Menorca: travel tips
Menorca is the second largest island in the Balearic archipelago. Off the coast of the Valencian Community, the Spanish island is a paradise of beaches and unspoilt land that attracts thousands of tourists every year. Less crowded than nearby Mallorca and less glamorous than chaotic Ibiza, Menorca lends itself perfectly to a traveler in search of relaxation, beauty, culture and gastronomic tradition.
Here are some travel tips for you if you intend to spend your summer holidays in this paradise declared a World Heritage Site of the Biosphere by Unesco.
When to go?
Like all seaside resorts in the Mediterranean, it goes without saying that the best time to enjoy a good climate and an (almost) total absence of clarifications is the summer, or the months from June to September. However Menorca offers a pleasant climate even for medium-low season tourism when the beaches are less crowded and it is possible to enjoy the unique landscapes in almost complete solitude. Most of the island’s hotels open around the Easter holidays and then close at the end of October. If you decide to come to Menorca in the middle of summer, know that you won’t be alone! However, the large extension of the Minorcan coasts and the lesser tourist popularity compared to other Balearic Islands, will allow you to enjoy the island in any case, even if you have to share the beaches with thousands of other people!
How to get there?
Menorca is an island and as such there are essentially two access routes. The plane is the most comfortable way, especially for non-Spanish tourists. Menorca’s international airport is located a few kilometers from the island’s capital, Mahon. Numerous low cost and scheduled flights land here in the high season from many Spanish cities but also from many European cities. For those who prefer the ferry, the island is connected daily to Barcelona and Valencia with crossings lasting from 15 to 7 hours. There are also numerous and frequent maritime connections from nearby Mallorca if you decide to take advantage of the largest airport in the region (that of Palma de Mallorca) or want to visit both islands.
How to move?
Like any island, to be able to fully enjoy all the corners and beaches of Menorca, the ideal is to rent a car. Menorca’s roads are in excellent condition and the road signs are easy to follow. In principle, the best place to rent a car is the airport for convenience. However the prices can be higher especially in high season. An inconvenience of traveling by car is the difficulty of finding parking spaces in the most popular resorts and beaches. An alternative could be to use a taxi, especially if you intend to move around a little during the trip, and to experience the island on foot through the marvelous Camì de Cavalls (which I will tell you about shortly). Public transport is quite complex to use but with excellent organization, especially if you are staying in Mahon or Ciutadella, it is a plausible alternative.
Where to sleep?
Menorca has a wide range of accommodation options for all types of travellers. For lovers of luxury and comfort, the island offers numerous 5-star establishments of great beauty and prestige (such as the Meliá Cala Galdana, for example). For those who prefer to have more services and more entertainment, the ideal is to stay in Mahon or Ciutadella (the two largest urban centers on the island). For sea lovers, the south coast is the richest in beaches while the north coast guarantees more relaxation. In short, Menorca satisfies everyone and all budgets, being able to find excellent offers even in the high season if you book well in advance!
My favorite beaches
Menorca has over 200 km of coastline, from sandy beaches suitable for families with children, to small coves with Caribbean colors that are more difficult to access but for this very reason pristine and exclusive. Through the Camì de Cavalls route you can reach many of these beaches, but more often than not you will not be alone! In high season expect many holidaymakers eager to sunbathe and swim in this corner of paradise!
Here is a (non-exhaustive) list of the beaches not to be missed in Menorca!
Let’s start from the beach where the hotel where I stayed (the Meliá Cala Galdana) stands. Cala Galdana is an urban beach of about 500 m of extension with unique colors equipped with all types of services. Although crowded, its extension allows you to enjoy its beauty in peace. Its shallow water is also suitable for children and its conformation makes the beach sheltered from the wind.
One of the most beautiful beaches is Cala Macarella and the nearby Cala Macarelleta. Immersed in the greenery of the Mediterranean scrub, accessible through the Camì de Cavalls from Cala Galdana or Cala Turqueta, this beach offers unique colors that rival the most beautiful exotic beaches
Cala Turqueta is also an unmissable beach, where the turquoise of its sea is lost in the thick vegetation in a cove that is divided into two small beaches, very crowded, but still fascinating.
Also in the south of the island, we find Cala Mitjana (also easily reachable on foot from Cala Galdana). Cala Mitjana and its neighbor Mitjaneta, is a small cove with shallow waters and sensational colors, to be admired from the nearby “mirador” to enjoy the show from above.
Other unmissable beaches in Menorca are: Cala Morell, Son Bou, Cala Pregonda, Son Saura, etc..
You will be spoiled for choice!
Camì de Cavalls
The Camì de Cavalls (the path of the horses) is a historic trekking route that winds along the coast of the island for 185 km divided into 20 different routes that allow you to admire the beauty of Menorca in a unique way, both on foot and obviously on horseback.
During your trip to Menorca you cannot fail to take one of the 20 routes, a unique experience that will allow you to enjoy the beauty of the island at 360 degrees. Along the way you can admire unique views, meet local flora and fauna and discover pristine corners. The advice is to equip yourself with water, courage and good tennis shoes. Most of the routes are quite easy, well marked and well maintained. My advice is to read up precisely on the characteristics of the chosen stage on the official website where you can discover many curiosities and take note of the salient points to visit.
Unmissable places
Menorca is not just beaches. The island has been a crossroads of peoples and conquerors who have left numerous traces of their passage on this territory with a thousand-year history. For archeology lovers, I recommend a visit to the most famous and best preserved example of the art of the Talayotic civilization, namely the Naveta d’Es Tudons, one of the oldest funerary monuments in the world.
Don’t forget to also visit the beautiful Ciutadella de Menorca with its walls, port and narrow streets perfect for buying a souvenir of the island. The same goes for Mahon, the capital of the island, and the charming Binibeca, a fishing village with its streets and houses dressed in white, perfect for instagrammable shots or Fornells, on the north coast!
One of the most famous attractions is the Cova d’En Xoroi, a cave that opens onto the cliff for unique views and panoramic views which at night turns into the most famous disco on the island!
Menorca is an island with my faces and a unique atmosphere to visit and revisit to discover new corners every time.
