Mallorca is much more than just sun and beaches. Even though we're blessed with enviable temperatures throughout most of the year, and have some of the best beaches in the Mediterranean, our island also has many hidden gems that make it an ideal place to visit any time of the year.
One of them is the Sierra de Tramuntana mountain range.
The Backbone of Mallorca and A World Heritage Site
Mallorca's Sierra de Tramuntana mountain range is a natural beauty spot with a surface area of 63,084 hectares, of which 1,123 hectares are its waters.
Due to its location, it acts as a sort of "backbone" that runs from Andratx to Formentor, on the western side of the island.
The Tramuntana range is a side of Mallorca that many haven't discovered yet. Its charming stone villages, beautiful landscapes, wonderful viewpoints overlooking the sea, and its winding coastline are so stunning that it was declared a World Heritage Site in 2011 in the category of Cultural Landscape.
The DNA of the Balearic Islands
The Tramuntana mountain range has attracted the attention of many visitors over the centuries, some of them as illustrious as the Empress Sissi, George Sand and Frédéric Chopin.
The latter two spent a long winter season in the area, in the Valldemossa Charterhouse, a 15th-century monastery and former palace of King Sancho I of Mallorca, where Rubén Darío, Santiago Rusiñol and Jorge Luis Borges also stayed.
Over and above the anecdotes and literary and artistic references, the Tramuntana range represents the perfect balance of man's imprint on nature, and we have to say that this imprint has given rise to a unique richness in terms of culture and heritage.
For example, in its mountains, we can still encounter irrigation systems from the Arab period and ancient dry stone terraces used for cultivation - all in full working order.
Its landscapes, traditional stone villages, and gastronomy are other major attractions.
Charming villages and breathtaking sunsets
The Tramuntana mountain range is home to some of the most charming villages in Mallorca.
One of the most outstanding of these is Sóller, which we could call its "capital".
Due to its location in the mountains, this town has been isolated from the rest of the island for decades, and we could say it's the most "Frenchified", if such as word exists, due to its commercial ties with the Gallic country.
Highlights include the spectacular Modernist façade of the church of San Bartolomeu, the Town Hall, and Can Prunera.
Deià is another of the most beautiful spots in the Tramuntana.
It's also the most "bohemian" area, the cradle of the "hippie" movement in the Balearic Islands. Its international renown is due to the fact that the English writer Robert Graves chose this place to spend his later life, giving the town an appeal that continues to attract and inspire a multitude of artists to this day.
The British writer is even buried in its beautiful cemetery.
Another prominent figure that lived in Deià was the eccentric Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria.
This nobleman created several trails and viewpoints in the area around the town with beautiful views of the mountains and the sea, which today are popular among certain influencers.
Only half an hour from Palma by car we find Valldemossa. a village known for its typical cobbled streets decorated with flowerpots, and for being the origin of coca de patata, one of Mallorca's typical delicacies.
Estellencs, Fornalutx and Pollença are other places in the Tramuntana mountain range where you can enjoy agrotourism and indulge in Mallorcan cuisine.
Although it's located inland, Pollença has a traditional fishing port some seven kilometres from the town centre, which has become the main tourist attraction in the north of the island.
It's also the gateway to the wild Cape Formentor, the northernmost inlet on the island.
This cape offers arguably some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets in the world when the winds and waves of the Mediterranean roll over it.
Its 19th-century lighthouse is one of the most recognisable in the whole of our country. And the beach of the same name nearby is one of the most beautiful in Mallorca.
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