Where to anchor in Menorca: the best coves and where to go, wind by wind
By Luis Carvajal · Updated 1 October 2026
In short: with wind from the north (tramuntana, mestral), go to the south coast. With wind from the south, the north coast: Fornells and Addaia. With an easterly, the west and south-west. And whatever the wind, anchor on sand, never on the Posidonia seagrass.
Menorca's winds
Menorca has a name for every point of the compass: tramuntana (N), gregal (NE), llevant (E), xaloc (SE), migjorn (S), llebeig or garbí (SW), ponent (W) and mestral (NW).
The one that rules is the tramuntana: cold, dry and persistent. In Maó it blows around 165 days a year, about thirty of them strongly, with gusts over 70 km/h and episodes above 100. It is worst between September and February. When it really sets in, the whole north coast, from Cala Morell to Favàritx, becomes dangerous. In summer the gregal, xaloc and migjorn are more common.
The coves you shouldn't miss
These are the ones that make the trip. Almost all are day anchorages: pick the coast that suits the day's forecast, arrive early and look for the sand.
South: the refuge when the tramuntana blows
- Macarella & Macarelleta. Turquoise water between pines and rock walls; the island's most famous cove. Sand at 4–6 m. Bad in a southerly. More than ninety boats have been counted on a summer day: get there before ten.
- Cala Turqueta. Fine sand, pine woods and turquoise water. Sand at 4–6 m. Bad in a southerly and very busy in summer.
- Cala Mitjana & Mitjaneta. White sand under pale limestone cliffs. Anchor in the middle, at about 4 m. Open to the south. Mitjaneta is tiny.
- Trebalúger. Unspoilt, no road access, with a stream running onto the beach. Sand at about 5 m. In a southerly, and especially a south-westerly, swell rolls in.
- Calescoves. An inlet between cliffs with more than ninety caves from a prehistoric necropolis. Sand and seagrass at about 5 m; best with a line ashore. One of the most closely patrolled areas for seagrass.
- Cala en Porter. A deep ravine below the Cova d'en Xoroi. Sand at 5–10 m. Built-up and touristy, but the view from the water is worth it. Bad in a southerly or south-westerly.
North: only without tramuntana
- Cala Pregonda. Golden-red sand with islets that give partial shelter; a protected natural area. Sand at about 3 m. Mind the reefs between Pregonda and Cavalleria.
- Cala Algaiarens (La Vall). Two unspoilt beaches between pine woods and dunes. Sand at 6–9 m. Open to the north.
- Cala Pilar. Red sand and wild scenery. It has a reef and an islet: only in a flat calm, with great care on the way in.
- Cala Morell. A narrow inlet with a necropolis of Talaiotic caves. Sand, seagrass and rock at about 8 m. There is a shoal about 300 m north of the entrance.
East: the S'Albufera des Grau Natural Park
- Illa d'en Colom. A nature reserve off Es Grau. Anchoring is regulated, with no-go zones and a buoy field at Tamarells: pick up a buoy or anchor only where it is allowed.
- Cala Presili. White sand by the Favàritx lighthouse. Shallow, 2–3 m, with shoals on its northern edge and between Favàritx and Es Grau. Bad in an easterly.
In summer the swimming area of many beaches is marked with yellow buoys: boats may only enter through the marked channels, at 3 knots maximum. Where there are no buoys, the swimming area covers the 200 m nearest the beach and 50 m along the rest of the coast.
Tramuntana or mestral (N, NW): the south coast
The island acts as a screen. The southern coves, sandy and clear, are the place to be:
| Anchorage | Bottom | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Cala Galdana | Sand | Well sheltered from north and east. Open to south and south-west. Some guides find it uncomfortable in a westerly. |
| Macarella & Macarelleta | Sand, good holding at about 4 m | Open to the south and to southerly swell. Very busy in summer. |
| Cala Turqueta | Sand | Open to the south. |
| Cala Mitjana | Sand | Open to the south. |
| Son Saura | Sand | Open to the south. |
| Cala en Bosch | Sand | Open to south and south-west. |
If you would rather stay in the north, the two refuges are Fornells, inside the bay, and Port d'Addaia, which guides describe as an all-weather anchorage. Both have mud and sand (Addaia also has seagrass). The Addaia entrance is narrow, shallow and dotted with islets: go in by day and follow the buoyage.
Avoid in a northerly: the whole open north coast. Cala Tirant is very dangerous in a tramuntana, and Pregonda, Algaiarens, Cala Morell and Sa Mesquida face straight into it.
Migjorn, xaloc or llebeig (S): the north coast
The opposite situation: the south coast is exposed —Macarella, Turqueta, Mitjana, Son Saura, Galdana, Cala en Porter, Binibeca, Alcalfar— and you need to cross to the north. Trebalúger in particular gets dangerous in a strong migjorn.
| Anchorage | Bottom | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Fornells bay | Mud and sand | One of the safest refuges in a southerly. Has a buoy field. |
| Port d'Addaia | Mud and sand, with seagrass | Narrow, shallow entrance with islets: by day. |
| Cala Pregonda | Sand | Open to the north. Reefs between Pregonda and Cavalleria. |
| Cala Algaiarens | Sand | Open to north and north-east. |
| Cala Tirant | Sand | Good in a southerly; very dangerous if it veers to tramuntana. |
On the north coast the thing to watch is a wind shift: if the forecast gives tramuntana overnight, it is no place to sleep.
Gregal or llevant (NE, E): the west and south-west
With an easterly, the east coast is open: Es Grau, Presili, Morella or Rafalet. Head south-west and west. Cala Galdana, sheltered from north and east, is again a good option, and to the west Cala Santandria is protected because it opens to the west.
Ponent (W): the east and Maó harbour
With a westerly, given the island's shape, shelter is on the east coast: Maó harbour and small coves such as Rafalet, rock and seagrass, for small boats only. Santandria, Ciutadella and Illa de l'Aire are exposed. Guides say little that is specific about the ponent: here, more than ever, the chart decides.
All-weather anchorages
Besides Fornells and Addaia, Maó harbour shelters from everything. But anchoring inside the harbour is regulated by the Balearic Port Authority. At Cala Teulera, for example, it is only allowed under certain conditions and for a limited number of days: check with the Port Authority before counting on it.
The Ciutadella rissaga
In Ciutadella harbour the water can rise and fall one or two metres in about ten minutes. This is the rissaga, a meteotsunami: it is set off by oscillations in air pressure, and the long, narrow harbour amplifies it. It happens mostly in summer. The one in June 2006 reached about 4 metres, and in August 2026 one of almost a metre and a half also hit Santandria. AEMET issues warnings: if there are any, do not leave the boat in Ciutadella unattended.
Seagrass and buoy fields
In the Balearic Islands it is forbidden to anchor on Posidonia seagrass (Decree 25/2018), and Menorca patrols it closely, especially at Calescoves, Llucalari and Punta Prima. The usual rule: look for the light patches of sand and check where your anchor lands. We explain it in detail in Posidonia: where you can anchor in the Balearics.
Where the meadow leaves no choice, PortsIB lays seasonal buoy fields (1 June to 30 September, extendable to mid-October). Menorca has two: Fornells bay (about 63 buoys) and Illa d'en Colom – Cala Tamarells (about 31). The government has announced a third at Illa de l'Aire. Book at reservas.portsib.es.
North Menorca Marine Reserve
The north coast around Fornells, between Punta des Morter, Illa des Porros and Cap Gros, is a marine reserve. In its most protected zone, south-east of Fornells bay, anchoring on the seagrass is forbidden, as are fishing and scuba diving. Elsewhere, recreational fishing is limited to certain days and needs a permit. If you plan to anchor or fish inside, check the reserve's rules first.
How Offing helps
Tap a cove on the chart and Offing tells you the depth, how the sea and wind will be hour by hour, and whether the bottom is seagrass according to the Balearic government's official mapping. That seagrass warning also works with no signal if you downloaded the area in port. It marks marine reserves too, and shows the official AEMET forecast with the warnings in force.
What it does not do is decide for you: the depth is a model and the seagrass mapping is indicative. It warns; it does not authorise.
Offing
Mediterranean chart, Balearic seagrass, the official forecast and a logbook that writes itself. iPhone and Apple Watch, offline, one payment.
Sources
- Descobreix Menorca, the best places to anchor in Menorca (Spanish)
- Menorca.org, Menorca's climate (Spanish)
- Masmar, anchoring in Menorca's southern coves (Spanish)
- Government of the Balearic Islands, PortsIB buoy bookings (Spanish)
- Menorca.info, most-patrolled seagrass areas (Spanish)
- BBVA, the rissaga or meteotsunami (Spanish)