Menorca – travel tips and sights

I’m a total freestyle trip planner. This means that I first book the flight (because it will only be more expensive anyway), then fix one or the other hotel a few weeks later and only take care of the rest shortly before departure. Of course, we still have a fixed route idea in mind that can’t just be thrown overboard. It is precisely this somewhat chaotic approach that has proven to be a dilemma in our Mallorca travel planning. For me, it was clear from the beginning “we do island hopping”. If I’m going to Mallorca, we might as well take Menorca with us, right? How the island hopping should take place was also crystal clear to me. We rent a car at Palma de Mallorca airport, drive it around Mallorca, then take it by ferry over to Menorca and then back to Mallorca and return it to the airport 10 days later. Nothing there. Towards the end of the trip planning (because something as banal as a rental car is not the first priority) I had to realize with horror that you are not allowed to take rental cars on the ferry. What?! At first I thought it was a bad joke. But no, unfortunately that’s really not possible.

In the short term, I got into a bit of a rotation because a) accommodations were already booked (and not exactly in strategically favorable locations for this changed starting position) and b) ferries between Menorca and Mallorca did not go back and forth so often and at will. You can choose from the daily service with Balearia from Alcudia to Ciutadella, which departs at 8 a.m. and docks in Ciutadella two hours later. In addition, there is a weekly ferry service from Palma de Mallorca to Maó-Mahón (duration 6 hours). Alternatively, there is of course the possibility to fly from Palma to Maó-Mahón (flight time about 30 minutes). In terms of price, the flight is a bit more expensive, but you can return the rental car to the airport. We didn’t even consider this option in advance. Instead, we decided to take the Balearia from Alcudia and dropped off our rental car early in the morning at the rental station in Alcudia and took the taxi for the last few kilometers to the port.

But this organizational stress was more than worth it and it would have been a shame if we had just thrown Menorca overboard because of this additional hurdle. Mallorca’s little sister has an incredible amount of charm and is totally different at its core. In contrast to Mallorca, Menorca has significantly more Spanish and British holiday guests. We hardly heard German during our short stay and in the restaurants Spanish was consistently spoken with us. Menorca is not quite that small after all. The island offers a wide range of attractions and outdoor activities. Here are our favorites:

Succumbing to the charms of Ciutadella

If I had to choose my favourite place in Menorca, I would give the crown to the former capital of the island. Ciutadella, with its pretty alleys, small squares and stately buildings, invites you to a relaxing afternoon stroll. There are two places not to be missed. On the one hand, there is the Sa Gelateria de Menorca, which attracts visitors with good ice cream opposite the cathedral. From the cathedral, the path leads down to the harbour via the impressive Placa des Borne. The second mandatory stop in Ciutadella. A sun-drenched spot is the terrace of the S’Amarador restaurant at the end of the harbour area. The perfect place to linger for a few hours.

Dem Camí de Cavalls folgen

The Cami de Cavalls is an ancient path that winds its way around the coast of Menorca for 185 kilometres. Since 2010, it has been completely open to the public again and signalled accordingly. The trail is divided into 20 stages and leads through the unique coastal landscape of Menorca, which has been declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO due to its wealth. We have saved the circumnavigation of the island for a later date. For now, this time we have driven to some highlights along the Cami de Cavalls in a star shape.

Pont d’en Gil

S’Albufera des Grau Natural Park

Tip First

Conquering Fortresses

Menorca has been influenced by many peoples over the centuries. The British joined the ranks of the occupiers, who conquered Menorca in the early 18th century and moved the capital from Ciutadella to Maó-Mahón. At the same time, they began to strengthen the defences and built a total of three fortifications in the area of the mouth of the port of Maó-Mahón. One of them is Fort Marlborough near Es Castell. The fort can be visited from Tuesday to Saturday during the summer months. The entrance fee is 3 euros. The exhibition is set up in an entertaining way and at one point even made me scream out loud (luckily we were the only visitors on site).

Stroll
along the second largest natural harbour in the world

Maó-Mahón is not only the new capital of the island, but also towers over the second largest natural harbour in the world. The largest is located in Sydney. The city life of Maó-Mahón takes place on two levels. At the top of the hill is the town centre, which is quite impressive with its pretty pedestrian zones. Down at the harbour, the waterfront promenade is lined with numerous restaurants and small pubs. Among them are the classic tourist pubs, which can be recognized from afar by the generous use of plastic weather protection. The Restaurante la Minerva (Carrer Moll de Llevant 87) also belongs to this category. It’s worth stopping here just for the menu of the day, which includes a starter, a good portion of paella and a sorbet for dessert for 16.50 euros. Far more authentic and cozy is Can Vermut, where homemade tapas are served in addition to live music.

Visit fishing villages

Not far from Maó-Mahón there is an architecturally interesting example of the construction of holiday villages. In 1972, the Spanish architect Antonio Sintes created Binibqeuer Vell in the style of an old fishing village. Today, the complex is a popular excursion destination. A short stop and walk through the whitewashed alleys is worthwhile. But you don’t have to plan more than an hour for it.

Toast
the sunset

An unusual place for a sundowner is the Cova d’en Xoroi near Cala d’en Porter. The naturally created height system has been converted into a bar and disco. To toast the sunset in style, it’s best to order a “Pomada”. The drink, consisting of locally produced gin and lemonade, is typical of Menorca.

Relax on a finca

I can rarely resist beautiful accommodations with an architecturally interesting history. And so my decision was made quite quickly on the Hotel Torralbenc (Patnerlink) as the starting point for our stay in Menorca. The former Menorcan farm has been converted into a small luxury hotel with great skill and attention to detail. The complex is located above Cala d’en Porter, nestled in the countryside and overlooking the sea. Outstanding is the breakfast, which is beautifully prepared on the table with a selection of local products. A wonderful place where I would have liked to stay two or three days longer.

To get back to Mallorca (after all, our return flight was booked from there), we took the weekly Trasmediterranea, which connects Maó-Mahón with Palma. For the way back, this was more practical, as we could drop off our rental car at Maó-Mahón airport and no longer have to rely on a car or a longer bus ride to the airport for the last day in Palma (which would have been much more impractical if we arrived in Alcudia). The round-trip ferry tickets cost a total of 166 CHF for two people.