The opening of a railway line from Palma to Soller in 1912, and a tram linking Soller to its port the following year, brought the northwest coast within easy reach of the capital. The vintage carriages are still in use, providing a joyride for tourists and a relief for locals from the terrors of the Palma-Soller road. Five trains a day leave from Placa
d'Espanya in Palma - the 10:40 is labelled the 'turistico' but all you get for the extra cost is a more crowded train and a short photo stop.
- The train, all mahogany panels and brass fittings, leaves Palma amid a bustle of hisses, hoots and whistles before rattling down the city streets and into the suburbs.
Soon you are out on the plain, passing small country stations and pigs rooting beneath the trees. You can get off at Bunyola and visit the Tunel factory where Mallorca's herb-based liqueurs are made - the label shows a train emerging from a tunnel.
- Stay on the train and soon you start to climb, entering a 3-km tunnel before returning to daylight for the drop, through a dizzying series of bends, to Soller.
The 'Orange Express' tram to Port de Soller runs hourly, connecting with the arrival of the train. Stand on the platform as it clatters through orchards and back gardens and you can imagine you are living 50 years earlier.
- It takes 20 minutes to complete the 5-km journey to the port. If you do not want to return the same way, buses leave from the jetty for Palma via Deia and Valldemossa.