Museu del Far de Cavalleria

Lighthouse museum in the keepers' quarters at the base of the white tower on Menorca's northern cape.

Museu del Far de Cavalleria occupies the old lighthouse keepers' quarters at the base of the white tower on Cap de Cavalleria, at the end of a long peninsula on the north coast of Menorca, in the municipality of Es Mercadal. The exhibition, "Cavalleria: the history of a lighthouse, the portrait of a headland", covers navigation off this coast, the wrecks that came before the light was first lit in 1857, the keepers who lived out here in isolation, and the geology and wildlife of the surrounding marine reserve. A café with outdoor seating and a clifftop viewpoint share the site.

Entrance
Free.
Accessibility
Flat walk of about 115 m from the car park to the entrance, over unpaved ground. The exhibition runs through the rooms of the historic keepers' quarters.
Parking
Two free car parks on unpaved ground, about 115 and 138 m away, plus free parking along the road. They fill up before sunset.
Difficulty
Barely a walk in: flat, unpaved ground from the car park to the door. The clifftops outside are easy going but open and rocky.
Transport
No bus to the cape; the nearest stops are Fornells and Carrer de Dalt, about 4.7 km away in a straight line.
Advance booking
None — you turn up at the door.
Hours
Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–14:00 and 17:00–20:00; closed Monday. The museum opens for the main holiday season.
Address
Diseminado Poligono 05, 1, 07748 Es Mercadal, Illes Balears, Spain

What makes it special

The exhibition is titled "Cavalleria: the history of a lighthouse, the portrait of a headland", and it earns the second half of that name. The rooms work through navigation in the northern waters and the wrecks that piled up before the light was lit in 1857, then the daily round of the keepers who lived out here cut off from everything, the geology of the headland, the flora and fauna of the marine reserve offshore, and Roman finds from the nearby ancient port of Sanisera. The displays change what you see when you step back outside: the wind-scoured ground reads differently once something has named what grows on it. Outside the door stand the white tower with its red lantern, the cliffs, and a café whose tables face the sea.

Good to know

  • The tower: the lighthouse itself can be shut even within the museum's posted hours; the exhibition, the café and the clifftops are what you can count on.
  • Toilets: on site, but paid — €0.50 a visit, cash only, so carry coins.
  • No drinking water here or anywhere nearby. The café sells coffee and cold drinks; fill a bottle before you drive out.
  • Sunset parking: the car parks fill up ahead of sunset, so allow an hour's margin if you want a space.
  • Information boards stand by the car park and along the way to the tower, so the outdoor part of the visit is explained too.

Getting there

One road runs out to the cape — a long, narrow strip heading north through the farmland of Es Mercadal and onto the peninsula, with the sea closing in on both sides towards the end. It is a drive worth doing slowly. Two free car parks sit on unpaved ground about 115 and 138 m from the museum, and the walk from them to the entrance is flat. No bus comes out onto the headland: the nearest stops are back at Fornells and Carrer de Dalt, some 4.7 km away in a straight line, so you need your own transport.

Best time to visit

Best: late afternoon — the exhibition first, then the clifftops for the evening light. This is one of the island's sunset spots, and the car parks fill up well before the sun goes, so come earlier than feels necessary.

Avoid: Monday, when the museum is closed, and the middle of the day, when it shuts between its morning and evening sessions. There is no shade on the headland, so midday on the cliffs is hot, bright work; the cool rooms of the keepers' quarters are the better use of that hour.

Things to do nearby

All tours in Es Mercadal on GetYourGuide

Paid links: booking through them supports YowJourney.

Sun & daylight

Nearby Places

Similar Places

Museu del Far de Cavalleria on the map

The ground outside the museum is open clifftop with unfenced edges, and the wind comes hard off the sea here. Keep well back from the drop, and keep hold of children near it.

Your whole travel map in one place

Get inspired by new places around the world and find the ones worth the journey

Open the map

Frequently asked questions

  1. Can you go up the lighthouse tower?

    The museum fills the keepers' quarters at the base of the tower. The tower itself is sometimes closed even during the museum's posted opening hours, so treat going up as a bonus rather than the reason for the trip.
  2. What does the exhibition cover?

    "Cavalleria: the history of a lighthouse, the portrait of a headland" — navigation off the north coast, the shipwrecks that came before the light was lit in 1857, the isolated lives of the keepers, and the geology, flora and fauna of the headland and the marine reserve around it, along with Roman finds from the nearby port of Sanisera.
  3. Is there anywhere to eat or drink?

    A small café on the site serves coffee, cold drinks and cake, with outdoor seating looking out to sea. There is no drinking water tap here or nearby, so bring a bottle as well.
  4. Can you get there by public transport?

    No. The nearest bus stops are at Fornells and Carrer de Dalt, about 4.7 km away in a straight line, and the only way onto the cape is the single peninsula road.
  5. Is it worth staying on for sunset?

    That is what most people come for, and the clifftops outside the museum are where they watch it from. The car parks fill ahead of it, so arrive at least an hour before the sun goes down.