Menorca Spain

Mallorca (Majorca) and Menorca (Minorca) – Spain’s Well-Kept Secret Islands (at least from Americans)

My wife and I love exploring the Mediterranean’s host of magical islands for so many reasons, but as of 2022, we had not yet visited Spain’s share of these islands and so we decided to take a September trip to Mallorca and Menorca (with few days in Barcelona on our way home). September was a perfect time to go – the water was still warm and the days long enough to allow plenty of exploring, with fewer tourists than might be found in July or August. United Airlines started offering seasonal direct service to Palma, Mallorca from Newark, NJ in the summer of 2022. I think that was a fabulous decision, even though locals may not agree! 

A view of Palma, Mallorca.

In this post, I’ll provide a short overview of these two islands and in future posts go into more detail on each.

Why Mallorca and Menorca?

As mentioned above, we love the Mediterranean – the beautiful coastlines, ancient and medieval-era historical sites, incredible beaches and the variety of cultures and languages to be found throughout the region. We also love that these (Mallorca and Menorca) islands don’t really seem to be on US tourists’ European vacation maps yet, at least not to the same degree as a London, Paris or Rome.

One of the many beautiful coves on the island of Mallorca. Like many of these coves, it takes a little hiking to get here.

However, please don’t think that the islands are void of tourists – that’s hardly the case. Car parks for the most accessible beautiful beaches and coves fill up fast – you have to get there early (or arrive late in the day) if you want a convenient parking spot. It seems that most of the tourists to these islands come from Germany and the UK, although cruise ships also visit Palma. Cycling on the narrow winding roads through the mountains of Mallorca is a favorite pastime in addition to hiking, 4 wheeling, and of course all kinds of water sports.

When driving in Mallorca, one needs to be careful of the cyclists sharing the road.

Even with all the tourists, it’s still possible to visit little towns on both islands and pretty much be the only tourists in sight.

The scenic town of Arta in the northeast corner of Mallorca – few tourists here.

Mallorca and Menorca are quite different from one another. Mallorca is larger, more mountainous, with a significantly larger population (about half of which live in the Palma area) and caters to more tourists, who tend to stay put in specific regions of the island. Menorca is smaller in size and population with fewer tourists, and feels more rural. Both islands offer stunningly clear turquoise water, incredible coves and beaches – some of the prettiest anywhere on the planet – and interesting historical sites and towns.

Torre d’ en Galmes, one of Menorca’s many prehistoric ruins.

Where are Mallorca and Menorca?

Mallorca and Menorca are two of the three primary Balearic islands, belonging to Spain, the other being Ibiza. Ibiza has a reputation as a real “party” island and we preferred a bit different experience. Plus, as stated above, we could fly directly to Palma from the US. Mallorca and Menorca are close together geographically and it’s easy to get from one island to the other (just a 30 minute flight), or by taking a longer ferry ride.

Mallorca and Menorca are in the western Mediterranean Sea. It is a short flight from Barcelona to Mallorca or Menorca – about an hour (approximately 158 miles or 255 km). We flew to Barcelona from Menorca for a few days at the end of our stay and then directly from Barcelona to Washington, D.C.

Be on the lookout for many more posts to come about these beautiful islands!