Article published on 16/08/2025
This enchanting corner, nestled between sea and mountains, surprises any traveler, regardless of age. We're talking about the valley that climbs from Palma de Mallorca up to the Sierra de Tramuntana, passing through lush green hills, outside usual space-time norms. Here time seems to have stopped, starting with the wooden train that puffs through fairy-tale landscapes, past a perfectly preserved farmhouse, a often thirsty stream, and a family of goats living in their natural habitat in an incredible balance that this island preserves like few others.
You leave Palma in the hustle and bustle of a busy city like many others, but already at the station entrance you feel something different: a plaque tells us that the Sóller Railway has been running this route continuously for over 100 years (since 1912) and indeed, once on board the strictly wooden train, it's easy to believe. And as you move away from the city, the feeling of going back in time grows stronger. One hour of slow travel through the increasingly green and wild countryside of Mallorca. The train climbs through the gorges of the Sierra and, passing through narrow and evocative tunnels, reaches Sóller, in the middle of a fertile valley surrounded by high mountains. The historic town is famous among other things for its fragrant orange groves. The town center is Plaça de la Constitució, where the tracks of the century-old train amazingly pass just a few centimeters from numerous bars and restaurants where locals and tourists enjoy a cerveza or sangría under the striking scenery of the Serra de Tramuntana that dominates the entire valley. The majestic Church of Sant Bartomeu, whose original core dates back to 1236, also deserves a visit.
From Sóller, the sea is only 5 kilometers away and can be reached by the tram inaugurated in October 1913, also wooden and kept strictly original. The small bay of Port de Sóller, founded by Arab pirates (an ideal starting point for boat trips to nearby coves), is guarded by two evocative lighthouses between which you can enjoy a fabulous sunset with the sun diving into the sea between the two lighthouses from the terrace of one of the many restaurants that still offer authentic Mallorcan cuisine with dishes like caldera de peix (mixed fish with rice or slices of bread) or sofrit pages (fried lamb, pork and chicken with vegetables).