If there is one image that sums up Menorca in a single glance, it is this one: a horseshoe of white sand, turquoise water that looks painted on, and a pine wood that runs right down to the shoreline. Cala Macarella, on the south coast, is the island’s postcard — the one that fills brochures, screensavers and summer daydreams — and yet reaching it today calls for a little judgement and a little logistics. That friction, far from being a problem, is what keeps it being what it is.
A few minutes’ walk away, hidden behind an outcrop of rock and pine, waits Macarelleta: the little sister, more sheltered and intimate, without a single amenity. Together they form one of those corners of southern Menorca best visited properly — unhurried, and knowing in advance what you are going for. This is the considered guide to doing it calmly.
The essentials
- Where: the south coast of Menorca, near Ciutadella and Ferreries; Macarella and, adjoining it, Macarelleta.
- Access in summer: from 1 June to 30 September cars are banned (a restriction in force since 2018). You get there by bus from Ciutadella or on foot along the Camí de Cavalls from Cala Galdana.
- When: May, June and September are ideal; in high summer, only first thing in the morning.
- Amenities: Macarella has a beach bar/restaurant; Macarelleta has none at all — no bar, no shade, no bin — and naturism is tolerated.
- How to look after it: bring water, food, your own shade and a bag for your rubbish; respect the protected setting.
- Golden rule: arrive early, always. By mid-morning the cove already breathes differently.
How to get there in summer (note: not by car)
This is the detail most travellers overlook, and the one that spares the most disappointment once you know it: from 1 June to 30 September you cannot reach Macarella by car. The restriction has been in force since 2018 and is enforced strictly throughout the high season. There is no car park beside the cove that “fills up early”: quite simply, private vehicles do not get in.
In season, the natural way to arrive is the bus from Ciutadella, run by Autocares Torres (e-Torres), which leaves from a park-and-ride with numerous daily departures. The alternative, for those who enjoy walking, is to park at Cala Galdana and cover around 2.8 km along the Camí de Cavalls, the historic path that skirts the island: a walk among pines and cliffs with views that already make the trip worthwhile.
An important planning note: the exact dates and bus frequencies change every season. Before you set off, confirm the current timetables on the official websites (cime.es and e-torres). Setting off early works in your favour here too: the first buses are the most comfortable and leave the cove almost entirely to you.
When to go
Like almost all of southern Menorca, Macarella is at its best in May, June and September: the water has already warmed up, the light is clean and the crowds are far more manageable. These are the months when the cove truly resembles its photograph.
In high summer, the only quiet time is first thing in the morning. Arrive early — before the middle of the day gets going — and you’ll have that white sand and that still water almost to yourself; from midday onwards, even this celebrated spot fills up. The reward for an early start here is not only about space: it is about colour, about silence, and about being able to hear the sea before the voices.
What you’ll find: two sister coves, very different
It pays not to confuse them, because they offer different experiences.
Cala Macarella is the large one: the classic horseshoe of white sand and pine wood, with a beach bar/restaurant where you can have something and a certain liveliness during the day. It is the comfortable option, the one that lets you spend the whole day there without having carried everything in.
Macarelleta is the small, sheltered one, separated from its sister by a short path. You reach it in about 10–15 minutes on foot along the Camí de Cavalls, a stretch between rock and pine that climbs and dips with magnificent views. Here there are no amenities at all — no beach bar, no easy shade, no bin — and naturism is tolerated. It is more intimate, wilder and, for many, the more beautiful of the two. The practical rule is simple: if you want comfort, Macarella; if you’re after seclusion, Macarelleta, but go down self-sufficient.
What to bring (and how to look after it)
The fact that Macarella has a beach bar doesn’t mean you should turn up unprepared, and for Macarelleta planning ahead is simply essential. The sensible minimum list:
- Water, plenty of it: especially if you plan to go over to Macarelleta, where there is nowhere to buy anything.
- Food or a picnic: it makes the day far more relaxed and, at the smaller cove, it is indispensable.
- Your own shade: a light parasol, because natural shade is scarce and taken early.
- Walking footwear: the stretch of the Camí de Cavalls between the two coves is no place for flip-flops.
- A bag for your rubbish: what comes in, goes out with you. There is no cleaning service at Macarelleta.
You are in a protected, fragile and heavily visited part of southern Menorca. Leaving no trace is not a formality: it is what allows the cove to still be worth the trip ten years from now. The restricted access in summer points in the same direction — caring for the place, not punishing the visitor — and it makes more sense once you walk through it.
How it fits into a good day in the south
Macarella isn’t visited in isolation. It combines beautifully with the rest of the south: you can string it together with other of the best coves in Menorca if you have several days, or turn the arrival itself into the plan by walking a stretch of the Camí de Cavalls from Cala Galdana. And if you want to round off the day with judgement, Ferreries is very close at hand: its crafts and its ravine make the perfect stop on the way back, away from the bustle of the coast.
The clever move, in season, is to plan the day the opposite way to most people: set off early, leave the car where it belongs, arrive at the cove early and save the afternoon — when everything fills up — for the island’s interior.
Our take
If you can only see one, don’t be misled by the fame: Macarella is the postcard, but Macarelleta is the one that stays with you. Go down to the large one to eat something and enjoy the comfort, and give yourself the fifteen-minute walk to the small one to understand why half the island considers it their favourite cove.
But the real piece of advice is not which cove to choose, it is which moment. Macarella in August at midday is a beautiful place full of people; Macarella at nine in the morning is one of the most serene places in the Mediterranean. The difference isn’t down to money or luck: it is down to an early start, accepting that the car stays outside, and letting southern Menorca set the pace. Those who understand that take home the real postcard.
