!

At the bottom of the switchbacks, you curve (largely) down and around the cliff before a fast, straight descent to the monastery at the bottom. From the summit down to the monastery it’s about two kilometres of unforgettable riding.

Do it and surely you’ll agree this is one of the best cycling climbs in Mallorca?

Some of the most beautiful views ever on this quiet mallorca cycling climbYou turn a corner from the summit and see this!
Handlbars of bike on summit of Betlem climbView at the summit, heading back from the Ermita de Betlem
Bad road surface on final approach to Ermita de BetlemBroken road surface near the monastery

Café stops

We didn’t see a café/restaurant at the monastery – your best bet is to get refreshments in Artà. In particular, we’ve heard that the the cafe in the Sanctuari de Sant Salvador in Artà does amazing cakes! If you try it, let us know in the comments below!


Accommodation

Artà is a popular destination for those looking for Pollensa cycling routes: it’s a relatively flat, easy ride from Pollensa, Port de Pollensa or Alcúdia, though it’s also accessible if you’re staying in places like Campanet or Alarò (as we were when we did the ride).

If you’re not sure where to stay, our guide on where to stay on Mallorca for cyclists should help. Our ultimate guide to Mallorca also has details of hotels/accommodation we’ve stayed in.


Tips

Read our tips for cycling in Mallorca before you set out.

The road is narrow and even though it is relatively quiet, you will come across cars and vehicles (many of which will be rental cars and whose drivers may well be looking at the views rather than the road).

Also beware the goats!

We found the road surface very bumpy towards the bottom, near the monastery.

If you head down the cypress tree-lined avenue to the monastery itself, you’ll find a white stone church built in 1805.

If you’ve got a support car with you, note there’s limited parking – when we were there there was hardly any cars in the car park but this may be problematic at busier times of year.



Cyclist on long switchback on road back to Arta from Ermita de Betlem monasteryFun sweeping turns!
Cyclist in front of drive leading to Betlem monastery MallorcaEntrance to the monastery
Sign saying to watch out for cyclists on this popular Mallorca cycling climbAt the summit – a bit like Scotland?!

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Clare Dewey

Clare Dewey is a cyclist with a passion for travel. She set up epicroadrides.com in 2018 to help make it easy for cyclists to explore the world by bike. Today her mission is still inspiring cyclists to discover new places on two wheels – and doing what she can to make sure they have the best possible time while they’re there. Clare has visited 50+ destinations around the world, many of them by bike.

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2 Responses to “Ermita de Betlem: an unforgettable Mallorca cycling climb”

  1. Just completed the Ermita de Betlem climb. Amazing – and the road has been resurfaced too. Almost no traffic makes this one of the best I’ve climbed.

  2. Did this ride to the monastery on 2nd October 2019 and concur it’s a lovely climb, very quiet