After writing the most successful post on the blog about visiting Mallorca without a car, Ibiza followed and now I round the Balearic islands with a visit to Menorca. Except, visiting Menorca without a car was kind of tricky experience so for the sake of seeing as much as possible we rented a car for three days, because the most convenient rental had a minimum of three days even though the initial plan was car for the weekend.

Our accomodation was in Punta Prima, if you are someone that just wants to stay in one place without much action it is the place for it, but if you are someone that would like to travel more through the island, especially using public transport services, than Cituadella de Menorca or Mao are the only places that you should book your accomodation in.

The choice to be in Punta Prima was because we took package holiday with TUI. Booked that around 6 months in advance and the offer was too good to miss. Half-Board transfers, hotel at the beach, al boxes ticked. Just i didn’t explore the area, my bad. But anyways we did most out of it. Here is a summer of making the most out of the Menorca trip by public transport and bits of car.

DAY 1 – PUNTA PRIMA

Punta Prima is just 8kilometers from the airport in Menorca. Unfortunatelly there are no direct busses from the airport, so if you would need to go to Mao first and then take a bus, Taxi is around 25euros. The village is really small, having 3 big hotels 5-6 restaurant and a beach that it is not a cala, but rather more open one that attracts surfers on a windy day. There are opportunities for little hikes towards Binibeca with amazing views at the sea. Restaurants in my opinion were quite pricey compared not only to general Spanish prices, but also compared to Mallorca and Ibiza. And at our time of visit the price for two sunbeds and an umbrella was 19euros which felt quite a lot.

DAY 2 – MAO

On our second day we went in the afternoon hours to Mao. By bus it was around 30 minutes and the ticket price is 1.8 euros. The downside is that the buses come just once per hour and they are not really on time, and you need to pay cash. The taxi on the other side is around 15euros so if you are a group of four it is actually okay price. When you go to Mao depending on your preferences try to avoid the siesta hours, between 14 and 19. On one side it is empty and you can see the whole city. On the other hand lots of things are closed, people are indoor and you can’t feel the vibe of the city. There are some great places to drink coffee shop and lunch, but you need to plan your time accordingly.

DAY 3 – CIUTADELLA – BEACHES

On the way to Ciutadella, which for me was the most beautiful place we saw city wise, we stopped in Es Mercadel. The town is little mostly with local people, there were some bars to cool yourself down, but also you can skip it. Being a group of 8 adults and 2 kids, it was impossible to follow strict agenda so in the end we arrived again around siesta hours in Ciutadella, where most places were closing, but still we could have good stroll, tapas and enjoyed the city a lot. The bottom hatbour part was amazing, full of restaurants and I can only imagine how nice this must look in the evening time.
But we decided to go on a beach. Our first choice was Cala Brut. Once we arrived we saw the bluest water one has seen, but also tones of Jelly fishes. It looked like a painting actually, so we switched and opted for Cala Blanes which served clearer sea, tiny beach and a beach bar.

DAY 4 – CALA GALDANA – ST LLUIS

The plan of the day was to start at the Cala Turqueta, but the bitter truth was that at 10am the parking was already full and it was not allowed to stop and wait, and if you want to go to Cala Macarella or Macarellata, from May till October it is only possible by bus. Truly disappointed we went to Cala Galdana. It turned out to be great beach as well, with lots of natural shadows and stores, and bars for snacks. The water was great too. As I saw that there were possibilities of hiking we used this opportunity and went to Cala Macarella. It took us around 30 minutes. The road was easy there were seniors, people with strollers and small kids. The beach bar was chilled, I just wish I had more time in order to hike to the further beaches.

Once we returned I had the itch to hike to Cala Mitjana, but none of my crew was up for it so I went for a long swim instead. On the way back we stopped at the view points towards Cala Galdana and we were not disappointed.
Just before reaching Punta Prima, we stopped at St LLuis. The city was empty even though restaurants were open. A particular place that took my attention was Esforaster – coffeeshop, store and furniture shop. Everything inside was eyecatching and stylish.

DAY 5 – BINIBECA & COVA D’EN XOROI

In the morning we started with a ride towards Binibeca, the most picturesque village on the island. There are a few routes to follow in order to go through it, basically any of them is great. Small houses overlooking the water, labyrinth alleys and a few shops. The beach was stoney and not crowded. But right next to the village there was the Old Binibeca town and tihs beach was tiny, sandy, and great alternative when it was windy in Punta Prima.
In the afternoon we’ve decided to take the last opening slot and visit Cova d’en Xoroi. The place where many famous brands decide for their promotional parties. The entrance was 14euros on the spot and you have adrink included. IF you buy it online it is 12.9, but having the flexibility it is better to buy it on the spot in off season. The views were great, but I think going in the sunset timing or after probably makes more sense as the vibe is not on the spot. However if you want to make great photos on an empty space do this.

DAY 6 – FORNELLS

Fornells is a place that we didn’T have the time to visit, but was high on my want to go list. It is the place to go for lobster in Menorca. There are two restaurants that come up every time lobster is mentioned. Of course you can combine it with visiting a beach and that is Arenal De Son Saura in particular. Or Cala Pregonda, the pink sand beach.

DAY 7 – CALA EN TURQUETA

For the last day try to wake up early, and be on time for Cala Turqueta or find your beach of choice and enjoy. Another option is to visit a gin or cheese making farm if the sun is not too strong.
In the evening bookyourself a table in Bodega Binifadet in Es Castell of Saint Lluis and enjoy wrapping up the holiday memories.