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Voykit pocket guide · Spain
Maó
Base in Maó for 2 nights: old town on foot, harbour boat trip, one day out to a beach or fort. Skip it as a beach base — the town has no sand.
Maó is Menorca's capital and its working harbour town: a compact old town of churches, a gin distillery and a food market, wrapped around a 5 km inlet. It is where you land, eat and sleep well, not where you swim — the nearest sand is 8 km north at Es Grau or 11 km south at Punta Prima. Two nights covers the town; add nights if you use it as an island base.
- Country
- Spain
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowds and heat), Nov–Mar (many harbour places shut)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including tapas bars and taxis in the cities.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–95 excl. bed · Mid €95–160 excl. bed · High €160+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EU and EEA plans roam at home prices; UK and other plans may charge — check before you land.
- Emergency
- All services 112 · National police 091 · Guardia Civil 062
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Bar or café: Leave small change or nothing.; Restaurant: Round up or 5–10% for good service; service is not usually added.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter: €1–2 a bag.; Guide on a free walking tour: €10–15 a person is the expected payment.
- Water
- Tap water is safe across the mainland; it tastes of chlorine in some coastal areas. Ask for 'agua del grifo' in restaurants — by law since 2025 they must offer it free (check local application).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars and cafés (buy a coffee). Stations and shopping centres have free or cheap toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €1.50–2.50 |
| Menu del día at lunch | €14–22 |
| Tapas plate | €4–9 |
| Beer: caña at a bar / supermarket can | €2–3.50 / €0.80–1.50 |
| Gin tour and tasting at Xoriguer | about €15 adult (check) |
| Museu de Menorca entry | about €4 adult (check) |
| Bus Maó to Ciutadella | about €6–7 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MAH · Menorca Airport
- 5 km southwest in Sant Lluís; bus to town every 30 min, about 10 min3.1 mi southwest in Sant Lluís; bus to town every 30 min, about 10 min
Typical fares
- Airport → Maó bus station
- about €3, 10 min (check)
- Bus Maó → Ciutadella
- about €6–7, 1 h (check)
- Taxi across town
- €8–12 (check)
Get around
The old town is traffic-restricted and camera-enforced: park outside and walk. TMSA buses run the island spine (Ciutadella–Ferreries–Alaior–Maó–Sant Lluís) from the bus station by Plaça Esplanada; bus 1 to Ciutadella takes about 1 h, bus 2 to Es Castell about 15 min. Taxis wait at the Esplanada and on the waterfront.
See and do
Known for
- Natural harbour and waterfront
- Xoriguer gin distillery
- Santa Maria de Maó and its organ
- Mercat des Peix food court
- Mahón cheese and mayonnaise
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Es Castell and Fortalesa de la Mola | Bus 2 from Maó bus station, about 15 min, then a taxi or long walk to the fortress | About 1 h |
| Es Grau beach | Car or taxi, 8 km north; no direct town busCar or taxi, 5 mi north; no direct town bus | 20–30 min |
| Sant Lluís and Punta Prima | Bus 91 or 94 from Maó bus station, 20–30 min | About 30–45 min |
| Ciutadella | Bus 1 (about 1 h) or express bus 14 (about 45 min, weekdays) | About 1 h |
| Cala Galdana | Car via Ferreries, about 35 kmCar via Ferreries, about 22 mi | About 45 min |
| Son Bou | Car via Alaior, about 20 kmCar via Alaior, about 12 mi | About 30 min |
Sleep
- Old town (centre)
- Around Plaça de la Constitució and Carrer Nou: walk to everything, quiet at night, few rooms.
- Moll de Llevant / Moll de Ponent waterfront
- Harbour views and the bar strip; 10–15 min uphill walk to the old town.
- West edge (Sant Esteve, Dalt Vilanova)
- Modern hotels with pools, 10–15 min walk in; cheaper than the centre.
- Son Vilar / Bintaufa
- Suburban, 2–3 km out; only worth it with a car or for the sports pavilion.Suburban, 1.2–1.9 mi out; only worth it with a car or for the sports pavilion.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HolaOH-lah |
| Thank you | Gràcies / GraciasGRAH-syehs / GRAH-syahs |
| The bill, please | El compte, si us plauel KOM-tuh, see oos plow |
| Where is the bus station? | On és l'estació d'autobusos?on ehs luh-stah-SYOH dow-toh-BOO-sos |
| Can I pay by card? | Puc pagar amb targeta?pook pah-GAR um tar-GEH-tuh |
| A table for two, please | Una taula per a dos, si us plauOO-nuh TOW-luh pehr uh dos, see oos plow |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Two kisses on the cheek (right then left) between friends and when introduced socially; handshake in business; avoid: Being stiff — Spaniards stand close and touch arms
- Meal times: Late lunch and dinner; long sobremesa (chat after eating); avoid: Rushing to leave or asking for the bill with the last bite
- Noise: Join in the lively conversation; avoid: Reading loud voices as anger
- Siesta hours: Keep noise down in residential buildings 15:00–17:00 and after 23:00; avoid: Phone calls to people at lunch time
- Dress: Smart casual in cities; locals rarely wear shorts in Madrid in town; avoid: Swimwear or bare torsos away from the beach
- Regional pride: Ask about local dishes and festivals; avoid: Assuming Catalan or Basque are dialects of Spanish
Scams and watch-outs
- No beach in town: the waterfront is rock and quay, not sand.
- Old-town streets are traffic-restricted and camera-enforced — fines are automatic.
- Many Moll de Ponent restaurants close or cut hours from November to March.
- Sunday and public-holiday buses run a reduced timetable; check the TMSA site before relying on one.
Maó is a low-risk town: the usual pickpocket care on the Moll de Ponent bar strip at night, sun and rock care at the swimming spots, and no beach in town to fall back on.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Maó yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Natural harbour and waterfront
- Xoriguer gin distillery
- Santa Maria de Maó and its organ
- Mercat des Peix food court
- Mahón cheese and mayonnaise
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- TMSA — Menorca bus network: www.tmsa.es/en/transporte-regular
- Museu de Menorca: www.museudemenorca.com/
- Fortalesa de la Mola — visits: www.fortalesalamola.com/en/visits
- Xoriguer distillery: xoriguer.es/
- Wikivoyage: Maó, revision 5149106 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5149106
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Maó
A aquesta adreça, si us plau
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Maó; the US has a consulate-general in Barcelona, the UK and most others have embassies in Madrid.
Menorca has two official languages, Catalan and Spanish; place names on signs are usually Catalan (Maó, not Mahón).
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/mao). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.