The “Tren de Sóller“, first inaugurated in 1912, holds the title of the oldest train operating in Mallorca. Its route connects Palma with Sóller, with a stop in Bunyola. This charming vintage train has its station just 75 metres away from the Plaza España Intermodal metro and bus station. The station preserves its historic charm and also offers a cafeteria with a terrace serving typical Sóller products. It is a century-old railway that departs from the Mallorcan capital and runs through the green and lush Serra de Tramuntana mountain range before reaching the town of Sóller.
The motivation for the construction of this railway arose from the success of the orange trade in Sóller at the beginning of the 20th century, which generated the need for an accessible route to Palma. The city prides itself on growing the best oranges in the world, the export of which to France and other European countries flourished in the 19th century, which led to the emigration of many Sollerics to France and, therefore, the influence of French culture and fraternal ties with that country.
The construction of a 2,856-metre-long tunnel cutting through the Sierra de Alfábia took four years. Nowadays, the train takes passengers on a scenic route through the Serra de Tramuntana, making stops in the municipalities of Son Sardina and Bunyola, and passing through tunnels and viaducts, the most picturesque being the one known as “Els Cinc Ponts”.
After traversing the last tunnel, the picturesque village of Sóller reveals itself amidst the green orange groves of the valley. It is possible for visitors to continue from Sóller to Port de Sóller on the old tram, which runs every hour. More than just a means of transport, the Tren de Sóller is one of Mallorca’s main touristic attractions. On this century-old train, you will experience a sense of calmness as you travel through the most unknown part of the island, which is why it is so popular amongst tourists.
If you don’t plan to take the Sóller tram, you can still capture this unique experience by taking pictures, as the Ferrocarril de Sóller is one of the island’s most picturesque places. Make the most of your stay in Mallorca with Ideal Property Mallorca and live this unique railway experience.
Route
SOLLER TRAIN
- Palma de Mallorca Station
Just by crossing the threshold of Palma station, you will feel as if you have been transported back in time. This unique railway station is an oasis of calm and tranquillity in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city.
The station, located next to Plaza de España, is made up of a modernist building with three sections, the depot and the track area, where a locomotive or passenger carriage often rests.
If you get there with sufficient time, you can watch the manoeuvres of coupling the locomotive to the rest of the convoy from the platform, covered by a canopy that offers shade and shelter to the traveller. This process has been repeated daily for more than a century, with the trumpet blasts of the guards and the low whistles of the old engine.
You can also visit the exhibition “50 landscapes of Mallorca“, a pictorial exhibition that covers the walls of an old coach house, reflecting the vision that important local and foreign artists have had of the island’s nature.
- A Journey through Time aboard the Sóller Train
The Sóller train has retained the same appearance since its inauguration, thanks to the continuous handcrafted care it has received over the years. From the platform of the carriage, you step through a glass door into the interior: the floor, walls and ceilings are made of lacquered wood, with sash windows, gilded sconces and leather and metal seats. The seats can be rearranged so that passengers can choose whether to sit facing their fellow passengers or separately, depending on the direction the train is travelling in. In the first class carriage the seats are replaced by sofas, making the journey even more comfortable.
It’s time to start the journey.
An hour-long journey that takes you to another time and another Mallorca begins, back to a time when things happened slowly and the train was a modern artefact that represented the future and progress.
- A scenic journey through the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range
On leaving Palma, the train passes through the urban suburbs to enter the Mallorcan countryside, where carob and almond trees paint the landscape with their colours. The journey takes you past the large rural houses that preside over the estates, as you enter the majestic Serra de Tramuntana mountain range.
Once out of the city, the iron road travels in a straight line into the Mallorcan countryside also known as “Part Forana”, as the islanders call all the territory that does not belong to the capital. On both sides of the convoy, the landscape is covered with fields of carob and almond trees, with the mountains in the background.
Along this path you can distinguish large manor houses that surround the area: Sa Font Seca, Son Termes, Son Amar, Raixa and s’Alqueria Blanca.
- The road to Bunyola
After passing the Santa Maria road and Caubet halts, the track enters a Mediterranean pine forest at a higher altitude and ends at the town of Bunyola, built at the foot of the Serra d’Alfàbia mountain range.
Its station is preserved just as it was erected more than a hundred years ago, with a manorial main building and a transformer substation dating from 1929. At the foot of the station, gardens and fields filled with lemon trees impregnate the atmosphere with the scent of citrus fruits.
On leaving Bunyola, three buildings stand out: Sa Torre or Villa Francisca, built in Modernist style; s’Alqueria d’Avall, a typical Mallorcan mountain estate, and the Alfàbia estate, dating back to the Arab domination period and surrounded by Andalusian-inspired gardens.
- We have now entered the Serra de Tramuntana, a World Heritage Site.
Leaving Bunyola behind, we can observe a change in the landscape as we enter the olive groves, characteristic of the Serra de Tramuntana. These olive trees are centuries old, with wide canopies and thick trunks, with the singularity that they have been planted on the slopes supported by dry stone walls, held in place without mortar, called “marges” in Catalan.
- The journey to the Valley of Sóller
The train plunges rattling into the landscape through a trench dug into the rock and crosses the first of thirteen tunnels drilled through the rugged terrain.
Once inside, the railway reaches the highest point of its route, at some 200 metres above sea level. The lamps are lit inside the carriages, while it is pitch dark outside. Pushed by the piston that makes up the convoy, the air howls like a ghost trapped inside the mountain. If we open our window slightly, the damp breeze, redolent of moss and fern, blows cold while the blackened tunnel walls glide swiftly past us, just inches from our faces.
- Descent into the valley
A few minutes later, the train appears on the Sóller hillside in a burst of light and green. To our right, the Sóller Valley spreads out, covered with orange and lemon groves and surrounded by the high mountains that stand out against the sky: Serra d’Alfàbia, Es Cornadors, L’Ofre, Serra de Son Torrella and the imposing mola of Puig del Migdia.
Each tunnel exit offers us, from a privileged height, a new perspective of the lush valley and the rugged mountains.
- Viewpoint at Pujol d’en Banya
On the hillside of Pujol d’en Banya, the special train (ask for information at the ticket office in Palma station) makes a technical stop of about ten minutes. This gives passengers the opportunity to get off the train to observe and photograph the open landscape from the viewpoint.
- Discovering the route’s magic
Once we have resumed our journey, the train goes along the curved viaduct that crosses the Torrent dels Montreals, popularly known as “Els Cinc Ponts” because of its five masonry arches. Further on, it enters the “500” tunnel, named after its half-kilometre length. Its route makes a 180º turn, so that at the exit, almost surprisingly, the valley reappears on the left.
- Arrival in Sóller, a Modernist town
The train now runs through the outskirts of the town, crossing small orange groves until it glides smoothly through the last tunnel to Sóller station.
The train announces its entry into the station with a final whistle, marked by the sight of the various elements that make it up: the depots, the workshops, the warehouses, the track crossings and the loading bays, and up ahead, the power sub-station that supplies power to the entire railway line.
To go down to Plaça d’Espanya, where the first tram stop to the Port and a railway carriage housing the municipal tourist information office are located, visitors must go down a long flight of steps to the main station building, Can Maiol manor house. On its groundfloor, it is possible to visit the Miró and Picasso exhibition rooms belonging to “Tren de l’Art Foundation”, with original works by the two universal artists, free of charge.
But the journey is not over yet. There are still plenty of opportunities to visit and wander around.
SÓLLER TRAMWAY
- From Sóller to Port de Sóller aboard a historic tramway
The Sóller tramway was inaugurated in 1913 and is not only a tourist attraction, but also a means of public transport used for more than a century by the inhabitants of the small town to travel to its port and beaches and vice versa.
In addition to transporting passengers, the tram has also been used to transport boxes of fish from the docks to the market or boxes of oranges to the ships that once sailed to the French ports, to carry vegetables from the market garden to the town and even to carry coal and war materials to the Navy’s naval base located in the Port of Sóller.
- From the Sóller Railway Station
In Plaça d’Espanya, opposite the entrance to the historic building of the Sóller railway station, you will find the first stop where you can take the tram to the beach and the port.
The fact that you can buy your tickets on board (or have bought a combined train-tram ticket) and the extensive schedule of rides, means that you can wander around, go shopping or sit on a terrace before making your short trip.
In the same square you will find Sóller’s Tourist Office, located in an old train carriage fitted out for this purpose.
- Crossing the town of Sóller by tram.
Boarding the tram at the station, you cross the charming centre of Sóller. From Plaça d’Espanya to Plaça de la Constitució, via the picturesque promenade of Es Born, visitors will enjoy the sights of the monumental parish church and the bustle of the terraces of cafés and bars. During the warmer months, the open carriages allow you to soak up even more of Sóller’s ambience and scenery.
- Between orchards and gardens
Leaving the main square and the municipal market behind, the tramway enters a less urban and more rural territory, made up of the back gardens of the houses and the orange and lemon orchards called Es Camp de S’Oca. Soon, on the right, you will also see the Torrent Major, crossed by the tram over a small steel bridge.
As the tram is also used by the locals, there are two more stops on its way through the L’Horta neighbourhood. The train driver only stops if the passenger notifies him by ringing the bell placed for this purpose, pulling a strap that hangs from the roof of the carriage. This is yet another peculiarity of this unique form of transport.
- Heading to the sea
On its way to the sea, the tram crosses the road leading to Sóller, offering panoramic views of the mountains and lush orchards. Along the way, it makes brief stops to pick up or drop off passengers, such as at Sa Roca Rotja.
The sea breeze announces the proximity to the sea. One more stop at the Plaza de Sa Torre, so called because it is located at the foot of an old defence tower, so that passengers heading for Playa d’en Repic can get off.
From there, the tram glides along Es Través pedestrian promenade with an unbeatable panoramic view of the bay on the left. Here the splendour of the Mediterranean can be admired: the beach, the boats resting in the centre of the bay and the horizon line framed between two peaks crowned by the lighthouses of Es Cap Gros and Sa Creu.
- Discover the Port of Sóller
The tour culminates at the old tram station, now converted into a restaurant, a family-run business since 1929. Here you can relax, explore the piers, take a dip on the beach or enjoy the magnificent sea views. You can also take the opportunity to embark on an exciting sea voyage to other nearby coastal destinations.
PRICES
Train tickets cost around 20€ each way from Palma to Sóller, making a total of 40€ return excluding the tram to Puerto de Sóller. The best option is to buy a combined train and tram ticket. For 35€ you get a return train ticket from Palma to Sóller, plus tickets for the scenic tram ride between Sóller and Port de Sóller.
DEPARTING HOURS
The departing hours of the Sóller train vary depending on the time of year and date, the tram runs very frequently all year-long, with departures every 30/60 minutes between 8:00h and 21:00h.
