Menorca has more prehistoric monuments per square kilometre than almost anywhere in Europe, and the land around Alaior is one of the richest parts. In the second millennium BC the island's people, known as the Talayotic culture, built big stone towers called talaiots, sanctuaries with T-shaped stone pillars called taulas, and cave burials, all from huge blocks of limestone piled without mortar. UNESCO inscribed the Talayotic Menorca sites in 2023. Near Alaior, large settlements such as Torre d'en Galmés and Torralba d'en Salord are the best known, and their stone enclosures are scattered across open fields, with dry-stone walls in all directions.
Alaior itself is a white-walled inland town of about nine thousand people on a hill, between Maó and Ciutadella, and it has two claims to fame: cheese and shoes. Mahón cheese, with its protected designation of origin, is produced on farms and in dairies around the town, and the local cheesemakers will happily sell you a wedge. The town has also been a centre for footwear production for generations. There is a lively market, a pleasant plaza and a church to see if it is open.
The riding on Menorca is a pleasant, gentle kind. Roads cross the island in long, rolling lines between stone walls, fields of grass and low olive and wild olive trees, with views toward the sea from the higher spots, and traffic is light outside the summer season. Corners are mild, and the main road, which runs the length of the island, is straight and fast. The northern wind, the Tramuntana, can be strong and salty, and gusts across the open land may push a motorcycle around, so keep a firm grip. Summer brings heat and crowds to the coast, whereas spring and autumn are quiet.
Alaior has fuel stations and supermarkets, and Maó, about nine kilometres away, has everything else, including a big natural harbour and gin made from juniper, a local tradition from the days of the British garrison in the eighteenth century. The Camí de Cavalls, an old coastal path, runs around the island, and many stretches can be reached by small roads. The air smells of thyme, sea spray and warm stone, and the light is bright and clear. Take your time at the monuments, because the stones are best understood in silence.