Winding its way past the looming Tramuntana mountains and through vibrant lemon groves, the Palma to Soller train connects two of the most popular places on the island of Mallorca.
It’s a tourist train, only leaving twice a day. But it’s well worth a whole day of your holiday in Mallorca.
Harking back to the 1920s, this narrow-gauge wooden train slowly but expertly navigates the tracks to reach the North East of the island.
With sweeping views across the mountain ranges, this is truly one of the most breathtakingly beautiful experiences you can do in Spain.
Here’s a guide on how to take the Palma to Soller historical train and the Soller to Port de Soller wooden tram.
If you’re interested in antique trains, beautiful scenery and want to see some of Mallorca’s best towns, this trip is for you!
What is the Palma to Soller train?
The Palma to Soller train is an old-fashioned train that runs from Palma de Mallorca (the island’s capital and biggest city in the Balearics) to the gorgeous town of Soller.
Mallorca is a surprisingly large island (it’s actually the largest in Spain – remember that if you’re ever attending or writing a quiz about Spain!), so the Palma to Soller train is a fantastic route for seeing different parts of the island.
However, most people do the return trip in one day, leaving a few hours to see Soller and potentially Port de Soller too – more information on that below!
Where does the Palma to Soller train leave from?
The Palma to Soller train (or Tren de Soller in Spanish) leaves from the railway station at Plaça de Espanya. The Google Maps location is here.
This is considered “the main station in Palma de Mallorca”.
Another metro line takes you out into the suburbs, but if you type “Palma station” into Google, this is where it will take you!
Where can I buy tickets for the historical train?
You can reserve tickets online before the date you want to travel. So, if you’re going to do the train journey on Monday, you can book tickets up to Sunday.
But don’t worry if you forget! You can buy tickets on your day of travel – just get to the station with plenty of time to spare. We arrived just past 9 am (so an hour and a half early) to secure our tickets.
Side note: if you have some extra time after buying your tickets, we went to the nearby Batx cafe for a coffee. It had good coffee for €2.50, including an oat milk option, and was a fun, fresh feeling cafe.
How much does the Palma to Soller train cost?
We paid €32 each for a combination return train and tram ticket.
This covered our journey to Soller, then tram to Port de Soller and then a return to Soller and back to Palma.
When do the trains go from Palma to Soller?
At the time of writing, the historic train runs at the following times:
Palma – Soller: 10:30 am, 17:30 pm
Soller – Palma: 9:00 am, 16:30 pm
If you take the touristic train as a Palma to Soller day trip, like I’ve recommended in this post, you’ll catch the 10:30 am on the way there and the 4:30 pm on the way back.
It’s recommended to get to the ticket office 40-60 minutes beforehand if you don’t already have your tickets. If you do, try to get there half an hour early to get your seat.
Boarding the train
You can board the historical train half an hour before it is due to leave – at 10:00 am. I would recommend getting on it early so you can secure good seats!
The best mountain views are on the left side when travelling to Soller. There are some lovely views on the right too, but you’ll stop at a mirador (viewpoint) to see them. More on that later!
The train is a wonderfully romantic vehicle reminiscent of the 1920s and running on a narrow gorge. It is made of wood, and the seats in each train carriage are either wood or leather.
It’s worth spending some time taking photos when you first board!
The train journey
Then, it’s time to go! The first part of the journey travels through Palma and stops at Bunyola before heading further north.
Soon, you’ll approach the mountains, travelling through vineyards and fruit groves, and be able to enjoy some of the most stunning views on the Spanish island. Trust me – taking the train is way better than a bus or cab ride to reach Soller!
Make sure that your camera is fully charged for the journey!
About 2/3s of the way in, you’ll reach a Mirador (lookout). Here, sky-high mountains tumble down into the villages below. The train will stop here for 5 minutes or so, so you can take photos and admire the vista.
You’ll then go through a series of tunnels as you travel through the mountains!
The whole journey takes about an hour, and the last part is undoubtedly the best, as you wind around Soller before trundling into the station.
About Soller Mallorca
Soller is a picturesque town – widely regarded as one of the prettiest in the Balearics, if not the whole of Spain.
Its name comes from the Arabic word “solier” which means bowl. This nods to Mallorca’s Moorish heritage and that the ancient town of Soller was situated in a valley between mountains.
The town became rich due to its fruitful growing conditions. Townspeople traded lemons and wine with Marseille through their port, and they were so successful that they turned their backs on Palma and organised trade independently!
You can see a bit of French influence throughout the city still today.
The most prominent building in Soller is the stunning Neo-Gothic church, which is almost as impressive as Palma Cathedral. This was designed by Joan Rubid, who was one of Gaudi’s students.
There are better value places to eat in Soller than the Port de Soller, so if you are on a budget, would recommend eating here either before or after seeing the port.
Of course, if you have money to spare, it’s nice to eat by the port too!
Taking the Soller to Port de Soller tram
The next stage of the trip is the Soller to Port de Soller tram ride. This historic tram leaves every hour, on the hour and takes 25 minutes.
The trams leave on the road as you exit the railway station. It should be quite obvious where the stop is, but you can ask the train conductor if you aren’t sure.
The wooden tram looks like it could be a relative of the narrow gorge train.
Plus, it’s just as scenic – you’ll travel past the Soller church, wind through cypress trees and lemon groves as you approach the seafront, and finally snake around the port, which is lined with palm trees, as you arrive.
About Port de Soller Mallorca (Puerto de Soller)
Port de Soller, or Puerto de Soller in Spanish, used to be very isolated until a tunnel connecting the town with the rest of the island opened in the 1990s.
This meant that it escaped the over-development of Mallorca island for tourists in the 70s and 80s and retained the atmosphere of an adorable harbour town.
It’s pretty touristy now, but there’s still a forgotten charm to it that you can instantly feel when you step off the vintage tram.
It’s worth walking up the hills to reach a viewpoint over the harbour, and you can also stroll to the other side, where there is a beautiful ocean vista.
Down by the harbour, the restaurants are all lovely and inviting, although they can be quite expensive!
You can find cheaper food back in Soller – or head to the supermarket (Google maps location) and buy a freshly made sandwich for €2. I had a simple but delicious cheese and tomato baguette.
Return journey
To return, take the same route in reverse.
If you’re looking for somewhere to get a drink when you are back in Soller, we bought a glass of wine at Circulo Sollerense for €2.20.
Then, board the nostalgic vintage train again – boarding starts half an hour before – and head back to the capital city!
This is up there with the most scenic train trips in Europe and is one of the best things to do in Palma.
While the Mallorca vintage railway is a tourist train and quite expensive, the beautiful views are unparalleled.
It’s a must-do for all rail enthusiasts or vintage lovers and is a great way to see another side of the beautiful island of Mallorca.
Other things to do in Palma
Palma is the bustling Baleriac capital, and one of the best places to visit in Spain, whatever the season (including in winter!). Here are some of the best things to do in Palma:
- Palma Cathedral: The gothic cathedral is potentially the most popular tourist attraction in Palma. Building began in 1229, but it was only completed in the 17th century. It costs 8 to go in, but it’s well worth it!
- Castell Del Belver: this castle is 3km from Palma and was built in the 14th century in a circular style for King James II of Mallorca.
- Eating: There is a wide variety of excellent restaurants in this Majorcan city. I love Bar Espanya for tapas!
- Walking around: Just strolling the city streets is a fantastic Palma attraction.
- Hit the beach: Palma is lined with miles of beautiful beaches, perfect for swimming or catching the sunset.
Trains are my favourite mode of transport, and I’ve got lots of blog posts about trains all over the world – from other vintage trains to long overland journeys! Click here to read more of them.