Although the amount of tourists has significantly increased, Menorca is still the calmest island of the Balearic Islands. If you wake up early, you can enjoy (at least for some time) even in high season the best beaches of Menorca almost alone. In addition to the incredible amount of beaches, the variety is also fascinating. From white sand beaches that will remind you of the Caribbean to beaches with reddish or black sand. Most of the most amazing beaches and coves in Menorca are relatively far from the parkings where you can leave your vehicle, but this leads to somewhat lower occupation. It’s hard to pick our Top 10, and even a Top 25 as shown in this article, since there are so many options, and a selection is always personal. Here’s our list of the most beautiful coves and beaches in Menorca.
Essential information to enjoy the beaches in Menorca
Menorca is still the least touristic Balearic Island, but in summer it’s impossible to get rid of mass tourism. In addition to the amount of tourists, jellyfish is also huge problem in the island. Therefore to enjoy your trip to Menorca, read carefully the following two suggestions.
Get up as early as you can
We know when you go on holiday, especially to an island with beaches, you would rather sleep till late in the morning. Nevertheless, our experience is that it’s worth getting up early and find the wonderful beaches in Menorca almost without people. Two hours later, the most popular beaches and coves are full of people in summer (in July and August especially). In the picture below, you can see the difference between the beach in Cala Mitjana at 8 AM and 10 AM. In addition, if you don’t get going relatively early, you won’t only find beaches full of people, but you might be left without your dream beach, since when the parkings are full, they close the access road to several beaches. 
Avoid beaches with swell and jellyfish
We think that after getting up early and possibly walking for a while, you wouldn’t be happy to find a beautiful cove with large waves and full of jellyfish. The waves and the strong currents are usually a minor problem on this island, since most of the coves are well protected from swell. Nevertheless, jellyfish represents a huge problem, which becomes more serious every year.
There’s not a 100% working method, but in most cases simply checking out the wind forecast will help you out. The wind direction is a key factor to determine the swell and hence the appearance of jellyfish. If the wind blows from the North, you should probably go to the beaches on the South coast of Menorca. In contrast, if there’s wind blowing from the South, the beaches on the Northern coast are probably a better choice.
Map Top 25 Beaches in Menorca
The 25 best beaches in Menorca – Our Top 25
We tell you now that we have been to Menorca several times, and there are beaches that we still don’t know. If you follow our blog, you might already guess that on the list of our favorite beaches of Menorca secluded beaches and hidden coves will take most of the spots. Nevertheless, we will mention some others that we think deserve your attention.
Our Top 5 Beaches in Menorca – Secluded paradise
1. Cala Mitjana/Cala Mitjaneta
We were thinking for a whole to pick which the best beach is in Menorca. Finally, we chose these two coves in the south of Menorca. In this part of the island, there is a series of coves with white sand beaches and water as transparent as you can dream about. Actually, in this post we will mention several of them. Surrounded by steep cliffs, Cala Mitjana is a precious secluded cove with white sand and turquoise color water. Depending on the season, there can be some algae on the beach. When we went there, there were neither algae, nor people, and we enjoyed our time on this beach more than in any other. 
From Cala Mitjana you can take the steps that will lead you to a trail and the latter will lead you to the “little sister” of Cala Mitjana, Cala Mitjaneta. It’s a mini cove that sometimes doesn’t have any beach. To us it seemed like a real paradise where we enjoyed some time without being bothered by anybody. 
Access: The parking of Cala Mitjana is a 15-minute walk from the beach (a few years ago was much closer). Consider that the way back is going up the hill and the shade is limited.
2. Cala Pregonda
The other beach in Menorca that we considered to pick as the most beautiful one is Cala Pregonda. The landscape is fascinating with red sand and the image of the beach with the crystal clear water is one of the most memorable ones on the island. Since it’s a relatively remote that can be accessed only after 30-45 minutes of walking on a trail without any shade, this beach gets filled with people much later than those on the south of Menorca. 
We didn’t enjoy Cala Pregonda only because of the fascinating views, but also for the wonderful rocky formations. In addition to the beauty of the beach, our visit will be memorable for us, since our son Diego took his first bath in the sea here. The water is shallow near the beach, hence it’s one of the beaches in Menorca for kids. Moreover, Cala Pregonda is also a favorite of those who want to do snorkel, since the rock formations under water attract marine life.
Access: Cala Pregonda can be accessed following the Camí de Cavalls trail. You have to park your car near the road next to Playa Binimel.là. This means that, if you arrive late, you will have to leave your car pretty far from the beginning of the trail. During the walk, you won’t find any shade.
3. Cala Macarella/Cala Macarelleta
The couple of the coves of Cala Macarella and Cala Macarelleta are the celebrities of the island, if you can tag with a name like this the most popular beaches in Menorca. The turquoise water and the white sand beach is surrounded by impressive cliffs and a pine tree forest. The sandy are is quite broad, so in theory it won’t be as hard to find a place for your towel as in other famous coves, and there’s quite a lot of places in the shade in Cala Macarella. In order to conserve these beaches, in high season you can’t access the beach by car (more information below).
Cala Macarelleta is one of the best nudist beaches in Menorca. You can get there after a short walk from Cala Macarella following a trail with some pretty steep steps. It’s not a super small cove like Cala Mitjaneta, therefore you will easily find a place there for your beach towel. The beach is surrounded by sand dunes, and you should avoid walking on the top of them. 
Access: Due to the large number of people who visited this beach every year, for a few years the access to the beach by car has been limited. Every year between 1st June and 30 Septiembre the access by car is not allowed. The only way to get to Cala Macarella in high season is taking a bus from Ciutadela or to leave your car in the parking lot in Cala Galdana and walk 2 km following the Camí de Cavalls trail. There are some steep climbs on the trail, and the shade is quite limited.
4. Cala Turqueta
Another cove in the South of Menorca that will remind you of the Caribbean is Cala Turqueta. The name of the cove itself describes perfectly the kind of place you will find here: white sand beach and crystal clear turquoise color water. The beach is totally untouched, and it’s a really special paradise hidden amongst cliffs and a pine forest. It’s quite popular to do snorkel here following rocks of the cove. The beach is divided into two parts, the larger is close to a small stream, and therefore sand is usually quite wet. It’s one of the most loved beaches in Menorca, and thus you have to arrive early, if you want to enjoy some moments of tranquillity there.
Access: The parking lot is found at a 10-15 minute walk from the beach. From the parking place you will have to go down, which naturally means that your way back will be up-hill. Attention! The parking lot can accept a limited number of vehicles, and after it gets full, the access road is closed, and you will have to find another beach.
5. Cala Cavallería
Another beach from the North that made it to our Top 5 beaches in Menorca. It’s Cala Cavallería, one of the largest beaches on this part of the island. The beach has coarse sand, which doesn’t stick to your body. The beach is 500 meter long and it’s divided into two parts by a small shoal. Since, it’s a beach relatively distant from the closest settlement, the occupation is usually lower than in other beaches. Pay attention to the waves, since this beach is much more exposed to the Northern winds and currents can be dangerous sometimes. 
Access: Although the beach is rather far from any villages or towns, the parking lot is very close to the beach. It only takes 5 minutes to get there and you have to go down the stairs to arrive at the beach. 5 calas de ensueño en Menorca para completar nuestro Top 10
Other beaches in Menorca to complete our Top 10
6. Cala Es Talaier
One of the major surprises on our last trip to Menorca was Cala Es Talaier. It’s a small, rather hidden cove close the popular beaches of Playa Son Saura. It is characterized by a white sand beach and crystal clear shallow water. If you arrive early, you can be alone in this paradise, whereas in summer it gets quite busy later during the day. 
Access: Para acceder esta cala, tendrás que dejar el coche en el parking de la Cala Son Saura. Desde allí tardarás unos 15 minutos en primero cruzar esta playa y luego seguir el Camí de Cavalls hasta esta calita.
7. Cala Tortuga
There’s a part of Menorca that reminded us a lunar landscape. It’s the Albufera des Grau National Park in the Northeast of the island, where black rocks rule the landscape. The Favàritx Lighthouse presides the views of this white sand beach. Due to the remote position of the beach, the access is not so easy, therefore the beach isn’t as busy as most others. There aren’t any services in this area, and you should consider this, if you plan to spend your day there.
Access: The access to Cala Tortuga is limited at the moment. Due to the amount of tourists visiting this area, the road access to Faro Favaritx has been cut, and till a new parking lot is not facilitated, the only way to visit this area is by bus from Maó. From the lighthouse you have to follow the trail and you will get to the beach in 30 minutes.
8. Playa Binigaus
Till this point we only talked about small secluded coves. From the long beaches of Menorca, our favorite is Playa Bingaus, situated in the south of the island. In spite of being a long and easily accessible beach, it’s a beautiful virgin beach with shallow and turquoise water, which makes it an ideal beach for kids. The beach is divided into two areas, one is wider and is usually occupied by families, whereas the other part consists of little coves. Actually the latter part is one of the most popular nudist beaches in Menorca. 
Access: To get to Playa Binigaus, first you will have to arrive in the parking lot in Sant Tomàs. From there you will have to take a trail that starts at Bruc Restaurant and you will get to beach in 10 minutes.
9. Cala Trebalúger
We continue presenting the most beautiful white sand beaches of the South of Menorca with Cala Trebalúger, a cove that doesn’t have to envy anything to the more famous beaches of this area. A white sand beach surrounded by tall cliffs and the shadow of a pine forest characterize this beautiful beach, which is usually less busy than Cala Macarella or Turqueta. The mouth of the Trebalúger RIver is found on this beach, which is one of the most underrated ones on the whole island. It’s worth knowing that the cove is more exposed to the Southern winds, and therefore you should check out the weather forecast. 
Access: You can arrive in Cala Trebalúger, you will have to leave your vehicle in the parking lot of Cala Mitjana. Before arriving at the latter cove, you will see an arrow that shows the steps to follow towards the cove. From the parking it will take around 45 minutes to get there.
10. Cala Pilar
If you look for a virgin beach with difficult access, Cala Pilar on the North of Menorca is an excellent choice for you. This beautiful cove is surrounded by sand dunes and a precious pine forest, which is one of the favorite nudist beaches in Menorca. The cove is found in the Marine Reserve of the North of Menorca, and is quite exposed to the Northern winds. Therefore, it’s indispensable to check out the weather forecast, if the Northern wind blows.
Access: The parking lot of Cala Pilar is found a couple of kilometers walk from the beach. The trail to the beach is downhill, therefore you will need to walk uphill for more or less 45 minutes to get back there.
More beaches in Menorca to complete our Top 25
After going through the 10 most beautiful beaches and coves in Menorca, we will show you some other. Each of them has something special, and some of them are not in our Top 10.
11. Beaches of Son Saura
We go back to the South of the island to visit the Beaches of San Saura (don’t confuse it with Son Saura North), two virgin beaches – Playa Es Banyul and Playa de Bellavista, separated by rocky formations. These white sand beaches with shallow water, and the proximity of the parking lot makes this place very popular amongst families. It’s a pity that the beach is usually covered with algae. 
Access: The parking lot is found just next to the beach, therefore if you get up early, you won’t have to walk too much to the beach. Nevertheless, the parking lot gets full rather quickly, and although there are other parking lots next to the road that leads to the beach, when these parking lots are filled too, the road access is closed, and you will be sent to another beach.
12. Beaches of Algaiarens
The beaches called Playas de Algaiarens are found on the north of the island. These are two pretty virgen beaches separated by a rocky shoal. The Playa des Tancat is the larger one and closer to the parking lot, whereas the other beach, Playa Des Bot is a smaller beach, considered amongst the best nudist beaches in Menorca.
Access: The parking lot Cala Algaiarens is just next to Playa dels Tancats, and you can walk to Playa Des Bot following a 1 km long path.
13. Cala Rafalet
We can’t leave out of our list the Cala Rafalet, a hidden dream cove for those who love snorkelling. It’s actually found very close to Maó, and the beach is very small. When you arrive at the sandy beach, you don’t even see the water, and you will have to keep walking. Nevertheless, the effort is compensated by a fantastic place to swim in the sea surrounded by tall cliffs. It’s a unique experience to take a dip in a narrow cove between the rocks.
Access: It’s not very easy, since you first have to get to the small residential area called s’Algar and find the Camí de Cavalls trail. You have to park you car here and follow the indications to the cove.
14. Cala Morell
Cala Morell we loved especially is the necropolis of the talayotic people that is found in the area. Nevertheless, you find also a nice urban beach surrounded by white houses. In spite of being an urban beach, it’s a calm and silent place. It’s one of the smallest beaches in Menorca, and to extend the beach, platforms to sunbathe were constructed for those who want to enjoy this place. The landscape and the crystal clear water make this place a special destination. 
Access: Cala Morell is easily accessible and you can park your car in any place in the residential area, and you can walk to cove on foot.
15. Cala Escorxada
The Cala Escorxada is one of the most isolated coves in Menorca. You will have to walk at least an 1 hour to get there from one of the closest parkings. This means that this beach is never busy, not even in the highest season. This cove forms part of the series of the beautiful Caribbean-style beaches on the Southern Coast. You have to consider that the beach is quite exposed to the wind, and you have to expect swell, when the Southern winds blow. Therefore, it’s essential to check out the weather forecast, since it would be a shame to walk so long and can’t enjoy the beach.
Access: It’s one of the most difficultly accessible beach on the island. You can leave your vehicle in one of the following 3 parking places: the parking lot near Cala Mitjana, the parking lot in Sant Tomàs or in the parking near the cemetery of Migjorn Gran. From any of the parking lots, you will have to walk for an hour.
16. Cala en Porter
Cala en Porter is one of the best beaches in Menorca for families. It’s like a natural swimming pool. Many families (especially British) pick the residential zone of Cala Porter as their place for spending their holiday. The residential zone only occupies half of the cove, whereas the other half is untouched. There are all kinds of services available and also areas specifically destined to kids. All this makes it one of the best beaches for kids in Menorca. We only visited the Cova d’en Xoroi, one of the popular bars to watch the sunset in Menorca with a cocktail in hand.
Acceso: There’s a parking lot in the cove itself, where you can leave your car.
17. Cala Galdana
You might know that we always prefer virgin beaches to urban beaches. Only because of this Cala Galdana is not in our Top 10 of the most amazing beaches in Menorca. Situated on the Southern coast, it’s a cove protected by tall cliffs that permits that waves are almost never present on the beach. Therefore Cala Galdana is another of the great beaches to spend with kids. It’s really a shame to see the large white hotel and the residential zone that altered the landscape considerably. Before the urbanization of the area, Cala Galdana was considered by many people the best beach in Menorca. Today it’s still a perfect choice for those who love spending a day in a lovely beach with all services included. 
Access: Cala Galdana has its own parking lot very close to the beach. As you might guess, the parking lot is always full in high season.
18. Cala Es Caló Blanc
Another small cove similar to Cala Rafalet is Cala Es Caló Blanc, situated on the Southern coast near Sant Lluís. The beach is not more than 5 meters long, but you can also find place between the rocks to leave your towel. It’s a fascinating natural swimming pool that has a spectacular color. Not many people know this cove, hence you might enjoy it without being bothered by many people.
Access: There’s a small parking lot between the residential areas of Binissafúller and Cap d’en Font. You can access the cove easily from there.
19. Beaches of Son Bou
We can’t leave out from our list the longest beach on the island. More than 3 kilometers of white sand that is so typical of the South coast of Menorca. There are all kinds of services from small beach bars and many possibilities to do watersports. The residential area is separated from the beach by a wetland. Therefore, part of the beach is near all kinds of services, but after walking for some time you can get to an area that has the aspect of a virgin beach. The shallow water makes it one of the most loved beaches amongst families with kids.
Access: There’s a large parking lot near the urban beach of Son Bou, where you can leave your car without problem.
20. Playa Binimel.là
Playa Binimel.là is usually shadowed by Cala Pregonda, which is found not very far from. Nevertheless this beach of course sand is also a virgin beach and an excellent alternative, if you look for a nice beach on the North of Menorca. The advantage of Playa Binimel.là is that you can leave your vehicle next to the beach and you don’t have to walk too much. Often there’s quite a lot of algae on the beach. 
Access: The parking place of Playa Binimel.là is only 400 metres from the beach itself.
21. Cala Presili
Near Cala Tortuga, surrounded by a lunar landscape you can find Cala Presili. Known also as Cala Capifort, this is a small beach presided by the view of the Favàritx Lighthouse. If there are too many people on the other beach (not very probable), this cove is an interesting alternative.
Access: The access is the same that we already described for Cala Tortuga.
22. Playa Binibeca
Although Playa Binibeca/Binibèquer is very close to the residential Binibèquer Nou, it has the aspect of a virgin beach. Shallow and crystal clear water make it one of the favourite beaches of local families in Menorca with kids. The only downside is that in summer usually there’s almost no free space in the sand because of the sun beds and sun umbrellas that cover the whole beach. If you go to this beach, don’t forget to visit the lovely seaside village of Binibèquer Vell with its white houses.
Access: There are two free parking lots next to the beach.
23. Playa Es Grau
As you have already seen, there are many beaches on the island that are perfect for kids. However, Playa Es Grau is surely the number 1 beach for families in Menorca. A small island protects the whole bay and during the first 20-30 meters into the sea the water is shallow enough that even very small kids can walk in it. The beach is semi-urban since it’s just next to the small village called Es Grau, but on the other side the beach is surrounded by the s’Albufera des Grau National Park. 
Access: ¡Es Grau has several parking lots, one just next to the beach, but there are other parking places nearby.
24. Playa de Punta Prima
Playa de Punta Prima is also an urban beach, but it’s amongst the prettiest ones. It’s also very close to Mahon, the capital of the island. The shallow water and nice sand beach make this beach an interesting alternative for those who stay in the capital. There are all kinds of services available, and the main attraction of the beach are the views of the lighthouse on the small island of Isla del Aire, just in front of the beach.
Access: There’s a parking lot just next to the beach.
25. Cala Roja
Very close to Playa Cavallería one of our Top 5 beaches in Menorca there’s a small cove called Cala Roja. It’s one of those beaches that are never busy, not even in high season, since it’s overshadowed by the beauty of Cavallería Beach. It’s a great option, if you want to a lovely beach for almost just yourself. One of the typical activities of this beach is to cover yourself with mud. 
Access: From the parking of Cala Cavallería you have to follow the path and the way down to the beach is to the right.
We conclude here our trip around the 25 most beautiful beaches in Menorca. We are sure that, even if you don’t agree with our Top 5 or Top 10, on our list you will find your dream beach for your trip to Menorca.
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