Torre d'en Galmés

Step into the hypostyle hall at the south end of the town and the roof is still overhead: heavy stone slabs laid across columns that widen towards the top. It stands against one of the circular houses and most likely served as a storeroom and a shelter for livestock.

From the top of the three talayots the view runs along Menorca's south coast and, on a clear day, as far as the mountains of Mallorca. The horseshoe-shaped taula enclosure keeps its tall pillar, and the capital that once crowned it lies on the ground between the pillar and the doorway.

Look for the water system too: underground cisterns linked by channels, with hollows half-filled with pebbles to strain the soil out of the rainwater. A bronze figurine of Imhotep, the deified Egyptian architect whose cult spread across the Mediterranean, was found here.

• There is little shade, only scattered olive trees. Bring water and a hat: there is no drinking water on site or nearby.
• Allow from about an hour to a few hours to walk the site.
• Information boards stand by the main structures, and some of the caves can be entered by following the tracks.
• The car park is small; in summer, arrive early.
• There are toilets.

Torre d'en Galmés stands on a hill in the countryside between Alaior and the south-coast resort of Son Bou, and most people arrive by car. The car park lies about 150 m from the site in a straight line, with a second parking area about 800 m away. From there you walk out onto open hillside, the town spreading down the southern slope towards the sea.

No bus stops at the site. The nearest stop, Son Bou rotonda, is about 3 km away in a straight line.

Best: early morning, or late afternoon on the days the site stays open into the evening.

Avoid: the middle of a summer day.

The hilltop is open ground with little shade, so the heat builds through the middle of the day, while low, clear light is what carries the view along the south coast towards Mallorca.