Mallorca: the Serra de Tramuntana road

Route description

Car ferries run to Palma from Barcelona, Valencia and Dénia; book ahead in summer, especially with a motorhome. In Palma, see the great Gothic cathedral on the seafront and the old town behind it before heading into the Serra de Tramuntana, a World Heritage mountain range along the north-west coast.

The Ma-1110 climbs to Valldemossa, where Chopin spent a winter in the Carthusian monastery. Then the Ma-10 runs along the mountainside high above the sea to Deià, a stone village on terraces of olives where the poet Robert Graves lived. Continue to Sóller, in a valley of orange groves, linked to its port by an old tram.

Beyond Sóller the Ma-10 climbs to the highest part of the range, past reservoirs under the Puig Major. Take the side road Ma-2141 down to Sa Calobra, a spectacular series of hairpins with a loop that passes under itself; walk into the Torrent de Pareis gorge at the bottom. The road is unsuitable for large motorhomes and busy with coaches at midday.

The Ma-10 ends near Pollença, a town with a Calvary stairway of 365 steps. From here the road to Cap de Formentor runs along a ridge above sheer cliffs; in summer private cars are banned for much of the day and a shuttle bus runs from Port de Pollença. Spring and autumn are ideal, when the almond trees or the hills are at their best and the roads quieter.