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Illa del Rei in Maó harbourFornells bayCala GaldanaCala Turqueta
  • Beaches and coves
  • 4 days

Menorca by boat

Menorca's coast makes more sense from the sea. Four days with a boat trip every day: round Maó harbour in a glass-bottomed catamaran and Illa del Rei; the wild north from Fornells, with Cavalleria and Pregonda; the southern coves from Cala Galdana; and Turqueta and Macarella from the harbour of Ciutadella. On land, just the essentials: eating well and watching the sunset.

See what you’ll get

Overview

Length
4 days
Spend in Menorca
€€€ · €65–135 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
Very easyBoat trips of 1 to 4 hours and short walks
Pace
Relaxed
Best time
May to October, when the trips run (several a day in July and August). In strong wind they are cancelled: book the northern and southern ones for different days and leave room to move them.

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 4-day itinerary around Menorca

    Menorca by boat

    Maó harbour by catamaran, Illa del Rei, the north from Fornells and the southern coves from Cala Galdana and Ciutadella.

    4 daysEasy

  • Your trip at a glance

    Maó harbour by catamaran, Illa del Rei, the north from Fornells and the southern coves from Cala Galdana and Ciutadella.

    The days

    1. Day1Maó harbour and Illa del ReiMaó: town centre and harbour · Mercat des Claustre and Mercat des Peix (Maó) · Illa del Rei · Cales Fonts (Es Castell)
    2. Day2
    3. Day3
    4. Day4

    excursiaMenorca by boat · 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. Mercat des Claustre and Mercat des Peix (Maó)23. Illa del Rei34. Cales Fonts (Es Castell)4
    1. 1Maó: town centre and harbour
    2. 2Mercat des Claustre and Mercat des Peix (Maó)
    3. 3Illa del Rei
    4. 4Cales Fonts (Es Castell)
    5. Day 2
    6. Day 2
    7. Day 3
    8. Day 3
    9. Day 3
    10. Day 4
    11. Day 4

    excursiaMenorca by boat · 3

  • Day 1

    Maó harbour and Illa del Rei

    Maó and Es Castell · No car in the morning; 10 km in the afternoon

    Round the harbour in a glass-bottomed catamaran, Illa del Rei and dinner in Cales Fonts.

    10:00–12:00Morning

    1Maó: town centre and harbour

    Round Maó's natural harbour in a glass-bottomed catamaran: the harbour islands, the fortifications at the mouth and the seabed under your feet. It takes about an hour.

    12:15–13:45Midday

    2Mercat des Claustre and Mercat des Peix (Maó)

    Go up to the Claustre market in the Costa de ses Voltes lift and have a bite at the bars of the Mercat des Peix.

    14:15–18:15Afternoon

    3Illa del Rei

    The island of the former naval hospital: the Hauser & Wirth gallery, the Piet Oudolf garden and the sculpture trail by the water.

    19:30–22:30Evening

    4Cales Fonts (Es Castell)

    Sunset and dinner in the little harbour of Es Castell, with the boats moored in front of your table.

    excursiaMenorca by boat · 4

  • 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

    excursiaMenorca by boat · 5

  • And in the full itinerary

    • 3 more days with their full plan
    • 11 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 33% of the stops. How to get there, where to eat, the tips and the rest of the trip come when you buy.

Day 1Maó harbour and Illa del Rei

  1. Morning

    10:00–12:00

    Maó

  2. Midday

    12:15–13:45

    Maó

  3. Afternoon

    14:15–18:15

    Maó

  4. Evening

    19:30–22:30

    Es Castell

3 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 2North: Es Mercadal4 stops
  • Day 3South: Ferreries4 stops
  • Day 4West: Ciutadella3 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. Mercat des Claustre and Mercat des Peix (Maó)23. Illa del Rei34. Cales Fonts (Es Castell)4

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.

  • Food and local markets

    Maó’s market, in the cloister of the former Carme convent, with stalls of local produce; next door, the fish market with tapas counters.

  • History and culture

    An island in Maó harbour with an old British military hospital turned into a museum, an early Christian basilica and the Hauser & Wirth art centre.

  • 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.

  • Charming places

    Place included when you buy

    Day 2 · North: Es Mercadal

  • Charming places

    Place included when you buy

    Day 2 · North: Es Mercadal

  • Beaches and coves

    Place included when you buy

    Day 3 · South: Ferreries

  • Beaches and coves

    Place included when you buy

    Day 3 · South: Ferreries

  • Nightlife and leisure

    Place included when you buy

    Day 3 · South: Ferreries

  • History and culture

    Place included when you buy

    Day 4 · West: Ciutadella

  • Charming places

    Place included when you buy

    Day 4 · West: Ciutadella

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
  • Which boat trip to take from each harbour, how long it lasts and where to board

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

The Carme church in Maó, beside the cloister where the market is

Food and local markets · Maó

Mercat des Claustre and Mercat des Peix (Maó)

Maó’s market, in the cloister of the former Carme convent, with stalls of local produce; next door, the fish market with tapas counters.

What to taste

Mahón-Menorca cheese, sobrasada and carn i xua, ensaïmadas, and at the fish market, tapas of the day’s catch at the counters.

The cloister has a wonderful view over the harbour.

Practical information

Municipality
Maó
Location
Plaça del Carme, Maó
Best time
Morning
Time needed
45 minutes – 1 hour.
Admission
Free.
Opening hours
Mercat des Claustre: Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 21:00 and Sundays 8:00 to 14:00. Mercat des Peix: Tuesday to Saturday 7:00 to 14:00.
Facilities
Local produce stalls, tapas bars and a supermarket on the ground floor.
Accessibility
The glass lift at Costa de ses Voltes goes up from the harbour to the plaça del Carme.
What to bring
A bag for your shopping.
By car
Public car park under plaça del Carme, in Maó town centre.
Parking
Public car park under plaça del Carme
By bus
Maó bus station and a 10-minute walk. Bus timetables: Island bus lines

See the details

Illa del Rei in Maó harbour with the old hospital

History and culture · Maó

Illa del Rei

An island in Maó harbour with an old British military hospital turned into a museum, an early Christian basilica and the Hauser & Wirth art centre.

What to see

The hospital, built by the British in the 18th century, has been restored for years by a volunteer foundation, which shows its wards and its collection of naval and medical history.

On the same island is the Hauser & Wirth contemporary art gallery, with a garden by landscape designer Piet Oudolf.

Practical information

Municipality
Maó
Location
Maó harbour; reached by boat
Best time
Morning
Time needed
Half a day, including the boat.
Admission
The return boat costs about €10 (under-18s €5). The Hauser & Wirth gallery and the garden are free.
Opening hours
From mid-June to mid-September, daily boats from Maó harbour. Museum and canteen Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 to 16:15; guided visit of the hospital at 11:00. In winter (November to March), only on Sunday mornings, by boat from the Hospital de Cala Fontanillas jetty (Es Castell).
Facilities
Canteen and restaurant on the island; toilets.
Accessibility
There is a step to board the boat; on the island, flat paths.
What to bring
A cap and water for the garden and the sculpture trail.
By car
Park at Maó harbour; the island can only be reached by boat.
By bus
Bus to Maó station and a 10-minute walk to the boats in the harbour. Bus timetables: Island bus lines

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

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