Set in a valley of orange and lemon groves between the Tramuntana and the sea, Sóller is the "valley of gold." Its signature: the 1912 wooden train that rolls down from Palma, and the historic tram that carries on to the port.
The map
Tap a point for details
Sóller grew rich on the liquid gold of its oranges and lemons, and that trade paid for what is now its greatest draw: the wooden railway that has linked Palma with the village since 1912, crossing thirteen tunnels and viaducts through the mountains. In town, the train connects with a historic brass-and-wood tram that continues through the orchards down to Port de Sóller. It is, by some distance, the loveliest way to arrive.
The heart of the village is the Plaça de la Constitució, presided over by the neo-Gothic church of Sant Bartomeu (16th century, its 1904 façade signed by Joan Rubió, a pupil of Gaudí). A step away, Can Prunera is a Modernista mansion turned museum, with works by Picasso, Miró and Kandinsky and its original early-20th-century interiors intact; in summer you can visit it by night with a wine tasting. And on Saturday mornings the weekly market fills the square with local produce: olive oil, cheeses, valley vegetables and the famous Sóller oranges.
At the table, note two classics: the gambes de Sóller — the port's red prawns, best grilled — and a freshly squeezed orange juice or an artisan ice cream from Gelat Sóller, made with valley fruit. Come in May and you'll catch Es Firó, the Moors-and-Christians battle re-enacting the 1561 pirate landing; in August, the Festes de Sant Bartomeu fill the square. One tip: arrive by the historic train (station on Carrer d'Eusebi Estada in Palma, next to Plaça d'Espanya), buy the combined train+tram ticket and leave time to spare, because summer queues are long and the village fills up; May and September are the best months.
