A harbour town with Georgian windows.

A harbour five kilometres long

Maó sits at the end of a deep inlet on the east coast of Menorca, a harbour about five kilometres long and one of the largest natural harbours in the Mediterranean. The water is sheltered, the entrance narrow, and the town has grown along one shore rather than around a single square. That shape explains much about the place: the long climb of the streets, the ferries that come and go, and the way the town feels strung out rather than gathered.

The inlet runs a long way inland, which is why it is so sheltered and why the British found it worth holding. Ships can come far in and still be protected from weather. From the water, the town shows a low line of pale buildings, the sheds of the port, and higher up the roofs and towers of the old centre. From the town, the water is always in view, which is much of the pleasure of the place.

Streets that climb from the port

The old centre sits on the slope above the port, reached by stairs and stepped streets rather than by one grand approach. It is a working town first: offices, schools, the market, the everyday traffic of people who live there all year. That is one reason Maó feels unlike the resorts. The visitor's route is short: up from the harbour, through the squares and narrow lanes, past churches and shuttered houses, then down again by another street.

Several of the churches are worth a look for the shade and quiet as much as for anything else, and the squares fill in the evening. The architecture is plain and sturdy, pale stone with dark shutters, and the scale is human. Nothing is very far from anything else. Allow a morning for the centre at an unhurried pace, and leave the afternoon for the harbour and the water.

Under British rule

Menorca was under British rule for most of the 18th century, and Maó was the base of it. The navy used the harbour, and the town took on habits and details that stayed after the flag changed. The most visible are the windows: tall sashes, set in pairs or in rows, which look out of place in a Mediterranean town and are one of the small pleasures of walking the centre.

Georgian details show up in unexpected places: a fanlight over a door, a balanced facade, a terrace looking over the water. They are not museum pieces. People live behind those windows, and the town has adapted them with shutters, awnings and the Menorcan sun. Walking the streets above the port with an eye on the first floor is a good way to spend an hour, and it needs no plan at all.

The other British legacy is gin. Menorca makes it, Maó drinks it, and the connection goes back to the naval years, when British officers wanted their spirit and the island learned to supply it. It is now a local product with a following well beyond the island, and it appears on menus across Menorca, not only in the town. The habit survives: a glass before lunch is normal here.

Look at the first floor above the port and the 18th century is still there.

The defences at the harbour mouth

Any harbour this good had to be defended, and the entrance was fortified for centuries. The fortress at La Mola stands at the mouth, a large walled complex of ditches, bastions and barracks built to close the approach. Nearby, the town of Es Castell grew up around barracks and military buildings, laid out in a grid that still reads as a garrison plan rather than a fishing village.

The scale is the thing. Walking the outer walls at La Mola, with the sea on one side and the harbour on the other, gives a clear sense of how much effort went into holding this water. Es Castell is quieter, a place of straight streets and modest houses, with the harbour in view. Both are a short trip from Maó, by bus or by car. The military sites themselves keep their own hours, which change with the season.

The working port

Maó is still a port in the ordinary sense. Ferries to Barcelona and Palma use the harbour, cargo comes in, and the waterfront has the practical look of a place that works for a living rather than posing for photographs. That is part of its character. The crossing to Barcelona is an overnight one of several hours; timetables change with the season, so check with the operators before planning around a sailing.

For visitors, the harbour is best seen from the water. Boat trips run from the port in season, and the view back at the town from the middle of the inlet is the one to remember: the terraces, the churches, the fortress walls, and the long slope behind. Out of season the trips thin out or stop altogether, so a walk along the shore is the reliable alternative.

• FerriesMaó links to Barcelona and Palma; check the operators for current timetables.
• Boat tripsSeasonal sailings show the harbour from the water; most stop in winter.
• The airportMenorca Airport lies about four to five kilometres south-west of Maó, with buses into town.
• On footThe shore path is flat, though distances along the inlet add up.

Market, cheese and everyday Maó

Maó is where the island's business is done, and the food reflects it. Mahón-Menorca cheese has a protected designation of origin, and it appears on menus from the port to the villages, eaten young and soft or aged and rubbed with oil. The market shows what comes in from the island's farms, and the surrounding streets have the ordinary shops that a town with residents needs all year.

Eating here is not a special occasion. Long lunches, fish from the harbour, vegetables from the interior and a glass of something local are the pattern. Because the town stays open in winter, Maó is one of the few places on the island where a good meal in February needs no planning. Booking is sensible in summer and rarely necessary out of season, and some kitchens still close one day a week.

• CheeseMahón-Menorca cheese has a protected designation of origin and is sold across the island.
• The marketThe town market is the straightforward place to see the island's produce.
• WinterThe town stays open from November to April, unlike much of the coast.
• BookingTables are easy to find out of season; in summer, plan ahead.

Walking the water's edge

A path follows much of the harbour shore, past the ferry terminals, the boatyards and the places where people swim off the rocks. It is flat, easy and used by those who live there, which is usually a good sign. Walking from the centre towards Es Castell takes a while but rewards with a changing view back at the town. Early morning is best: the water is still, the light is low, and the port is at work.

Menorca has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1993, and the harbour sits inside that protected island. Water quality is part of why the place looks as it does. Fuel, litter and careless anchoring all matter here as they do elsewhere on the coast. The harbour carries a lot of traffic, so swimming is best away from the fairway and from moving boats. Most of it is common sense, and the rest is signposted.

• Best timeEarly morning, before the ferries and the traffic build along the shore.
• WaterKeep clear of the fairway and of moving boats when swimming.
• Getting backThere are buses back to Maó, so a one-way walk is easy to arrange.

Out of season

Much of Menorca closes roughly from November to April. Maó does not. The ferries keep running on reduced timetables, the market opens, the schools are in session, and the town carries on with a life that has little to do with summer. Flights are fewer. For a visitor that means a quieter island, with the coast to yourself and a fair number of places shut for the season.

Winter is when the town is most itself: wet days, wind from the north, and long lunches that last because there is no reason to hurry. The sea is cold, around 14-15 °C in February and March, so swimming is for the hardy. Bring a coat. The reward is a working Mediterranean town without the summer scaffolding, and a harbour that is easier to read.