Soller’s Secret Stories: A Guide to Mallorca's Golden Valley

(25 reviews)

Sóller audio tour: Soller’s Secret Stories: A Guide to Mallorca's Golden Valley

This is a 2mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Sóller

Spain

$9.99

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About the Tour

The golden valley of Soller is famed for its oranges and lemons, craggy Tramuntana mountain range, and its dreamy horseshoe bay. And yet, there’s so much more to the UNESCO heritage town of Soller, the jewel in Mallorca’s crown.

On this walking tour around the magical mountain town, you’ll take in its main sites and lesser-known corners, and get to know its historical heroes, local producers and charismatic community.

The tour kicks off at Ferrocarril de Sóller, the town’s historic railway station with its vintage train and tram. From there, you’ll make your way to Soller’s heart, where you’ll see the grand modernist Iglesia de Sant Bartomeu de Sóller (Sant Bartomeu Church), Banco Santander (the town’s ornate Art Deco bank), and Ajuntament de Sóller, the town hall where you’ll hear a little known fact that’s not in the guide books.

From there, you’ll stroll along Carrer de sa Lluna, the quaint shopping street which is home to the town’s oldest building, and one of Spain’s fastest runners too. Along with curious facts and some folklore, you’ll learn about the terrible plague of 1865 that drove Sollerics to find their fortunes overseas, and find out why Mallorquí was once an underground language. You’ll see Mallorca’s oldest working olive mill, a local citrus farm called Ecovinyassa, and the historic fruit and vegetable co-op, Cooperativa Agrícola de Sóller.

On this Soller tour, you’ll have the opportunity to:

Learn about the rich legacy of the Moors and Romans, and the town’s once-thriving textile industry
Discover artists’ Joan Miró’s and Pablo Picasso’s close links with Soller
Admire the bravery and talent of Sant Jordi, Captain Angelets and Jeronimo Estades Llabres and learn what makes them local heroes
Investigate the mysterious creatures that, according to folklore, lurked in Soller
Get spooked about Soller’s UFO sightings
Find out why Sollerics keep water bottles on their doorsteps
Visit Gran Hotel Sóller, the historic hotel where soldiers’ boots were made in WW1
Hear about the owner of Soller’s first television
Guess which was French King Louis XIV’s favourite variety of Soller orange

Before finishing this hour-long Soller circuit, you’ll also have a chance to eat the best local ice cream, visit the town’s market and cultural museum, and find out about an ancient mouse-goat that put Mallorca on the scientific map.

Tour Producer

Anna Nicholas

1 tour

Anna Nicholas is one of the most prolific British authors writing about Mallorca today and has spent more than two decades chronicling the island’s landscapes, legends and local life.

She is the author of eleven Mallorca-based books: seven bestselling humorous travel titles and a crime fiction series featuring Mallorcan sleuth Isabel Flores Montserrat and her ferret sidekick, Furó. The fourth novel, Aunt Maria’s Last Aria, was published in June 2024, with the fifth in the series scheduled for 2026.

Anna is Mallorca correspondent for The Telegraph (UK), where she writes as the island’s destination expert and hotel reviewer, and she contributes regularly to leading UK publications.

In 2001, Anna and her husband left London for the Sóller valley in northwest Mallorca. What was meant to be a bold lifestyle experiment became a lifelong love affair with the island. She now lives in rural Sóller and continues to explore its hidden corners, folklore and history — both on the page and on foot.

She has presented at the Oxford Literary Festival, speaks regularly at literary events and cultural associations, and was the first Briton to receive the Siurell de Plata from the Balearic Government in recognition of her contribution to promoting island culture.

When she’s not writing, Anna can be found climbing Mallorca’s peaks (she and a friend are close to completing all 54 mountains over 1,000m), training for international marathons, or researching her next story in a village café.

Preview Location

Location 7

Sant Bartomeu Church and Bank of Santander

Let's stop here for a few moments.

The first thing that will strike you about the church is probably its size and ornate modernist façade. This was created in 1904 by Joan Rubio i Bellver, a disciple of the Catalan master architect, Antoni Gaudi. The original old Romanesqu... Let's stop here for a few moments.

The first thing that will strike you about the church is probably its size and ornate modernist façade. This was created in 1904 by Joan Rubio i Bellver, a disciple of the Catalan master architect, Antoni Gaudi. The original old Romanesque foundations date back to 1236 and were removed in 1688 to make way for a new Baroque-style church in 1733. A highlight of the church is its neo-gothic bell tower and enormous spires that rise up above its rose window.

If you walk up the impressive stone steps to the grand double doors, you'll see they have brass handles with the emblem of two lions and the sun of Soller. If you've got time, do pop inside. Thanks to its size, this church is a landmark that can be seen from many places in the valley. I live beyond the town and have a wonderful view of it right from my bedroom window.

When you're done exploring the interior, head down the steps and with your back to the church, turn right to the building next door which is the Bank of Santander.

Feel free to take a few steps towards and stop outside the bank.

This exotic, very original modernist building always reminds me of a fantasy castle straight out of a fairytale with its rather crude grey stone exterior, dramatic Gothic embellishments and turrets. Look up and high above, you'll see a rather rustic stone sign with the words 'Banco de Sóller' and a lion's head jutting out on the corner.

The bank was created in 1899 to lure Soller's wealthy emigrées to stash their fortunes there, rather than in the Balearic Credit Bank which had been established in Palma in 1872. This was because during the 1800s and 1900s, many Sollerics were barely scraping a living and left the valley in the hope of finding work and making their fortunes overseas. To make things worse, in 1865 a terrible plague hit the orange trees of Sóller, attacking the roots and trunks and killing them quickly. The orange business was almost decimated in that decade. Happily, it came back and thrived again but during tough times, leaving the island was the best plan.

So, this meant many Sollerics travelled by boat to towns in France such as Nimes, Toulon, Marseilles and Besiers, and also the Americas, where they sold almonds, figs, oranges, lemons, Spanish brandy and textiles. Some opened successful restaurants and shops. A good number returned to Soller years later and invested their money in the newly formed Banco de Sóller. With their newfound wealth, these Sollerics built huge showy houses in French modernist style on streets such as Gran Via - do walk down there if you have time - and on Carrer Sa Lluna, which we'll be visiting in a short while. You'll find that many Sollerics speak French. This is because they often met partners in France and had families that returned to Soller and stayed.

Banco de Sóller was renovated by man of the moment, architect Joan Rubio i Bellver in 1912 and the master of works was Antoni Rullan. He created the façade with a Modernist and gothic feel similar to the Church next door, although the building is far more confident and osé. Note the delicate filigree wrought ironwork on the lower arched windows, carried out by the local forger, known as Manuel, and the twin circular balconies above. You could almost imagine Shakespeare's Juliet, standing there.

With your back to the bank, head to the fountain in the centre of the plaça. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Ferrocarril de Sóller - Estació de Sóller
Sala Picasso i Sala Miró
Plaça de sa Constitució
Església de Sant Bartomeu de Sóller
Banc Santander
Ca'n Pau Gelats Artesans
Ca'n Toni Reia
Can Prunera
La tafona de Can Det
Cooperativa Agrícola de Sóller
Ecovinyassa
Pastisseria "La Lareña"
Museu de Sóller
La Romaguera Restaurant
Mercat-Municipal
Gran Hotel Sóller
Ajuntament de Sóller

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
07100 Sóller, Balearic Islands, Spain
Total distance

3km
Final location
07100 Sóller, Balearic Islands, Spain
Distance back to start location

161.57m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour starts in front of the train station (Estació de Sóller, Plaça d'Espanya, 6, Sóller).

As the town is usually very busy throughout the year, it is best to park in one of the municipal car parks sign posted as you enter the town, and walk up to the station to begin the tour. There is a car park next to the main bus stop in Soller. If coming by bus , get off at this point, and walk into the town which takes only ten minutes. If coming by train from Palma, you will arrive right at the starting point.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

There are countless good cafés and bars in Soller. Some of my favourites are Café Soller, El Petit Café and El Petit Bistro in Plaça Constitució. For great tapas, try La Romaguera (but do pre-book) and at the far end of Carrer Sa Lluna at No 51 is Can Gata /Es Mora de Vi and for a healthy option, at 70 is Miga de Nube serving delicious snacks and open sandwich. Both have gardens.

Best time of day

You can do this tour all year-round. Do bear in mind though that during July and August the town is very busy and the weather very hot. In the winter months, some attractions may be closed so best to check individual websites for opening times.

Precautions

During the hot summer months, do bring sun cream, shades, a hat and water. There are plenty of cafés and bars for pit stops along the way.

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