A day with the wooden train — why the Tren de Sóller isn't vintage kitsch
A ride from Palma into the Tramuntana in a train actually made of wood. Since 1912. Here's how to plan it right.
There are a few Mallorca tourist classics that still work on the fifth time. The Tren de Sóller is one of them. A real 1912 train, wooden, brass handrails, padded benches, running the same twenty-seven kilometers from Palma to Sóller every day for over a hundred years.
What happens between Palma and Sóller
The train leaves Plaça d'Espanya in Palma, rattles through the suburbs first, then past fruit groves, and at some point the mountains are suddenly there. Thirteen tunnels on the way, one of them three kilometers long through the mountain ridge. Between tunnels: orange groves, olive trees, stone walls, and a viaduct where the train stops briefly so you can photograph out. An hour total, nobody does this on the side.
In Sóller you transfer straight to the old tram. Runs every half hour down to the harbor, also about 100 years old, also wood, also open. A little wobbly. The five kilometers to the sea take another 20 minutes, but you don't want anything else than to sit in the green wooden seat and watch the orange trees on either side.
Two hours at the harbor, then back
Port de Sóller is a harbor with hotels wrapped around it. Not the most authentic backdrop on the island, but the bay is sheltered, the water calm, and there's a row of restaurants on the water. Two tips: Es Passeig does good taberneta dishes, Randemar is the pricier one with a sea view. Just want coffee, take Kiosk Es Mollet at the far end of the promenade. Tables right on the wall.
If you have time and energy: up to Cap Gros lighthouse. Twenty minutes on the Cami des Far, steady but not steep climb, then you sit up on the rock with the bay completely below you.
“The train is the day. Everything else is extra.”
Practical details
- First departure 10:10, last return 18:30 — don't stay too long, the last train is packed.
- Seats not reservable. Be there fifteen minutes before.
- Backpack, not a big suitcase — the train aisle is narrow.
- For kids: get a window seat, ideally right in the direction of travel.
Sheltered bay on the west coast. Wooden train since 1912 from Palma, tram to the harbor, sunset at Cap Gros lighthouse.
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