No visit to Mallorca is complete without a jaunt on the Palma to Soller train.
The journey takes around an hour to cover the 27 km and begins in the ticket hall of either the Palma or Soller train stations which themselves are architectural treats.
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If you are short on time, board the train at Bunyola and enjoy the twists and turns of the mountain stretch before the train descends into Soller, a journey of just 25 minutes.
History
Hidden away in the Tramuntana mountain range is a valley containing the villages of Fornalutx, Biniaraix, Sóller and its port. Bursting with citrus fruits, isolation was hampering development, as travel to Palma, via the Coll de Sóller, was a steep and arduous journey.
A proposal to build a direct Palma-Sóller railway which would pass via a tunnel under the Sierra de Tramuntana mountains was approved and the first working train reached Sóller on 30th September of 1911.
Fondly know as the ‘orange express’, it now carries thousands of visitors who marvel at this slice of history still in operation.
The Journey
Assuming you have boarded in Palma, there is an air of excitement as the 100 year old carriages shunt and the whistle blows.
The train ambles first through Palma’s streets, heading north into the flat and fertile agricultural lands. After 30 minutes, the train has it’s only scheduled stop at Bunyola at the foothills of the Tramuntana mountains.
Now begins the thrill of tunnels, bridges and 5 arched viaduct as the train twist and turns as it wends it way into the town of Sóller.
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Note: The train service is suspended each year from mid December until the end of January to facilitate maintenance and repair so please check the Tren de Sóller website.
