The Best Villages & Viewpoints in the Serra de Tramuntana Northern Mallorca

Are you looking for the best villages and viewpoints in Mallorca? Are you visiting the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range and wondering which villages to visit? Or are you looking for the best viewpoints in Northern Mallorca for sunrise? Well read on, and join us as we explore the Serra de Tramuntana, finding the best villages and viewpoints to see in Northern Mallorca…

The Serra de Tramuntana mountain range is the backbone of Mallorca. It stretches from Andratx in the west to Cap de Formentor in the very north eastern tip, is almost 90km long, and is home to pretty villages, rugged mountains, and breathtaking scenery. And, it was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2011. 

So where better to start our trip to Mallorca than exploring the Serra de Tramuntana, and finding the best villages and viewpoints in Mallorca!

Here is a map of our best villages and viewpoints in Mallorca...

Watch the Sunrise at Cap de Formentor

Cap de Formentor is one of, if not THE, best place to see the sunrise in Mallorca.

We head straight there from the airport after landing at 1am… there’s no point getting a hotel for the night when we’re arriving so late and needing to be up so early. And with us trying out an electric hire car the first time, we can have a rest while the car also recharges!

We leave Port de Pollenca just after 5am, and with sunrise due at 6.20am, it feels like we’re chasing the daylight.

As we enter the mountain roads it’s still dark, but as we race towards the coast the sky is getting lighter and lighter. 

We reach Cap de Formentor at the perfect time, and get set on the wall just below the lighthouse to see the sky glowing orange, as the sun appears and rises high into the sky. It’s super fast, but one of the most beautiful sunrises we’ve ever seen.

As we're walking back to Electri (our hire car for the weekend), a local goat comes over to make friends with us! He's super interested in what we're doing and then poses for a few photos.

TrovenTrippers Tip… is Cap de Formentor open to cars?

During the summer (1st June to 30th September) the road is closed to cars between 10am and 10.30pm. With sunrise being around 6.30am, this gives you plenty of time to enjoy it and drive back out before the restrictions start for the day. Please follow the signs at the entrance to the restricted road though as these times are subject to change.

Best Viewpoints at Cap de Formentor

As well as the lighthouse at the very tip of Cap de Formentor, we stop at a few other stunning viewpoints too! Wherever there is somewhere to pull over and stop by the side of the road do… chances are there’ll be an amazing view!

2 of the best viewpoints in Mallorca we stop at are Panoràmica cap al de Cap Formentor and Mirador de Es Colomer.

At the first viewpoint we can still see the lighthouse sticking out from the cliffs and silhouetted by the rising sun. And at Mirador de Es Colomer there is an observation deck built so we can walk along the cliff edge and look down into the crystal clear blue sea below. 

Climb the 365 Calvari Steps in Pollensa

We take a breakfast stop in Pollensa and have our first experience of the ancient towns and best villages in Mallorca.

It feels like we’ve been transported back in time walking around the narrow streets. The houses are so pretty, with lots having bright fresh flowers on the doorsteps or windows. And each view leads towards a towering mountain in the distance.. It really is postcard picture perfect!

We have breakfast at Panord forn Pollensa, a great little local café and bakery on the edge of town. And we taste our first traditional Mallorcan food… Pa amb oli (bread with oil), which is like an open sandwich with Serrano ham and cheese. And we get 2 Cremadillos (a sweet puff pastry), 1 stuffed with ham (this one is a bit weird being sweet and savoury) and one with chocolate (which is nice, but very sweet for breakfast).

The main sights we see are the El Calvari / Calvary Chapel which is a long walk up 365 steps to reach. And the Santa Maria de Pollença church on the main town square.

The climb up to El Calvari is quite tough in the heat of the sun, but luckily the views are incredible as we go and there are shops too… so we have lots of excuses to stop (and nothing to do with needing to take a break!). The chapel at the top is quite simple but worth the effort, and there’s a tiny café next door to get some freshly squeezed orange juice.

The main town square is lined with lots of shops and restaurants, and we take the opportunity for some shopping and get a change of clothes… wearing them right out of the shops!

TrovenTrippers Tip… shopping in Pollensa

We found Pollensa to be the best place in Mallorca for shopping for clothes. There were lots of boutiques selling locally made clothes with a range of prices. Sneha bought a new dress and hat, and Paul got a new shirt to wear for the day.

Mirador de s'Entreforc Viewpoint

Leaving Pollensa behind we drive into the mountains and stop at a viewpoint called Mirador de s'Entreforc. 

The viewpoint is high in the mountains and overlooking a huge valley below. The height makes Paul go a bit funny (he’s not the biggest fan of heights), and it gets even worse when a family comes and stands next to us and the guy lifts his 5(ish) year old son up and stands him on the very edge… is he crazy?!

Drive the mountain roads to Sa Calobra

Our next stop to find the best viewpoints in Mallorca is Sa Calobra, a beautiful beach cove on the northern coast.

But the cove is just part of the scenery to see, as the drive to get there is the most spectacular part.

The twisting mountain road has 26 hairpins to get down from the mountain tops to the beach and has absolutely stunning views!

It’s not a drive for the faint-hearted, with cyclists, cars, and coaches all jostling for position on the narrow road, but it’s definitely worth the effort for the views.

We walk down to the beach and port from the large car park at the bottom, and the sea is so clear and blue and beautiful!

The cove is surrounded by the mountains we just drove down, and there a few restaurants here too so you can stop for lunch or pick up a quick snack before continuing your road trip (we go for the snack option as we still have a lot of stops ahead!).

TrovenTrippers Tip… Best Viewpoint of the road to Sa Calobra

Stop at Nus de sa Corbata before you start the descent to Sa Calobra. The road takes a figure of 8 and twists under itself through a bridge, and there is a cafe and car park where you can stop. Walk back up the hill to the edge of the rocks, and you get an amazing view of the twisting road from above… a nice preview of the drive to come!

Gorg Blau and Embassament de Cúber best viewpoints in Mallorca

Gorg Blau and Embassament de Cúber are 2 reservoirs in the mountains, and both have viewpoints to stop at.

Mirador des Gorg Blau is amazing. The bright blue water of the reservoir surrounded by the mountains is stunning and has to be seen!

Viewpoint Embassament de Cúber is more of a starting point for hiking trails though, you can’t see much from the car park. Good if you want to hike, but we’d give it a miss if you’re just stopping for a quick snap.

Visit Spain’s prettiest village Fornalutx

Fornalutx is known as the 'Prettiest village in Spain', and is deep in the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range of Northern Mallorca.

And when we start to explore it we can see why it’s the prettiest and one of the best villages in Mallorca. 

All of the houses are built using the same stones, making them all look so pretty. Each is decorated with colourful tiles, and there must be a local rule making people keep fresh flowers outside as all of the houses have mini gardens on their doorsteps and window sills. 

The village is known for its orange and lemon tree groves as well. While there may not be any ‘big’ sights to see like in Pollensa, the whole village just has a special charm about it and we love it!

TrovenTrippers Tip… where to park in Fornalutx

As you drive into Fornalutx, ignore the car park on the right side of the road, as this car park is super hilly and difficult to park in! There’s another car park a little further on the left which is much easier to access.

See the trams in Soller

Soller is our next planned stop, but we've spent a bit too long at each place so far (they've all just been so beautiful!) so we decide to skip it and carry on to Deia instead. 

One of the highlights of Soller is seeing the tram which travels between the town and the port, and we still get to see this as we drive through (although don't manage to get a good photo of it!)

See the mountain village of Deia

Deia is another of the best villages to see in Mallorca. Whereas Fornalutx is at the bottom of a valley and surrounded by the mountains, Deia sits on the cliff edge, so has amazing views too!

We don’t think the village is quite as pretty as Fornalutx (that is Spain’s prettiest village after all), but it is cool being able to see the old town on the top of the hill from below.

There are loads of restaurants perched on the edge of the cliff too, so if you want dinner with a view then Deia is the perfect stop for that. But we have other ideas (and also need to charge our car!), so we just have a short stop and continue on…

TrovenTrippers Tip... best viewpoint for Deia, one of the best villages in Mallorca

We park in the small car park in the centre of Deia (we get very lucky to get a space), but the best viewpoint is actually just after you drive through the village heading in the direction on Valldemossa. There's another small parking area and when you walk a little further on, you get a great view looking back towards the village from underneath it.

Try the Mallorcan food in Valldemossa

We’re going to Valldemossa, Mallorca’s highest town for dinner.

It feels like we’re driving into a much bigger town after being in the tiny villages earlier today, but Valldemossa still has a real small village charm about it.

We go and see the Carthusian Monastery and Chopin’s house where the famous composer Frederic Chopin used to live.

There’s a small square with a few restaurants, and we follow a small alleyway and come out at another viewpoint, Mirador Valldemossa. We can see over the surrounding countryside and it’s a nice view, but the restaurants here are fully booked.

So we head back to the centre and eat at Sa Mata Paelles & Cuina Mallorquina. The restaurant has a lot of traditional Mallorcan dishes on the menu, and after taking the waiter’s advice, we go for marinated dogfish to start followed by slow cooked rabbit and stuffed squid with meat and herbs.

The dogfish is like a pakora and is very nice! The rabbit is super soft and falls off the bone. And the stuffed squid is very different, having both a fish and meat taste as we bite into it. Sneha quite likes it, Paul isn’t so sure!

Banyalbufar

We only make a flying visit to Banyalbufar… partly because we’re running super late to reach our stay for check-in, and partly because we missed this off when making our itinerary somehow!

So we just see the village we drive through, but it looks great being high up on the coast so has good views out to sea. The sun is also setting making the sky a bright red between the clouds, and it looks amazing!

Andtratx

Andtratx is the last village we stop at on the Serra de Tramuntana, having driven almost the entire mountain range. 

We go to Andtratx for breakfast after having stayed in the mountains last night, and pick up a Mallorcan empanada (a meat and pea pie… interesting!) and coffee.

It’s Sunday morning so there’s a service at the church we go to, but there is a really cool classic car parked outside which Paul just has to get a pic of!

Where to stay in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains?

We stay at Finca Ses Fontanelles, a guesthouse in the mountains.

We miss the turning at first as it’s just a little dirt track to reach from the road, but it’s super cool when we do find it. 

It’s a traditional Mallorcan farmhouse where the owners stay in one house, and they have a guesthouse in another building with 4 rooms. It’s completely off-grid so electricity is provided by a generator (no chance to charge our hire car Electri), but does have Wi-Fi so we’re not completely cut-off!

Palma de Mallorca

No visit to the north of Mallorca would be complete without going to the capital city, Palma de Mallorca.

Ok so it's maybe not quite in the north, or in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains, but the historic old town is definitely worth visiting!

Read our full guide... The Best Things to do in Palma de Mallorca in One Day

Do you need to hire a car to visit the best villages & viewpoints in Mallorca?

Hiring a car is the best way to explore Mallorca. We rented a cute little Fiat 500 Electric Cabrio from Vanrell Car Hire and it was perfect for our trip.

Pick and drop off was super easy with Vanrell, and they had a great choice of cars at good prices. And were one of the few companies we found who offer out of hours pick up at the airport.

Read our full guide to renting a car in Mallorca...

Should you hire an electric car in Mallorca?

We hired the car as part of a longer road-trip around Mallorca, check out our other blogs from our trip...

The Best Things to do in Palma de Mallorca in One Day

Nit de Foc Festival in Mallorca… One Crazy Night Dancing with the Devil!