Ciutadella, the old capital.

A town that was the capital

Ciutadella sits at the western end of Menorca, on a small rocky peninsula above a long inlet. It was the island's capital until the eighteenth century, when the administration moved east to Maó, and it has kept the manner of a capital since: a tight old town of stone, churches and tall houses, a working port below, and a flat hinterland of fields divided by dry stone walls. Outside summer the streets are quiet. The population is modest, and the town fills and empties with the season.

The centre is compact. Most of the old town lies within a few minutes of the port, and the sea shows at the end of many streets. That makes Ciutadella easy to use: you can walk out in the evening, eat near the water and be on the coast road early the next morning. It is a working town rather than a resort, which shapes the shops, the market and the daily timetable. In winter it feels like an ordinary Mediterranean town, with school runs and closed shutters on the same lanes.

Cathedral, palaces, a narrow port

The old town is small enough to cross in an afternoon and detailed enough to hold a second walk. The cathedral of Santa Maria stands on the highest ground, a Gothic building raised on the site of a mosque, and the lanes around it keep a medieval shape: narrow, shaded, turning without warning. Below, the main square is lined with the stone frontages of former noble houses, several with interior courtyards you can glimpse through open doors. Many carry coats of arms over the entrance.

The port is the reason many people come back. It is a narrow inlet cut into the rock, with the town on the higher ground above and a footpath along one side; boats lie in the shelter at the far end. In the evening the light goes down the channel and the west side of town turns gold. Walk the length of it, then climb back through the old streets for dinner. The quay is where the town takes its evening walk.

Evening in Ciutadella means a slow walk down to the port and a sky that turns the stone orange.

Coves on the south coast

South of Ciutadella the coast changes character. The Migjorn side of Menorca is limestone, and the water has cut white sand coves under pines: small, sheltered, and busy in July and August. Cala Turqueta and Cala Macarella are the best known, reached by road and then a short walk through the woods. Parking at the end of the access roads is limited, and vehicle access is restricted at times in high summer. Go early, or go out of season, and the same coves are almost empty.

Further east along the same coast, Cala Galdana is a larger bay with a beach that suits families, and Son Bou has one of the longest beaches on the island. The Camí de Cavalls runs along this whole coast, so the coves can be linked on foot rather than by car, which avoids the parking problem entirely. Boat trips from the port run in season and give a different view of the cliffs. Sections of path close from time to time for repair or fire risk, so check before setting out.

• Cala TurquetaWhite sand, pines and clear shallow water, reached by a short walk from the road.
• Cala MacarellaA deep, sheltered inlet of pale sand, linked to Turqueta by the coast path.
• Cala GaldanaA wide bay with a long beach and easy access, popular with families in summer.
• Camí de CavallsThe historic bridleway passes above these coves and runs about 185 km around Menorca in 20 stages.

Who it suits

Ciutadella suits travellers who want a town rather than a resort: a place with a market, a cathedral, a winter population and somewhere to eat on a Tuesday in March. It works for couples and for walkers, for anyone using the Camí de Cavalls in stages, and for families who are happy to drive or take the bus to the beach and come back to a proper town in the evening. It also suits people who dislike depending on a seasonal timetable.

It is less suited to anyone who wants to step out of a room onto sand. The beaches are a drive away, and in August the access roads to the best of them fill early. Nor is it a late-night resort: evenings here are about a walk, a meal and a drink, not about clubs. If the holiday is built around a pool and a beach bar, the south coast resorts further east do that better.

Evenings and food

Menorcan cooking is plain and good: fish from the market, rice dishes, vegetables from the interior, and the cheese that carries the island's protected name. The lobster stew known as caldereta is the dish most associated with Menorca, slow-cooked and usually shared, and it appears on menus in Ciutadella as well as on the north coast where it is most famous. Gin is the other local habit. It arrived with British rule in the eighteenth century, and it is still drunk with lemonade as a pomada, especially in festival week.

Evenings start late. The old streets fill after the heat of the day, and the walk down to the port and back is the main event; there is no need to plan it. Restaurants in the centre and along the quay serve from early evening until late, and the busiest weeks need booking. In June the Sant Joan festival takes over the town, with riders, horses and long nights. Outside high season, tables are easy to find and some kitchens close earlier.

• Fish and seafoodThe market supplies the kitchens; grilled fish and rice dishes are the reliable order.
• CalderetaMenorca's lobster stew, slow-cooked and usually shared, on menus across the town.
• CheeseMahón-Menorca cheese has a protected designation of origin and appears on most menus.
• GinA habit left by British rule, served with lemonade as a pomada, especially in festival week.

Getting there from the airport

Menorca Airport (MAH) sits about 4 or 5 km south-west of Maó, and Ciutadella is roughly 35.7 km away in a straight line to the west. The road distance is longer, because the main road runs across the island rather than along the coast. By car the drive is straightforward: one main route, light traffic for most of the year, and heavy going only in the busiest summer weeks. Allow more time than the map suggests, and more again at the weekend in August.

By bus, the route runs from Maó, where the airport bus arrives; from the airport you take the short ride into Maó and change. Services are frequent enough for a day trip but slower with luggage, and the last connections in the evening are worth checking. Car hire at the airport is the usual choice for a stay in Ciutadella, since the coves and the interior are hard to reach without one. Taxis wait at the terminal; the fare changes, so ask before you get in.

Getting around

Ciutadella is a walking town. The old centre, the cathedral square and the port are all within a short stroll of each other, though some streets are stepped and the climb back up from the water is real. Leave the car outside the centre, where parking is easier, and walk in. Bicycles work well for the flat lanes inland and for the start of the coast path. Motor scooters are common, and the one-way system in the old town takes a little learning.

For the coves and the rest of the island, a car is the practical answer, with buses as a slower alternative for Maó and a few coastal places. The Camí de Cavalls gives walkers a route along the whole coast in stages, and local paths link the town to the nearest stretches of it. Buses run to Maó through the day, with fewer services at weekends; confirm times with the island operator. Ask locally about charging points if you drive an electric car.

• On footThe old town and the port are best covered on foot; some streets are narrow and stepped.
• By carThe simplest way to reach the coves and the interior; park outside the centre and walk in.
• By busServices run to Maó and a few coastal places; frequency drops sharply outside summer.
• By bikeThe lanes inland are flat and quiet; the coast path is rough in places and needs care.

Seasons and visiting lightly

Late spring and early autumn are the best months. In May and June the water is warming, the paths are dry and the coves are quiet on weekdays; in September and October the sea holds its heat after the crowds go. July and August are hot and full, and the Sant Joan festival around 23 and 24 June fills the town for a few days, so book well ahead if those dates matter. Sea temperatures run from about 14-15 °C in late winter to the mid twenties in August.

Ciutadella stays open all year: the cathedral, the market, the schools, the everyday restaurants. What closes is everything seasonal. Many hotels, beach bars, boat trips and seasonal buses stop roughly from November to April, and some places in the old town shut for weeks in the depths of winter. Flights and ferries are fewer, so the island feels much larger and emptier. A winter visit is possible and rewarding, with the town to yourself, but check that the place you plan to eat is open.

Menorca is a Biosphere Reserve, and the south coast coves sit within it. The meadows of posidonia that lie offshore are what keep the water clear; anchoring over them is regulated, mooring buoys are installed in some bays in summer, and the rules are enforced. On land, stay on the marked paths, carry water, and leave the sand, stones and shells where they are. Shower before swimming if you have used sunscreen, and refill bottles rather than buying water in plastic.