Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE SLOW TRAIN TO SÓLLER
Welcome to one of the most rewarding excursions in Mallorca. Since 1912 a
narrow-gauge train has trundled along the winding 27.3km route from Palma to
Sóller (one way/return €12.50/19.50). The fragile-looking timber-panelled train,
which replaced a stagecoach service, departs from Plaça de l'Estació seven times a
day (five times from November to February) and takes about 1¼ hours; there are
between four and five return trains every day. The route passes through ever-chan-
ging countryside that becomes dramatic in the north as it crosses the Serra de
Alfàbia, a stretch comprising 13 tunnels and a series of bridges and viaducts.
The trip starts out heading through the streets of Palma but within 20 minutes
you're in the countryside. At this stage the view is better to the left towards the
Serra de Tramuntana. The terrain starts to rise gently and to the left the eye
sweeps over olive gardens, the occasional sandy-coloured house and the moun-
tains in the background. Half an hour out of Palma you call in at Bunyola. You could
board here to do just half the trip (one way/return €6.25/12.50) to Sóller.
Shortly after Bunyola, as the mountains close in (at one point you can see Palma
and the sea behind you), you reach the first of a series of tunnels. Some trains stop
briefly at a marvellous lookout point, the Mirador Pujol de'n Banya, shortly after
the Túnel Major (main tunnel, which is almost 3km long and took three years to
carve out of the rock in 1907-10). The view stretches out over the entire Sóller val-
ley. From there, the train rattles across a viaduct before entering another tunnel
that makes a slow 180-degree turn on its descent into Sóller, whose station build-
ing is housed in an early 17th-century noble mansion. Return tickets are valid for
two weeks.
At the train station in Palma, you can buy packages that include a tram from
Sóller, and then a boat from there to Sa Calobra, and then back to Palma again. It
costs around €49. For more information, call 902 364711, or visit
Getting Around
TO & FROM THE AIRPORT
Bus 1 runs every 15 minutes from the airport to Plaça d'Espanya (on the train-station
side) in central Palma (€3, 15 minutes) and on to the entrance of the ferry terminal. It
makes several stops along the way, entering the heart of the city along Avinguda de Gab-
riel Alomar i Villalonga, skirting around the city centre and then running back to the
coast along Passeig de Mallorca and Avinguda d'Argentina. It heads along Avinguda de
