From the airport to your bed.

Landing at Menorca Airport.

Menorca Airport (MAH) sits about 4 to 5 km south-west of Maó, close enough to the capital that the first decision of the trip is a small one. Flights from mainland Spain, Britain and much of northern Europe land here through the day, and the arrivals hall is a calm place to sort yourself out. Collect the bags, fill a water bottle and step outside: buses, taxis and hire cars are all arranged from the forecourt in front of you.

Menorca has a single airport, so the shape of the island decides the rest. It is about 50 km long, with Maó in the east and Ciutadella in the west, so a bed near the capital or on the south-east coast is a shorter run than one in the far west. Nothing on the island is remote, but the drive matters at the end of a flight day, especially with luggage and children.

The bus into Maó.

The airport bus is the simplest way into Maó. Services run between the airport and the capital, timed around arriving flights, and the run is short enough that a taxi is not worth queuing for unless you have heavy bags. From Maó there are connections onward to other towns, including Ciutadella. The bus station in Maó is where the lines meet. Timetables are drawn up for the season, so check the island bus operator before flying rather than assuming last year's times hold.

Reaching the resorts by bus usually means a change in Maó, and some seasonal services to the coast run only in the summer months. If the bed you have booked is in Binibeca Vell, Cala en Porter, Son Bou or Arenal d'en Castell, look at the summer network first and have a second plan. In winter the network thins out and some coastal lines stop altogether, which turns a cheap arrival into a complicated one.

Taxis and booked transfers.

Taxis wait outside arrivals, and the rank is the fallback when a flight lands late or the bus has gone. The fare depends on the destination and on the time of day, and rates change, so ask before getting in rather than after. Drivers know the island, which helps if the address of your accommodation is vague or the access road is unmarked, as happens with rural houses. Keep the address written down.

A booked transfer works differently: you are met in the arrivals hall, usually with a board, and driven straight to the door. That suits families, groups with luggage and anyone arriving on the last flight. Confirm in advance what happens if the flight is delayed, who to call, and whether the driver waits inside or in the car park. Ask about child seats if you need them. It is the calmest option on a late arrival, and the one worth booking ahead in high season.

Hiring a car at arrivals.

Hire desks sit at the airport, and a car is the only realistic way to reach the smaller calas and the trailheads of the Camí de Cavalls at the hour you choose. Book ahead for July and August, when the popular categories go first, and check the fuel policy and the excess before signing. Cars booked for the airport can usually be returned there at the end of the trip. Compare what is included rather than the headline figure alone.

Driving on Menorca is easy going. One main road runs across the island between Maó and Ciutadella, and the lanes are quiet outside the busiest weeks of summer. Parking in the centre of Maó and inside the walls of Ciutadella fills quickly in high season, so use the edge of town and walk in. Fuel stations are spread out; fill up before heading for Favàritx or the far north. Road signs use the Catalan names, which is worth knowing when you set a destination.

Which coast suits your arrival.

The north coast, the Tramuntana, has darker and older rock, reddish sand and more wind, with Fornells and Arenal d'en Castell as the main bases. The south, the Migjorn, is limestone country: white sand coves under pine, longer beaches at Son Bou, and a line of small resorts. The two coasts look different because the rock is different, and that is the quickest way to choose between them. Water temperature is a separate matter: about 14 to 15 °C in February and March, and 25 to 26 °C in August.

Distance from the airport leans towards the south-east. Sant Lluís, Binibeca Vell and Cala en Porter are the shortest runs, Son Bou and Cala Galdana a little further, and the north coast and Fornells longer again. If you are sleeping in the west, around Ciutadella, budget for the full crossing of the island. A booked transfer costs more the further you go, and a hire car makes the distance irrelevant. Ask for the journey time when comparing quotes.

• North coastTramuntana beaches have darker, older rock, reddish sand and more wind, with Fornells and Arenal d'en Castell as the main bases.
• South coastMigjorn is limestone country, with white sand coves under pine and longer beaches at Son Bou.
• CapitalMaó puts you beside a five-kilometre harbour and within a short ride of the airport.
• WestCiutadella and the far west suit anyone who wants the old town and does not mind a longer transfer.

Why Maó works as a base.

Maó is the practical base for a first night. The airport is minutes away, the buses start and finish here, and the harbour gives the town its shape and its history. It is about 5 km long, one of the largest natural harbours in the Mediterranean, and the British period in the 18th century left Georgian windows, the barracks town of Es Castell at the head of the inlet, and a taste for gin.

Staying in the capital also means the ferries are on your doorstep: Maó links to Palma and to Barcelona on overnight crossings of several hours, and the port is a working one rather than a strip of bars. Eat in the town, walk the harbour, take a boat trip from the port. In the evening the old centre is quiet enough to hear the water, which is not the case everywhere on the island in August.

Maó harbour is about five kilometres long, one of the largest natural harbours in the Mediterranean.

Ciutadella and the west.

Ciutadella was the capital until the 18th century and still carries the weight of the old town: narrow streets, stone palaces and a port at the end of a long inlet. It is also the reason many people choose the west. The Sant Joan festival around 23 and 24 June fills the town with horses and riders, so book beds and transfers well ahead for those dates. Expect full accommodation and higher rates that week.

From the airport, the west is the long transfer. Buses run to Ciutadella with a change in Maó, and the journey is comfortable but slow with bags. A booked transfer or a hire car is the better answer if you land in the evening or travel with children. Ciutadella also has a ferry to Alcúdia on Mallorca, which matters if you are island-hopping rather than staying put. Check the operator's timetable, because crossings are fewer in winter.

• Sant JoanThe festival around 23 and 24 June is the busiest week of the year in Ciutadella.
• FerriesCiutadella links to Alcúdia on Mallorca; check operators, as crossings thin out in winter.
• Old townThe historic centre is small enough to walk, and the port sits at the end of the inlet.
• ParkingLeave the car outside the centre in summer; the streets inside are narrow and congested.

The south-east beaches.

The south-east is the closest coast to the airport and the easiest to reach without a car in summer. Sant Lluís is the inland village behind it, Binibeca Vell the whitewashed cluster above the water, Cala en Porter the sheltered bay below the cliffs, and Son Bou and Cala Galdana the two long beaches further west along the same shore. Most have seasonal bus services, and all of them empty in winter.

Out of season the same coast is quiet to the point of emptiness, and the hotels, beach bars and boat trips that make it easy in July close roughly from November to April. A winter arrival needs a car and a base in Maó or Ciutadella, with day trips to the beaches rather than a bed beside them. Check that the accommodation you have chosen is open before you book a flight around it.

• Binibeca VellA whitewashed village above a small cove, walkable and busy with day visitors in summer.
• Cala en PorterA sheltered bay with cliffs behind it and a summer bus from Maó.
• Son BouThe longest beach on the south coast, backed by seasonal hotels and bars.
• Cala GaldanaA curved bay with pine behind the sand, busy in July and August.

Arriving out of season.

Much of the tourist economy closes roughly from November to April. Many hotels, beach bars, boat trips, seasonal buses and plenty of restaurants shut, and flights and ferries are fewer. The main towns, Maó and Ciutadella, stay open year-round, which is why a winter arrival is easier in the capital. If you land in January expecting a resort, you will find shutters down and a very quiet road. Plan the first night in Maó and move on from there.

Book the transfer or the hire car before you fly, because the rank outside arrivals is smaller in winter and the last bus may go before your flight lands. Ask the accommodation directly whether it is open and whether anyone will be there at your arrival time. The sustainable tourism tax is charged per person per night by the accommodation; the rate depends on the type and category and the season, so check the Govern de les Illes Balears for current rules.