Menorca - Minorca
All You Need To Know

Minorca
"Peace and quiet are easy to find on picturesque Minorca. Great for families and friends, its beautiful beaches draw people back year after year."

Minorca is a place as relaxed as its people. The quietest and calmest of the Balearics, Minorca’s rolling green countryside and picturesque resorts remain unphased and unspoilt by its popularity. Surrounded by warm clear seas and fringed with golden sand, Minorca is a little slice of Spanish heaven.

From red sandstone and rugged cliffs, to deep valleys, olive groves and orchards, Minorca has a rich and varied landscape, littered with intriguing prehistoric remains as well as idyllic fishing villages and pretty resorts. View the whole island in one go by heading up its highest peak, Mont Toro. To the east is the island’s capital, Mahon (or Mao), home to one of the best harbours in the Mediterranean. Georgian town houses sit alongside Spanish apartments, thanks to the one time British rule. To the west, the old capital of Ciudadela sits above its harbour, with the streets of its well preserved old town hiding impressive palaces. Throughout Minorca, classically pretty fishing villages, such as Fornells, sit beside busier resorts such as Cala ‘n Forcat and Cala ‘n Bosch, but thanks to Minorca’s restrained attitude to its success as a holiday destination, it has managed to maintain the perfect balance between local life and tourist trade, leaving smiles on everyone’s faces.

Beaches
The boomerang shaped coast of Minorca boasts around 120 beaches of softly shelving sand caressed by warm waves and sunshine. Seek out secluded sandy shores and lie back on outstanding beaches tucked away in coves. Ciudadela has some beautiful bays within reach, including the Cala en Turqueta, arguably Minorca’s best beach. Son Bou is the longest stretch of sand, and Cala Galdana is also popular, with its arching golden shore. Wherever you find to sunbathe, you’re assured of gold sands, and with watersports such as scuba diving and snorkelling on offer, there’s a variety of ways to get wet.

Shopping
Aside from boutiques and souvenir shops, Minorca’s real prizes are its markets. Mahon has a fresh food market in a converted cloister and an early morning fish market, while Ciudadela’s marketplace has an Art Nouveau design. Look out for leather, suede, sweets and biscuits. For cheeses, try Alaior’s market and shops.

Nightlife
The laid back atmosphere of Minorca continues on as dusk turns to night. Meals are long and leisurely, wine and coffee are lingered over. The majority of the resorts keep the nightlife relaxed and low key, a refreshing change from other Spanish destinations. Having said that, Mahon’s harbour hosts lively bars and a few nightclubs, and resorts such as Cala’n Porter have plenty of bars. For a unique night out, go to the Cova de’n Xuray, a natural cave that is transformed into an incredible club at night.

Sightseeing
Explore some of the 1600 prehistoric sights scattered across Minorca’s landscape, particularly Trepuco. Talayots, large mounds of rocks resembling lookouts and navetas, ancient tomb like boxes made of stone still puzzle experts as to their purpose. Even more mysterious are the megalithic taulas, huge stone T’s, unique to Minorca.
Take a trip to Xoriguer distillery, where the famous Minorcan gin is produced – samples should be available! For an encompassing view of the island, head up the 357 metres of Monte Toro to the highest point. On a clear day, you can see the island from end to end. Set in a pretty bay, Cales Caves are Neolithic dwellings carved out of the rock face, more recently inhabited by people looking for an alternative lifestyle. Wherever you go, keep an eye out for the island’s varied architecture – Baroque and Gothic churches in Ciudadela and Aliaor, Georgian town houses in Mahon!