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Cala Pregonda with its isletsFavàritx lighthouseFornellsCavalleria lighthouse
  • Beaches and coves
  • 4 days

The wild north of Menorca

Menorca's north coast is another island: dark rock, reddish sand, few resorts and the tramontana wind. Four days from east to west, unhurried: the lagoon and Favàritx lighthouse, Fornells bay and Monte Toro, the red coves of Pregonda and Cavalleria, and the north of Ciutadella, with Cala Morell and Punta Nati.

See what you’ll get

Overview

Length
4 days
Spend in Menorca
€€ · €40–80 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
ModerateWalks of up to 40 minutes to the coves and quite a lot of driving
Pace
Balanced
Best time
May to October for swimming. With a tramontana (north wind) the sea gets rough: swap that day for the south. From mid-May to September you go up to Favàritx by bus and, in July and August at sunset, to Punta Nati by shuttle bus.

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

    The wild north of Menorca

    Lighthouses on slate, red-sand coves, Fornells and the lagoon: four days along the island's most authentic coast.

    4 daysModerate

  • Your trip at a glance

    Lighthouses on slate, red-sand coves, Fornells and the lagoon: four days along the island's most authentic coast.

    The days

    1. Day1The lagoon and Favàritx lighthouseS’Albufera des Grau Nature Park · Es Grau · Favàritx lighthouse · Fornells
    2. Day2
    3. Day3
    4. Day4

    excursiaThe wild north 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. S’Albufera des Grau Nature Park12. Es Grau23. Favàritx lighthouse34. Fornells4
    1. 1S’Albufera des Grau Nature Park
    2. 2Es Grau
    3. 3Favàritx lighthouse
    4. 4Fornells
    5. Day 2
    6. Day 3
    7. Day 3
    8. Day 4
    9. Day 4
    10. Day 4
    11. Day 4

    excursiaThe wild north of Menorca · 3

  • Day 1

    The lagoon and Favàritx lighthouse

    North-east: s'Albufera des Grau Nature Park · About 60 km and 1 h 20 min by car

    The s'Albufera des Grau lagoon, Es Grau, the slate cape of Favàritx and the coves of Presili and Tortuga.

    09:00–11:00Morning

    1S’Albufera des Grau Nature Park

    A walk along the Sa Gola trail, through pine wood, dunes and the lagoon of the nature park.

    11:15–15:00Midday

    2Es Grau

    A swim on the calm beach and lunch in the fishing village.

    15:45–19:00Afternoon

    3Favàritx lighthouse

    The black-slate cape and, along the Camí de Cavalls, the coves of Presili and Tortuga, white sand and nearly always quiet.

    20:30–22:30Evening

    4Fornells

    Back to base and dinner in the harbour.

    excursiaThe wild north of Menorca · 4

  • Nature and hiking · Maó

    1S’Albufera des Grau Nature Park

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

    Location
    Rodríguez Femenias visitor centre, Maó–Es Grau road, km 3.5
    Best time
    Morning
    Admission
    Time needed

    excursiaThe wild north of Menorca · 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 31% of the stops. How to get there, where to eat, the tips and the rest of the trip come when you buy.

Day 1The lagoon and Favàritx lighthouse

  1. Morning

    09:00–11:00

    Maó

  2. Midday

    11:15–15:00

    Maó

  3. Afternoon

    15:45–19:00

    Maó

  4. Evening

    20:30–22:30

    Es Mercadal

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 2Middle and north: Es Mercadal4 stops
  • Day 3North: Es Mercadal4 stops
  • Day 4North-west: Ciutadella4 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. S’Albufera des Grau Nature Park12. Es Grau23. Favàritx lighthouse34. Fornells4

Places you’ll visit

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

  • Nature and hiking

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

  • 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 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.

  • Charming places

    A fishing village in the north, at the end of a large, calm bay. It’s famous for its lobster stew and its 18th-century defence tower.

  • Charming places

    Place included when you buy

    Day 2 · Middle and north: Es Mercadal

  • Beaches and coves

    Place included when you buy

    Day 3 · North: Es Mercadal

  • Charming places

    Place included when you buy

    Day 3 · North: Es Mercadal

  • History and culture

    Place included when you buy

    Day 4 · North-west: Ciutadella

  • History and culture

    Place included when you buy

    Day 4 · North-west: Ciutadella

  • Nightlife and leisure

    Place included when you buy

    Day 4 · North-west: Ciutadella

  • Charming places

    Place included when you buy

    Day 4 · North-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
  • What to do if the tramontana blows: the southern plan for that day

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

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

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

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

Fornells harbour with boats and palm trees in front of the white houses

Charming places · Es Mercadal

Fornells

A fishing village in the north, at the end of a large, calm bay. It’s famous for its lobster stew and its 18th-century defence tower.

What to see

The harbour promenade, with fishing boats and terraces, leads to the Fornells tower, a British defence tower from the late 18th century overlooking the mouth of the bay.

The bay, shallow and sheltered, is one of the island’s best places to try kayaking or paddleboarding.

The caldereta

Lobster stew (caldereta) is the village’s best-known dish. It’s expensive and worth booking, especially in summer. Several restaurants close in the winter months.

Practical information

Municipality
Es Mercadal
Location
Fornells bay, 9 km from Es Mercadal
Best time
Midday (for lunch) or afternoon
Time needed
2–3 hours with lunch.
Admission
Free.
Facilities
Restaurants, bars, shops, a chemist and kayak and paddleboard hire on the bay.
Accessibility
The harbour promenade is flat. The path up to the tower has steps.
What to bring
A lunch booking, especially for lobster stew in July and August, and swimwear if you are going to paddle.
By car
From Es Mercadal, 12 min (9 km) along the Me-15; from Maó, 35 min. Free parking at the entrance to the village.
Parking
Free car park at the entrance to the village
By bus
Line Es Mercadal–Fornells–Son Parc–Arenal d'en Castell–Maó, and the Fornells–Es Mercadal line, which connects with the Maó–Ciutadella bus. Bus timetables: Beach buses

See the details

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