The Valley of Soller

One of the most impressive destinations in Mallorca is, without a doubt, the Valley of Sóller. This municipality located in the heart of the Sierra de Tramuntana mountain range, right at the foot of the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the most charming places on the island. Its gastronomy, its nature, its landscapes, its centenary railway, its port, its culture and its people, among many other things, make the Valley of Sóller one of the most visited places in the Balearic Islands. Although it is true that many visitors come to the valley to visit it in one day, we recommend staying a little longer in this magical place in the Tramuntana to get to know it well and to be able to take the essence of the Mediterranean with us. That is why today we are going to talk about the Valley of Sóller and the essential places and experiences that you must visit and do if you want to enjoy this Tramuntana village to the full. 

THE OLD TOWN AND THE CENTRE

One of the most important attractions of the Sóller Valley is its architecture and history. For this reason, we will start our visit from the Gran Hotel Sóller for a stroll through the old town. We will leave the hotel and take the Romaguera street, located just in front of the hotel entrance, this stone pedestrian street will lead us to the Carrer de Sa Mar, one of the most important streets of the municipality. Here we can choose to visit the Museum of Culture of Sóller. It is located in a family house with a garden built in 1740, where we can learn about the origins and ethnological character of the municipality. After our visit, we continue our walk down Carrer de Sa Mar to take the first turning on the left until we reach Plaza de América. Once there, take the first exit on the left to go up another of Sóller's most important streets: Gran Vía. A street that reflects the architecture that took place in Sóller at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, where we will find large buildings in the modernist, colonial, historicist, eclectic or regionalist style. During the walk we can see Can Rebassa and Can Batlet, number 27 and 29 respectively, which stand out for the gate with floral ornamentation in the modernist style. Can Dolç, at number 15, formerly known as Can Cera and currently the headquarters of the Sóller Cultural Association. Can Magraner, a modernist house attributed to Joan Rubió with the surname Magraner sculpted on the balcony and the Vicarage: former parish house, no. 1, renovated in 1986 and still in use. 
We then continue our walk to the left until we reach the Post Office building, at which point we take the pedestrian alley located right next to it to enter the old quarter. A series of narrow stone alleys with picturesque houses that we will walk through until we reach the Plaça Constitució de Sóller: the centre of the municipality.

THE CENTRE OF SÓLLER AND CARRER DE LA LUNA (MOON STREET) 

Once in the centre, we recommend a visit to the Plaça d'Espanya, located just behind the Town Hall, where the Sóller Railway Station and the taxi rank are located. The Parròquia de Sant Bartomeu, built before 1236 and reformed several times, this temple changed from Romanesque-Gothic to Baroque style until 1947, when the current façade designed by Gaudí's disciple, Joan Rubió Bellver, was completed. A temple with 7 chapels on each side and a baroque heart that we recommend you visit. Next, we can see the Banco de Sóller, located right next to the church. This building was also designed by Joan Rubió i Bellver and built in 1899 with the aim of guarding the capital of the inhabitants of Sóller. At this point, you can choose to have a drink in one of the cafés in the plaça. After a few photos in the little square of s'Alameda, just in front of the church, we will take Calle de La Luna. This is the most commercial street in the municipality where you can find all kinds of shops. From fashion shops, shops selling handmade shoes such as Ben Calçat, shops selling ceramics and handmade products from the island and esparto grass items to ovens and bakeries. In this street we can also visit the Can Prunera Modernist Museum, located at the end of the street. After our visit, we will return to the Plaça Constitució and follow the tramway until we reach the Municipal Market, where we recommend you enter to see unique local products such as Sóller oranges or Sóller prawns. Finally, we recommend you return to the Gran Hotel Sóller, right next to the Market, to enjoy a meal at Can Blau Restaurant. 

BINIARAIX. A SMALL LLOGARET IN THE SÓLLER VALLEY

In the afternoon, we can visit Biniaraix with a pleasant walk or with one of our e-bikes. Thus, after less than 25 minutes from the Gran Hotel Sóller, we will arrive at this "llogaret" in the Tramuntana. Here we can visit "Ses Rentadores de Biniaraix", a historic place where people used to wash their clothes; the start of the Barranc de Biniaraix, one of the most spectacular hiking routes in Mallorca (GR-221) and have a drink in the picturesque little square of the "llogaret" and discover the essence of the Mediterranean. Finally, we can choose to return to the Gran Hotel Sóller or go up to Fornalutx, our neighbouring village which has been awarded as one of the most beautiful villages in Spain on several occasions. We recommend that you let yourself get lost in its picturesque stone streets.

THE PORT OF SÓLLER 

Another place you should definitely visit is the Port of Sóller. It is one of the most beautiful ports on the north coast of Mallorca and we recommend that you take the tram down from the centre of Sóller. Once there, you can take a stroll along the seafront, swim at one of its beaches, go on an excursion such as a visit to the Faro d'es Cap Gros or Sa Torre Picada, as well as visit the fishing quarter of Santa Catalina, its viewpoint with incredible views of the sea and the bay of Puerto de Sóller and the Museu de la Mar - discover more information in our article on the fishing quarter of Puerto de Sóller: Santa Catalina -. You can also stop for lunch at one of the restaurants in the area such as Airecel Restaurant. A perfect place to get to know Mediterranean gastronomy and local produce. 
Finally, we recommend that you wait for the arrival of the fishing boats at around 17.00h every day except Sundays and Mondays to see the fresh fish and seafood arriving, and enjoy the sunset over the Port of Sóller. This can be done from different places such as: the Mirador de Santa Catalina, the centre of the Paseo Marítimo near the Minibar area, the Faro d'es Cap Gros, from where you can also see Sa Torre Picada and the islet of s'Illeta; or from the top of the Carrer d'Alaró. 

S'ALQUERIA D'ES COMTE NEIGHBOURHOOD, AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE AND TAFONA OF CA'N DET 

Another place we recommend you visit is the neighbourhood of s'Alqueria d'es comte. Located at the end of Calle de La Luna, this peculiar neighbourhood leads us to two very important places for local gastronomy: the Sóller Agricultural Cooperative and the Tafona de Ca'n Det. So we set off in the direction of Calle de La Luna and continue on until we reach the side of a bar called Bar Molino, a solitary bar located right in the centre of s'Alqueria. Another curious fact is that every year this neighbourhood celebrates its fiestas in September and its symbol is a bull, therefore, right next to the bar we can see the head of a bull made of cardboard placed on top of a post. After leaving s'Alqueria you will come across the Tafona de Ca'n Det, an old oil mill built in 1525 and linked to activities related to the production of oil and citrus fruits, which you can visit. Next, a 2 minute walk from Ca'n Det, we will find the Sóller Agricultural Cooperative, built in 1899 and famous for the export of oranges, lemons, oil and olives from the Tramuntana mountain range. Here we can buy local and artisan products and learn a little about the agricultural workings of the Sóller Valley.

ECOVINYASSA 

Right next to the Cooperative is the s'Ecovinyassa orchard. Known as Sa Vinyassa, this 18,000 m2 orchard is a privileged place located at the foot of the crags of the Sierra de Alfabia, between Fornalutx and Biniaraix, where you can stroll and learn about the history of Sóller's orange groves, as well as enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and special microclimate while tasting freshly squeezed organic orange juice and a typical snack. --Although it is essential to make a reservation on their web site. 

LA LUNA SAUSAGE FACTORY 

Continuing with our more gastronomic visit, we return to the centre of Sóller to visit the La Luna sausage factory. Founded in 1900, it was the first company in Mallorca dedicated to the production of the Mallorcan sausage par excellence: sobrasada. A factory that is still in operation today, where you can taste and buy traditional Mallorcan products such as sobrasada, botifarrons, fuets and, of course, pâté. Finally, we can return to the centre of Sóller with a pleasant stroll along Carrer Victòria, which will lead us to Calle de La Luna and from there to Plaça Constitució. At this point we recommend an artisan ice cream from Ca'n Pau, a family-run ice cream parlour located at the beginning of Calle de La Luna. 
Visiting the Sóller Valley means visiting a destination full of possibilities, experiences and activities to do. Discover our hiking routes, boat trips, our places of interest and our advice to get to know our municipality to the maximum with the articles in our blog and let yourself be carried away to magical places to enjoy the Mediterranean, the Sierra de Tramuntana, the gastronomy, the culture, the peace and the nature of the Sóller Valley. 
If you are staying at our hotel and would like more information about the Sóller Valley, as well as other places of interest, do not hesitate to ask our reception team, who will be delighted to help you. 

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