Last year, I took a spring trip to Menorca and attempted to see as much of the island as I could by public transport. I don’t usually rent cars when I’m abroad (bit of a wuss). So how would I rate it?
In theory Menorca should be easy to see. It isn’t huge – the bus from Mahon at one end of the island, to Ciutadella at the other, runs hourly and takes about an hour. It’s easy enough to travel between the two, and to explore the inland towns that run along the main road. But exploring the coastline (which is what most people are interested in) by bus requires some planning. If you only have a week and want to see the whole island then you’ll have to be selective.
What you’ll find is that buses to places on the west side of the island fan out from Ciutadella, and buses to places on the east and north leave from Mahón. During the summer peak, you may find a few extra services to the major resorts and beaches, but generally it’s tricky to travel along the coast as that’s not how the roads run.
I was mostly interested in exploring the SW coast on this particular trip so I decided to stay in Ciutadella, the main city in the west, for its bus links. From Ciutadella, there are also boats you can take to visit some of the most beautiful beaches of this section of coast. I wanted to do some hiking and also the weather in spring was a bit touch and go so I ended up not taking any boat trips which was a bit of a shame.
Here’s a map of the main bus routes on Menorca so you can see what I mean about the roads:
I have a more detailed post over here on How to Get Around Menorca By Bus. There are 3 different bus companies which makes putting together plans a bit more difficult, at least until they improve the app.
Menorca is one of those rare islands where the bus service is useful for tourists as well as locals. But the downside is that there’s not much to see by bus beyond the cities (although I do recommend a visit to one of the inland towns, they’re pretty quiet and there’s not a huge amount of sightseeing to be done). Menorca’s main USP is its amazingly unspoiled coastline, and this is what’s hard to access by bus. And as you can see by the big gap in the map along the north coast, you unfortunately won’t be able to explore the Albufera Natural Park des Grau which has some of Menorca’s wildest scenery and most beautiful beaches.
The other thing that’s tricky to explore without a car is the island’s prehistoric Talayotic monuments. Rather than one big site, there are lots of small ones (over 1500) which are scattered around the island but particularly in the south and centre, so there’s bound to be one near you. It might even be walkable. But if you have a car you can visit the more well-known ones like Naveta des Tudons and Talatí de Dalt.
And finally, some of the island’s best farm-to-table restaurants are situated inland. So if I was renting a car for a day, those are the things I’d prioritise.
Menorca is well-suited to hiring a car just for one day. The roads here are easy and pretty quiet – I’m not a confident driver but this is one place I’d be happy to drive. The distances are about right for one day. If you’re staying in a coastal resort then it’s definitely worth visiting Mahón or Ciutadella – just bear in mind siesta hours as they’re both pretty quiet in the afternoon. If the bus times work for your then you might as well bus rather than drive.
Getting from the airport to the beach resorts by bus is possible, just about, but not the best option as you usually have to change at Mahon or Ciutadella, and timings might not be in your favour. It’s usually easier to get a taxi, especially if your flight arrives late. Shared transfers are available through Hoppa or Shuttle Menorca, and would be my pick if you’re trying to avoid an expensive taxi.
With the coastline being the focus here, there’s an excellent range of boat trips and water-based activities like SUP, sea kayaking, boat cruises, and sunset catamaran trips. Even in the spring, there were still plenty of these operating. I’d say the east coast has a lot more resort areas close together and a wider selection of boat trips leaving from different places, whereas, in the west, boat trips and beaches are centred around Ciutadella and Cala Galdana.
If you’re just planning on staying in one beach area but don’t want to feel too confined, I’d pick one of the resorts closest to Mahón or Ciutadella that has better bus services. But even the closer resorts that have buses late enough in the evening to go out for dinner are limited – your best bets are Punta Prima, for Mahón, and Cala en Bosc/Cala Santandria/Cala Blanca/Cala en Blanes for Ciutadella.
Punta Prima has more of a resort feel, the others feel a bit more suburban. Cala en Bosc has a harbour surrounded by restaurants and is probably the buzziest (and has the fantastic Peruvian restaurant Kaypa Origen Peru, one of my favourite meals on my trip). It’s probably the best for balancing beaches, food, and good resort hotels, plus there are buses to/from Ciutadella into the night, and boat trips from the harbour to the beaches around the coast. It’s definitely not as pretty as Cala Galdana, but Cala Galdana doesn’t have the same bus links.
The beach resorts are all smallish and quiet, although most have enough restaurant choices for a week, and a few shops for souvenirs. If you’re the kind of person who likes strolling somewhere with a buzz in the evening, eating at authentic restaurants, looking at shops and having a drink, then you might prefer to stay in Ciutadella, Mahón, or Es Castell and get the bus out to the beaches during the day. There are resort hotels with pools in all of these places.
For more detail on which beach resort to pick, check out Where to Stay in Menorca: Ultimate Beach Resort Guide.
Overall, I found it easy enough to get around by bus once I’d done my planning. There’s not a huge amount of flexibility if you miss a bus, for example. But also I was travelling in early spring so the buses weren’t as frequent as you’d find later in the summer. I stayed in both Mahón and Ciutadella, and wish I’d scheduled a few days on the coast somewhere too – I’m planning to go back to Fornells next time as a base for the north coast.
Read more about Menorca:
Ciutadella, Menorca’s Most Magical City
How to Get Around Menorca By Bus
Cami de Cavalls: Day Hikes By Bus
All images © The Mediterranean Traveller