Long Weekend Getaway: 4 Amazing Places to Discover Mallorca Differently

After this endless winter and the restriction of traveling due to the pandemic, I was so happy to fly to Mallorca at the end of April. We were lucky enough to visit beautiful and peaceful places like the « Serra Tramuntana ». This mountainous region was declared, a decade ago, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the category of “Cultural Landscape”.

Maybe this will inspire you if you’re still itching to get away this year (Corona restrictions aside), rent a car, and explore somewhere new! Life in Düsseldorf also featured one of their favorite islands, Gran Canaria, in a blog post before as well! 

 

Valldemossa

After landing in Palma, we headed to Valldemossa north of the capital city. There we just wandered in the old streets and visited old churches and the birthplace of Saint Catalina Tomas.  

We tried also some « coca de patata » (sort of sweet potato bread) which are the specialty of the village. We grabbed ours in the ca’n cerda bakery before taking a nice walk around the hills of this little city to the Mirado de Son Gual where you have a perfect view of the village and the valley.

The beginning of the path which leads to the Mirador de Son Gual is a bit hidden (but well indicated on Google maps). Do not hesitate to enquire about it at the tourist information center. It is also useful to speak with them because some paths are crossing through private properties and cannot be used!

 

Soller

We then continued to Soller, a nice village with a beautiful church: the church of Sant Bartomeu and an old tramway that dates back from the early 20th century. The surroundings are green and lovely and you can hike around very easily. I would recommend you to get a map of the routes at the Tourist Information Centre which is located near the church in a nice old wagon.

We walked around 10 km from Soller to the Port of Soller. First, we hiked to Fornalutx, a traditional Mallorcan village overlooking Soller, through gardens and orange and citrus orchards. Then, we continue to the « Mirador de ses Barques » where you’ll find a very nice view of the Port of Soller. After taking some pictures, we headed to the Port through the neighborhood of Sa Figuera. To do so, follow your footsteps back and then continue on the path to the Port of Soller.

Arriving at Port of Soller, I can only invite you to rest on the beach and enjoy delicious ice creams: the Fet a Soller ones (literally made in Soller) are delicious. To go back to Soller, just take the bus (line 203) or the old tramway if it is in use.

If you want to go shopping in Mallorca, I can only advise doing some in Soller: the artisans’ shops are very nice and a lot of stuff is still made in the area. I also recommend you to go to the covered market, not far from the inner city, where you can buy delicious local olive oil and some traditional patés.

 

Cuber Lake

The next day we drove to Cuber Lake (this time with a car) which is a reservoir at the foot of the Puig Mayor, the highest mountain of Mallorca. You can park your car near the lake and walk around it (less than 2 hours) along with some goats and sheep and even some cows!

If you want to walk a little longer, you can continue to the « Coll de l’Ofre ». From there, you can walk to the farm of « l’Ofre » situated in a green valley where some horses, donkeys, and sheep are peacefully grazing. Be careful if you open your backpack to have a snack because the donkeys will want their share of it (but don’t be afraid, they will not bite you)!

You can cross the pastures and continue to follow the path to the « Es Cornador Gran » where you will have a nice view of Soller. Then you have to retrace all your steps to Cuber Lake.

The Cuber Lake: in the heart of the « Serra Tramuntana »

The Monastery of Lluc

We decided to stay the night at the monastery of Lluc which is a historic and sacred place for Mallorcans but also a convenient accommodation to continue to discover the « Serra Tramuntana ».

After visiting the tourist information center in front of the monastery, we decided to go for a nice 3-hours walk around the monastery (itenerario 3, Sa Moleta de Binifaldo).

After passing the football grounds, we followed the road to « creu de Menut » (the cross of Menut) and then walked to the top of the hill, to a place known as Menut. We then continued to Binifaldo, a nice farm where we took a break along with sheep and goats which come regularly near us to see if there is some hay in their feeders.

From there, we followed the GR221 (la ruta de pedra en sec) throughout the forest (es Bosc Gran) to the « Coll des Bosc Gran » where you have a beautiful view of the Puig Tomir.

We continued to follow the path to the last stop of the walk, the refuge of Son Amer. There you will have a nice view of the Santuari. Finally, we headed back to the monastery after crossing an old mill.

I really liked this part of our trip among the mountains and hills of this natural park of the « Serra Tramuntana ». It was very peaceful and relaxing and very different from partying pictures generally associated with Mallorca. I think that even in the summer, this could be a nice region to discover.

 

How to get there?

It is quite convenient to go there from Düsseldorf because there are daily flights with Eurowings. You can always use a popular flight comparison website like Omio though to scout out the best price!

However, some steps have to be fulfilled in order to fly there safely and I highly recommend you to consult the website of the german foreign affairs and the website of the Spanish health authorities in order to do fulfill all the obligations due to the pandemic.

On the island, there are numerous bus and for example, Valldemossa and Soller are easily reachable with the bus (line 203). Using public transportation is quite simple because you can pay your fare directly with your credit card without needing any ticket or app!