Like the other Balearic Islands, Menorca, Spain is blessed with some amazingly beautiful beaches and coves. Since we were in Menorca for only 4 days, we couldn’t visit all of its glorious beaches, but we did get to swim at several and see others during our (too) short stay. Listed below (in no particular order) are beaches & coves we were able to visit.
Note: Someone asked me about encounters with jellyfish in Mallorca and Menorca – there was only one place we saw any jellyfish and that was at Cala Mitjana on Menorca (described below). They were brown (not the technical name) jellyfish and harmless.
We stayed in Cala Galdana on the southern shore of Menorca–it is a lovely large cove, with a wide protected sandy beach, hotels, restaurants and tourist activity businesses nearby, a perfect spot to call home while you explore the island. The beach has numerous chairs and umbrellas for rent and the water is shallow and calm, making this a very family-friendly place to swim and enjoy the sun. Another plus of this location are the walking trails (part of the historic Cami de Cavalls) along the coast in either direction from Cala Galdana to other amazing places such as Cala Turqueta or Cala Mitjana. The trails are well signposted and point out the distance and direction of your destination (it’s a good idea to get a local island map). Make sure you are adequately prepared if you walk these trails – have plenty of water, sun protection, sturdy shoes and energy snacks.
This may be Menorca’s most famous beach. From Cala Galdana, it is just a few kilometers (6.4 km, or 4 miles) west by trail if you’re up for a little hike. The advantage of taking the trail to Cala Turqueta is that you avoid the parking problem. The Cala Turqueta parking area fills quickly (we arrived before 8 am and were turned away) and if you can’t get a spot you must drive back to the island’s main road and then down another road to another car park (Son Suara Beach – see below) and then hike from that car park along the coastal trail back to Cala Turqueta. I know this sounds a bit complicated, it’s because there is no coastal road connecting many of the beaches by car, you must use the main east-west road in the middle of Menorca as the main car route and then take the north-south spur roads that lead to the various beaches and coves. It’s not a huge issue, just be prepared to sometimes walk at least a couple of kilometers on the trails as noted above. The only route that connects the entire coastline is the non-motorized trail circumnavigating the island. In fact, a number of beaches can only be reached via the trail.
Bottom line, however you manage to get to Cala Turqueta, it is worth the effort!
Cala Mitjana is less than 2 km (~1 mile) east of Cala Galdana via the walking trail and is very beautiful also. Since we walked, I’m not sure about the car park situation, but probably similar to Cala Turqueta – arrive early to get a spot if you need to drive here.
I’ll share more about this unique town in another post, but this region of Menorca (southeast coast) has some great beaches and coves. It was one of my favorite spots on Menorca. We found this beautiful cove (below) just outside of the town of Binibeca Vell as we were exploring the area. It looked so inviting we came back another day specifically to swim here!
There are so many stunning beaches in Menorca – below are a few others we visited during our various exploration travels.
Cala Tirant – this beach is on the north shore, near the town of Fornells. Wide, open and I’m guessing it wouldn’t feel crowded even on a busy day.
Son Bou – this popular beach is on the southern shore of Menorca, and close to the Torre d’en Galmés prehistoric ruins if you want to mix a little culture in with your beach day. There are also some 6th century church ruins right next to the beach.
Cala des Talaier – another beautiful small cove and beach on the southern coast, between Son Saura and Cala Turqueta.
Son Saura – another amazing, wide, shallow and calm beach area on the south coast of Menorca.
I hope I have convinced you that you don’t have to go to Hawaii for great beaches – the Mediterranean Sea and specifically Mallorca and Menorca are blessed with an abundance of beautiful, safe, white sandy beaches and some of the clearest, warmest water you will ever find!