Ateneu Científic, Literari i Artístic de Maó

The draw is the renovated hall. It is spacious and elegant, and it now works as a room for small-format concerts as well as conferences, so an evening here can mean chamber music in a setting built for talk and debate.

The Ateneu has been Maó's forum for science, letters and the arts for more than a century. The programme runs from lectures to activities on photography, painting and music, and the tone is that of a learned society open to anyone who walks in, with a staff that is helpful and friendly.

• The Ateneu is closed on Saturdays and Sundays, and on weekdays it shuts over the middle of the day.
• What there is to see depends on the programme of lectures, concerts and activities, so check what is on before you plan a visit around it.
• There are toilets inside, and both the entrance and the toilet take a wheelchair.
• The tourist information office is about 130 m away.

The Ateneu sits in the centre of Maó, so the approach is a walk through town streets. Buses stop at Maó bus station (Estació d'autobusos de Maó), about 270 m away in a straight line. Drivers can leave the car at the paid Explanada car park, about 120 m from the building, and walk the rest. The tourist information office stands about 130 m away, on the same short stretch between the car park and the door.

Best: a weekday, in the morning session or the late-afternoon session.

Avoid: weekends and the middle of the day.

The building is closed on Saturdays and Sundays and shuts for a break between its two weekday sessions, so a visit outside those hours finds the door locked.