Puig de San Salvador, in eastern Mallorca, is a staggeringly beautiful climb.
On an island of amazing roads, it stands out from the competition due to the views it offers much of the way up. The enormous religious monuments that dominate the hillside are also highly memorable. These include the Creu de Sant Salvador (cross) about two-thirds of the way up, the Santuari de Sant Salvador (sanctuary of Sant Salvador) just before the summit and the Ermita de Sant Salvador (monastery) at the top.
It’s probably a bit steeper than many Mallorcan climbs – from the first bend, the average gradient sits at nearly 6% (and the signpost on the climb says 6.4%) and there are some tougher sections within this. Yet the climb is only 5 km long, so it’s hardly an Alpine beast.
If you’re based in Port de Pollença or Alcudià, San Salvador is not massively convenient to get to, but it is do-able and we recommend you do it (route info below)! Combine it with Randa (and even Betlem too?!) for a long day out.
All metrics in this article are approximate.
Puig de Sant Salvador: highlights
Views over what feels like the whole of Mallorca. What’s great is that these views aren’t just from the summit, you get them for much of the way up.
Whatever your view of religion, it’s also difficult not to be impressed by the vast religious monuments that have been built on this hillside.
View from the Santuari de Sant Salvador
Near the top of the San Salvador climb
Creu de Sant SalvadorRoute notes
1. Junction to the little chapel: 0-3 km
The climb starts about two kilometres east of the town of Felanitx. San Salvador is clearly signposted, and you can see it from miles around, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to locate!
You turn off the Ma-4011, ride between two pillars and you’re on the PMV-4011 that will take you to the summit.
The first kilometre is on a straight, open road between agricultural fields dotted with olive trees and grazing sheep. Ahead you can see the distinctive triangular shape of Puig de Sant Salvador rising up from the flat plains around it. On the left-hand side you can probably just about make out the San Salvador cross and on the right, the imposing walls of the Monasterio San Salvador.
As you enter the sparse woodland, the road narrows, the gradients pick up and you ride through sweeping bends. There are views through the trees, up to the cross and monastery above you and out across the flat plains below.
The distinctive San Salvador climb in the distance
On the way up the San Salvador climb
Chapel on the climb2. Chapel to Santuari de Sant Salvador: 3-5 km
At around three kilometres you pass a pretty creamy stone church/chapel and the turns become tighter as the road snakes its way upwards. There’s the odd section of double-figure gradients through these turns but they don’t last for more than a couple of hundred metres.
You continue to get views over the countryside below and up to the cross above your head that’s getting tantalisingly close.
As you near the cross, the Monastery comes into view again, its huge stone walls rearing up above you. Take care as you pass the cross as there may well be lots of people on the road; access to the cross itself is by footpath.
You continue on up well-engineered switchbacks that offer gorgeous views out over Mallorca. A communications mast comes into sight and then shortly after, you round a corner and suddenly see a tall steepled monument and the summit sign.
Either ride over to the Santuario San Salvador monument to take a closer look, or continue up around the last corner to the Monastery, where you’ll find the Petit Hotel Hostatgeria Sant Salvador and a restaurant.
View to the cross
Approaching the San Salvador summit
Sactuary of Sant SalvadorCafé stops
The place to stop is at the top! Bar San Salvador serves meals and cool beer (at a price) and they come with a view.
Carry on around the bend after the summit to get to the monastery and restaurant
Drinking water (we didn’t try it!)
Restaurant at San SalvadorAccommodation
Many people will tackle this climb on a route from Port de Pollença or Alcudià (see below). We rode it from Alaró (route also below). Neither of these locations is particularly close by, but that’s because most of the best riding in Mallorca is in the Serra Tramuntana to the west of San Salvador.
Our guide to the best places to stay for cyclists on Mallorca might help you decide where’s best for you, while our ultimate guide to Mallorca has details of where we stayed when we visited.
Tips
Read our tips for cycling in Mallorca before doing this ride.
Watch out for groups of hikers. We found more people on the road than livestock – but that’s not to say you won’t meet stray sheep and goats!
The road surface was not perfect when we rode – but neither was it terrible. The road is, however, narrow and since it also gets a fair amount of tourist traffic, care is needed, particularly on the technical switchbacks.
Since riding here, we’ve heard that there is a small museum with framed cycling world champion jerseys within the monastery. We’re sorry not to have seen these ourselves – have you visited the museum? Tell us about it in the comments below!
People often include Randa and Sant Salvador in one loop (see below). Just in case you have to decide between the two, we’d say we preferred San Salvador over Randa. The climb was probably a bit more difficult but we found it more visually impressive.
In case you’re with a support car, they’ll be pleased to know that the car park at the top is large. It wasn’t overly busy when we visited in November, but we guess that the size of the car park may reflect the fact that the monastery gets a lot of visitors. Don’t expect this to be a totally quiet, unknown climb!
There’s more information on the history of the Santuari de Sant Salvador here.
Want to include San Salvador in a loop ride?
Done this ride or planning to do it?
Please support Epic Road Rides
A huge amount of time and effort goes into the article you’ve just read, all with the aim of helping you!
If you found what you’ve read useful, I’d really appreciate it if you dropped something in the tip jar here.
It’s a way you can say thank you and help us carry on creating top quality content with no annoying ads and no pay wall.
Looking for an organised cycling trip?
If you want someone to help you plan and book your cycling holiday, fill out this form. We aren’t a tour operator/agent but we work with lots of people who are and will do our best to put you in touch with someone that can help (within 24 hours wherever possible)!
Clare Dewey is a cyclist with a passion for travel. She set up epicroadrides.com in 2018 to help make it easy for cyclists to explore the world by bike. Today her mission is still inspiring cyclists to discover new places on two wheels – and doing what she can to make sure they have the best possible time while they’re there. Clare has visited 50+ destinations around the world, many of them by bike.
The contents of this website are provided for general information purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on it. You should carry out your own due diligence and risk assessments and take professional advice. Views expressed by interviewees or other users of this website do not necessarily represent our views. We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content on our website is accurate, complete or up to date. If you use any information or content on this website, download from, or otherwise obtain content or services through our website, it is entirely at your own discretion and risk. Epic Road Rides Ltd disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the information and content on this website. Find out more here.
This is an excellent climb and I usually do it together with Randa and the monastery at Bonany. A nice little 150 km ride if you are situated in Arenal 🙂
Awesome – yes, Randa and San Salvador are a nice pairing if you’ve got the legs for it!