Andrew Montgomery

Serra de Tramuntana

Dominated by the splendid Serra de Tramuntana range, Mallorca’s northwest coast and its hinterland are remarkably wild, ensnared by scarred limestone peaks and cliffs that loom over brilliant blue sea like ramparts. Gold-stone villages and ochre hamlets sit atop hillsides, their rhythms and hues providing tantalising insights into ancient Mallorca. The terraces that march up from the coast date back at least to the Moorish occupation, and walkers love the high, rugged interior for its pine forests, olive groves and wild flowers. The region’s unique cultural and geographical features have been inscribed by Unesco on to its World Heritage List.

The range covers 1100 sq km and is 90km long, extending all the way north to the Cap de Formentor. The highest peaks are concentrated in the central mountain range. The area is virtually bereft of surface watercourses, but rich in subterranean flows that feed the farming terraces of the coastal villages.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Serra de Tramuntana.

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Real Cartuja de Valldemossa
This grand old monastery and former royal residence has a chequered history. It was once home to kings, monks and a pair of 19th-century celebrities: composer Frédéric Chopin and George Sand. A series of cells now shows how the monks lived, bound by an oath of silence they could only break for half an hour per week in the library. Various items related to the time Sand and Chopin spent here, including Chopin's pianos, are also displayed. The building's origins date back to 1310 when Jaume II built a palace on the site. After it was abandoned, the Carthusian order took over and converted it into a monastery, which, in 1388, was greatly expanded. The monastery was turned into rental accommodation (mostly for holidaymakers from Palma) after its monks were expelled in 1835. Following the rules of the order, just 13 monks lived in this cavernous space. Entry includes piano recitals (eight times daily in summer) and Jaume II's 14th-century Palau de Rei Sanxo, a muddle of medieval rooms jammed with furniture and hundreds of years of mementos, gathered around a modest cloister.
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Ca'n Prunera – Museu Modernista
One of Mallorca's standout galleries, Ca'n Prunera occupies a landmark modernist mansion along Carrer de Sa Lluna. The list of luminaries here is astonishing – works by Joan Miró, along with single drawings by Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Gauguin, Klimt, Kandinsky, Klee, Man Ray and Cézanne. Also part of the permanent collection is a gallery devoted to Juli Ramis (1909–90), a Sóller native and world-renowned painter who had his studio in the neighbouring village of Biniaraix, plus works by Miquel Barceló, Antoni Tapiès and Eduardo Chillida. It also has the strangely mesmerising Movement (2006) by Francesca Martí, plus a sculpture garden out the back, and a display of dolls from the early 20th century. The building itself complements the eclectic collection. Dating from 1911, the mansion is one of Sóller's edifices designed by Joan Rubió. It's a thorough study in modernist style, from the muted but intriguing stone and wrought-iron facade to the elaborate ceilings and early-20th-century furnishings.
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Sala Picasso & Sala Miró
In two rooms at street level in Sóller's station are two fascinating, introspective and contemplative art exhibitions: the Sala Picasso and Sala Miró. Few train stations boast such a splendid artistic legacy. The Sala Picasso contains more than 50 gently illuminated ceramics from the hands of Picasso from 1948 to 1971, many bearing the artist's trademark subjects: dancers, women, bullfighting. The Sala Miró is beautiful, home to playful, mysterious and beguiling prints from the Catalan master; Miró's maternal grandmother was from Sóller. Check the iconography menu at the door to interpret the symbols in Miró's vibrant works on display here, such as La Poetesse.
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Sa Foradada
At Son Marroig, ask permission to wander down to this strange hole-in-the-wall rock formation by the water, which resembles an elephant from afar. It's a stunning 3km walk (one way) through olive groves tinkling with sheep bells and along paths flanked by pine trees and caves. A soothing swim in the lee of the odd formation is the reward. Avoid the midday heat as there is little shade. The fiery sunsets here are riveting.
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Església de Sant Bartomeu
A disciple of architect Antoni Gaudí, Joan Rubió landed some big commissions in Sóller. The town didn't want to miss the wave of modernity and so Rubió set to work in 1904 on the renovation of the 16th-century Església de Sant Bartomeu. The largely baroque church (built 1688–1723) preserved elements of its earlier Gothic interior, but Rubió gave it a beautiful, if unusual, modernist facade. The interior is sombre overhead, but several of the bright and gilded side chapels poke from the gloom among rows of devotional candle flames, while the fine altarpiece is a towering and ostentatious focal point. To the left of the altar is a small copy in oil of The Last Supper. You'll have a wonderful perspective by walking towards the altar, and then turning for a view of the chandelier, organ and luminous rose window. The church's candelabra-like summit is visible from all over town, set against the looming backdrop of the Serra de Tramuntana.
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Son Marroig
Seven kilometres from Valldemossa is one of Habsburg Archduke Ludwig Salvator's residences. This delightful, rambling mansion is jammed with furniture and period items, including many of the archduke's books. Above all, the views are the stuff of dreams. Son Marroig hosts the Festival Internacional de Deià, a series of light-classical concerts on Thursday nights from June to September. Ask if you can walk down to view the Sa Foradada rock formation.
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Jardí Botànic & Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals
A short stroll 600m west from Sóller's town centre onto the busy road to Sóller Port brings you to the peaceful Jardí Botànic, with collections of flowers and other plants native to the Balearic Islands – from holm oaks to magnolias and myrtle to the endangered caraway pine – alongside other Mediterranean samples. The same ticket includes the Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals (Natural Science Museum) and its elementary insights into the flora and fauna of the Balearics; the fossil collection is of particular note.
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Miramar
With tremendous views, Miramar, 5km north of Valldemossa on the road to Deià, is one of Habsburg Archduke Luis Salvador’s former residences. It's built on the site of a 13th-century monastery, founded by the evangelist and patron saint of Catalan literature, Ramon Llull. Here he wrote many of his works and trained brethren for the task of proselytising among the Muslims. Walk out the back and enjoy the stunning cliff-top view.
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Banco de Sóller
Joan Rubió i Bellver, a Catalonian student of Antoni Gaudí, designed the strikingly modernist frontage of the 1912 Banco de Sóller (nowadays Banco de Santander), which is separated by a narrow road from the Església de Sant Bartomeu (the facade of which he also created). The bank is an imposing and roughly hewn stone building, with two large, circular galleries, windows framed within lacy wrought-iron grilles and a carved lion gazing ferociously out over the square from the edifice's corner.