Due to its strategic position in the western Mediterranean, well-preserved examples of the many fortifications which were built over the centuries to protect the coastline from seaborne aggressors can still be found. In many cases these towers and forts remain in good condition and can be visited.

Menorca Cathedral in Ciutadella is gothic in style. Built in the 14th century.

Shipwrecks. The harshness of the weather and the lack of warning signs meant that that until well into the 20th century there were numerous shipwrecks around Menorca. On the 10th February 1910 the steamship General Chanzy sank off the north coast of Ciutadella on its way from Marseille to Algiers with almost 160 people aboard. Only one man, Marcel Boudez, was saved. As a result of this tragedy the lighthouse at Punta Nati was built where there had not been one previously. The Malakoff was nearing the end of its trip from Madagascar to Marseille when it sank off the south coast of Ciutadella in 1929, after colliding with the reef at Gobernador between the beaches of Son Saura and Es Talaier and not far from the lighthouse of Artrutx. Of the 43 people who were travelling onboard, only 9 were saved. Lastly, in January 1942, the steamer Lamorciere sank six nautical miles from the lighthouse at Favaritx, en-route from Angiers to Marseille. 277 died in the disaster. In Menorca we have five main lighthouses. These are, stretching from East to West: the lighthouse on Illa del Aire which is only possible to visit by small boat and whose fragile habitat we must take special precautions to protect.

It can be seen from the urban area and beach at Punta Prima, near to Sant Lluis. The lighthouse at Favaritx looks out proudly over a lunar landscape with very little vegetation and one which is frequently whipped by the tramuntana wind which blows with unusual force over Menorca. The lighthouse at Cavalleria is situated at the highest point of the Cabo de Cavalleria, at the edge of some sheer cliffs, from where it is possible to see the nearby Illa dels Porros and some of the bay that opens out at each side of Cavalleria.

The lighthouse at Artrutx is located in the extreme south-westerly part of the island and is positioned between the urban areas of Cala en Bosch, with its small recreational port, and Son Xoriguer. Lastly, the lighthouse at punta Nati is situated on the north coast of Ciutadella in the middle of a landscape eroded by wind and sea salt and where you can marvel at the patterns that the stones leave on the earth. Also there are two small lighthouses in Mao harbour and another one in Ciutadella harbour.