Mallorca Travel Guide
View of Port de Soller, Mallorca
Mallorca is one of Spain's Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Just off the Eastern coast of Spain, it is the largest of the 5 (inhabited) Balearic Islands, the others being Ibiza, Minorca, Formentera, and Cabrera.
This was our second time visiting Mallorca and it was just as spectacular as the first. We first visited Mallorca in November of 2016, and stayed for a month. The off-seasons (April-May and October-November) are, in our opinion, the best time to visit the island. The weather is perfect, everything is in full bloom, and there are no crowds. This time around, we visited in July, 2022 for a week. We don’t recommend traveling to Mallorca for a hiking trip in the summer because it is so hot! If you come in the summer stick to the beaches. On this trip, we spent most of our time on the Northwestern side of the islands, which we’ll outline in this travel guide. We did not rent a car for this trip because we hiked a section of the GR-221 trail, traveling from town to town on foot!
You’ll fly into Palma, and we recommend staying in the city for at least a night. It’s a beautiful town and the center is great for strolling the streets. It’s worth a visit to the Catedral de Mallorca and swing by Fornet de la Soca for some local pastries. We highly recommend eating dinner at L’Informal Tacos if you do stay in Palma.
There is a fantastic bus system that will take you all over the island, but if you can manage to rent a car, we recommend it. After Palma, our first stop was to the small town of Valdemossa.
Valdemossa
Valldemossa is a small village that sits tucked into the Tramuntana Mountains. It is just a 30 minute drive, or bus ride, from Palma. Valldemossa is a popular destination not only for it’s charm, but also for the 13th century monastery where Frederic Chopin once spent a winter. We stayed at Marton Hotel, and another affordable option would be Ca’s Papa Sweet Hotel. If you’re looking for something a bit nicer, we recommend Hotel Valldemossa. As for food, ordering Pa Amb Oli, a traditional dish that is bread with toppings, is a must at QuitaPenas Valldemossa. We also recommend sitting outside in the courtyard at Es Roquissar. Dinner at La Posada Valledemossa is also a treat, as the restaurant sits at a beautiful overlook. Be sure to stop at Pastisseria Ca’n Molinas to try some local pastries and to enjoy a coffee on their open back patio. If you need provisions for the next day of hiking, we recommend stopping by Es Pouet, a small convenience store with high quality products. You can also find a small supermarket in town.
Valledemossa → DEIà
Whether you plan to hike to the next town on the GR221, or just want to go for a day hike, you will find the trailhead at Camino de s’Arxiduc. From here, it is approximately 6.5 miles to the town of Deià with over 2k feet of elevation gain. Beware, the descent into Deià is very steep and a bit exposed. This could be a great out and back hike from Valldemossa as well, then make the drive to Deià if you rented a car. You can find the route here.
DEIà
Deià is another very small village with access to the ocean. You’re likely to find more people visiting Deià on holiday than Valldemossa. It’s a place where celebrities are known to go on vacation, and the crowd that this town attracts can often reflect that. The town sits atop a hill, not too far from the ocean. A must visit while in Deià is Cala Deià. The water is perfect, and you’ll find a restaurant and bar down there. If you have a car, it’s a short drive from the center. If you walked to Deià, there is a trail that leads down to the beach, or you might want to try your hand at hitchhiking. In Deià, we stayed at Hostal Villaverde. It was a reasonable price for a private room. The top hotel in town is certainly La Residencia, and we would certainly recommend staying there if they have the availability. If you’re looking for more options, we’d recommend Hotel Es Moli or Hotel des Puig. As for food, a fancier option would be dinner at the hotel restaurant at La Residencia, El Olivo. During our stay, we enjoyed italian food on the front patio of Trattoria Italiana. Cafe sa Fonda is also a popular spot. If you need a taxi at all, the only one in this area is Taxi Deià at +34 609-386-168.
DEIà → PORT de Soller
From town, you’ll follow the GR221 signs to the trailhead. The first few miles of the trail as you head out of Deià has a bit of road walking, be warned. Most are short sections though. This trail is gorgeous as you walk along the coast and eventually through miles of old olive groves. Deià to Port de Soller is nearly 8 miles, while going straight to Sóller is about 6 miles. We personally loved hiking down to the port because we got to see the town from the view as shown in the photo above. And it was nice to go for a swim after our hike! You can see the Alltrails map here. We stopped at Refugi du Muleta to eat our packed lunch and we bought some cold water from the refuge. If you walk the route to the Port, you’ll come to Far des Cap Gros, offering a beautiful view of the entire town of Port de Sóller. From here, it’s a short walk into town.
Port de Sóller
Port de Sóller is exactly as the name implies: the port of the town Sóller. This small coastal village feels like an adorable beachside refuge. It’s tucked into a quiet half-moon shaped bay that is sandwiched between mountains and the sea. The coastline has multiple beaches for swimming and lounging and the strip of the town is lined with options for eating, drinking, and shopping. You’ll find the historic tram that will take you up to the town of Sóller for about 9€.
Sóller
Sóller is a beautiful town worth exploring! The main square is worth a visit with the gorgeous Sant Bartomeu church. Check out this article for a full breakdown of hotels in Sóller. There are also plenty of options for Airbnb’s and hostels if you’re looking for something more affordable. As for food, we highly recommend Cafe Sóller for any meal of the day. You can’t beat quality food right in the main square with outdoor seating. We’ve eaten at just about every restaurant in the main square and didn’t have a bad meal. But there are lots of other amazing options outside of the main square too. This is a fantastic article with restaurant recommendations in both Sóller and Port de Sóller. But remember, a lot of these restaurants are seasonal! Meaning, that some might only be open between the months of June-September.
Fornalutx
Fornalutx is a picturesque village tucked into the mountains, just a few kilometers away from Sóller. We chose to walk to Fornalutx from Sóller, as its about a 3km walk, but you can drive too! There is not much to do in Fornalutx but it is worth the visit just to stroll the narrow streets, check out Plaça d’España, and have a bite to eat and a drink at one of the restaurants in the square.
Until next time, Mallorca!
We had a wonderful trip revisiting Mallorca and checking out a small section of the GR221. If you’re curious to hike the entire trail, it is about 140km in total, and you can find plenty of hiking guides for free online. We loved just doing a small section and mixing in some beach time and town visits. The next time we head to Mallorca, we’re looking forward to visiting more of the NW side of the island and getting our hands on some deep-water soloing! If you have the pleasure of visiting this amazing little island, enjoy every minute of it!
