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Two Mediterranean islands that many tourists compare when choosing a holiday destination are Formentera or Menorca. All of the Balearic Islands are top-class tourist destinations in Spain and throughout the Mediterranean. However, each of these islands offers a different leisure and holiday experience.
In this post, we’ll provide information about both islands so you can decide between Formentera or Menorca when planning your next holiday.
Menorca: larger, livelier, and full of hidden spots to explore
Menorca has a surface area of just over 700 square kilometres, which makes it around ten times larger than the island of Formentera. Being a larger island, Menorca offers a wider range of leisure activities, entertainment, and places of interest. The Menorcan coves — some of them hidden and in hard-to-reach spots — provide a more diverse selection of beaches and coves compared to Formentera.
From a historical point of view, Menorca also developed somewhat differently from Formentera. For example, Menorca saw the rise of the Talayotic culture, while Formentera transitioned directly from the Bronze Age to Phoenician colonisation.
As it’s larger, Menorca also boasts more towns to visit, and its local festivals (like the Mahón festivities in September) attract big crowds.
Menorca is for you if:
- You’re after an island full of places to discover
- You want to avoid potential crowds
- You’re looking for an island with a more developed infrastructure
- You’re seeking classic Mediterranean coves hidden among pine forests
Formentera: smaller, calmer and easier to get around
Unlike Menorca, Formentera covers an area of just 80 square kilometres. From one end to the other it’s roughly 18 km as the crow flies, making it an island you can easily explore in a single day or over the course of a weekend. Almost all of Formentera’s coves and beaches are easy to access, aside from a few in the La Mola area, such as Cala Codolar, or coves you can only reach by swimming, like Es Racó de Sa Pujada.
As it’s much smaller than Menorca, Formentera also has a slightly more limited selection of accommodation, which means staying in Formentera tends to be a little more expensive. You could say that travellers who visit Formentera are seeking a slightly more exclusive holiday compared to those interested in Menorca.
Formentera is for you if:
- You want a small, accessible island where you can get around quickly
- You’re after more exclusive hotel services
- You’re looking to unwind, relax and aren’t particularly interested in nightlife or an extensive range of activities
- You’re drawn to stunning fine-sand beaches that rival those of the Caribbean
If you choose Formentera for your next holiday, our online directory at AllFormentera.com has everything you need to know about the island — from hotels and apartments to discounts for the Ibiza-Formentera ferry, a calendar of events and a directory map of all the island’s points of interest.
