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Last Updated on 4 October 2026 by Vanessa

Are you planning a trip to Palma de Mallorca? Then you may already have the historic train to Sóller on your list. This century-old wooden railway is one of the most unusual ways to explore the island.

But did you know that the little Ferrocarril de Sóller station in Palma has a famous employee of its own?

His name is Tòfol… and he’s a cat.

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Meet Tòfol, the cat who lives at Palma’s historic Ferrocarril de Sóller station

The historic train from Palma to Sóller

Before we get to Tòfol, it helps to know what makes his home so special.

The train from Palma to Sóller has crossed Mallorca since 1912. But tourists weren’t the reason for building it.

Back then, Sóller had a problem: mountains.

The town sits in a fertile valley famous for its oranges and lemons, but the Serra de Tramuntana cut it off from Palma and much of the rest of Mallorca. Getting people and goods across the mountains took time, and transporting Sóller’s produce to the capital wasn’t easy.

Local businessman and politician Jerónimo Estades became one of the driving forces behind a solution that was ambitious for its time: a railway connecting Sóller directly with Palma.

The Ferrocarril de Sóller company was founded in 1905, and work on the railway began a few years later. Building it meant finding a way straight through the Tramuntana. Workers dug tunnels into the mountains, built bridges, and laid tracks across difficult terrain to create a 17-mile (27.3-kilometers) route between Palma and Sóller.

The railway officially opened on April 16, 1912, and in 1929, it switched from steam locomotives to electric traction.

More than a century later, the railway is still running, although today, it mostly functions as a major tourist attraction. The wooden train sets off from its small station in central Palma, passes through the Mallorcan countryside, and then winds its way into the Serra de Tramuntana. It eventually emerges in the old town of Sóller.

For many visitors, it is one of the highlights of a trip to Mallorca. Its biggest fan, however, has never needed a ticket.

Meet Tòfol, the cat who lives at the Ferrocarril de Sóller station

If you’ve ever looked up the Ferrocarril de Sóller station on Google Maps, you may already know about “Tòfol es Moix.” That’s the name he has there. It literally means “Tòfol the Cat” in Mallorcan Catalan, whereas Tòfol is a traditional short form of Cristòfol, the Catalan equivalent of Christopher.

He has become quite a local attraction, and it’s almost impossible not to meet him if you visit the station. With around a million people traveling on the historic railway each year, Tòfol has certainly had plenty of visitors to make friends with.

One of the station employees told me that Tòfol has been living at the station for more than 12 years. He was born there and simply decided to stay. The station employees now take care of him and feed him every day.

Sometimes, he spends the night sleeping inside, while at other times, he settles down in one of his favorite spots nearby. He’s never far away, though.

But one thing is certain: the Ferrocarril de Sóller station is his home and his absolute favorite place to hang out.

The friendliest stationmaster in Mallorca

Tòfol has spent more than 12 years surrounded by passengers, railway employees, and tourists, and he seems to have decided that humans are pretty nice to have around.

He’s incredibly affectionate. Start petting him and he’ll happily stay put, purring. He’s completely at ease with strangers and doesn’t seem bothered by people coming and going around him. Quite the opposite!

He even lets you rub his belly.

And if you’ve ever lived with a cat, you know that’s not always an invitation you can safely accept. Tòfol genuinely enjoys it, though.

🐱 Read next: Discover the most famous cats on Google Maps — Some of them are hilarious!

How to meet Tòfol?

I stopped by the Ferrocarril de Sóller station several times during my most recent trip to Mallorca, and Tòfol was always there. Sometimes he was sleeping next to the ticket office. Other times, he was hanging around on the platform or near the patio bar, checking that everything was in order. I also found him asleep on a bench beside a tourist once. Tòfol had one half of the bench; the tourist had the other.

The good news is that you don’t even need a train ticket to go onto the platform and meet him.

If you want some quality time with Tòfol, go early in the morning, before the first train to Sóller leaves. The platform is still relatively quiet 30 to 45 minutes before the first departure, but he’s already up and about.

Don’t go too early, though. He may still be inside, eating his breakfast or catching up on some sleep.

Once he’s out, he’s very difficult to miss.

And if you can’t spot him straight away, just call his name. He’ll come running.

But is Tòfol his real name?

That’s where things get a little confusing. Tòfol es Moix is the name listed for him on Google Maps. And if you call him Tòfol, he’ll come to you.

The station employees, however, call him Figaro.

He also goes by Pantògraf, a name that suits his home rather well (a pantograph is the piece of equipment on top of an electric train that connects it to the overhead wires).

Whatever you call him, Tòfol knows exactly who you’re talking to.

From Palma to Sóller

The good news is that meeting Tòfol can turn into an entire day trip through Mallorca — one that’s filled with cats.

Once you’ve met Tòfol, you can board the historic train to Sóller at 10:10 am. After about an hour, you’rll arrive in the old town of Sóller, where you can spend some time walking around before heading to Can Gata on Carrer de la Lluna. Can Gata literally means “Cat House” in Mallorcan Catalan, and it’s a restaurant with three resident cats and lots of cat-themed decorations. Definitely a place to put on your Sóller itinerary.

After lunch, take the historic tram from Sóller to Port de Sóller, where even more cats will be waiting for you. If you want to know where to find them, check out our guide to Port de Sóller.

In the evening, you can either take the historic train back from Sóller to Palma or take the 204 TIB bus from Port de Sóller to Palma.

If you’re lucky, you might even spot another cat around the railway tracks in Sóller. (Yes, there is one — but not as famous as Tòfol.)

Book your tickets in advance

You can buy tickets for the historic train and tram online, and I strongly recommend doing so. Whenever I visited the station, there was a huge queue at the ticket office, and most of the time the staff were already telling people that tickets for the next train had sold out. This was in the second half of September.

To avoid the queues and the risk of missing out on the next departure, you can book your train and tram tickets online here.

One last cuddle before departure

Have you already met Tòfol? Or are you planning a trip to Mallorca and hoping to meet him? Let us know in the comments!

Of course, If you visit, we’d love to see your photos. Share them with Traveling Cats on Facebook, X, or BlueSky.

Enjoyed Tòfol’s story? Follow Traveling Cats for more stories like this one, and share this article with all the cat lovers in your life.

Sóller train timetable

Visit more on Mallorca

If you’re staying in Mallorca for a few more days, there are plenty of other places worth adding to your itinerary.

For a quieter experience inland, head to Finca Son Jorbo near Porreres. This small countryside hotel is set in a restored Mallorcan farmhouse surrounded by vineyards and farmland, and they have a resident cat named Gizmo.
Santuari de Sant Salvador near Felanitx is another good stop, especially if you want mountain views. The former monastery sits more than 500 meters above sea level and overlooks the countryside and Mallorca’s east coast.
On the west coast, Deià is a small mountain village surrounded by the Serra de Tramuntana. Its stone houses, steep streets and beautiful setting have made it one of Mallorca’s best-known villages.
And then there’s Valldemossa, a beautiful mountain village with stone houses, narrow streets and the Royal Charterhouse. You can also visit the Chopin Museum there and learn about the winter Frédéric Chopin spent in Valldemossa with George Sand in 1838–39.