The most beautiful drive from Palma Airport to Sóller (and back)
Landing at Palma (PMI) and staying in Sóller or on the west coast? Skip the tunnel and take the most famous mountain road of Mallorca: through the Serra de Tramuntana past the monastery village of Valldemossa, the cliff view of Son Marroig and the artists' village of Deià. An arrival drive that shows straight away why this is a UNESCO World Heritage landscape.
Not the fastest route, the most beautiful one. All the stops are already in it.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Gryffindor/Justass (CC BY-SA 3.0), Abrget47j (CC BY-SA 3.0), Arno.Ho (CC BY-SA 3.0). All usable commercially with attribution.
The Tramuntana instead of the tunnel
The fastest way from Palma Airport to Sóller is the Ma-11 through the tunnel: just over half an hour, toll-free these days. Fine if you are in a hurry, but you skip the finest part of Mallorca. This route climbs into the Serra de Tramuntana at Valldemossa and follows the Ma-10, the island's most famous mountain road, high above the sea past Son Marroig and Deià, before dropping into the orange valley of Sóller.
It is the classic fly-drive: land at Palma, pick up the rental car and arrive via what many call the finest road in Spain. We write out both directions separately, because arrival day drives differently from the day of your flight home. Open the route with every stop in Google Maps, or download the GPX.
The route on the map
A schematic overview by Touren.app, not a navigation map. The exact route opens under “Drive this route” or in Google Maps. Map orientation: north is up.
Key facts for this route
| Distance (scenic route) | approx. 48 km mountain road (direct route through the tunnel: approx. 30 km) |
|---|---|
| Pure driving time | approx. 1 h 15 on the Ma-10 (direct route: approx. 35 min) |
| Day length with stops | 4 to 6 hours with the four stops; half a day to a full arrival day |
| Motorway share | approx. 20%, only the Ma-20 ring around Palma; after that it is all mountain road |
| Tolls and vignettes | none: the Ma-10 is toll-free and the Sóller tunnel is free these days; Spain has no vignette |
| Fuel (estimate) | approx. 4 litres at 7 l/100 km; count on 6 to 9 euros (fuel prices vary) |
| Countries and border crossings | 1 country (Spain, Mallorca), no border crossing |
| Road type | mountain roads (Ma-1110, Ma-10, Ma-11), wide enough but winding; passing places here and there |
| Suitable for | rental car: yes · convertible: superb (this is the island's convertible road) · motorbike: superb · camper: possible, but the Ma-10 is winding and village parking is tight |
The Sóller tunnel on the Ma-11 was a toll road for years but is free these days; the Ma-10 has always been toll-free and Spain has no vignette. Distance, driving time and motorway share are indicative estimates along the chosen stops, to be measured in the build (July 2026).
Always check road signs, current closures and local rules along the way.
Who is this route for
For anyone landing at Palma and staying in Sóller, Port de Sóller, Deià or Valldemossa, and for anyone who wants arrival day to feel like the start of the holiday. The Ma-10 is Mallorca's most celebrated driving road: legendary in a convertible or on a motorbike, and just as good in an ordinary rental car. If you dislike bends, take the tunnel; if you came for the views, drive this.
From Palma Airport to Sóller
Pick up your car at Palma Airport and skirt the city into the mountains. First stop is Valldemossa, Chopin's monastery village high on the slope. Then follow the Ma-10 to the Son Marroig estate, with the west coast's most famous cliff view over the pierced rock of Sa Foradada. A little further, Deià clings to the mountainside, the artists' village where Robert Graves lived. Drop down to the bay of Port de Sóller and finish in the orange town of Sóller itself.
Honest advice for arrival day: with a morning flight you do all four stops at ease. Landing in the afternoon, skip Son Marroig and keep Valldemossa and Deià; landing after dark, take the tunnel and drive the Ma-10 next morning as a day trip.
From Sóller to Palma Airport
On the day of your flight home, time matters. Drive the route in mirror image: coffee on the bay at Port de Sóller, then the Ma-10 past Deià and Son Marroig to Valldemossa, and from there three quarters of an hour to the airport. Short on margin? Take the tunnel (Ma-11): Sóller to Palma Airport in just over half an hour.
Mind your rental return time and refuel before you hand the car in; there are petrol stations near the airport and on the Ma-20 around Palma.
The fastest route or the most beautiful route
The Ma-11 through the Sóller tunnel takes you from the airport to Sóller in just over half an hour, toll-free these days. Handy in a hurry or after a late landing, but you mostly see tarmac and tunnel wall. This route deliberately picks the mountain road: longer, but with a monastery village, cliffs and sea. You can always cut it short: at Valldemossa or Deià you can drop back to the direct road.
The 4 stops along the drive
1. Valldemossa
Valldemossa is a terraced village of honey-coloured stone on the southern flank of the Tramuntana, famous for the Reial Cartoixa, the Carthusian monastery where Chopin and George Sand spent a winter. The lanes smell of coca de patata, the local pastry. Early in the day you have it almost to yourself.
Practical: park at the edge of the village (paid) and walk up; the centre is largely pedestrian.
2. Son Marroig
Son Marroig was the estate of Archduke Ludwig Salvator, this coast's first great champion. From the white marble pavilion in the garden you look straight onto Sa Foradada, the pierced rock jutting into the sea. The west coast's most famous sunset spot.
Practical: small car park on the Ma-10; house and garden charge admission, the view from the road is free.
3. Deià
Deià clings to the flank of the Puig des Teix: ochre houses, a church tower on the hill and a century of writers and painters; the poet Robert Graves is buried here. Below the village lies the small shingle cove of Cala Deià.
Practical: parking is limited, use the spaces along the Ma-10 at the edge. The classic village view is from the road towards Sóller.
4. Port de Sóller
Port de Sóller sits in an almost closed horseshoe bay with a beach and two lighthouses. A wooden tram from 1913 shuttles through the orange groves to the inland town of Sóller. The perfect first evening of a holiday: dinner on the bay as the sun drops behind the headland.
Practical: paid parking on the boulevard; in high season the beach car park fills early. Sóller town lies 3 km inland.
Practical: rental car, season and vehicle
Picking up at Palma: the rental desks are by the arrivals hall of Palma Airport (PMI). Book online in advance; in high season the counter queues are long. Return at Palma and there is no one-way fee.
The Ma-10: well surfaced and wide enough for oncoming traffic, but winding; in season expect plenty of cyclists. Take your time and stop at the miradors, not on the carriageway.
Best time: April, May, June, September and October are ideal. July and August get crowded in Valldemossa and Deià; drive early. In winter the road is quiet and often crystal clear.
Vehicle: in a convertible or on a motorbike this is the island's finest road. An ordinary rental does it just as well; a camper is possible, but parking at Valldemossa and Deià is tight.
Fuel: fill up before returning the car; there are stations at the airport and on the Ma-20. Up in the mountains pumps are scarce.
Reviews from drivers
Reviews appear here with vehicle, experience and month of the drive. A score cannot be bought here, and this stays empty until someone has really driven it.
Share this route or save it
Share this drive with whoever should drive it
Or email it to yourself, for the road
Email this route to yourselfFrequently asked questions
What is the most beautiful drive from Palma Airport to Sóller?
Not the Ma-11 through the tunnel, but the Ma-10 through the Serra de Tramuntana: via Valldemossa, Son Marroig and Deià. About 48 kilometres, where the tunnel route does about 30. Open it above with every stop in Google Maps.
How long is the drive from Palma Airport to Sóller?
Through the tunnel just over half an hour. The mountain route on the Ma-10 is about 1 hour 15 of pure driving; with the four stops, half a day to a full day.
Is the Sóller tunnel free?
Yes. The tunnel on the Ma-11 charged a toll for years but is free these days. The Ma-10 mountain road and the old Coll de Sóller pass are toll-free too; Spain has no vignette.
Is the Ma-10 scary to drive?
No. It is winding but well engineered, with barriers and passing places. If you dislike bends, take the tunnel; if you enjoy driving, these are Mallorca's finest kilometres. Watch for cyclists in season.
Can you do Valldemossa and Deià on arrival day?
Yes, that is exactly this route. With a morning flight you manage all four stops; landing later, keep Valldemossa and Deià and save Son Marroig for a sunset drive.
What about the Coll de Sóller, the old pass?
The Coll de Sóller (Ma-11A) is the old pass road the tunnel replaced: dozens of hairpins, loved by motorbikes and cyclists. A fine alternative finale if you have not had enough bends; in a hurry or in a camper, take the tunnel.
Can you open the route in Google Maps?
Yes, free. Pick your direction above and the route opens in Google Maps with every stop already in it. There is also a GPX per direction for Garmin, Komoot or TomTom.
What we deliberately leave out
We leave out Palma city and its cathedral: that is a city visit in its own right. The northern half of the Ma-10 (Gorg Blau, Sa Calobra, Lluc and Cap de Formentor) belongs to the full Mallorca loop; this corridor is deliberately the compact arrival drive.