Ferrocarril de Sóller, Narrow-gauge railway between Palma and Sóller, Mallorca, Spain
The Ferrocarril de Sóller is a narrow-gauge railway that connects Palma with the port town of Sóller, traveling through 13 tunnels across the Serra de Tramuntana mountains. The wooden coaches follow a fixed route that changes scenery from palm-filled valleys to higher mountain passes during the roughly hour-long journey.
The railway was built starting in 1911 and opened to the public in 1912, funded by profits from the local citrus trade that thrived at the time. It was created as a practical transport link to move fruits and fish from the northern ports to markets in Palma.
Local people still use this train for daily journeys to visit family or reach markets, making it more than a tourist attraction. This everyday use keeps the railway woven into the fabric of island life.
Trains run multiple times daily between the two towns with a journey time of roughly one hour without stops. Morning departures are generally less crowded and offer better light for viewing and photographing the mountain scenery and tunnel passages.
Although steam locomotives gave way to electric trains long ago, the original wooden coaches retain their historic appearance and wooden interior fittings. Sitting in seats and looking through windows unchanged for over a century creates an unusual time-travel sensation during the ride.
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