Things to see and do Minorca

The Bastió de sa Font, located near the town hall and Plaça des Born, is one of the few remaining vestiges of the fortified enclosure built in the ^17th century to replace the medieval wall, which was extensively damaged during the Turkish sacking of 1558. After having served as an extension to the Ciutadella Municipal Museum, this site, owned by the municipality, now fulfils the museum's conservation and research functions. In particular, it houses a dedicated space for researchers.

This imposing bastion is one of the few remains of the ^17th-century wall that once surrounded the town of Cuitadella. Although its origins date back to the ^14th century, after the town became part of the Catalan-Aragonese Crown, the wall was largely rebuilt after the Turkish invasions of 1558, albeit along the original line. Overlooking the harbor, the bastion offers visitors a breathtaking view of its sparkling waters. The town hall now occupies the interior of the former ramparts.

The remains at So na Caçana tend to be considered those of a group of religious sanctuaries (a taula and two talayots) linked to several surrounding talayotic villages. However, there are indications that the site may have been a village in its own right: a few dwellings, two stone circles and a necropolis comprising a large number of funerary hypogeums. The site was occupied right up to Roman times, as demonstrated by the archaeological finds in some of its monuments.

Covering an area of 42,420 m², the ancient talayotic village of Son Catlar, located on the road between Ciutadella and Son Saura, was occupied until Roman times (123 B.C.) and features circular talayots (the site's oldest structures) and a cyclopean wall almost 900 metres long. The latter is the only prehistoric wall preserved in its entirety in which the talayotic construction system and the later square towers attached to it can be distinguished.

Talatí de Dalt is one of the island's most remarkable prehistoric villages. It is home to a number of monuments: a talayot with an elliptical plan and truncated cone-shaped profile, a taula enclosure, a housing area and a number of excavated caves. A column and its capital rest on the side of the central T, probably because they fell off by accident. During excavations, several ritual objects were found here, including the bony remains of lambs and goats, and amphorae for wine.

Nestling in the cliffs of Cales Coves, which form two coves, are some ninety caves carved out of the rock: this is Menorca's most important Talayotic necropolis. While the earliest caves date back to the Bronze Age, the most recent date back to the Iron Age (when funerary rites were combined with cremation). The objects found here are now housed in the Menorca Museum. During Roman times, the site was the object of religious pilgrimages.

At the heart of the eponymous church in the old center of Alaior, the Gràcia chapel, built in the ^16th century, underwent a complete restoration in 1734 due to its particularly advanced state of deterioration. During the civil war, it was used as an infirmary. Today, the Gràcia chapel, which remains one of the town's architectural gems, has lost its religious function and is used as an exhibition hall for contemporary art. A visit is recommended for both art and architecture.

After a long rehabilitation process, the convent of Sant Diego (1629) was transformed into a new cultural space in 2023. The center comprises the church of Sant Diego and the cloister: the Pati de Sa Lluna. As well as hosting cultural activities, two permanent exhibitions are held here: one on the ethnology of Menorca, the other on the evolution of the island's shoe industry. There's also an area dedicated to Menorcan cuisine (demonstrations) and gastronomy. A sensational place, well worth a visit!