The mountainous northern side of the island was probably our favorite and we returned often to explore. On this day we decided to drive to the beautiful western town of Sóller which is in what's called the valley of oranges due to it's abundance of orange trees. The drive from Palma took about 35 minutes and as we got closer we began entering the rolling hills and then the Sierra de Tramuntana mountains.
During the busier time of the year there is a historic 1912 train that runs between Palma and Sóller but it wasn't operating during December when we were there. You can check on the schedule and rates here.
Tip: Parking here was just crazy so it took us a while to find something and we wished we had stopped on the outskirts where we saw lots of cars and just walked in! All of the small parking lots that showed up on google were completely full but after driving around very narrow (and often one way) streets a bit we nabbed a spot.
The Historic Center
The town was very picturesque and filled with old stone buildings, narrow walking streets, a main plaza and market which is popular on Saturdays. It was so fun to see the Christmas decorations everywhere and we enjoyed wandering all over.
A Scrumptious Bakery
Since it was Christmas Eve many things were closed but we did find a wonderful place to grab sandwiches and a cup of coffee called Fort de Barri.
Port de Sóller
There is a tram that runs from Sóller to Port de Sóller which is a small coastal town about 10 minutes away, but we weren't sure it would be running due to the holiday so we decided to drive there ourselves.
We found parking easily and got out to explore a bit. Again, it was unusually quiet with all the businesses closed but it made it really nice to walk around. There were local families playing at the beach and taking walks. We could tell it would be a very busy, bustling area in the summer with lots of food places, bars, and shops along the waterfront. We walked up the road a bit to get some views and then decided to get in the car and drive up further to see the lighthouse that was built in 1842.
Far des Cap Gros
The lighthouse was all blocked off so we couldn't get close to it but the views from the parking area were really pretty. This would probably be a great sunset area!
Then we started our way back, driving through beautiful countryside filled with orange groves, farms and country homes.
Just a great scenic drive to take on this part of the island with plenty of wonderful things to see and do.
December 2022