Sóller

The valley of oranges

The valley floor is a patchwork of citrus groves behind dry-stone walls, with olive terraces climbing the slopes and the bare limestone of the high Tramuntana above. In spring the scent of orange blossom hangs over the lanes; in winter the trees glow with fruit. Oranges made Sóller’s fortune in the nineteenth century, when the town shipped them to the south of France and many families followed the trade across the water.

Some came back rich, and their money shows in the modernista townhouses, iron balconies and tiled hallways of the centre. That French connection lingers in the architecture and in a certain urban confidence, unusual for a mountain town. For the story of the island’s citrus, oil and almonds, see our guide to oranges, olive oil and almonds.

Plaça de la Constitució and the town

Everything in Sóller leads to the Plaça de la Constitució, the main square, where café tables fill the paving and the tram runs straight across it. On one side stands the church of Sant Bartomeu, an older church given a bold modernista façade in the early twentieth century by Joan Rubió, an architect who had worked with Gaudí. Its carved stone and great rose window are best seen in the late afternoon light. The bank building next door, by the same architect, has window grilles of twisted iron that look almost organic.

Carrer de sa Lluna, the main shopping street, runs off the square, and the side lanes reveal courtyards, garden walls with orange trees showing over the top and the occasional carved doorway. It is a town to wander rather than to tick off.

Port de Sóller and Cap Gros

The tram follows the orange groves down to Port de Sóller, a nearly enclosed horseshoe bay and the one sheltered natural harbour on this stretch of coast. A promenade curves around the water, fishing boats still tie up at the quay, and the sea inside the bay is usually calm when the open coast is not. Swimming is from the small sandy beaches along the promenade.

On the west side of the bay, a road and footpath climb to the lighthouse at Cap Gros, high on the cliffs. It is the place to watch the sun drop into the sea, especially from spring to early autumn; sunset spots shows the angle for any date. From the port, boats run in season along the cliffs to Sa Calobra, a fine way to see this coast from the water.

Es Firó, the market and the table

Every May, Sóller relives the raid of 1561, when corsairs from North Africa landed at the port and the townspeople drove them back. Es Firó is a loud, joyful re-enactment, with hundreds of locals dressed as Moors and Christians fighting mock battles at the port and in the town, clouds of gunpowder smoke and a starring role for the two Valiant Women, sisters who, the story goes, saw off raiders at their own door. More island feasts are in festivals and traditions.

The Saturday market fills the streets of the centre with fruit, vegetables, cheese, sobrassada and baskets. Around town, look out for fresh orange juice from the valley, orange ice cream and marmalade, and for local olive oil, some of it under the Oli de Mallorca designation.

Walks: Biniaraix and the high valleys

Sóller is perhaps the best walking base in the Tramuntana. The classic route leaves town for Biniaraix, a hamlet of stone houses a short walk away, then climbs the Barranc de Biniaraix, an old paved mule track that zigzags up a gorge in hundreds of stone steps between terraces and cliffs. Go as far as you like and turn back, or continue towards the reservoir of Cúber with transport arranged at the top. The route is part of the GR 221.

Another path links Biniaraix with Fornalutx, the stone village at the head of the valley, and the old coast path to Deià runs west through olive groves. With a car, the Ma-10 climbs from Sóller past the Mirador de Ses Barques towards Lluc.

Getting there: train, tunnel and parking

The Ferrocarril de Sóller has run from Palma since 1912, in varnished wooden carriages that pass Bunyola and then burrow through a long series of tunnels under the Serra d’Alfàbia, pausing at a viewpoint high above the valley. The ride is worth making for its own sake. In town, the tram links the station with the port. Check the current timetable for both.

By car, Sóller is about 35 minutes from Palma airport outside peak traffic, via the tunnel; the old road over the Coll de Sóller, with its long chain of hairpins, is slower but beautiful. Parking in the centre is limited, so use the signposted car parks on the edge of town and walk in. The main ways to arrive:

• By train from Palma, about an hour through the mountains
• By bus or car through the tunnel, the quickest route
• Over the Coll de Sóller, for the views and the hairpins
• On foot, along the GR 221 from Deià or down the Barranc de Biniaraix