Getting on the train to Sóller, one of the most characteristic experiences you can have in Mallorca, is like taking a journey to the past. Through the window, you can admire the spectacular scenery of the Sierra de Tramuntana, and get a sense of the majesty of this mountain range, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The Sóller train line, officially inaugurated in 1912, runs from Palma to the town of Sóller, located on the north-western part of the island, in the Serra de Tramuntana. The train journey covers 27.3 kilometres and travels through 13 tunnels, with the longest, almost 3km, passing through the Serra d’Alfàbia.
The station belongs to the Sóller Railway Company and is housed in a modernist building which includes the dept and the track area. Before you hear “All aboard!”, you can take a few moments to soak up some of the island’s natural beauty with a pictorial exhibition of “50 landscapes of Mallorca”, which covers the walls of the old depot and will allow you a glimpse of the Mallorcan scenery as seen by important artists from the island and beyond.
Carefully maintained
The Sóller train is timeless. Craftsmen maintain its original appearance; lacquered wooden floors and ceilings, metal and leather seats, sash windows, and décor with touches of gold. Whether you are travelling solo, or as a family, you’ll find comfortable sofas in the first-class carriage – not a lot of people know this – where you can sit and enjoy the hour-long trip in comfort.
The Sóller train will take you on a slow, leisurely journey, as if time has ceased to exist, past beautiful places you’ve never seen before. The other face of Mallorca is where the land, tradition, and nature steal the show from the hustle and bustle of the city and world globalisation.
Magical landscapes
Open your eyes and let the journey take you beyond the city to enter the most authentic landscape of the island: fields of carob and almond trees – which you’ll see in bloom during February and March– and mountains of stone terraces.
The first stop is at Son Sardina, which shows us the beauty of its various estates: Sa Font Seca, Son Termes, and Raixa – a spectacular country house and estate in the area of Bunyola, with an Italian-style courtyard– and s’Alqueria Blanca. Passing through a pine forest, you’ll arrive in Bunyola, a village at the foot of the Serra d’Alfàbia, surrounded by gardens and lemon groves. Centenarian olive trees, oak, and pine woods characterise the landscape of the Tramuntana mountains.
The train continues its route until it arrives in the Sóller Valley, where orange and lemon groves welcome you with a symphony of colour and citrus scents. La Serra d’Alfàbia, Es Cornadors, L’Ofre, and the imposing Puig del Migdia create this mountainous horizon. Enchanted by the journey, you reach the modernist town of Sóller, where the juiciest oranges in the world are grown. The spectacular church at the heart of the town, traditional shops, museums, and the chance to travel to the Port de Sóller by tram, are just some of the area’s attractions. Buy a ticket and enjoy a magical journey to the heart of Mallorca.