Menorca Itineraries: Day Charters and Multi-Day Routes
Menorca’s compact size and abundance of calas make it ideal for both day charters and multi-day explorations. The 3-day and 4-day itineraries below cover different stretches of coast and can be combined into a 7-day voyage that circles the entire island without repeating a single anchorage. Day charter routes offer standalone outings from Mahón, the most common embarkation point. Every itinerary is fully customisable – your captain reads the wind and sea conditions each morning and adjusts accordingly.
Day Charter Routes from Mahón
Mahón to Cala Turqueta: Southern Calas Sampler
Depart Mahón harbour mid-morning and cruise south along the eastern coast to Cala Turqueta (roughly 2 hours). Anchor in 4–5 metres over sand and swim ashore to 110 metres of fine white sand fringed by pine forest. Snorkel along the rocky arms of the cove where visibility exceeds 18 metres on a calm day – grouper, octopus and colourful wrasse patrol the rocks. After a chef-prepared lunch on the aft deck (fresh fish, Mahón cheese, local tomatoes), reposition to nearby Cala Mitjana for an afternoon swim in its emerald, cliff-flanked waters. Return to Mahón as the evening light catches the harbour-entrance fortifications and La Mola fortress looms above. Duration: 7–9 hours.
Mahón to Cala Pregonda: The North Coast
Cruise north-west from Mahón, rounding the coast to Cala Pregonda (roughly 1.5 hours). The approach by sea reveals the cove’s full drama: red-gold sand coloured by ancient Palaeozoic sandstone, sculpted rock stacks offshore, and a wild, windswept beauty that feels closer to the Hebrides than the Med. Anchor and swim ashore for a morning on this extraordinary beach. After lunch on board (your chef might serve caldereta de llagosta if lobster was sourced that morning), continue west to explore the fjord-like inlets of the north coast, where the Tramontana wind has carved the rock into extraordinary shapes. Return to Mahón via the open northern shore, passing Cap de Favàritx – a lighthouse perched on dark slate rock amid a lunar landscape of jagged, barren terrain. Duration: 7–8 hours.
Mahón Harbour and Isla del Rey: The Heritage Tour
For a shorter outing, explore the full 6 km of one of the world’s great natural harbours by yacht and tender. Visit Isla del Rey – a small island in the harbour centre that houses a restored 18th-century British naval hospital (established 1711 by Admiral Jennings), now home to the Hauser & Wirth art gallery (opened 2021, eight galleries, works by Chillida, Bourgeois and Miró, a Piet Oudolf garden, and free admission). Continue past the Georgian waterfront mansions, the La Mola fortress, and the traditional boat workshops. Stop at the Xoriguer gin distillery for a tasting of gin distilled from wine in copper stills over 250 years old (plus hierbas de Menorca, pomada, and calent, a cinnamon spirit served hot). Your chef sets up a gourmet lunch anchored in the harbour’s calm inner basin. Afternoon: a stroll through Mahón’s market and old town. Duration: 5–7 hours.
3-Day Menorca Yacht Charter Itinerary: The Southern Calas
Day 1: Mahón to Cala Turqueta and Cala Mitjana
Board your yacht in Mahón harbour by mid-morning. After a welcome briefing and champagne toast, cruise south along the eastern coast (roughly 2 hours) to Cala Turqueta. Drop anchor in 4–5 metres over sand and swim ashore to the beach – fine white sand, pine-scented air, water that shifts from pale aquamarine at the shore to deep sapphire at the cove’s mouth. Snorkel along the rocky edges where grouper, octopus and colourful wrasse hide in the crevices. After lunch on board (your chef sources Mahón cheese from the morning market – a DOP-protected cow’s-milk cheese aged to a buttery, slightly salty depth of flavour), reposition a short distance south-west to Cala Mitjana – 90 metres of emerald water flanked by high cliffs and backed by forest. Anchor overnight between Cala Mitjana and its smaller neighbour Cala Mitjaneta, with dinner on the aft deck under a sky so dark the Milky Way is clearly visible.
Day 2: Cala Macarella, Cala Macarelleta and Son Saura
A short morning cruise brings you to Cala Macarella – a wider, horseshoe-shaped cove framed by 30-metre limestone cliffs and some of Menorca’s clearest water. Swim ashore and walk the 15-minute clifftop trail through the pines to Cala Macarelleta, its smaller, more intimate neighbour (accessible only on foot or by tender). Back on the yacht, your chef serves a Menorcan-inspired lunch: grilled prawns with aioli, local cheese, tomato salad, and a chilled rosé. In the afternoon, cruise west to Son Saura, a pair of wide sandy beaches on the south-west coast – one of the few spots where the sand stretches for hundreds of metres. Anchor overnight in Son Saura’s calm bay with sundowners and a barbecue on the aft deck, the pine forest dark and fragrant behind the beach.
Day 3: Ciutadella and Return to Mahón
Cruise the short distance north to Ciutadella, Menorca’s old capital. Tender ashore into the narrow harbour – one of the most photographed in the Mediterranean, tucked under the old city walls, lined with boats, restaurants and bars – and spend the morning exploring the honey-coloured old town: the Catalan Gothic cathedral (14th century, belltower reusing the original minaret of the mosque it replaced), the neoclassical Palau Salort (open to visitors, with a Room of Mirrors containing 12 Louis XVI mirrors), and a network of artisan shops selling avarcas (Menorca’s famous handmade leather sandals, the island’s most recognisable export). Lunch at Café Balear on the harbour (family-run since the 1970s, seafood sourced from their own fishing boat). In the early afternoon, depart for the return cruise to Mahón (roughly 20 nautical miles along the south coast, about 1.5 hours). Your captain may pause at Cala Galdana (a 400-metre horseshoe bay, the gateway to the southern calas) or Cala en Porter (home to the Cova d’en Xoroi, a natural cave carved into the clifftop and converted into a bar with what are reputed to be the best sunset views on the island) for one final dip before reaching Mahón harbour by late afternoon.
4-Day Menorca Yacht Charter Itinerary: Full Island Circuit
Day 1: Mahón to the North Coast – Cala Pregonda
Board in Mahón and cruise north-west around the coast to Cala Pregonda (roughly 1.5 hours). Anchor off this extraordinary cove of red-gold sand (coloured by Palaeozoic sedimentary rock that predates most of the Mediterranean’s geology), sculpted rock stacks, and wild northern beauty. Swim, snorkel and explore the rocky shore, then enjoy lunch on board as the yacht repositions to nearby Cala Cavalleria – a 500-metre crescent of reddish-gold sand on the north coast, rugged and windswept, with clear calm waters and the Cavalleria lighthouse (the island’s northernmost point) on the cliffs above. Anchor overnight in the shelter of the headland, with nothing but the sound of waves and the occasional call of a Balearic shearwater.
Day 2: Fornélls and the Northern Fjords
Cruise east to the natural harbour of Fornélls, a small fishing village famous across Spain for its caldereta de llagosta. Anchor in the wide bay and tender ashore for a mid-morning coffee and a wander through the quiet lanes. If your group is keen, arrange a kayak excursion through the fjord-like inlets west of Fornélls – part of the Northern Menorca natural reserve, the rocky coast is riddled with caves and clear-water channels accessible only from the water. Lunch at Es Cranc (their lobster tank at the harbour ensures the freshest possible stew) or Sa Llagosta (Repsol-recommended, thicker and more intensely flavoured). In the afternoon, cruise east toward Cap de Favàritx, Menorca’s most dramatic headland: dark slate rock, a lonely lighthouse (built 1922, the first concrete lighthouse in the Balearics, 28 metres tall with a distinctive black spiral stripe), and an almost lunar landscape of jagged, barren terrain that feels more Iceland than Mediterranean. Anchor overnight in a sheltered cove nearby.
Day 3: East Coast to the Southern Calas
Cruise south along Menorca’s eastern shore, passing Cala Mesquida (a wide sandy bay with low dunes) and the resort town of Son Bou (the island’s longest beach at 2,500 metres). Continue to the southern calas: Cala en Porter (home to Cova d’en Xoroi, a natural cave club perched on the clifftop with the best sunset views on the island – entry €12–25 including a drink) and then on to Cala Galdana, a 400-metre horseshoe bay that serves as the gateway to the south-west coast. Cala Galdana has Blue Flag status, sheltered waters, and a pleasant promenade ashore for an evening stroll. Anchor for the night in the bay’s calm waters with a chef-prepared dinner featuring Mahón cheese (the nutty, slightly salty DOP cow’s-milk cheese that is Menorca’s other great gastronomic export) and local wines.
Day 4: Cala Macarella, Cala Turqueta and Return to Mahón
Your final day saves the best for last. A short hop from Cala Galdana brings you to Cala Macarella and Cala Macarelleta for an early-morning swim in water so clear it feels like snorkelling in a swimming pool – 30-metre cliffs on either side, pine forest above, not a sound beyond the slap of water on the rocks. Continue to Cala Turqueta for the ultimate farewell anchorage: 110 metres of white sand, shifting turquoise light, and pine-scented air so clean it feels medicinal. Your chef serves a farewell brunch on the aft deck – warm ensaimadas, Mahón cheese with local honey, tropical fruit, freshly squeezed juice and a cafetito with hierbas. Depart by early afternoon for the return cruise to Mahón (roughly 2 hours along the south coast), arriving in the grand harbour by late afternoon with time for a final stroll through the market, a pomada at a harbour bar, or a sunset drink on the terrace of the Xoriguer distillery as the La Mola fortress catches the last light.
Guests looking for a longer voyage can combine the 3-day southern calas route with the 4-day full island circuit for a comprehensive 7-day Menorca charter. The two itineraries are designed to cover different ground, so there is no overlap – and a full week in Menorca still will not exhaust the island’s supply of beautiful calas.
