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MARITIME SóLLER. A walk with the smell of the sea
A walk with the smell of the sea
- Tours
- Description of the route
Description:
The secluded port of Sóller, about two kilometres from Sóller, is the largest natural harbour on the northern coast of Mallorca, which throughout history has served as a shelter and safe haven for sailors. The history of the port, intrinsically linked with the citrus fruit trade since the 14th century, enjoyed its age of greatest splendour during the 18th century, not only due to the export of local products, but due to its strategic location between the islands and other continents; it was thus used as a stop-off point by fishing boats, merchant ships and the passenger ships carrying numerous Mallorcans who in the late 19th century emigrated to an uncertain destination, in search of a better future.
All of this commercial activity was curtailed with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), and was revived years later by the tourist boom in the 1960s.
At the foot of the bay of the port lies the charming district of Santa Catalina, an area of renowned seafaring tradition. Its narrow, steep cobbled streets carry the names of the winds that would lash the coast of Tramuntana, and on which the lives and livelihoods of the sailors and fishermen inhabiting the area depended: Tramuntana (north), Migjorn (south), Llevant (east), Ponent (west), Gregal (northeast), Mestral (northwest), Xaloc (southeast) and Llebeig (southwest).
In order to follow this route, it is advisable to leave your car in one of the car parks in Sóller, and take the tram to get to the port.
- Locality
Sóller
- Duration
1-2 hours approximately.
- How to get there
By car:
Carretera Palma- Sóller Ma -11 (Over the mountain pass or Coll de Sóller)
If you have the time, this is the best option for seeing the route of the old cart path, now occupied by the current road, which once had to be taken in order to enter or leave the Valley of Sóller, thus giving an idea of how geographically isolated its inhabitants were.
Carretera Palma- Sóller Ma-11 (Through the tunnel)
If you want to reach the Valley of Sóller from Palma quickly, this is the fastest way. You will need to pay a toll.
Carretera Andratx- Pollença Ma-10.
This route offers some of the best views of the coastline from the Sierra de Tramuntana.
By train:
Railway Station
Palma: Plaça d'Espanya, 2.
Tel: (+34) 971 752 051
Sóller (Train and tram to the port):
Plaça d'Espanya, 6.
Tel: (+34) 971 630 130 / 630 01
By bus:
Transport Balearic Islands.
TIB Information: (+34) 971 177 777
Customer service freephone:
900 177 777
Palma: C/ Eusebio Estada, 28
http://tib.caib.es/
Sóller: Plaça d'Amèrica
By boat:
Port and Coastal service.
Tel.: (+34) 971 633 316
C/Santa Catalina de Alexandria, 26. Port de Sóller.
- GPS
1: 39.797178,2.691886
2: 39.797978,2.692155
3: 39.797889,2.696742
4: 39.795925,2.691039
- External websites
www.ajsoller.net
www.sollernet.com
- Indispensable nearby
The Sóller Tram. The charming old wooden tram still operates along the route from Sóller to the port of Sóller, crossing terrain dotted with orange trees.
Les valentes dones. In the second week of May, Sóller celebrates las Fires i Festes de Maig (the May Fairs and Festivals), commemorating the role of the brave women in the struggle against the corsairs.
Feast day of our Lady of Mount Carmel (Festes de la Verge del Carme). On 16 July there is a sea procession across the bay of the port of Sóller, in which numerous local boats participate.
Torre Picada. The old defence tower situated on top of the cliffs of the port of Sóller.
