Castell de Sant Nicolau

Come at the end of the afternoon and you see why people walk out here at all: the sun drops into the open Mediterranean beyond the harbour mouth, the old stone turns amber, and long gold reflections run back across the water towards the town. A crowd gathers along the rocks for it every evening, and there is room to sit and watch the colour change.

The climb inside is 35 steps to the roof, and the view from up there goes the whole way round — harbour, town, coast, open sea. Getting to it is half the pleasure: the seafront walk is flat the whole way, boats on one side, the tower growing on the skyline ahead.

• No toilets at the tower, and none nearby — deal with that in the town before you walk out.
• 35 steps to the roof, and the roof is the reason to go in. The stair is the only way up.
• The sunset crowd builds along the rocks and the seats by the water, so come before the light goes if you want to sit down.
• The seafront walk is flat the whole way and easy with all ages.

The last stretch is on foot, out along Ciutadella's seafront promenade to the point where the harbour opens to the sea. It is flat the whole way, and the tower is in view for most of it, so you can judge what you have left. Driving in, the nearest car parks sit a little under 500 m away in a straight line, and the rest is walking. Two bus stops, Saragossa and Magnifics Jurats, stand roughly 420 to 450 m from the tower, both leaving you on the same flat promenade walk.

Best: the afternoon opening, and then staying on for sunset — the light comes in low off the sea and lands full on the seaward face of the stone.

Avoid: Mondays and Sundays, when the tower is shut. The promenade and the rocks around it stay open at any hour, so the walk and the view along the coast are still there on a closed day.

The tower only opens in the afternoon, so a morning plan gets you the outside and nothing of the roof.