The British made Maó the capital for its harbour, and their mark is everywhere: in the architecture, in the Xoriguer gin still distilled by the quay, in Menorcan words that come from English. The city, up top, is one of shopping streets and squares with views; the harbour, below, is where life beats — restaurants, boats and that bustle of sheltered water.
The harbour, the star
Five kilometres from the mouth to the city, with islets loaded with history (the Isla del Rey, with its restored British hospital; the Llatzeret, the old quarantine station). Touring it by boat, with the Maó market as a stop, is the best way to understand why this harbour was so disputed — and to see the city as those arriving by sea saw it.
Up top, the city
Maó's old town is for strolling without hurry: the Plaça de la Constitució with its church, the Claustre del Carme market, the shops of the main street and the viewpoints over the harbour. And, of course, the gin distillery by the quay, an obligatory stop for the pomada.
Maó is the Menorca that faces the sea head-on. Give it a day: a morning by boat around the harbour, lunch with water views, and an afternoon strolling the upper city, with a stop at the distillery. It's the seafaring counterpoint to stately Ciutadella.