See itineraries
  • Food and local markets
  • 2 days

Flavours of Menorca

You also understand Menorca by eating. Day one takes in the markets of Maó, the Mahón gin distillery and dinner in Cales Fonts. Day two, a cheese dairy with Protected Designation of Origin in Ferreries, lobster stew in Fornells and sunset from Monte Toro, the highest point of the island.

Overview

Length
2 days
Activity level
Easy short visits, strolls through the villages and long meals
Type of experience
Food and local markets, Charming places

Itinerary

Day 1Maó: markets, gin and harbour
  1. Morning

    09:30–11:00

    Maó

  2. Morning

    11:30–12:45

    Maó

  3. Midday

    13:00–15:30

    Maó

  4. Afternoon

    16:30–18:30

    Maó

  5. Evening

    20:00–22:30

    Es Castell

Day 2 is in the full itinerary

You get them when you buy, with every place card.

What you get when you buy

  1. Add it to your cart and pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or other available methods. No account needed.
  2. You instantly receive an email with the link to your online itinerary: open it on your phone during the trip and mark each place as visited or not.
  3. The same email includes the PDF with every detail: times, how to get there by car or bus, where to eat, a rainy-day plan and a card for each place. It works offline.

A look inside the PDF

  • Cover
  • Each day, with times
  • A card for each place
  • Phone numbers and tips
Real pages from the “Lighthouses and villages of Menorca” itinerary. Yours has the same layout, with the days and places of your route.

As digital content delivered instantly, it cannot be withdrawn from once delivered.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

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
  • 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 taste at each stop: cheese, gin, pomada, lobster stew and cured sausages

Places you’ll visit

Tap a place to see its card without leaving the itinerary.

  • 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.

  • Food and local markets

    The Mahón gin distillery, facing the harbour: you see the stills, and in its shop you can taste the gin and pomada.

  • 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

    The reference museum for Menorca’s prehistory and history, in the former convent of Sant Francesc in Maó. Ideal for understanding the island before exploring it, and for a rainy day too.

  • 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.

  • Food and local markets

    A cheese dairy, winery and garden on a farm in Ferreries where Mahón-Menorca cheese with Designation of Origin is made. Guided visits with a tasting.

  • 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

    Menorca’s highest point (358 m), in the centre of the island. At the top are the sanctuary of the Virgin of El Toro and a viewpoint from which you can see almost all of Menorca.

Related guides

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
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.
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 (opens in a new tab)

See the details

A bottle of Xoriguer gin from Mahón with lemons

Food and local markets · Maó

Xoriguer distillery

The Mahón gin distillery, facing the harbour: you see the stills, and in its shop you can taste the gin and pomada.

Mahón gin

Mahón gin has Protected Geographical Indication and is a legacy of the British presence in the 18th century. It’s distilled in wood-fired copper stills.

Pomada, gin with lemonade, is the drink of Menorca’s festivals.

Practical information

Municipality
Maó
Location
Moll de Ponent 93, Maó
Best time
Morning or early afternoon
Opening hours
The shop keeps shop hours and offers guided visits and tastings booked on its website. Check the season’s hours before you go.
By car
Public car parks at Maó harbour (Moll de Ponent).
Parking
Public car parks at Maó harbour
By bus
Maó station and a 15-minute walk down to the harbour via the Costa de ses Voltes steps. Bus timetables: Island bus lines (opens in a new tab)

See the details

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
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 (opens in a new tab)

See the details

Cloister gallery of the Museu de Menorca with display cases and amphorae

History and culture · Maó

Museu de Menorca

The reference museum for Menorca’s prehistory and history, in the former convent of Sant Francesc in Maó. Ideal for understanding the island before exploring it, and for a rainy day too.

About the museum

The Museu de Menorca is a public institution devoted to researching and sharing the island’s prehistory and history, with special attention to the Talayotic culture, World Heritage since 2023.

Its forerunner was Mahón’s Municipal Museum, opened on 4 November 1889 in the old Principal de Guardia building.

Tips

Allow an hour and a half to two hours. The ticket office closes half an hour before the museum.

Practical information

Municipality
Maó
Location
Plaça des Monestir, in Maó town centre
Best time
Morning
Opening hours
Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 to 19:00; Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 10:00 to 14:00. Closed on Mondays. General admission €4; free on Sundays.
By car
Public car parks in Maó town centre (plaça del Carme, harbour). Blue-zone street parking is paid.
Parking
Public car parks in Maó town centre (blue-zone street parking is paid)
By bus
Every line arrives at Maó bus station, a 10-minute walk away. Within Maó, the town bus. Bus timetables: Island bus lines (opens in a new tab)

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
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 (opens in a new tab)

See the details

A wedge of Mahón-Menorca cheese with its orange rind

Food and local markets · Ferreries

Hort de Sant Patrici (Mahón-Menorca cheese)

A cheese dairy, winery and garden on a farm in Ferreries where Mahón-Menorca cheese with Designation of Origin is made. Guided visits with a tasting.

Menorca’s cheese

They make two cow’s-milk cheeses with the Mahón-Menorca Protected Designation of Origin: one in several ages and an artisan raw-milk cheese, shaped in cotton cloths.

The visit goes through the dairy and the ageing cellars and ends with a tasting.

Practical information

Municipality
Ferreries
Location
Camí de Ruma – Sant Patrici, Ferreries
Best time
Morning
Opening hours
Guided visits by prior booking, Tuesday to Saturday at 11:30. The shop opens during the visits.
By car
From Maó, 35 min (30 km) along the Me-1 to Ferreries and the Ruma lane. Parking at the farm.
Parking
Parking at the farm
By bus
The Maó–Ciutadella bus stops in Ferreries; from there, about a 15-minute walk. Bus timetables: Island bus lines (opens in a new tab)

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
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 (opens in a new tab)

See the details

View from Monte Toro over the fields of central Menorca and the village of Es Mercadal

Charming places · Es Mercadal

Monte Toro

Menorca’s highest point (358 m), in the centre of the island. At the top are the sanctuary of the Virgin of El Toro and a viewpoint from which you can see almost all of Menorca.

The roof of Menorca

The Franciscan sanctuary was built from 1670 on the site of an old Gothic church. From the terrace you can see Fornells bay, the north coast and, on clear days, Mallorca.

The road up is narrow and winding: take it slowly.

Practical information

Municipality
Es Mercadal
Location
3 km from Es Mercadal along the Me-13 road
Best time
First thing in the morning or sunset, with a clear sky
Opening hours
The drive up and the sanctuary are free. The Sa Posada del Toro bar-restaurant opens daily from 1 May to 31 October and only at weekends from November to March.
By car
From Es Mercadal, 10 min (3 km) along the Me-13, narrow and winding. Free parking at the top.
Parking
Free car park at the top
By bus
The Maó–Ciutadella bus stops in Es Mercadal. From there, a taxi or a 1-hour uphill walk. Bus timetables: Island bus lines (opens in a new tab)

See the details

Necessary

Cart, currency and remembering this choice. Always on.

Always