Menorca is the quieter, greener sister of Mallorca: 696 km² of pine-backed coves, stone walls, two handsome harbour towns and a landscape scattered with Bronze Age stone monuments. The whole island has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1993, and its turquoise water is only the start of the story.

Crescent of sand around a sheltered turquoise cove in Menorca

Menorca at a glance: Maó, Ciutadella and the British century

Menorca is the second-largest of Spain's Balearic Islands, home to about 102,000 people. Its highest point, Monte Toro, rises only 358 m, so the landscape is a gentle patchwork of fields, dry-stone walls and low hills that drop to a cliffed, cove-cut coast.

Maó (Mahón), at the eastern end, is the capital. Its deep natural harbour is the reason: after Britain captured the island in 1708 and received it at the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, the British moved the capital here from Ciutadella in 1722 and built a Royal Navy base. Britain held Menorca for much of the 18th century, and its legacy lives on in the island's gin. Gin de Mahón, made from wine alcohol, has protected geographical status; Xoriguer is the best-known brand. Mahón is also linked to one theory of the origin of mayonnaise, said to have been created by a French chef after the capture of the town in 1756.

Ciutadella, at the western end, was the capital until 1722 and keeps the feel of an old aristocratic town around its narrow port. Between the two, look out for formatge de Maó, the island's tangy cow's-milk cheese.

Clear turquoise water along the Menorca coast

The coves: Macarella, Cala Galdana and Son Bou

Menorca has more than 50 coves and beaches, and the two coasts feel different. The south is softer, with white sand, pines and limestone ravines running down to the sea: Macarella, Cala Galdana and the long beach of Son Bou are among the best known. The north is wilder, with reddish rock and darker sand.

The island's own advice is simple: check the wind before you choose a beach. When it blows from the north, head for the sheltered south coast; when it comes from the south, try the north. Many of the finest coves have limited parking, so arrive early in July and August or walk in along the coastal path.

Pine trees above a small clear-water cove in Menorca

Walking the Camí de Cavalls

The Camí de Cavalls, or "Horse Path", is a 185 km trail that circles the entire island. Its origins go back to a 14th-century royal order requiring Menorcan knights to patrol the coast on horseback, and British and French soldiers later used the same route. Today it is the long-distance trail GR 223, waymarked in red and white and open to walkers, cyclists and riders.

The path is divided into 20 stages of 5 to 13 km. Stages 1 to 10 follow the north coast from Maó to Ciutadella, and stages 11 to 20 return along the south. Along the way you pass lighthouses, defence towers, prehistoric sites and the wetlands of S'Albufera des Grau Natural Park. In summer, bring a sun hat, plenty of water and a swimsuit for the coves; spring and autumn are cooler for longer stages.

Boats moored beside pale coastal cliffs in Menorca

Talayotic Menorca: a UNESCO prehistoric landscape

In 2023 Talayotic Menorca joined the UNESCO World Heritage List. Its nine component areas preserve settlements and monuments built over some 1,500 years, from about 1600 BCE in the Bronze Age to 123 BCE, when the Romans arrived. The builders used Cyclopean technique: huge blocks of stone stacked without mortar.

  • Talayots are large, truncated cone-shaped stone towers.
  • Taulas are religious enclosures centred on a giant T-shaped stone structure, unique to Menorca.
  • Navetas are boat-shaped buildings, many used as collective tombs.
  • The sites also include artificial caves (hypogea), circular houses and pillared hypostyle halls.

The best first stop is the Naveta des Tudons, signposted at km 40 of the Me-1 road between Maó and Ciutadella. The name comes from nau, Catalan for ship, because the building looks like an upturned hull. Excavations found the remains of about 100 people buried inside, along with small offering vessels and grave goods. A 400 m country path leads from the car park; entry is inexpensive, with general admission listed at €2.

Menorca beach with clear Mediterranean water

Planning your trip to Menorca

Menorca has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot summers, and it is generally wetter than Mallorca, with rain peaking in late autumn. Late May, June and September give warm sea water with fewer crowds. Flights land at Menorca Airport near Maó.

A good four-day plan: a cove day on the south coast, a stage of the Camí de Cavalls, a day split between Maó's harbour and the Naveta des Tudons, and an evening in Ciutadella's old port. Hire a car if you want to reach the more remote coves and prehistoric sites.

Still comparing Mediterranean islands? Naxos, the largest of Greece's Cyclades, mixes long sandy beaches with a lively main town and inland villages. For a city break in Spain, see Casa Batlló in Barcelona.

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