Ciutadella, Menorca: Old Town, Calas & Pont d'en Gil, Ciutadella de Menorca, Spain

Ciutadella is Menorca's western jewel - a medieval port town of honey-coloured stone, vibrant fish markets and some of the Balearics' most photogenic turquoise coves.

We drove into Ciutadella in the last light of Wednesday 28 October 2020, arriving at the western-shore viewpoint in the late afternoon with the town lights already coming on. Menorca was our first Balearic - six days, two kids (then 7 and 11), one rental car, and a loop strategy that put three nights on the east coast (Maó, Sant Lluís) and three on the west (Ferreries and Ciutadella). This guide covers the western half: the old town we walked on 30 October, the Pont d'en Gil we visited twice for two different sunsets, and the south-coast calas we fit in between.

The old town core is about 350 metres across - you can walk it in 40 minutes if you're not stopping, and a whole morning if you are. The south-coast calas (Cala Galdana, Cala en Turqueta, Macarella) are all within a 25-minute drive. Pont d'en Gil, the natural arch everyone photographs, sits 10 minutes north-west of town along the cliff coast. If you're basing here, two full days is the minimum; we made it work in one and a half and left wanting another afternoon. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).