Menorca

Menorca is a serene Balearic Island, offering a laid-back alternative to its more well known neighbors, Ibiza and Majorca.

The south boasts white sandy bays and coves like Cala Macarella and Cala Mitjana, while the north has more rugged volcanic landscapes.

The capital, Mahón, has a massive natural harbor, while the former capital, Ciutadella, features charming, old-world streets.Top activities include boating, kayaking, diving, and exploring prehistoric monuments.

Local specialties include seafood, particularly lobster stew (caldereta de llagosta), and Mahón cheese.
Summer is hot and busy and perfect for the beach while spring and aautumn anre Ideal for hiking and cycling with milder temperatures.

Some History

The island is known for its collection of megalithic stone monuments: navetes, taules and talaiots, which indicate very early prehistoric human activity. Some of the earliest culture on Menorca was influenced by other Mediterranean cultures, including the Greek Minoans of ancient Crete.

The island has been invaded and controlled by numerous powers throughout history. The end of the Punic Wars in the 3rd Centirty BC saw an increase in piracy in the western Mediterranean, including around Menorca.. Then the Roman occupation of Hispania had meant a growth of maritime trade between the Iberian and Italian peninsulas.

The island had a Jewish population. The Letter on the Conversion of the Jews by a fifth-century bishop tells of the forced conversion of the island’s 540 Jewish men and women in AD 418.

The Vandals easily conquered Menorca in the fifth century. The Byzantine Empire recovered it in 534. Following the Umayyad conquest of Hispania, Menorca was annexed to the Caliphate of Córdoba in 903, with many Muslims emigrating to the island.

After the Christian conquest of 1287, the island was part of the Crown of Aragon. For some time it was ceded to the Kingdom of Mallorca, a vassal state of the Crown, but it was retaken by the king of Aragon in 1343. Eventually the Crown of Aragon merged with the Crown of Castile, and so Menorca became part of Spain.

During the 16th century, Turkish naval attacks destroyed Mahon, and the then the capital, Ciutadella. In Mahon, Barbary pirates from North Africa took booty and as many as 6,000 slaves.

Anglo-Dutch forces captured Menorca in 1708 during the War of the Spanish Succession. The island became a British possession and was formally ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Peace of Utrecht.

In 1782, Franco-Spanish forces captured the island during the American Revolutionary War, and Britain ceded the island back to Spain in the 1783 Peace of Paris. The British once again captured Menorca in 1798 during the French Revolutionary Wars, though they ceded it back to Spain in 1802 Treaty of Amiens.

Destination: Spanish Islands