Ciutadella
is the former capital of Menorca and is a delightful blend of grand tradition and quaint charm. Ciutadella harbour doesn’t have the same scale as Mahon harbour, but it more than makes up for this with its charming array of fishing boats, yachts and motor cruisers moored along both sides. Oh – and it doesn’t have a huge great power station stuck at the far end!
I first visited Ciutadella on my first visit to Menorca 20 years ago. I remember in particular taking a snap of my daughter on my then state of the art autofocus Pentax camera, which I later scanned into my “state of the art” Mac IIcx computer and digitally enhanced in some new software called Photoshop to become a painting of her walking down the steps to the jetty. I still remember her bright green tea shirt dress as vividly as if it were yesterday!
I’ve been back to Ciutadella half a dozen times since then with a variety of guests whom we’ve had to stay with us. Without exception all our visitors have agreed the hour long drive to Ciutadella from Binibeca has been well worth taking. None could put their finger on just exactly what it was, maybe the charm, maybe the history, possibly even the splendour of some of the magnificent buildings. The thing I noticed was that everyone seemed to walk just that little bit slower! Everyone was seeming to soak in the atmosphere and enjoy the view, whether it was the harbour, the buildings in the ancient part of the town, or just the shops and restaurants.
I definitely agree with other reviews of Ciutadella that I have read, Ciutadella is unique!
For night life, Ciutadella compares very well with Mahon, having numerous music bars and a great selection of cafes and restaurants. Ciutadella is known worldwide as one of Spain’s most beautiful cities – not bad for a city on a tiny 39 mile island! Now I am not a great one for visiting Churches and Cathedrals, but I have to say I could happily wander around Ciutadella’s old town for days and I would certainly not miss that leisurely stroll along the harbour for any other place on the island. If you do decide to take that wander around the old town, you cannot get lost as the area is bounded by the harbour at one end and a tree lined dual carriageway on the other three sides.
Places you must visit when you visit Ciutadella:
Placa des Born – is a great square, equal in stature to many of the great European squares, although some of its magnificence does become a little obscured by the leafy trees later in the season. The town hall was originally a royal palace and the huge buildings lining the square were all build in a very grand style by wealthy landowners of the day. Walk through the Calle Major d’es Born to access the pedestrian area of the old city. Head for the Placa de la Catedral to enjoy the Cathedral area. There’s a tourist office situsted right by the tiwn hall and you can get a local map here, highlighting the best places to visit.
Ses Voltes are the mediaeval arcades with lots of quaint cafes and clothes shops, some quite glamorous and also some quite pricey!
The Harbour. I love walking about the harbour, studying the variety and sizes of the many boats moored there. You can always get a decent meal or just stop off in one of th emany cafes for a coffee, or something a little stronger and simply watch the world go by.
Open Air Markets every day in the Plaza del Mercat and Friday and Saturday markets Plaza Es Born. Generally the markets start quite early in the morning and begin to break up by about 2 in the afternoon. The markets in Ciutadella were established in the 1300′s by Jaime II as part of the Christian conquest of the island.
We hope to include more information about the many attractions in and around Ciutadella, but for now we hope this brief overview has inspired you to make sure that in your next Menorcan holiday, you definitely schedule a visit to