Menorca, as we have already noted in other articles, is an island that offers a lot to all types of tourists who visit it, and provides a wide range of leisure and entertainment, cultural, learning and nature enjoyment possibilities for families who come with their children, whether they are young or not so young. We believe that learning about cultures and landscapes as a family helps to create stronger family bonds, to understand and have a unified vision of the world and to create common and unforgettable memories and anecdotes.
Visit Menorca as a Family
Menorca is much more than beaches and sunshine, in fact more and more Menorca is not understandable without everything else, its path of horses on foot, on horseback, on bicycle, running (…), its white villages, its small ports, its kayak trips along the cliffs, its Talayotic culture, the rich urban culture of Ciutadella or Maó, the popular festivals, Sant Joan, the gastronomy, the calderetas (…), the millenary lighthouses, the landscapes of the south, those of nortes, the Minorcan farmhouses, the lands between dry stone walls (…), its idó people!
Minorca is quiet compared to the other islands, especially and as in other places, outside the high season.
Obviously during the high season the tranquillity will not be so much, but it is still much quieter and less overwhelming than many other places. Menorca allows you to get lost in the summer with your family in more remote places where the beaches are more uninhabited if your children like walks in the woods among the pines and oaks.
What to do with children in Menorca? We will try to help answer this question and give you a variety of possibilities to inspire you and give you some ideas for your trip. It will depend a little bit on the age of your children and their/your concerns.
Activities on the sea in Menorca: we have a more detailed article on this subject here, but we will tell you very briefly.
It can be fun and entertaining for the children or youngers of the house to make a boat trip through the coves of the south with some stops and lunch included as Menorca Blava does, that has departures from 10h to 17h. You can also rent a small boat without a licence for 3-4 passengers, try paddle surfing or maybe a small kayak excursion around the beach where you are (also for families with children from 3 years old) and if you or your children are more adventurous and want to discover a little visited Menorca there is the possibility of doing Coasteering in Menorca that usually combines kayaking with snorkelling, jumping into the sea (optional) and visits to caves, there are affordable routes for ages from 5 years.
Visit El Toro: The highest mountain in Menorca, ‘El Toro’, is located right in the geographical centre of the island, in the region of Mercadal, a small village of few inhabitants with a lot of charm. If you visit the village we recommend you go to the centre where you will find one of the oldest and most famous cake shops on the island; “Cas Sucrer” and buy the typical “Carquiñols” which are like crunchy almond biscuits that children usually like very much. From the top of the mountain ‘El Toro’, on a clear day you can see the whole island from coast to coast and all around, one of the best views is the north where you can see perfectly the bay of Fornells and Cavallería. At the top, you will find a small church, a small Bar-Restaurant and even, in the parking area some tables to eat or drink something under the Mediterranean pine.
Defence towers of Menorca: If your children like a bit of history or even fantasy or the monumental character of certain buildings, it can be very interesting to take a tour and visit the different defence towers around the island, some of them better preserved such as those in Fornells or Ciutadella. It doesn’t have to be an exclusive day, and if you go to some places close to them, take advantage and visit some of them. The best known are:
· Ciutadella: Torre de Sant Nicolau and Torre “Des Castellà
· Fornells, at the end of the village, very easy to reach.
· Sa Mesquida, on the same beach
· Sa Nitja” tower is on the way to the Cavalleria lighthouse.
· Alcaufar
· Punta Prima, is in the same urbanization
· Addaia, in the same development you have access to it.
A related visit that can also be fun is the Castle of Son Felip or Fort Marlborough, a fortification made by the English during their domination. They do guided tours, is in the part of Mahon to the town of Es Castell.
Visit Ciutadella: here you will find our specific article about Ciutadella (link).
Talayotic settlements in Minorca: Minorca has a unique prehistoric culture that deserves a bit of your time as it will give you a lot in return. Also related to the culture, the stone buildings, but much older, there are many remains from the Talayotic period, that is about 1000-1500 years BC that are unique in the world for some special characteristics but above all for a unique architectural element known as “Taula” (from 700 BC) which are T-shaped pillars that are found in many of the villages. There are several that are in good condition but above all the following ones are easy to visit with children and are in the countryside which gives them a sense of absolute freedom.
The best villages to visit are:
· Torralba de’n Salort: In this village you can find the biggest Taula of all the villages in Menorca and one of the best preserved.
· Torre d’en Gaumes: Very prepared to make visits of easy access and with a great extension, one of the biggest ancient towns of the island
· Talatí de Dalt: Surely this is a very characteristic image since the Taula has another unique inclined element.
· Naveta des Tudons: An ancient burial monument, it is the best preserved and the largest of this type of unique construction in the world.
Lighthouses of Menorca: A tour of the lighthouses of Menorca can also be part of the family’s itinerary and programme. Some of them are in spectacular locations and the landscape alone is worth the visit.
The most interesting ones:
· Faro Nati: It is located in the area of Ciutadella towards the north, you can easily access and it is well indicated. There is an air-conditioned car park and you have to finish walking about 200 metres. This area is interesting because it is different as it is totally exposed to the north wind, there is almost no vegetation and you will be able to see some round stone buildings that will surely surprise you. They are called “pont” and serve to protect the herd in case of storms or blizzards.
· Cavalleria Lighthouse: It is a few km away from Cavalleria beach. The lighthouse is located on a 94m high cliff so you can imagine how impressive the landscape is. On the way and very close by you can stop and see a small port, a defence tower and very well preserved remains of what was once a Roman settlement.
· Favaritx lighthouse: Here you can tell your children that you are going to visit a landscape as if it were the moon. It is in the area of Mahon, but you have to take into account that you can only access it freely in your car before May and from October onwards, the rest of the season you have to go in a special bus that leaves from Mahon.
The best beaches to go with children in Menorca: Here we propose you the best and easiest beaches with the best services, it is clear that if you are more adventurous you can go to many more beaches.
a. Virgin beaches. These beaches are characterized by the fact that the parking is more or less close to the beach and the road is usually straight and easy, so if you go with children it won’t be so long
· Son Saura
· Mitjana Cove
· Algaiarens
· Binigaus
· Cavalleria
b. Urbanized beaches. In these cases, they are beaches that although they are in urbanizations are very beautiful and you will have all the facilities of access and services.
· Cala’n Bosch
· Galdana Cove
· Saint Thomas
· Son Bou
· Arenal d’en Castell
· Porter Cove
· Punta Prima
Children’s parks in Menorca: Although all the family hotels in Menorca are well prepared with activities for children and related services, it is always good to have an alternative outside the premises such as both public and private parks in some bars or cafes that offer bouncy castles and the like.
· Ciutadella: In the Plaza de Los Pinos there is a large park with separate areas for children and adults. There are also cafeterias where you can have a drink while the children play.
Plaza de “L’Empordà” this is more suitable for children although it also has a basketball court.
· Urbanization of Cala’n Blanes: In this area you have several options for private parks. Above all we recommend the one at the Aquacenter which has trampolines, inflatables, zip lines and much more. Similar to this one you find almost in front Bar Park Aire and offers almost the same, maybe it has a more touristic and English atmosphere.
· Mahon: Park of es Freginal. Right in the centre of Mahon, near a public car park.
In the square of “Sa Explanada” you will find a park but it is for younger children.
Water Parks of Menorca: This could be a very fun option for the family to do if you like this kind of attractions. There are 3 main water parks on the island.
– Aquarock: It is in the Cala’n Bosch urbanization in the Ciutadella area. It has a wave pool and several types of slides. Apart from this they also have a go-kart circuit.
– Aquapark Los Delfines: You can find it in the urbanization of Cala’n Blanes also in Ciutadella. It is very well prepared for families with children and the good thing is that when you finish you can stay a while in a children’s park with inflatables that they have at the exit with other attractions.
– Splash: This is the last one to be built, perhaps the biggest or at least the one with the most options in terms of slides. You can find it in the Alcaufar urbanization in the area of Mahon
As you can see if you come to Menorca with children you have many options, you can do many things that your children will surely love. You can do a little bit of everything and take advantage of a visit to do some of the activities we have recommended. I’m sure that within your own hotel, provided that it is the type of accommodation you choose, there will be services for children, but do not forget to do some of those we have indicated, because it will surely be fun for them.
We hope to be able to update this blog article because there are many other possibilities that have not been contemplated and help you to enrich your family experiences in Menorca if you have loved it and want to visit us again.
TUUR Coasteering Menorca
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