Alaro: Hiking and Cultural Heritage

Alaró lies at the foot of the Serra de Tramuntana. The town offers different highlights for your stay: hiking trails around Castell d'Alaró, a historic town center, and traces of water engineering and cultural history. This variety can help you decide whether Alaro suits your interests before comparing hotels.

Town Center and Los Damunt

In the historic center, narrow cobbled streets and stone buildings shape the townscape. Los Damunt is Alaró's original town center and has been documented since the 13th century. A short walk takes you along streets lined with old façades. Plaça de Sa Bastida in Los Damunt is also home to a remarkable European nettle tree, Celtis australis. It is estimated to be 200 years old; the tree is about 8 meters tall and has a circumference of 2.60 meters.

Hiking Trails and Castell d'Alaró

The hike to Castell d'Alaró starts in the town center. The route is part of the network of dry-stone paths restored and signposted by the Consell de Mallorca. Part of the route can be covered by car; the final section must be completed on foot. Plan to walk the final stretch to the destination.

The rocky outcrop of Castell d'Alaró belongs to the Natura 2000 network and is designated as a Site of Community Importance and a Special Protection Area for birds. The castle wall, with five towers, is still standing. The site is also home to the Mare de Déu del Refugi oratory, dating from 1622. Since the 17th century, the site has been a destination for religious services and pilgrimages.

Another destination is the Camí de ses Artigues a Orient, which starts in Alaró and reaches s'Estret, a natural gorge in the valley. The path also offers the chance to visit part of the Andalusian hydraulic system that supplied Alaró with water. This route combines a landscape experience with the history of the local water supply.

Water Engineering History Around ses Artigues

For centuries, the ses Artigues spring supplied water to large parts of the municipality of Alaró. The associated qanat extends about 60 meters underground. The spring and the underground waterworks illustrate two aspects of the same heritage: the municipality's historic water supply and the infrastructure used to provide it.

The history of milling is also part of this heritage: Sa Font is the first of ten water-powered grain mills in the Font de la Vila qanat system. Together with the section of the hydraulic system along the Camí de ses Artigues a Orient, it offers a particular point of interest for visitors curious about how water was used in the past.

Church, Theater, and Other Cultural Monuments

The parish church of Sant Bartomeu stands in Alaró's central square; the parish's history goes back to the 13th century. The current organ was built by Pere Joan Bosch in 1754 and restored in 2006 by Gerhard Grenzing at the initiative of the Orfeón de Alaró.

The Teatre d'Alaró grew out of the former parish cinema and reopened in 2008 after an extensive renovation. It is used for cinema, performing arts, concerts, and seminars. The exterior features murals by Menéndez Rojas, and the interior includes a work by Pep Llambías.

The Torre des Llum, also called the Torre de la Electricidad, is the only surviving element of Mallorca's first electricity plant, which opened in 1901. The plant was initiated by brothers Gaspar and Josep Perelló, dealers in oil and soap. Another monument is the Cruz del Cós, a boundary cross dating from the 16th century. After its destruction in 1884, it was restored by Francesc Salvà in 1958 and declared a cultural asset of special interest in 1963.

Green Space in Town

The public gardens of Son Tugores include a botanical garden and a children's playground. They complement the trails and historic buildings with a public outdoor space featuring two specifically designated amenities.

Discover more destinations: Deyá, Rotes Velles, Llubi, Cala Magrana, Lloret De Vistalegre, Consell, Portals Vells, Muro.

For the main travel overview: Mallorca.