Es Grau beach
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.
Es Grau beach is perfect for visiting with young children thanks to its very shallow waters, which only reach ankle depth for the first 20 meters. This, together with its low waves, a car park right next to the beach, and its fine sand, makes it an exceptional beach for children. For this reason, in the height of summer you will find the beach full of children and families. As with all beaches, the farther you walk away from the car park, the fewer people you will find, although the end of the beach is where more posidonia usually accumulates.
Es Grau beach is a semi-urban beach associated with Es Grau, an old fishing village that has become a summer holiday area for many people from Maó. Here you will find several restaurants and small shops. Right on the beach there is a rental point for kayaks, pedal boats, and small sailing boats.
Es Grau beach, divided into two by a small rocky outcrop known as Roca dels Mabres, is long and narrow, and its dune system runs along the entire beach, acting as a natural barrier for the Des Grau lagoon, the wetland area located behind the beach. This natural lagoon flows into the beach through La Gola, located between the car park and the sandy area, which you will need to cross via a wooden bridge to access the bathing area.
The history of Es Grau has always been closely linked to fishing, and today it is still a very active activity, although with a much more recreational character. For this reason, and especially thanks to the protection provided by Colom Island, Es Grau is one of the best places to anchor in Menorca. The area around the small piers of Es Grau can be a good alternative to swimming if you want to swim in deeper water, but you should be careful of boats coming and going.
How to get to Es Grau beach
Es Grau beach is located 7 km from Maó. To reach it, take the roundabout at the head of the Port of Maó heading towards Fornells. After just over half a kilometer, take the turnoff on the right towards Es Grau. Before reaching the beach, on the right-hand side, you will find a car park next to a football field. A few meters further on, right by the beach, there is another smaller car park that is usually full in summer.
Public transport: During the tourist season there is a bus line from Maó to Es Grau. Check timetables and frequencies depending on the time of year.
Nearby points of interest
Es Grau beach is an excellent starting point for outstanding excursions, both along the Camí de Cavalls and within the S’Albufera des Grau Natural Park, whether on foot or by kayak.
• Camí de Cavalls: Es Grau is the starting and ending point of two stages of the Camí de Cavalls. Heading north, you will reach Cape Favàritx and its famous lighthouse, passing many of the unspoiled beaches of the S’Albufera des Grau Natural Park, such as Cala Tortuga, Cala Presili, or Cala Sa Torreta. Following the Camí de Cavalls southwards, you can reach Sa Mesquida beach.
You can find more details about these stages of the Camí de Cavalls in our guide:
Maó – Sa Mesquida – Es Grau. Camí de Cavalls. Stage 1
Es Grau – Cap de Favàritx. Camí de Cavalls. Stage 2
• S’Albufera des Grau Natural Park: It is the only natural park in Menorca, considered the core of the Menorca Biosphere Reserve and a must-see for nature lovers, especially birdwatching enthusiasts. A few kilometers before reaching Es Grau beach, on the left-hand side, you will find the turnoff to the park’s information center, from where two of its signposted routes begin. However, the most attractive route is located just a few meters from the beach. This is the Sa Gola route, which can be accessed either from the end of the beach or from the entrance just before reaching the first beach car park on the left. It is marked on the map, but here you will find more information about the three routes of the S’Albufera des Grau Natural Park.
• Kayak excursions from Es Grau: Es Grau is also an excellent starting point for kayaking excursions. From the beach itself you can take a short crossing to the unspoiled beaches of the nearby Den Colom Island, a trip of a few hours to Cala Sa Torreta, or even, for the more athletic, a full-day trip to the Favàritx lighthouse and back.
Map of Es Grau
View all the urban and semi-urban 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.