Mallorca is a popular destination for walkers – and with good reason! The dramatic mountains, spectacular coastal scenery coupled with a pleasant climate and good infrastructure mean that it’s straightforward to plan and enjoy a great walking holiday here.

Where to Walk

The main walking area on the island is the Tramuntana Mountains, which run along the side of the island which faces North-West, culminating in Puig Major the highest peak on Mallorca at 1445 m. Trails are generally well signposted, and the local authorities have (mostly) constructed the GR 221 long-distance path which runs through these mountains from Andratx in the south to Pollença in the north, as can be seen on this trails map.

The map also shows the other long-distance path, the GR 222, of which the completed sections are mostly around Artà. In this area the peaks are much smaller and the walking less demanding, but the coastal scenery often just as picturesque.

Where to Stay

One of the most popular places to stay when hiking in the Tramuntana Mountains is in the Soller / Port de Soller area, where there are many hotels or private villas / apartments for rent. The accommodation around Artà is more limited, but there are still several good rural hotels in the area.

See the GR 221 and GR 222 web pages for details of refugios and other accommodation along those routes.

Getting Around

There are two bus companies on the island: TIB which covers the whole of the island, and EMT which services just the area around Palma. Walkers will be using the TIB services, but it’s worth remembering that:

• The timetables change through the year – make sure you’ve got the appropriate version!
• Buses can be full. Sometimes the company makes a second bus available as well, but not always. Best to have a backup plan.
• Some buses are not full size – for example, the one we tried to get from Port de Soller to Fornalutx was only minibus sized.

 
Local taxis are convenient, but there is a regulation in Mallorca that you must use the local registered taxi service for any trip which is not to (or from) the airport. So if you’re planning to walk somewhere and get a taxi back, make sure you know the telephone number to call for the local taxi service which serves where you’re walking to.

The train service is also provided by TIB, and there is also the Soller – Palma tourist railway, but is rather more limited in terms of destinations covered.

Resources

If you’re staying around Soller then you’ll find the Soller Walking Map and Guide invaluable, widely available in shops in the Soller / Port de Soller area. The associated website seems to be under construction, but GPS tracks of all of the hikes are available on wikiloc.

In addition there is the usual Rother Guide and Sunflower books.

The following websites give suggestions for walks on the island:

• Hiking Routes around Soller.
• Walking in Mallorca – scroll down to the hiking routes link
• Hike Mallorca – hover over the Hiking menu item at the top
• Caminos de Mallorca – in Spanish