THE FISHERMEN'S QUARTER OF THE PORT OF SÓLLER: SANTA CATALINA.

Choosing the Sóller Valley for your holidays means choosing the possibility of enjoying the sea, the mountains and all the corners, landscapes, stories and possibilities that these two characteristic places of the Mediterranean hide. Therefore, today we invite you to discover one of those magical places, full of history and tradition that we believe you should visit during your stay in Sóller: the fishermen's quarter of Santa Catalina. 

As many of you will already know, the Port of Sóller, located just a few kilometres from the centre of Sóller, is the largest natural harbour on the entire north coast of Mallorca, a unique place due to its geographical characteristics that throughout history has served as a refuge for all kinds of fishermen, traders and sailors. A port that experienced its greatest economic and commercial splendour during the 18th century thanks to the export of local products such as citrus fruits. And it was precisely at that time when the local fishermen began to build, to the right of the Port of Sóller, the fishermen's quarter of Santa Catalina as we know it today. A picturesque fishing quarter, with small houses and streets named after the winds in which the local fishermen kept their boats. A perfect place that we invite you to discover and explore during your visit to Sóller. 

So we will start our visit by setting off from the Gran Hotel Sóller in the direction of the Port of Sóller. We can do this by tram the market stop is less than a minute's walk from the Hotel, by bus or by taxi, although we recommend that you go down by tram on a pleasant ride through orange groves and Mediterranean streets until you reach the Port and ride along the seafront promenade on a hundred year old railway. Once on the tram we will go all the way to the last stop of all. Once there, we will start, on foot, our visit to the Santa Catalina neighbourhood. To do so, we will walk in the same direction as the tram in which we got off for about 4 minutes until we reach a fork where we can continue straight on or go up a steep slope full of restaurants. We will head towards this slope, where the Santa Catalina neighbourhood begins. At this point we advise you to go up this "main" street of the fishermen's quarter and after about 30 metres, let yourself get lost in its narrow streets with steps. These streets are perfect for walking and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere of the fishermen's quarter. 

We will walk up the steep streets of the neighbourhood until we reach the top of the hill of Puerto de Sóller. Here we will find the Oratory of Santa Catalina, dating from the 13th century and rebuilt in 1550, and the viewpoint of Santa Catalina, a spectacular place to enjoy the fantastic views of the Mediterranean Sea and feel the sea breeze. As well as enjoying the views of the Sa Creu lighthouse, built in 1864. 

We will also have the chance to enter the Museu de la Mar, located in the old Oratory. A seafaring museum that houses different exhibitions, stories, utensils, materials and tools for the construction of traditional boats, fishing elements and models that reflect the historical links that the Port of Sóller has had with maritime trade and fishing activity. A place full of history where you can discover countless traditional and historical elements such as anchors, faluchos and original cannons. And all completely free of charge! 

After visiting the Museu de la Mar, we will continue our visit in the direction of the Port along the asphalted road until we find a small street that turns off to the right. We will take this street to go down and visit our next point of interest: 

The Oratory of Sant Ramon de Penyafort, built in the 13th century. Nowadays it is restored and used as the headquarters of the Gent Gran del Port de Sóller, a cultural place where the elderly people of the port carry out different social and leisure activities. After taking some photographs in this fantastic place, we recommend you to have a drink in one of the picturesque bars in the area before going for lunch. We recommend you visit one called Bar la Payesa, one of the oldest and most picturesque bars in the area, a place where fishermen still go to have a coffee or a drink. After this break, we recommend you to enjoy the local gastronomy with a Mediterranean meal made with fresh and seasonal products at the Airecel Restaurant, located only 4 minutes walking from the Santa Catalina neighbourhood. 

Then, after lunch, we'll head back to the fishermen's quarter of Santa Catalina, but this time we'll take a stroll along the quayside promenade. A very pleasant walk that will allow us to observe different types of boats, from sailboats and yachts to traditional fishing boats. We will walk along this promenade until we reach the end of the port, where the moorings of the largest fishing boats in the area are located: the trawlers of the Port of Sóller, known as "ses barques de bou" (the trawlers of the Port of Sóller). There are currently two in operation, and you can see how they arrive at the port and unload the fresh fish and seafood caught every day at 5 p.m. except on Sundays and Mondays. 

Finally, after having seen the arrival of the "ses barques de bou" and having learned about the fishing tradition and culture of the Port of Sóller and its seafaring quarter of Santa Catalina, we will return in the direction of the tram stop to go back to the centre of Sóller in approximately 30 minutes. For this return journey, we recommend that you get off the tram at the last stop, the Sóller Railway station, and descend on a pleasant walk in the direction of Plaça Constitució to discover the contrast between the centre of Sóller and the heart of the Port of Sóller, a walk which, following the tram line, will take you to the Gran Hotel Sóller in about ten minutes. 

One of the greatest pleasures of travelling is discovering unique and traditional places, full of history, tradition and culture. Discovering the local people, their customs and their way of seeing and understanding the world. Discovering magical places like the Santa Catalina neighbourhood in the Port of Sóller. Magical places like this that will undoubtedly provide you with a fantastic and picturesque memory that you will never forget. 

If you are staying at the Gran Hotel Sóller and would like more information about this wonderful place, do not hesitate to ask our reception team to answer all your questions! 

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