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Ciutadella harbour with the houses of the old townCiutadella cathedralThe Lithica quarriesPunta Nati lighthouse
  • History and culture
  • 2 days
  • New

Ciutadella in depth: palaces, cathedral and harbour

Ciutadella was the capital of Menorca until 1722, and it shows: noble palaces in every street, a cathedral built on the old mosque and a narrow harbour where the town dines and goes out. Two days to explore it calmly, with the history of every corner — from the Turkish attack of 1558 to the arrival of the British — and, after each stop, what is worth it a few minutes away. The second day leaves town: the naveta, the Lithica quarries, a southern cove and Punta Nati lighthouse.

See what you’ll get

Overview

Length
2 days
Spend in Menorca
€€ · €45–85 per person per dayTickets, activities and meals at the places we suggest, without accommodation or transport. It is separate from the price of the itinerary.
Getting around
On foot · By car
Effort
EasyTown walks and a 10-minute walk to the cove
Pace
Balanced
Best time
May to October for swimming and Lithica in the afternoon. In winter it works the same by swapping the cove for Artrutx lighthouse and visiting Lithica in the morning (from November to March it closes at 14:00).

What you’ll get

  • Online itinerary

    Every day on your phone, stop by stop: times, how to get there and where to eat. Tick off what you’ve seen.

  • Interactive map

    Every place numbered in the order you visit it, with its card and how to get there.

  • Downloadable PDF

    The whole trip to carry offline: each day’s plan, place cards, transport and a rainy-day plan.

  • excursiaDiscover, enjoy, come back
    A 2-day itinerary around Menorca

    Ciutadella in depth: palaces, cathedral and harbour

    Two days in the old capital: the cathedral on the mosque, the palaces of the Born, the market, the marès quarries, the naveta and the sunsets of the west.

    2 daysEasy

  • Your trip at a glance

    Two days in the old capital: the cathedral on the mosque, the palaces of the Born, the market, the marès quarries, the naveta and the sunsets of the west.

    The days

    1. Day1The town of palacesCiutadella old town · Lithica, Pedreres de s’Hostal · Ciutadella harbour
    2. Day2

    excursiaCiutadella in depth: palaces, cathedral and harbour · 2

  • Your trip on the map

    Each number is a place, in the order you visit it: you’ll find the same number on the day’s page and on its card.

    CiutadellaFerreriesEs MercadalAlaiorMaó1. Ciutadella old town12. Lithica, Pedreres de s’Hostal23. Ciutadella harbour3
    1. 1Ciutadella old town
    2. 2Lithica, Pedreres de s’Hostal
    3. 3Ciutadella harbour
    4. Day 2
    5. Day 2
    6. Day 2

    excursiaCiutadella in depth: palaces, cathedral and harbour · 3

  • Day 1

    The town of palaces

    Ciutadella: old town and harbour · No car: everything on foot (about 4 km in the day)

    Plaça des Born and its palaces, the cathedral, Ses Voltes and the market in the morning; the harbour from afternoon to night.

    09:30–15:30Morning · Midday

    1Ciutadella old town

    Start at plaça des Born: the obelisk recalls the Turkish assault of 1558 («s'Any de sa Desgràcia», the Year of Misfortune), when the town was sacked and thousands of its people taken as slaves. Around it, the Town Hall on the walls and the palaces of the nobility, such as Salort and Torre-Saura. Continue to the cathedral, built on the old mosque after the Catalan conquest of 1287, and along the arcades of Ses Voltes to plaça de la Llibertat and the market.

    Lunch in the old town, in a noble house or next to the market.

    17:00–18:45Afternoon

    2Lithica, Pedreres de s’Hostal

    Ciutadella, like all of Menorca, is built of marès, the island's golden sandstone. At the s'Hostal quarries you see the old ones, dug by hand, and the modern ones, cut by machine; the Líthica association has turned them into gardens, mazes and an amphitheatre carved into the stone.

    19:30–23:30Sunset

    3Ciutadella harbour

    Ciutadella's natural harbour, narrow and long, is where the town dines and goes out. Walk to the castell de Sant Nicolau, the octagonal tower of 1680 that guarded the entrance against corsairs, to watch the sunset, then dinner by the water.

    excursiaCiutadella in depth: palaces, cathedral and harbour · 4

  • History and culture · Ciutadella de Menorca

    1Ciutadella old town

    Menorca’s old capital: palaces, the Gothic cathedral, plaça des Born and the arcaded streets of Ses Voltes, all on foot within less than a kilometre.

    Location
    Ciutadella town centre, between plaça des Born and the cathedral
    Best time
    Morning or from 18:00 in summer
    Admission
    Time needed

    excursiaCiutadella in depth: palaces, cathedral and harbour · 5

  • And in the full itinerary

    • 1 more day with its full plan
    • 6 place cards, with opening times and parking
    • How to reach every stop by car, bus or on foot
    • Where to eat and a plan for every rainy day
    • Useful phone numbers and the trip’s common questions

    Opening hours and access change every season: confirm them the day before.

Real pages of this itinerary. What you see in grey arrives in full when you buy.

Itinerary

A preview with 43% of the stops. How to get there, where to eat, the tips and the rest of the trip come when you buy.

Day 1The town of palaces

  1. Morning · Midday

    09:30–15:30

    Ciutadella de Menorca

  2. Afternoon

    17:00–18:45

    Ciutadella de Menorca

  3. Sunset

    19:30–23:30

    Ciutadella de Menorca

1 more day included when you buy

With the plan for every stop, how to get there, where to eat, the rainy-day plan and a card for each place.

  • Day 2West: Ciutadella and its surroundings4 stops

The places on the map

In green, the places of the preview. The grey ones, with a padlock, unlock when you buy: for now we only show you the area.

CiutadellaFerreriesEs MercadalAlaiorMaó1. Ciutadella old town12. Lithica, Pedreres de s’Hostal23. Ciutadella harbour3

Places you’ll visit

The places of the preview open their card; the rest unlock when you buy.

  • History and culture

    Menorca’s old capital: palaces, the Gothic cathedral, plaça des Born and the arcaded streets of Ses Voltes, all on foot within less than a kilometre.

  • History and culture

    Old marès stone quarries turned into a visitor space with labyrinths, gardens and an amphitheatre carved into the stone. They explain how Menorca was built.

  • Nightlife and leisure

    Ciutadella’s narrow, elongated natural harbour gathers terraces, restaurants and cocktail bars: where people dine and go out in the west of the island.

  • History and culture

    Place included when you buy

    Day 2 · West: Ciutadella and its surroundings

  • Beaches and coves

    Place included when you buy

    Day 2 · West: Ciutadella and its surroundings

  • Charming places

    Place included when you buy

    Day 2 · West: Ciutadella and its surroundings

What’s included

  • A plan for every day with approximate times, from morning to night
  • Online itinerary to mark each place as visited during your trip
  • Interactive map with every place numbered in the order of the route
  • Downloadable PDF with every detail, to use offline too
  • How to get from one stop to the next: time, distance, parking and bus
  • Several places to eat in each area, in case one is full
  • An indoor alternative for rainy days
  • Summer and winter opening hours and access restrictions
  • A card for each place with the day and time of your visit, car parks and bus lines
  • The history of each place and three or four recommendations near every stop

How it works

  1. Choose the itinerary and pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account needed.
  2. Once the payment is confirmed you see it on screen and get it by email: the link to your online itinerary, with the map, and the PDF.
  3. During the trip, open it on your phone and mark each place as visited. The PDF works offline.
  • Arrives instantly, on screen and by email, as soon as the payment is confirmed
  • Secure payment with Stripe: we never see your card
  • No account: your link works on any device for a year
  • Look inside a free sample

As digital content delivered instantly, it cannot be withdrawn from once delivered. How refunds work.

Related guides

Façade of Ciutadella cathedral on the cathedral square

History and culture · Ciutadella de Menorca

Ciutadella old town

Menorca’s old capital: palaces, the Gothic cathedral, plaça des Born and the arcaded streets of Ses Voltes, all on foot within less than a kilometre.

What to see

Plaça des Born, with its obelisk and the town hall on the walls; the cathedral, built on the site of the old mosque after the Catalan conquest of 1287; and the Ses Voltes arcades, full of shops.

From the Born you walk down to the harbour, where many of the town’s restaurants are.

Tip

On rainy days, Ses Voltes and the cathedral let you carry on your visit under cover.

Practical information

Municipality
Ciutadella de Menorca
Location
Ciutadella town centre, between plaça des Born and the cathedral
Best time
Morning or from 18:00 in summer
Time needed
2–3 hours.
Admission
Free; so is the cathedral, during its visiting hours.
Opening hours
Cathedral (free visit): 8:00 to 13:00 and 18:00 to 20:00; no tourist visits on Sundays and public holidays.
Facilities
Bars, restaurants, shops and chemists all over the centre.
Accessibility
A fairly flat pedestrian centre with cobbled streets; the Ses Voltes arcades give shade.
What to bring
Comfortable shoes and, in summer, a hat for the middle of the day.
By car
From Maó, 50 min (45 km) along the Me-1. Park on the ring roads (Contramurada): the centre is pedestrian.
Parking
Car parks on the ring roads (Contramurada); the historic centre is pedestrian
By bus
Line Maó–Ciutadella every 30 minutes (and the non-stop Express Bus). The station is a 10-minute walk from the Born. Bus timetables: Island bus lines

See the details

Vertical walls of marès stone in the s’Hostal quarry

History and culture · Ciutadella de Menorca

Lithica, Pedreres de s’Hostal

Old marès stone quarries turned into a visitor space with labyrinths, gardens and an amphitheatre carved into the stone. They explain how Menorca was built.

Menorca’s stone

Marès is the sandstone used to build houses, churches and walls all over the island. At s’Hostal you see the old quarries, dug by hand, and the modern ones, cut by machine.

The Líthica association has turned the quarries into gardens and walking routes. Allow 1 h 30 min.

Practical information

Municipality
Ciutadella de Menorca
Location
Camí Vell de Maó, km 1, 10 minutes by car from Ciutadella
Best time
Morning or late afternoon
Time needed
1–2 hours.
Admission
€8 online or €9 at the ticket office; under-12s free.
Opening hours
From April to October, Monday to Saturday 9:00 to sunset and Sundays 9:00 to 14:00. From November to March, 9:00 to 14:00. Last entry an hour and a half before closing. Tickets €8 online or €9 at the ticket office; under-12s free.
Facilities
Toilets and a small shop selling water at the entrance.
Accessibility
The main paths are easy, but the quarries have steps and uneven paths: not fully accessible.
What to bring
Water (the route is long), a cap and comfortable shoes.
By car
From Ciutadella, 10 min along the Camí Vell de Maó (km 1). Free parking.
Parking
Free car park
By bus
No stop nearby: take a taxi from Ciutadella or walk 30 minutes from the ring road.

See the details

Ciutadella harbour with moored boats and whitewashed houses

Nightlife and leisure · Ciutadella de Menorca

Ciutadella harbour

Ciutadella’s narrow, elongated natural harbour gathers terraces, restaurants and cocktail bars: where people dine and go out in the west of the island.

At night

The terraces fill up from 21:00. Further along, towards the end of the harbour, are the cocktail bars and places with music.

In summer it’s worth booking a table for dinner.

Practical information

Municipality
Ciutadella de Menorca
Location
Baixada Capllonch and Passeig del Port, Ciutadella
Best time
Sunset and evening
Time needed
2–3 hours (dinner and a drink).
Admission
Free.
Facilities
Restaurants, bars and late bars all along the harbour.
Accessibility
You go down from the Born by the Baixada Capllonch (slope and steps) or by the harbour road.
What to bring
A dinner booking in summer.
By car
Park on the Contramurada or near plaça des Born and walk down the Baixada Capllonch steps.
Parking
Car parks near plaça des Born or on the Contramurada
By bus
Line Maó–Ciutadella to Ciutadella station and a 15-minute walk. Bus timetables: Island bus lines

See the details

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