Idyllic coves, fringed by pine trees and home to flawless white sandy beaches and brilliant turquoise waters, dot the coast line. Welcome to the stunning island of Menorca! I was really excited about this holiday and couldn’t wait to return. I’d been once before less than a year ago and was really looking forward to having a car this time so we could access and explore the incredible beaches.
We fell into our beach hopping roles easily – me as the guide and Mum as the driver. With over 100 gorgeous beaches, we weren’t short of choice! Read on to find out about the 6 incredible beaches we visited.
Cala Turqueta
Located in the south-west of the island and around 10km from Ciutadella, Cala Turqueta is one of Menorca’s most famous beaches. White sand, crystal clear turquoise water and surrounded by pine trees, Cala Turqueta is picture perfect for postcards.
How to get there
To get there, catch the 68 bus from Ciutadella, walk the Cami de Cavalls footpath, or drive the narrow bendy lane (which in a brand new rental car was anything but relaxing for my mum) to the small car park which, according to the car park attendant, holds around 100 vehicles. Be sure to get there early as spaces fill up extremely quickly.
The narrow lane is divided into two parts with attendants stopping cars from entering the lane’s second part once the car park is full. We were turned away on our first attempt having arrived too late so I recommend aiming from around 8am when a steady stream of cars starts filling the car park. We returned the following day and successfully got a space at 8.30am. On route to the beach, there are also a number of boards on the main roads helpfully displaying car park availability, saving you from driving down the narrow lane if already full.
Facilities
Once parked, the walk to the beach through pine trees is around 10 minutes. There is a café in the carpark which opens around 10/10.30am for snacks and drinks. But most beachgoers bring their own food and water as it might not always be open. Basic toilets and lifeguards make up the beach’s other facilities. Pine trees offer plenty of shade and there are picnic tables to eat on. If you fancy a walk, you can walk around 30 minutes to Cala Macarelleta or 50 minutes to Cala Macarella.
Cala Macarella & Cala Macarelleta
Another one of Menorca’s postcard picturesque beaches, Cala Macarella is found on Menorca’s south-west coast and is the next beach along from Cala Turqueta. Cala Macarelleta, as the name might suggest, is the smaller of the two. Both have gorgeous turquoise shallow waters, fine white sand and are surrounded by pine trees galore.
Cala Macarella
Cala Macarelleta
How to get there
Getting to Cala Macarella along the roads is currently only possible by bus. In the high season (mid-June to mid-September), the bus runs every 20 minutes from Ciutadella taking just over half an hour and costs €4.50 one way.
Walking along Menorca’s coastal footpath, the Cami de Cavalls, is the other option. You can walk from Cala Galdana which is approximately a 45min-1hr or you can do what we did and arrive early to Cala Turqueta to park and then later walk. From Cala Turqueta, it is a 1.9km walk (about 30mins) to Cala Macarelleta and a 2.9km walk (about 50mins-1hr) to Cala Macarella. I’d recommend wearing trainers as the path is a bit rocky and does have a few steepish climbs and descents. It also has plenty of gorgeous views!
Not to be missed: For lovers of beautiful views (I’m totally part of this group!), be sure to go to the below viewpoint. It’s absolutely stunning and a quiet spot – we were the only ones there. It’s found just off the Cami de Cavalls footpath. If you’re walking from Cala Galdana, take the turn off before the wooden steps start the descent down to Cala Macarella. We came from the opposite direction so climbed the wooden steps to reach the viewpoint.
Viewpoint overlooking Cala Macarelleta
Facilities and general comments
Out of all the further afield beaches, Cala Macarella had the most facilities: great café restaurant (Susy’s Chiringuito) with a variety of food choices all reasonably priced (sandwiches €4-7), proper clean toilets and showers (€1 a shower) and lifeguards.
Cala Macarella and Cala Macarelleta are worth the visit for the superb views alone. They’re breath-taking! Given Cala Macarelleta’s small size, it gets busy quickly. We used Cala Turqueta as our base and spent most of the day there adding a walk to Cala Macarella for lunch. If you fancy seeing a Menorcan postcard come to life, then Cala Macarella and Macarelleta should be on your list!
Cala Mitjana & Cala Mitjaneta
Brilliant turquoise waters, fine white sand and fringed by pine trees…you might be sensing a theme here. Menorca’s southern beaches typically share the same features resulting in idyllic picturesque coves dotting the south coast. Indeed, Cala Mitjana and Mitjaneta are no exception.
View overlooking Cala Mitjana
Cala Mitjaneta
How to get there
Like most places it depends on where you’re coming from. Cala Galdana is the closest resort to these two beaches. You can either park at the large Cala Mitjana carpark and follow the concrete track for 20 minutes down to Mitjana, or you can walk from Cala Galdana beach – after climbing steps at the end of the beach and a short wander through a few streets, pick up the Cami de Cavalls footpath and walk through pine forest.
Total walk time is about 30/40 minutes and towards the end of the walk, you will see a sign on your right to a viewpoint. As a lover of beautiful views, I can’t recommend this viewpoint enough. Gorgeous views over the bay and we had the place to ourselves!
The Mitjana car park is larger than its Turqueta and Son Saura counterparts and doesn’t quite encourage the same early morning rush. We arrived at 11.30am and there were still lots of spaces. That said, I’d still recommend arriving early to avoid disappointment especially as the summer holidays are almost here. It is also possible to get to Mitjana by public transport via the 52 bus from Ciutadella.
Couldn’t resist a pic with this view!
Facilities and general comments
There are no facilities at these two beaches so go prepared with your own food and drink and enjoy a picnic in the shade at picnic tables. Although the surrounding pine tree forest provides ample shade, it’s worth copying the locals and taking a light-weight umbrella with you. Mitjana was the first beach we visited and we didn’t have one. From then on, it quickly became a permanent item in our car for subsequent beach trips.
Cala Trebaluger
East of Cala Mitjana, Cala Trebaluger is the next bay along and with no car access is the more secluded beach. Once again, Cala Trebaluger ticks the boxes for a stereotypical Menorcan cove with clear blue water, fine white sand, framed by pine trees on both sides and with an additional feature of a small river flowing down one side.
How to get there
Of all the beaches we visited, Cala Trebaluger was the most secluded one and hardest to access. Parking at Cala Mitjana is the closest you can get by car.
From the carpark, it’s the same 20-minute walk down to Cala Mitjana. Once at the beach, take the steps to the left of the beach and prepare yourself for a breathy climb up a mixture of manmade and rocky steps to the top of the cliff. At the top, there is a stunning view of Mitjana and Mitjaneta which can’t be missed. Then, pick up the main Cami de Cavalls trail and enjoy a pleasant flat and shady walk through peaceful pine trees and forest.
The descent to Cala Trebaluger is the trickiest bit involving clambering over a few rocks and either walking through a small cave and getting your feet wet crossing a small river, or climbing down a few more rocks. We opted to walk through the small river which was knee-deep and will probably vary depending on when it last rained.
From Cala Mitjana, the walk is around half an hour including a 5-minute steep climb or descent at either end and total walk time is around 50 minutes. Cala Trebaluger is totally worth the walk and the reward is a beautiful unspoilt beach with fewer visitors! You can also walk there from Sant Tomas, but it’s longer and mainly opted for by those on walking holidays.
Facilities and general comments
Being a secluded beach, it’s no surprise there are no facilities at Cala Trebaluger which I think add to its charm. As a longer stretch of beach there is less shade (unless you venture up into the treeline), so if you’re spending the whole day there, take an umbrella! I really loved this beach. With its sand dunes and wooden posts, it reminded me of the UK’s Knoll Beach in Dorset – of course on a beautiful day!
Looks a bit like Knoll beach right? With the dunes and the wooden posts…
Cala Son Saura
Cala Son Saura is another of Menorca’s south coast beaches. Divided into two stretches of sand, it is probably one of the longest beaches in the south.
The first stretch is called Banyuls and is a 10-minute walk from the carpark. It is the smaller of the two and rarely populated as it’s often full of seaweed and a bad smell hangs in the air when the wind blows in the wrong direction. The second stretch of beach, called Bellavista and a further 5-minute walk, is more popular offering shallow and calm crystal-clear waters and fine white sand. That combined with its easy accessibility make it a wonderful beach for families and young children. However, there is little shade so once again it’s a good idea to pack an umbrella! Other facilities include basic toilets and lifeguards on duty. Like most of the other beaches, there are no places to eat close by so go prepared with plenty of water and food.
Son Saura – Bellavista – the bigger and less seaweedy beach
How to get there
Getting to Son Saura is best done by car. Your route will follow that of going to Turqueta, driving down the same narrow lane until you reach a fork in the road. At this fork, take the right lane for Son Saura and continue on to the carpark. Due to its bigger carpark and lower popularity, there is more chance of getting a space at Son Saura than at Cala Turqueta. We arrived at 9am and only about 15 cars were there already. That said, I’d always recommend arriving early to guarantee a space especially during high season.
There is always the option to swap morning for afternoon and head down for some late sunshine. We left at 2pm and there were plenty of free spaces; however, I can imagine this isn’t always the case. Like with Cala Turqueta, there are signs up on the main road showing carpark availability helping drivers to not have to make a pointless journey.
Son Saura’s boardwalk
Cala Es Talaier
I’m saying it again, but Cala Es Talaier is another classic southern beach. A small cove with turquoise waters and fringed by pine trees, it sits between Cala Son Saura and Cala Turqueta.
The surrounding pine trees provide plenty of shade and are ideal for retreating from the midday heat and sun and for eating lunch. There are no other facilities aside from a pair of basic toilets hidden away, which we didn’t spot until we were walking back. Occasionally, there is a man selling slices of watermelon, pineapple and coconut for €4 from his wheelbarrow. The watermelon was super refreshing! With more waves, deeper water and a walk to get there, I’d say Cala Es Talaier is less child-friendly than that of Son Saura.
How to get there
You can walk there from two beaches: Cala Turqueta and Son Saura. We walked there from the latter and it was a half hour walk round the headland. There is no cover on the walk, on a blue-sky day the path is in full sunshine. If you’d prefer a shorter walk, follow the path that cuts through the trees. It takes 15 minutes to get to Son Saura’s boardwalk and from there another 15 minutes to the carpark.
What to do if you don’t have a car?
All the above-mentioned beaches require either a car, bus or a concerted effort using your own two feet to get there. If you don’t have a car, or don’t fancy the bus or a walk, don’t worry! Menorca’s resort areas have plenty of great beaches themselves.
My mum and I stayed in Cala Blanca on the island’s south-west coast. Right outside our fabulous apartment was a tiny rocky cove with platforms and steps providing easy access into the sea.
Swimming in the mini cove outside our apartment
If you had the courage, you could join the locals jumping straight into the inviting blue waters. There are many coves like this one dotting the coast line. Our cove was a fantastic place to watch the sunset.
Floating in our local cove
For those who prefer beaches, all the resorts have a local beach. In Cala Blanca, we had a choice of two: Cala Blanca itself and Cala Santandria. Both were easy to access small inlets with calm, shallow turquoise waters and excellent facilities: toilets, freshwater showers and a handful of cafes and restaurants. For all resort beaches, it’s a case of what’s lost in the lack of secludedness is made up by the amenities available.
Cala Blanca
Cala Blanca beach
Cala Santandria
Cala Galdana
More popular than Cala Blanca is the Cala Galdana resort. The local beach has lots to offer: water activities (kayaking, paddle boarding, pedalos), toilets, showers, rental sunbeds and umbrellas (€5-7), picnic benches in the shade and beach side cafes (chiringuitos). It is a wonderful option for those staying in the resort area and despite being more developed with a few modern hotels breaking up the treeline, Cala Galdana still retains the features that make Menorca’s southern beaches so idyllic and beautiful. For those not staying in the area, it’s very easy to visit for the day – leave your car at Cala Mitjana carpark and walk down to the beach.
So, there’s my take on Menorca’s incredible southern beaches. Sadly, we didn’t have time to visit the northern beaches (I’ve heard great things about Cala Pregonda), so I guess a return trip is looking likely!
Have you been to Menorca and do you have a favourite beach?
