Serra de Tramuntana

MAJORCA'S MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGE IS EVERY BIT AS BEAUTIFUL AS THE ISLAND'S COASTLINE - AND YOU CAN HIKE STRAIGHT FROM YOUR HOTEL

- ANGELA LOCATELLI

The Serra de Tramuntana runs parallel to Majorca's northwestern coast

The scene

The largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands, Majorca is sometimes said to lack the defining quirk of its sisters. It’s not as irreverent as Ibiza, not as bohemian as Formentera, and is too big and popular to have Menorca’s characteristic calm. It might be because one of its best assets has remained largely out of the spotlight — the Serra de Tramuntana, a mountain range spanning 55 miles in the northwest. It’s a landscape of oak forests and 3,000ft-plus peaks, and it’s been listed by UNESCO for the way it’s been shaped by human ingenuity, with aqueducts, agricultural terraces and more. To access some great hiking through it, base yourself in Valldemossa village, which has a 14th-century monastery where Polish composer Chopin spent the winter in 1838. Other highlights are just a bus ride away — or a walk, for those up to the challenge.

Walking the Barranc de Biniaraix section of the 88-mile Dry Stone Route

The experience

The history of leisure hiking in Majorca dates to the 19th century, when Archduke Luis Salvador, cousin of Austria’s Empress Sisi, came here on his travels.

Did you know Majorca has two mountain ranges. The Serra de Tramuntana is the largest and the Sierra de Llevant in the northeast is popular with birdwatchers