Llatzeret de Maó

Inside the walls, people held in quarantine spoke to their visitors through grilles set a gap apart: close enough to hear each other, never close enough to touch. The whole Llatzeret de Maó was built around that distance.

The guided tour goes through the secure quarantine area and covers the lives of the sailors held here, how quarantine worked, and the slaves put to work on the island. The guides carry it with anecdote as much as dates, and the two to two and a half hours pass quickly. Between the buildings, the views open across the port of Maó and towards La Mola.

• Visits are by guided tour, and the tour has to be booked in advance.
• Set aside two to two and a half hours for the tour itself.
• There is no drinking water nearby, so bring your own, especially on a hot day.
• The nearest car parks and bus stops are off the island, so ask how the crossing works when you book.

The lazaretto fills an island, so the last stretch is a crossing of water. The nearest mapped car parks are gravel, about 556 m and 609 m away in a straight line, near the entrance to the Fortress of Isabel II on La Mola, with public toilets close by. The nearest bus stops are Esglèsia des Castell, about 1287 m away, and Fontanelles, about 1677 m, both off the island. Ask how you reach the island when you book the tour.

Best: a clear, calm weekday, for the views across the port of Maó and towards La Mola.

Avoid: weekends, when the site is closed, and the midday heat of high summer.

The tour keeps you on your feet for two hours or more, much of it outdoors between the walled yards, and good light is what makes the harbour views.