Palma de Mallorca

PALMA DE MALLORCA

 

FOURTH STOP ON OUR 16 DAY TRANSATLANTIC

 

Palma de Mallorca is located on the west coast of the island of Mallorca. It is the capital and largest city on the island. Once a Roman settlement, it is now a largely popular tourist destination.

 

 

The Catherdral of Santa Maria is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral built on the site of a pre-existing Arab mosque. The city`s history museum is located in the Bellver Castle. The Arab Baths are wisely preserved in Palma.

Shops abound in this cosmopolitan city and there  are many tapas bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Tito`s discotheque is one of the hotspots.

We decided to take the Palma to Soller train and once we disembarked we took the number one local bus to the Plaza de Espana stop. Here we walked to the corner of Eusebio Estada and the Avenidas, about one block from the central bus station. The cost for each person was 26€ and this included the electric tram from Soller to Port Soller.

 

The Soller Train (also known as the Orange Train) transport the traveler from the hustle and bustle of the city, past olive groves and Alfabia gardens into the tranquility of the Tramuntana Mountains. It travels slowly and takes an hour to reach Soller. The mountain views are excellent and there are many tunnels, including the Coll de Soller tunnel which is two miles long. The train makes a short photo stop at Mirador des Pujol dÉn Banya, overlooking the town before making its long descent.

Soller is  the perfect small town for a stroll. The C`n Prunera Museum is an Art Nouveau building built in 1911. It contains a permanent exhibition of modern art by national and international artists. The Museum of Culture, the church and of course the Sa Fabrica de Gelats, or ice cream factory are a must see. Lemons, oranges and limes grow profusely in the valley and orange ice cream is a specialty of the area.

From Soller, we board the electric tram for a 30 minute ride down to the Port  Soller, a beautiful harbour town.

A beautiful island and an excellent adventure, we would definitely return to Mallorca!