Cales Fonts
An idyllic harbor
Cales Fonts is a small fishing port of Es Castell, built near the Castell de Sant Felip, and located inside the large port of Mahón.
This cove has become one of the leisure centers of the island, and an obligatory stop for those tourists who wish to enjoy a pleasant meal at the edge of the harbor, with its spectacular views on the horizon and its beautiful sunsets.
Walking along the wooden walkway at the foot of the cliff, we will stroll flanked by the waters of the sea on one side and the rocks on the other, while before us we will see the beautiful sight of the port, with its colorful buildings and boats rocked by the swaying of the waves.
Whatever the time you go to Cales Fonts, you will always be able to enjoy it: if you decide to visit in the morning, you will see people bathing in the clean waters of the port of Mahon, in the afternoon you will find some fishermen mooring their boats and supplying the restaurants with fresh fish that will then be served to their guests and, at night, the lights of the village that is situated on the cliff and those of the restaurants that are on the pier, will be reflected in the waters of the port, among the small boats resting on the pier…
An idyllic setting and a way to enjoy all the flavor of the Mediterranean in a simple way thanks to its ease of access, its service options, its street markets, the multitude of stores and restaurants available, and all the options that this small port has to offer.
Cales Fonts and its legends
The name of this cove refers to a freshwater spring that was located at the entrance of the port and served to supply water to sailors who docked in the area.
Legends tell that, throughout its history, this port was visited by many famous people: from Ulysses to the pirate Barbarossa, there were many who made a stop in their travels and came to the small port of Cales Fonts.
Sailors moored their boats in its waters, while the caves and grottoes of the cliffs were used as warehouses. Now, these caves have been transformed into stores where the colorful products on offer, the lights that project their interiors and the hustle and bustle of the people who walk through them, bring life and joy to Cales Fonts.
Name: Cales Fonts (Cala Fonts or Calesfonts)
Location: Mahón Area (39°56’00.7 “N 3°58’18.0 “E)
Distance from Mahón: 1’1 MN ; 4’5 km
Time from Mahón: 10 min by boat (average speed: 15 knots); 10 min by car
Type of beach: Rocks
Anchoring: Buoy anchorage. Protected by the natural harbor of Mahón. Fishing port.
Danger: Low
Posidonia: Yes
Gas station: 1’1 MN; Mahon
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Cales Fonts in Menorca, how to get there?
You can access Cales Fonts in different ways.
To get there by car from Mahón, you must follow the RM (Ronda de Maó) signs until you reach the exit towards “Camí des Castell / Me-2”.
Continue along the Me-2 for a little more than 3 km until, at one of the traffic circles you will find on the way, you will see the signs to “Carrer Sant Josep”.
Then, take the exit towards “Carrer Stuart” that you will find on your left and, again, turn left towards “Plaça de s’Esplanada”.
Follow the signs to “Plaça de s’Esplanada” and you will come to Cales Fonts at the end.
Regarding parking, please note that, although there are areas where you can leave your car, the influx of people makes it difficult to find free spaces. If you have made a reservation or want to arrive at a specific time at the port, we recommend that you leave early.
The best option to get there by public transport* is to take bus line 02 and get off at the Es Castell stop. Once there you will have to take a short walk (between 5 and 10 minutes approximately), with which you can reach Cales Fonts without any problem.
*The schedules, lines and/or routes indicated here may vary throughout the year. Consult validity.
Services near Cales Fonts
Services in Cales Fonts? There are all kinds and for all tastes. Since one of its great attractions is to enjoy the scenery it offers (especially at sunset), let’s focus only on some of the dining options available to sit on its terraces and enjoy the show.
Among its restaurants we find, just to mention a few: the Botanic Restaurant, the Miramar restaurant (both with Mediterranean cuisine), the Sa Cala restaurant (ideal for tapas), the Sa Barqueta restaurant (traditional cuisine), the Sushi de Villacarlos… and this is just for starters.
Take a walk around the area, look at the local charts, and let yourself go. Whatever you choose, it’s hard to go wrong!
| SERVICE | TELEPHONE | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| ACCOMMODATIONS. Hotel Pardela Menorca | 690 02 42 24 | www.pardelamenorca.com |
| RESTAURANT. Botanic Restaurant Menorca | 971 35 17 84 | |
| RESTAURANT. Restaurant Sa Barqueta | 639 87 04 61 |
BOTANIC RESTAURANT MENORCA
Beautiful restaurant with spectacular views of the harbor where a varied menu is offered, focused on Mediterranean flavors in which local products predominate, and where gluten-free dishes are also offered, as well as options suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
What does Cales Fonts offer us?
Cales Fonts is the perfect place to spend a relaxing afternoon. If we have come to Menorca and we have crossed the different beaches from end to end of the island, it can that we feel like stopping and, simply, to take something in a terrace, with a pleasant atmosphere to our around, and spectacular views in front of us.
Cales Fonts is the perfect place for this.
The countless restaurants will allow you to choose from a wide range of options (from traditional Menorcan cuisine, to a more international cuisine) and its stores and stalls of the craft market that are set up along the pier will allow you to enjoy a picturesque walk (and maybe buy those souvenirs that we have ordered from family and friends).
But this is not the only thing we can do in Cales Fonts, in addition to the possibility of swimming in its clear waters, excursions are organized to the island of Lazareto (or Llatzaret Island) a small islet that, as we have already mentioned, in the seventeenth century was used as a center of isolation to keep sailors from distant places in quarantine (and thus prevent the spread of possible diseases that they could have contracted during their travels). Visits to Lazareto can be booked at the tourist information offices in Mahón, and will be a different cultural plan that will surely not leave anyone indifferent.
The first sunrise on the peninsula
According to Greek mythology, Eos (the goddess of dawn) was in charge of opening the gates to her brother Helios (the sun) so that, every morning, her light would illuminate the land of mortals.
In Menorca and, specifically in Cales Fonts, we find the place where the first ray of sunshine in Spain arrives and, therefore, there is a sculpture in the port called “the door of Eos”, indicating the place where we can appreciate the sunrise.
A spectacle that is worth getting up early to see, in person, the beginning of the new day that is about to begin.
Llatzaret Island
Located in front of Cales Fonts, we find the island of Llatzaret (or Lazaret Island) which was the place used by the Menorcans to isolate the sailors coming from other places and make sure, before letting them set foot on land, that they were not carriers of strange diseases that could cause uncontrolled contagions that would decimate the population of the island (such as, for example, the bubonic plague).
In fact, Lazareto was first a peninsula (the peninsula of San Felipet), but the access that communicated it with the rest of the island was destroyed in order to achieve greater protection.
In the sanitary facilities built on the small islet, the sailors were forced to keep quarantine until they were sure that they and the products they were transporting did not pose any risk to the islanders.
How to get to Cales Fonts by boat?
To access Cales Fonts by boat we must leave the port, heading SE. We will sail past Illa del Rei to port and continue past Cala Corb to starboard, and a small islet to port.
We will find Cales Fonts to starboard, which we will have to approach from the E, bordering the coast.
Do you want to go to Cales Fonts by boat?
