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Cala MacarellaLa Mola fortressCiutadellaCavalleria lighthouse
  • Charming places
  • 6 days

The grand tour of Menorca

The complete tour of Menorca in six days and three places to stay, without retracing your steps: the east with Maó, La Mola and the lagoon; the south-east with Binibeca, Cales Coves and the Cova d'en Xoroi; the Talayotic south and Cala Galdana; the west with Ciutadella, Macarella and Punta Nati; and the north, with Cavalleria, Pregonda and Fornells. A bit of everything: coves, lighthouses, history, markets and nights in the harbour.

See what you’ll get

Overview

Length
6 days
Spend in Menorca
€€ · €45–90 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
By car
Effort
EasyShort walks, coves 15–35 minutes away on foot and drives of under an hour
Pace
Make every minute count
Best time
May to October. In July and August, Macarella by bus, Favàritx by bus and Punta Nati at sunset by shuttle bus: the itinerary tells you how. In May, June and September, everything is quieter.

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 6-day itinerary around Menorca

    The grand tour of Menorca

    Six days round the island clockwise: the east, the south, the west and the north, without doubling back.

    6 daysModerate

  • Your trip at a glance

    Six days round the island clockwise: the east, the south, the west and the north, without doubling back.

    The days

    1. Day1Maó and La Mola fortressMaó: town centre and harbour · La Mola fortress · Cales Fonts (Es Castell)
    2. Day2The lagoon, Favàritx and BinibecaS’Albufera des Grau Nature Park · Favàritx lighthouse · Es Grau · Binibeca Vell
    3. Day3
    4. Day4
    5. Day5
    6. Day6

    excursiaThe grand tour of Menorca · 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. Maó: town centre and harbour12. La Mola fortress23. Cales Fonts (Es Castell)34. S’Albufera des Grau Nature Park45. Favàritx lighthouse56. Es Grau67. Binibeca Vell7
    1. 1Maó: town centre and harbour
    2. 2La Mola fortress
    3. 3Cales Fonts (Es Castell)
    4. 4S’Albufera des Grau Nature Park
    5. 5Favàritx lighthouse
    6. 6Es Grau
    7. 7Binibeca Vell
    8. Day 3
    9. Day 3
    10. Day 3
    11. Day 3
    12. Day 4
    13. Day 4
    14. Day 4
    15. Day 4
    16. Day 5
    17. Day 5
    18. Day 5
    19. Day 6
    20. Day 6
    21. Day 6
    22. Day 6

    excursiaThe grand tour of Menorca · 3

  • Day 1

    Maó and La Mola fortress

    East: Maó and Es Castell · About 30 km and 45 min by car

    The markets and harbour of Maó, La Mola fortress and dinner in Cales Fonts.

    09:30–15:00Morning · Midday

    1Maó: town centre and harbour

    The centre of Maó, with the Claustre and Peix markets, the church of Santa Maria and the walk down to the harbour.

    Lunch in the harbour.

    15:45–18:30Afternoon

    2La Mola fortress

    The Isabel II fortress, with underground galleries and views over the harbour mouth.

    19:15–22:30Evening

    3Cales Fonts (Es Castell)

    Sunset and dinner in the little harbour of Es Castell.

    excursiaThe grand tour of Menorca · 4

  • Day 2

    The lagoon, Favàritx and Binibeca

    East and south-east: Maó and Sant Lluís · About 60 km and 1 h 20 min by car

    The s'Albufera des Grau nature park, the slate lighthouse and the afternoon in Binibeca.

    09:00–10:30Morning

    4S’Albufera des Grau Nature Park

    A walk along Sa Gola, between the lagoon and the dunes.

    11:00–12:45Morning

    5Favàritx lighthouse

    The black-slate cape and the striped lighthouse.

    13:15–16:00Midday

    6Es Grau

    Lunch and a swim in Es Grau.

    17:00–20:30Afternoon

    7Binibeca Vell

    The white village of Binibeca and the last light on Binibèquer beach.

    excursiaThe grand tour of Menorca · 5

  • History and culture · Maó

    1Maó: town centre and harbour

    Menorca’s capital overlooks one of the largest natural harbours in the Mediterranean. Above, the historic centre; below, the Moll de Ponent with restaurants and bars.

    Location
    Maó: plaça de s’Esplanada, Santa Maria church and the Moll de Ponent
    Best time
    All day
    Admission
    Time needed

    excursiaThe grand tour of Menorca · 6

  • And in the full itinerary

    • 4 more days with their full plan
    • 22 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 30% of the stops. How to get there, where to eat, the tips and the rest of the trip come when you buy.

Day 1Maó and La Mola fortress

  1. Morning · Midday

    09:30–15:00

    Maó

  2. Afternoon

    15:45–18:30

    Maó

  3. Evening

    19:15–22:30

    Es Castell

Day 2The lagoon, Favàritx and Binibeca

  1. Morning

    09:00–10:30

    Maó

  2. Morning

    11:00–12:45

    Maó

  3. Midday

    13:15–16:00

    Maó

  4. Afternoon

    17:00–20:30

    Sant Lluís

4 more days 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 3South: Sant Climent and Alaior4 stops
  • Day 4South and west: Ferreries and Ciutadella4 stops
  • Day 5West: Ciutadella4 stops
  • Day 6North: Es Mercadal4 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. Maó: town centre and harbour12. La Mola fortress23. Cales Fonts (Es Castell)34. S’Albufera des Grau Nature Park45. Favàritx lighthouse56. Es Grau67. Binibeca Vell7

Places you’ll visit

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

  • History and culture

    Menorca’s capital overlooks one of the largest natural harbours in the Mediterranean. Above, the historic centre; below, the Moll de Ponent with restaurants and bars.

  • History and culture

    Isabel II’s fortress, built in the 19th century to defend the entrance to Maó harbour. Underground galleries, bastions and a large Vavasseur gun at Spain’s easternmost point.

  • Charming places

    The little harbour of Es Castell, at the mouth of Maó harbour: old fishermen’s caves turned into restaurants with tables by the water.

  • Nature and hiking

    The heart of the Menorca Biosphere Reserve: a lagoon, dunes, woodland and coast with waymarked trails and birdwatching hides.

  • Charming places

    A black-and-white striped lighthouse on a cape of dark slate, inside the s’Albufera des Grau Nature Park. One of Menorca’s most striking landscapes.

  • Beaches and coves

    A small fishing village with a very calm, shallow beach, the gateway to the s’Albufera des Grau Nature Park.

  • Charming places

    A cluster of white houses in the style of a fishing village, built by the sea in the 1960s. Its alleys are among the most photographed in Menorca.

  • History and culture

    Place included when you buy

    Day 3 · South: Sant Climent and Alaior

  • History and culture

    Place included when you buy

    Day 3 · South: Sant Climent and Alaior

  • Beaches and coves

    Place included when you buy

    Day 3 · South: Sant Climent and Alaior

  • Nightlife and leisure

    Place included when you buy

    Day 3 · South: Sant Climent and Alaior

  • Beaches and coves

    Place included when you buy

    Day 4 · South and west: Ferreries and Ciutadella

  • Beaches and coves

    Place included when you buy

    Day 4 · South and west: Ferreries and Ciutadella

  • History and culture

    Place included when you buy

    Day 4 · South and west: Ferreries and Ciutadella

  • Nightlife and leisure

    Place included when you buy

    Day 4 · South and west: Ferreries and Ciutadella

  • History and culture

    Place included when you buy

    Day 5 · West: Ciutadella

  • Beaches and coves

    Place included when you buy

    Day 5 · West: Ciutadella

  • Charming places

    Place included when you buy

    Day 5 · West: Ciutadella

  • Charming places

    Place included when you buy

    Day 6 · North: Es Mercadal

  • Beaches and coves

    Place included when you buy

    Day 6 · North: Es Mercadal

  • Charming places

    Place included when you buy

    Day 6 · North: Es Mercadal

  • Charming places

    Place included when you buy

    Day 6 · North: Es Mercadal

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
  • Where to sleep on each part of the tour so you never double back

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

View of Maó harbour with boats and the houses on the cliff

History and culture · Maó

Maó: town centre and harbour

Menorca’s capital overlooks one of the largest natural harbours in the Mediterranean. Above, the historic centre; below, the Moll de Ponent with restaurants and bars.

What to see

Santa Maria church, with its great organ; plaça de la Constitució with the town hall; the Claustre del Carme, now a market; and the Costa de ses Voltes steps down to the harbour.

The harbour is about 5 km long, with the Illa del Rei and the Lazaretto in it. Sightseeing boats leave from the Moll de Ponent for a tour around it.

Practical information

Municipality
Maó
Location
Maó: plaça de s’Esplanada, Santa Maria church and the Moll de Ponent
Best time
All day
Time needed
Half a day.
Admission
Free.
Facilities
Everything: markets, bars, restaurants, shops and chemists.
Accessibility
The centre is 25 metres above the harbour: the glass lift at Costa de ses Voltes takes you up in a minute and saves about a hundred steps.
What to bring
Comfortable shoes.
By car
Public car parks at the harbour and in the centre. The old town is best seen on foot.
Parking
Public car parks at the harbour and in the centre
By bus
Every line ends at Maó bus station, next to s'Esplanada square. Bus timetables: Island bus lines

See the details

Main gate of La Mola fortress in Maó

History and culture · Maó

La Mola fortress

Isabel II’s fortress, built in the 19th century to defend the entrance to Maó harbour. Underground galleries, bastions and a large Vavasseur gun at Spain’s easternmost point.

The fortress

It was built between 1848 and 1875 and is one of the best examples of fortification of its time in Europe. You walk through loopholed galleries, the Queen’s Gate and the gun battery.

Part of the visit is underground, so it’s a good option on very hot days or in light rain.

Practical information

Municipality
Maó
Location
La Mola peninsula, at the northern mouth of Maó harbour
Best time
Morning or afternoon (a visit of about 2 h)
Time needed
2–3 hours.
Admission
General admission €8.25, at the ticket office only.
Opening hours
From April to September, 10:00 to 20:00 (June to August, until 20:30). October, 10:00 to 18:00–19:30. February, March and November, 10:00 to 14:00 (closed on Mondays). Closed in January and from 9 December. General admission €8.25, at the ticket office only.
Facilities
Audio guides in six languages, buggy hire by the hour and rest areas with drinks machines and toilets. No café.
Accessibility
The site is huge: the ticket office tells you which routes suit pushchairs and reduced mobility, and you can hire a buggy.
What to bring
Water, a cap and your phone torch for the galleries.
By car
From Maó, 15 min (8 km) round the harbour along the La Mola road. Free parking.
Parking
Free car park at the fortress
By bus
No bus goes to the fortress: take a taxi from Maó (about 15 minutes).

See the details

Boats moored in front of the colourful houses of Cales Fonts

Charming places · Es Castell

Cales Fonts (Es Castell)

The little harbour of Es Castell, at the mouth of Maó harbour: old fishermen’s caves turned into restaurants with tables by the water.

The easternmost harbour

Es Castell grew as the suburb of Sant Felip castle during British rule: hence its parade ground and Georgian-style houses.

Cales Fonts is the cove where boats took shelter; today it’s one of the liveliest places for an evening stroll.

Practical information

Municipality
Es Castell
Location
Es Castell, 3 km from Maó
Best time
Sunset and dinner
Time needed
1–2 hours (a stroll and dinner).
Admission
Free.
Facilities
Restaurants and bars by the water; shops, cash machines and a chemist in Es Castell.
Accessibility
You walk down to the harbour by sloping streets or steps; the quay itself is flat.
What to bring
A dinner booking in July and August.
By car
From Maó, 8 min (3 km). In summer, park in the upper part of Es Castell and walk down.
Parking
Street parking in Es Castell; in summer, better park at the top and walk down
By bus
Line Maó–Es Castell, with frequent departures from Maó town centre. Bus timetables: Island bus lines

See the details

The s’Albufera des Grau lagoon surrounded by vegetation

Nature and hiking · Maó

S’Albufera des Grau Nature Park

The heart of the Menorca Biosphere Reserve: a lagoon, dunes, woodland and coast with waymarked trails and birdwatching hides.

What to do

Three short, waymarked trails leave from the visitor centre and take in the lagoon, the woodland and the hides. They’re flat and suitable for families.

The centre has an exhibition on the park’s landscapes: a good option if it rains.

Practical information

Municipality
Maó
Location
Rodríguez Femenias visitor centre, Maó–Es Grau road, km 3.5
Best time
Morning
Time needed
1–3 hours, depending on the trail.
Admission
Free.
Opening hours
Visitor centre: from April to October, Tuesday to Thursday 9:00 to 19:00 and Friday to Monday 9:00 to 15:00; shorter hours in winter. The trails are open to all.
Facilities
The Rodríguez Femenías reception centre has information on the park. No bar: the nearest is in Es Grau.
Accessibility
The Sa Gola trail (2.2 km) is largely adapted. A Joëlette chair can be booked three weeks ahead.
What to bring
Binoculars, water and, in summer, mosquito repellent.
By car
From Maó, 8 min along the Es Grau road to km 3.5. Free parking next to the visitor centre.
Parking
Free car park next to the visitor centre
By bus
Line L23 Maó–Es Grau runs along the park road: footpaths lead from Es Grau to the lagoon. Bus timetables: Beach buses

See the details

Favàritx lighthouse with black and white stripes on the dark rocky cape

Charming places · Maó

Favàritx lighthouse

A black-and-white striped lighthouse on a cape of dark slate, inside the s’Albufera des Grau Nature Park. One of Menorca’s most striking landscapes.

A cape of slate

Unlike the rest of the north coast, the rock here is black, heavily eroded slate, which gives the cape an almost lunar look. The lighthouse, from 1922, has become one of the island’s most recognisable images.

Close by are the coves of Presili and Tortuga, which you reach on foot along the Camí de Cavalls.

Before you go

It’s a protected area: there are no bars and no shade. In summer, plan your visit around the shuttle bus times and bring water.

Practical information

Municipality
Maó
Location
Cap de Favàritx, north of Maó, inside the s’Albufera des Grau Nature Park
Best time
Morning or late afternoon
Time needed
45 minutes at the lighthouse; 1 h 30 min if you walk down to the Presili and Tortuga coves.
Admission
Free. In summer you only pay the L43 bus (€3.60).
Seasonal access
From mid-May to 30 September you can’t drive up: bus L43 from Maó bus station (first departure around 9:45 and last return around 19:45; €3.60 ticket). From October to mid-May you can drive there.
Facilities
None: no bar, no toilets, no shade.
Accessibility
Flat ground by the lighthouse. The path to the coves is earth and loose stone: not for pushchairs.
What to bring
Water, a cap and sun cream.
By car
From Maó, 25 min (16 km) along the Fornells road and the Favàritx turn-off. Only from October to mid-May: in season the road is closed to cars.
Parking
From October to mid-May, a small car park at the end of the road
By bus
Line L43 Maó–Favàritx from Maó bus station, from mid-May to 30 September. Stops at the lighthouse and at the beach paths. Bus timetables: Favàritx bus

See the details

White houses and boats of Es Grau by the water

Beaches and coves · Maó

Es Grau

A small fishing village with a very calm, shallow beach, the gateway to the s’Albufera des Grau Nature Park.

What it’s like

The beach sits in a sheltered bay, with sand and water that stays shallow for many metres: one of the best for small children.

The village has restaurants with terraces over the water, and paths lead from here to the lagoon and the Camí de Cavalls.

Practical information

Municipality
Maó
Location
9 km from Maó
Best time
Morning and midday
Time needed
2–4 hours.
Admission
Free.
Facilities
Bars and restaurants in the village; lifeguard and kayak hire in season.
Accessibility
An accessible beach with shallow water: very easy with small children.
What to bring
If you paddle out to Illa d'en Colom: swimwear, water and sun cream.
By car
From Maó, 15 min (9 km). Free parking at the entrance to the village.
Parking
Free car park at the entrance to the village
By bus
Line L23 Maó–Es Grau, all year round, more often in summer. Bus timetables: Beach buses

See the details

Alley of white houses and a boat pulled up in Binibeca Vell

Charming places · Sant Lluís

Binibeca Vell

A cluster of white houses in the style of a fishing village, built by the sea in the 1960s. Its alleys are among the most photographed in Menorca.

A village that is a development

Although it looks like an old village, Binibeca Vell was designed in 1964 imitating the architecture of Mediterranean fishing villages: whitewashed walls, wooden doors and windows and narrow passages.

The houses are private homes, so the community asks visitors to come quietly and within the permitted hours.

Nearby

Five minutes on foot is Binibèquer beach, with the Los Bucaneros beach bar, and ten minutes by car, Punta Prima.

Practical information

Municipality
Sant Lluís
Location
South coast of Sant Lluís, 10 km from Maó
Best time
Morning, before 11:00
Time needed
45 minutes – 1 hour.
Admission
Free.
Opening hours
It’s a private, lived-in development: visits are allowed from 10:00 to 22:00, all year.
Facilities
Bars, restaurants, souvenir shops and a small supermarket; free public toilets on the main street.
Accessibility
Narrow lanes with steps: with a pushchair you can see the lower part; with a wheelchair, only some stretches.
What to bring
Comfortable shoes. People live here: visit quietly and between 10:00 and 22:00.
By car
From Maó, 15 min (10 km) along the Me-8 and the Binibèquer road. Parking at the entrance; in summer it fills up around 11:00.
Parking
Car park at the entrance to the village; in summer it fills up by mid-morning
By bus
Line Maó–Sant Lluís–Binibèquer (and the loop via Binissafúller), from Maó bus station. Bus timetables: Beach buses

See the details

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