Cyclopean wall at Son Catlar. Megalithic Menorca — Cyclopean wall at Son Catlar magalithic village

Son Catlar talaiotic village

The site of Son Catlar is of great interest as the only Talaiotic settlement in the Balearic Islands whose surrounding cyclopean wall is all but intact.

The Son Catlar megalithic village

The site of Son Catlar is of great interest as the only Talaiotic settlement in the Balearic Islands whose surrounding cyclopean wall is all but intact. These walls were built out of large irregular blocks of stone and without any mortar to keep them in place. The 2-m-thick walls of Son Catlar completely surround the site and are almost 1 km in length. Attached to the walls are numerous defensive bastions and on its northern side there is a perfectly preserved entrance passageway. Although the interior of the site is not that well preserved, there are still the remains of four talaiots, the taula enclosure with their capitals, a number of fallen stones and various rooms. The best way to admire the wall is to circumnavigate the site along the path on the outside. This walk alone makes Son Catlar well-worth a visit.
• There is unlimited and free access to the site.

Son Catlar magalithic village. Talayotic Menorca — Remains of the taula enclosure of Son Catlar magalithic village

How to get there

Son Catlar is 7.5 km south of Ciutadella. To get there, take the road Camí de Sant Joan de Missa and then in 4 km turn right along the road that takes you to the beaches of Son Saura. In 3 km on the left you will come to the site’s car park.

You can also get to Son Catlar using public transport from Ciutadella in the high season by taking the Ciutadella – Son Catlar – Son Saura bus. Check out bus times and frequencies (that vary according to the season)

Nearby sites of interest

• Son Saura beach: Just 3.5 km further on along the road past the site you reach the beaches of Son Saura, Es Banyuls and Bellavista, the latter with a small wetland behind it. In summer, these are three of the most popular of Menorca’s unspoilt beaches.

Map of Son Catlar megalithic village

See the map Cultura talaiòtica in Google Maps

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The Talaiotic culture refer to the customs and skills of the pre-historic inhabitants of the Balearic Islands up to the Roman conquest (123 BC). Most of the archaeological remains that have been excavated –of which most are on Menorca – correspond to the so-called Talaiotic culture that can be dated from around 1,000 BC.
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