Question 1

Mahón on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Mahón's center is compact enough to see on foot from the ship, with its main church, a market in an old cloister and the last medieval gate all close together. Add a harbor boat trip or the island museum if you have time. Up into town: Take the stairs or the lift from the waterfront. Santa Maria church on Plaça de la Constitució was begun in 1748, and its organ was completed in 1810. The Town Hall next to it dates from 1789. The cloister market: The Mercat des Claustre is set in the cloisters of the former Carmelite convent beside the Carme church, built in the 1750s. The medieval gate: The Portal de Sant Roc, built in 1359, is the last surviving piece of the medieval town walls. Gin on the quay: The Xoriguer distillery's shop on the harbor at Moll de Ponent is also the entrance to the distillery, where its gin is made in copper stills. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. Carry photo ID: In Spain you must show photo ID if a police officer asks for it.

Question 2

Getting Around

Accepted Answer

Buses from the station on Plaça de s'Esplanada reach the rest of the island, and taxis wait on the Esplanada and the waterfront. Es Castell, where the old fortifications guarding the harbor are clustered, is a short bus ride away. Bus 1 runs to Ciutadella, the old capital 45 km away on the Me-1 road, and takes about an hour. Bus 14 is a weekday express that takes about 45 minutes. Bus 2 runs to Es Castell, about 15 minutes away. Many of Menorca's bus lines run only in summer. The Illa del Rei, the hospital island in the harbor, is reached by boat from the waterfront.

Question 3

Food and Drink

Accepted Answer

Mayonnaise is thought to take its name from Mahón, and the island's cheese is named after the town too. Mayonnaise: One story says a French chef created the sauce in 1756 for a feast after the capture of Mahón, though it may be older. Mahón cheese: Formatge de Maó is the island's own cheese. Gin and pomada: Menorcan gin is distilled from wine alcohol rather than grain spirit and has protected geographical status as Gin de Mahón. Mixed with lemonade, it becomes pomada, the drink of the summer festes. Lobster stew: Caldereta, a lobster stew, is the specialty of Fornells on the north coast. Something sweet: Flaons are a typical Menorcan pastry. A food hall: The former fish market on Plaça d'Espanya, the Mercat des Peix, is now a food hall.

Question 4

Tipping in Spain

Accepted Answer

Tipping is not mandatory or considered customary in Spain, and no service charge is added to the bill. The currency is the euro. In mid-range and better restaurants, 5 to 10 percent is given when the service was exemplary. A tip for a taxi driver is not required, even if one is asked for.

Question 5

Festes, Music and Prehistory

Accepted Answer

Menorca's summer festivals center on horses and riders, and Mahón holds its own in early September in honor of the Virgin of Gràcia. The town also has an opera house built in 1829. The Festes de Gràcia: During the town's festival in early September, some 150 to 180 Menorcan horses enter the town hall square four at a time, and the crowd urges them to rear up. Riders, giants and a fife player are part of the procession. Music: An international opera week and an international organ festival are held in Mahón. Prehistory: Menorca's prehistoric monuments, the talaiots, taulas and navetes, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Taula de Trepucó, a prehistoric village with a taula, is close to Mahón. Language: Catalan and Spanish are both official. The island's Catalan has English loanwords from the years of British rule, such as grevi, from gravy, and xoc, from chalk. A biosphere reserve: UNESCO named the whole island a biosphere reserve in October 1993.

Question 6

A Brief History

Accepted Answer

Mahón's harbor has drawn conquerors since antiquity, and in the 18th century it changed hands between Britain, France and Spain again and again. The British made the town Menorca's capital, and it has been Spanish since 1802. A Carthaginian name: The town's name is traced to the Carthaginian general Mago Barca, Hannibal's brother, who is thought to have sheltered here in 205 BC. The Romans called it Portus Magonis. Muslim Menorca, 903 to 1287: The island was annexed to the Caliphate of Córdoba in 903. Alfonso III of Aragon took it on 17 January 1287, a date now celebrated as Menorca's national day. Barbarossa's raid, 1535: Ottoman forces under Hayreddin Barbarossa sacked Mahón and carried 600 people off as slaves to Algiers. British Menorca, 1708 to 1756: Anglo-Dutch forces took the island in 1708, and Britain kept it under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. The British moved the capital from Ciutadella to Mahón and opened a Royal Navy dockyard across the harbor in 1715. A prize fought over: France took Menorca in 1756 after the siege of Fort St Philip, and the British admiral John Byng, who failed to relieve it, was court-martialed and shot. Britain regained the island in 1763, lost it to France and Spain in 1782, retook it in 1798 and finally ceded it to Spain in 1802. The quarantine island, 1793 to 1807: A lazaretto was built on an island near the harbor entrance, where crews of ships suspected of carrying disease could be held for up to 40 days. It can be visited only on an official tour. The US Navy: From 1815 until the mid-19th century the US Navy kept its Mediterranean headquarters at Mahón. La Mola: The Fortress of Isabel II, on the north side of the harbor mouth, was built by Spain in the 19th century. The Civil War: Menorca stayed loyal to the Republic until February 1939, and Mahón was bombed by Nationalist and Italian aircraft. To learn more ashore: The Museu de Menorca at Pla des Monestir 9 is the place to learn about the island's prehistoric talaiotic culture, which is a World Heritage Site. It is closed on Mondays.

Question 7

Mahón with Children

Accepted Answer

Mahón suits families who mix a short town walk with a boat or a fortress. The town has a waterfront but no beach, so swimming means a bus or taxi ride. Younger children: Glass-bottomed boats run trips around the harbor. For a swim, Es Grau, 8 km north of town, has a sandy beach about 300 meters long with clear, sheltered water that stays shallow a long way out. School age: La Mola, the 19th-century fortress at the harbor mouth, has underground galleries to explore and views over the harbor entrance. A ticket for children aged 6 to 11 cost €4.25 in 2026, under-6s go free, and the fortress closes in January, so check before you go. Teenagers: Talatí de Dalt, near Mahón, is a prehistoric village built around a talaiot, a squat stone tower from the early Iron Age around 1000 BC.

Question 8

Accessible Travel

Accepted Answer

The old town sits above the waterfront, and a panoramic lift at Sa Punta links the harbor with the town above. The center itself is compact and mostly closed to traffic. The Sa Punta lift opened in 2013 and holds up to 16 people. The Museu de Menorca gives free admission to disabled visitors with an accreditation card. Ask your cruise line how far your ship's berth is from the lift.

Mahon, Spain

Good to know

Arriving in the Harbor