Cala Macarella and Cala Macarelleta
Is Cala Macarella the most photographed and most visited beach in Menorca during the summer months? Probably yes — and for good reason. Cala Macarella is a postcard-perfect beach that everyone wants to see at least once.
Cala Macarella and Cala Macarelleta are among the finest examples of the unspoilt beaches of southern Menorca, with fine white sand, turquoise-blue waters and high limestone cliffs lined with pine trees that reach all the way to the shore. The little paradise of Cala Macarella, with easy access by car, makes it—together with its neighbor Cala Macarelleta—one of the most visited coves on the island during the summer months. It can even become so crowded that it exceeds its optimal carrying capacity, both in terms of swimmers and boats.
Cala Macarella features a wide sandy beach framed by vertical limestone cliffs up to 30 metres high on both sides. The natural shape of the rock has created small holes and caves that have long been used as simple weekend shelters.
The only service available at Cala Macarella is Susy’s Beach Bar & Restaurant, located in the shade of the pine forest behind the beach.
Cala Macarelleta is the smaller and more secluded sister beach, also unspoilt and especially popular as a nudist beach. You can reach it from Cala Macarella by following the Camí de Cavalls towards Cala Turqueta, or by taking the more scenic footpath carved into the cliff that connects both beaches. If you are visiting with young children, take extra care, as some sections can be dangerous.
Once in Cala Macarelleta, please avoid walking over the dune system to allow it to regenerate naturally.
How to get to Cala Macarella
Cala Macarella is located 15 km from Ciutadella. From here, take the road towards the south-coast beaches in the direction of Sant Joan de Missa. After about 6 km, pass the turn-off to Son Saura, and after roughly 8 km you will reach the car park, about a 15-minute walk from the beach.
This is one of the most visited beaches in Menorca during summer. For this reason, access is regulated by the capacity of the car parks. Along the road you will see signs showing whether parking is full. If it is, it is best to head to another beach.
During the tourist season, private vehicles are not allowed to access Cala Macarella. Only visitors using the shuttle bus from Ciutadella de Menorca are allowed to enter. The bus runs at different frequencies depending on the time of year.
Check shuttle bus schedules and buy tickets online for Cala Macarella.
You can also walk. From Cala Galdana it takes about 45 minutes on foot to reach Cala Macarella following Stage 13 of the Camí de Cavalls.
During the tourist season there is a regular bus service to Cala Galdana from Maó, Ciutadella, Alaior, Es Mercadal and Ferreries.
Nearby points of interest
Camí de Cavalls: Cala Macarella is located on Stage 13 of the Camí de Cavalls between Cala Turqueta and Cala Galdana. Walking to Cala Turqueta takes about one hour. More details can be found in our guide: Cala Turqueta → Cala Galdana – Camí de Cavalls, Stage 13.
Map of Cala Macarella
See all the unspoilt beaches of Menorca
We all know that Menorca’s main tourist attraction is its beaches, which is why no Menorca travel guide would be complete without a beach guide. Here you’ll find a complete guide to the best beaches in Menorca, with practical travel information
A selection of the 10 best unspoiled beaches in Menorca: Cala Mitjana, Cala Turqueta, Macarella, Pregonda, Cavalleria, Tortuga and four more. Discover them!
The beach at Son Bou with its fine white sands is the longest in Menorca (3 km). The sea here is shallow, its waters clear and clean
Binigaus is the largest unspoilt beach on the south coast of Menorca, with no services and within walking distance of the nearest car park. For this reason, it is also the most popular beach in the municipality of Es Migjorn Gran.
Cala Trebalúger is one of Menorca’s most beautiful unspoiled beaches. It is framed by limestone cliffs and shaded by pine trees that reach down to the shoreline. The beach is marked by the mouth of the Son Fideu ravine stream.
Cala Galdana, a place of outstanding natural beauty, is today one of the most important urbanised beaches in Menorca. It is a very popular tourist beach surrounded by a large resort area offering all kinds of services.
The Cala Mitjana and Cala Mitjaneta area is one of those places that leaves no one indifferent — an unspoiled beach surrounded by pine trees and turquoise waters that are simply irresistible for swimming.
Is Cala Macarella the most photographed and most visited beach in Menorca during the summer months? Probably yes — and for good reason. Cala Macarella is a postcard-perfect beach that everyone wants to see at least once.
Cala Turqueta is one of the most famous unspoilt beaches on the south coast of Menorca. It has everything many of us are looking for: fine white sand, surrounded by pine trees, and crystal-clear water that, as its name suggests… is turquoise.
The Son Saura del Sud beaches, in the municipality of Ciutadella de Menorca, are among the largest unspoilt beaches on the south coast, with the shade of a splendid pine forest behind them and easy access by car.
Cala Algaiarens, also known as the La Vall beaches, is a group of two unspoilt beaches on the north coast of Menorca, easily accessible, with no services and located within an area declared a Natural Area of Special Interest.
Cala Pilar is an unspoilt beach on the north coast of Menorca with no car access, located in an incomparable natural setting. The walk to reach this corner of the world is well worth it.
Cala Pregonda is one of Menorca’s iconic beaches, with a unique landscape dominated by varied geological colours and the islets that protect it from northern winds.
Binimel·là Beach is a coarse-sand beach with different colour tones, virtually unspoilt yet easily accessible by car, located in the heart of the North Menorca Marine Reserve.
Cavalleria beach is one of the largest beaches on the north coast of Menorca. Unspoilt, surrounded by rugged nature, with no services, easy car access and watched over by the Cavalleria Lighthouse. A must-see.
The Son Saura del Nord sandy beach is a large beach with fine white sand, urbanised, and home to one of the largest and most spectacular dune systems in Menorca.
Arenal d’en Castell is one of the largest and most spectacular beaches in Menorca, but also one of the most urbanised, very touristy and with all kinds of services right on the beach.
Cala Tortuga and Cala Presili are two neighbouring beaches on the east coast of Menorca, watched over by the Favàritx lighthouse, which you can admire while swimming in the crystal-clear waters of these two unspoilt coves in the S’Albufera des Grau Natural Park.
If you are visiting Menorca with young children, you should know that Es Grau beach is the family beach par excellence in Menorca. It is the largest beach in the S’Albufera des Grau Natural Park, is protected by Colom Island, and is located next to the summer resort village of Es Grau.
The beach is associated with the summer residential area of Sa Mesquida, where many families from Maó spend their summers. As it is very well preserved and relatively separated from the urbanised area, it is a practically unspoilt beach.
The beach of Punta Prima is the tourist beach par excellence of the municipality of Sant Lluís. It offers a significant range of hotels and is equipped with all the beach services you may need.
Thanks to the good conservation of the immediate surroundings of the Binibèquer beach, and despite being surrounded by the Binibèquer Nou residential area, it feels as if you were on an unspoilt beach, surrounded by pine trees, with crystal-clear waters and fine white sand.
The cala en Porter beach is located very close to one of the largest residential areas on the south coast of Menorca. Nestled between high cliffs that block the incoming swell, it is a natural pool ideal for families spending their holidays in Menorca with children.