Far de Ciutadella

Black-and-white striped lighthouse from 1863 at the mouth of Ciutadella harbour, facing the open Mediterranean.

Ciutadella Lighthouse, also called Sa Farola, has marked the entrance to the old port of Ciutadella since April 1863. Designed by the architect Emili Pou, it stands on Sa Farola point at the western end of Menorca, with the 17th-century Castell de Sant Nicolau on the opposite headland. The 13-metre tower rises from the side of the keeper's house. The light is still active, run by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, and the site has been registered as Spanish historical heritage since 2005.

Lighthouse

Entrance: The tower and keeper's house are not open to the public; the lighthouse is seen from outside.
Parking: Free car park about 700 m away in a straight line.
Difficulty: The nearest car park and bus stops lie about 660 to 720 m away in a straight line; the tower itself is closed, so there is nothing to climb.
Transport: Bus stops Saragossa and Magnifics Jurats, about 660 to 720 m away in a straight line.
Hours: The buildings do not open to the public, so there are no visiting hours.
Address: Camí de sa Farola, 0, 07760 Ciutadella, Illes Balears, Spain

What makes it special

Every six seconds a white flash leaves the top of the tower, and it carries 14 nautical miles out to sea. By day the black vertical stripes do the same job, and no boat entering the port can miss them.

The point takes the open Mediterranean head-on. In heavy storms waves have broken over the cliffs and flooded the lower rooms of the buildings, which is why a high concrete sea wall now faces the sea. From the point the view runs across the harbour mouth to the Castell de Sant Nicolau on the far headland.

The tower has changed over time. It became the fourth lighthouse in the Balearics to be electrified, in 1918, and was rebuilt and raised to 13 metres in 1979, when a second gallery went on. In 2015 a plan to turn it into a hotel drew protests from the local group Amics des Fars outside the lighthouse. No bidder came forward, and the plan was shelved.

Good to know

The tower and keeper's house are not open to the public; you see the lighthouse from outside.
There are no toilets at the point, and none nearby.
The striped tower shows well from the far side of the harbour mouth, so it is worth a look from across the water too.
The point lies on stage 10 of the Camí de Cavalls, the coastal footpath from the Punta Nati lighthouse into Ciutadella.

Getting there

The lighthouse stands on Camí de sa Farola, on the point at the seaward entrance to the port of Ciutadella. The nearest car park lies about 700 m away in a straight line, and the two nearest bus stops, Saragossa and Magnifics Jurats, sit at a similar distance, about 660 to 720 m.

Walkers can also arrive along the coast. Stage 10 of the Camí de Cavalls starts at the Punta Nati lighthouse, follows the shore and passes Sa Farola before it finishes in the town of Ciutadella.

Best time to visit

Best: late afternoon into sunset, and again after dark, when the white flash comes round every six seconds.

Avoid: days of heavy storm and big sea.

The point sits at the western end of Menorca, so the evening sun goes down over the open water in front of it, while in a storm the waves break over the rocks around the tower.

Sun & daylight

Beach

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Illa de l'Aire Lighthouse