Palma to Valdemossa and Deia, Mallorca ….an excursion into the Serra de Tramuntana Mountains

May 25, 2024

It is a beautiful morning with a forecast of sun all day and a high of 26C. Today we will be visiting two villages in the Serra de Tramontana a mountain range forming the northern backbone of  Mallorca.

Given the scarcity of parking, we have elected to travel by bus. Although there is a bus stop outside of our hotel the timing does not work, a taxi > 10 EUR (15 CAD) solves this problem and we are at the Estacion Intermodal in 15 minutes, where Palma’s principal bus and train stations are located.  This is an underground station, well organized and easy to navigate. TIB is notable for its red/yellow colour scheme > there are several bus lines, but it would be hard to confuse this one with any of the others…

We pay by tapping the card reader (you get a 40% discount versus cash) and when arriving at your destination there is a large screen onboard which shows the next stop, you just have to remember to tap the card reader again (thereby calculating the fare which is debited to your card)…easy peasy!

Valldemossa is a small mountain village of 2000 inhabitants some 17 km from Palma and considered one of the prettiest in Mallorca….our bus leaves at 10:00 and 35 minutes later we are there.

The main attraction here is La Cartuja de Valldemossa (Carthusian Monastery) > constructed in the 14th century by the King of Mallorca, and later became the residence of Carthusian monks before transitioning into private ownership.

In the winter of 1838-39, it was home to two notable guests: Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period Frédéric Chopin and the French writer George Sand. Both found inspiration for some of their most famous works here. We listened in on an older English gentleman (guide?) explaining that Chopin & Sand only stayed in Valdemossa for a few months. Yet, the city fathers created a museum etc, giving the impression that they resided here for a considerable period…

What is irrefutable is that the setting is stellar, the cute shops, cobblestone streets, gardens, cleanliness and cozy cafes all adding to a positive and laid-back vibe:

Leaving seemed a crime, but we had to catch the bus to the next village for today’s agenda. Deia is less than 15 minutes away by bus and by noon we were there. Situated in a landscape of orange and olive groves on steep cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean with the Serra de Tramuntana serving as the backdrop, the setting is rather special. This small village (620 inhabitants) has been populated since prehistoric times, in the eighth century, Arab rule established a sophisticated irrigation system, still used today that gave the village its name, stemming from ‘ad daia’, meaning hamlet. Over the centuries a variety of people have found it entrancing including a member of the Austrian nobility, Archduke Lluis Salvador, English poet and novelist Robert Graves in the 1930s and many others. In recent decades, the stars of literature have been replaced eclipsed by rock and roll stars and moguls e.g. Richard Branson has a mansion here…a bit of a home away from home for the rich and famous!

As we alighted from the bus there was a bike race happening (junior boys & girls) > this is a part of the world where bikes rule: road closure/paramedics /buses stopped > all for some young kids giving it a go & did I mention parents hollering as if it was the Tour de France > it was very nice to see:

After a bit of walkabout, we accidentally found a small hotel which served food & drink on a pretty terrace overlooking the valley: 2 cokes & cheese/serrano ham baguettes & we were good to go…

….we then hiked down to Cala de Deia:

….a sheltered shingle and pebble cove with clear sapphire-coloured water Rocky cliffs curve around the bay, making it feel like a hidden paradise (although not quite hidden as quite a few folks were there enjoying themselves). Sitting was simple …just find your own rock to sit on:

Quite pleasant we enjoyed watching the goings on on the beach on the beach before retracing our steps to Deia following which we made an on-the-fly decision & took the bus back to Soller with the intent of taking the Soller train back to Palma. This historic electric train dates back to 1912 and takes a route south to the capital winding its way through the Serra de Tramuntana mountains including 13 tunnels. Aside from its original purpose as a mode of transportation, it has become a major tourist attraction.

At the train station, we learned that all seats were booked on the 17:00 train but there was no one available to tell us if the last train would have space…so no choice but to return to Palma by bus.

In any event, nothing ventured nothing gained and we were back at the Estacion Intermodal by late afternoon. We took our time walking back through the Old Town > the afternoon sun provided great lighting on the buildings and there were way fewer tourists as the tours etc, had wound up for the day…and a few more glances at the lovely Cathedral …

Found a nice square where we stopped for dinner at the Bar Cota Dos, decent dinner, tourist fare but friendly service and the location made up for it:

 

Another long but very enjoyable day as we got to see some pretty stunning sights…