Ciutadella is the old capital of Menorca, a handsome town of nearly thirty thousand people at the western end of the island, with a small harbour lined with fish restaurants and a cathedral built on the site of a mosque. The south-west corner of the island, below the town, holds some of the finest prehistoric remains on Menorca, including the burial chamber known as the Naveta des Tudons, a stone structure shaped like an upturned boat that is among the oldest roofed buildings in Europe. It belongs to the talayotic culture that built towers and T-shaped sanctuaries across the island over many centuries.
The island's quietest beaches are here, too. Cala Turqueta, Macarella and Macarelleta sit at the end of short roads through pine woods, and the water in them is a pale turquoise that looks Caribbean on a sunny day. Access in summer is restricted by car parks that fill early, so arrive in the morning or in the evening, or come outside the high season.
Riding on Menorca is mellow. The road from Maó to Ciutadella runs straight and quiet across the middle of the island, and the side roads that fork south to the beaches are narrow, lined with the dry stone walls that the island is known for. Speed limits are low, enforcement is real, and in high summer the roads fill with rental cars. A motorbike is a good way to get about, and parking at the beaches is easier. Cala Galdana, in the municipality of Ferreries, sits in a deep cleft between pine-clad cliffs and has a tourist village of the sort you'd expect.
Ciutadella has fuel and good places to eat. A grilled fish or a lobster stew, the caldereta, is the local treat, and the pomada, a mix of gin and lemonade, is the drink at every festival. In June the Sant Joan festival fills the streets with horses and riders, an astonishing sight.
Come in May, June or September for the best combination of warmth and space. Winter is mild but windy, and the north wind, the tramontana, can be strong.