Renting a Car in Menorca: Everything You Need to Know!

Everything you need to know about renting a car in Menorca! After trying three different forms of transportation on the island of Menorca, I determined the best way to get around the island is via car!

It was a simple process, not ridiculously priced and worked out really well for exploring the island efficiently and on my own time!

Here is everything you need to know about renting a car including why renting a car worked out so well, where to rent your car from, logistics of picking up and dropping off the car, estimated price of renting a car and general information on what to expect when driving around the island including parking, traffic, etc.

I booked my car through DiscoverCars from Menorca Autos with the pickup location of the airport.

Even though I picked up my car midway through my trip, I still picked up my car at the airport so I wouldn’t have to find transportation back to the airport on my way home.

I opted to rent my car through Menorca Autos, because I generally find that rental car agencies with the name of the destination in them tend to be more local and easy to work with.

This was true with Menorca Autos. The downfall to renting with them is that you have to shuttle from the airport to where you pick up your car.

However, the process was smooth and picking up the car took no time at all. Again, I think the total time from getting to the airport, meeting at the meeting point, shuttling to the car lot and picking up my car was only about 30 minutes (though it was early before the crowds.)

Alternative: If you want to get a car midway through your trip, it may be easier for you to rent a car near your hotel. You will just need to drop your car off before heading to the airport (and then find transportation to the airport.)

When you walk out of customs at the airport, you will see information desks for car rental agencies inside the airport. However, you won’t see one for Autos Menorca.

The meeting point for Autos Menorca is outside the airport in the parking lot. There will be signs for Autos Menorca and once you get closeby you will see workers with the shirts on as well (if you can’t find it, someone can definitely point you in the right direction.)

Once you get to the meeting point, they will take your name and you will hop in a shuttle that will drive you to the Autos Menorca business location (about a 7 minute drive.)

**Don’t forget to have your passport and driver’s license when you go to pick up your car!**

In comparison to some of our other international car rentals, the price really wasn’t bad in Menorca. And I even booked my car the night before I picked it up during busy season (July!)

I spent $89 for two days + full coverage for a total of $128.

However, just out of curiosity, as I write this in January, I looked at prices for a weekend (Friday-Sunday) in July. The price is about $93, which is comparable to what I paid last minute.

Of course, July is the second most expensive month to travel to the islands. August will be a little more and any other month could be quite a bit less (even in June it drops to $68 for a weekend!)

While this is obviously more expensive than taking the bus, you will spend more than this on taxis (unless you just plan to stay around your hotel area.)

As I mentioned, I started off taking a taxi to the hotel and then to my first excursion. I spent 22 euros for a 15 minute ride and 43 euros for a 33 minute ride. So a total of 65 euros ($76 USD!) on two taxi rides.

I quickly decided I was NOT going to be able to afford to see everything I wanted to see via taxi (and I wasn’t patient enough for the bus.)

Car Insurance Requirements

When renting a car, you want to ensure you have coverage of your car. You can either get this through the car rental agency or you can get it through some travel credit cards.

When I booked, I opted to pay for full coverage through DiscoverCars. Basically, if I had had an accident I would have had to pay for damages, then file claims through DiscoverCars.

However, I also have a travel credit card that offers rental car insurance.

But, since I was solo on this trip, I was a little more cautious because I didn’t want to be stuck with a big bill if I wrecked the car and my credit card didn’t end up covering.

Here is some information on full coverage provided by DiscoverCars.

Just remember, if you plan to use your credit cards car rental insurance, you should have proof of that when you pick your car up (and it wouldn’t hurt to contact your credit card insurance to make sure they will cover.)

Most Affordable Way to Rent a Car

If money is a concern and making you leery on renting a car in Menorca (and I get it,) you can save some money by being strategic on where you stay on the island.

If you stay somewhere that has a lot within walking distance, you can rent your car for part of your time on the island rather than the full time.

I did this (though looking back I probably would have just rented the car the whole time.)

But we have also done this strategy in Aruba as well and it worked out great!

In this instance, Cala Galdana may be a good option for you. Here, you can leave for many of the boat tours and you are near the trailhead to some of the hikes to the better beaches on the island of Menorca.

Then, you could rent a car for part of your time to see the rest of the island.

Recommendations on Where to Stay in Menorca!

Read more on where to stay in Menorca including best areas + hotel recommendations!

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Road Conditions

The roads of Menorca are well-maintained. Though there aren’t a LOT of routes on the island, they are all paved and easily accessible.

The only off-roading that I came across was parking in large, dirt parking lots at some of the trailheads.

The worst part of driving in Menorca was trying to navigate the over-sized car (that I didn’t originally choose, but was what I got) through the small streets of Maó.

In Maó, many of the streets are one-way with cars parking on the sides and it was a SQUEEZE to fit through. But, everywhere else, the roads were roomy and easy to navigate.

Traffic & Parking

I visited Menorca in the beginning of July. While this is the BEGINNING of busy season, it is still busy season.

Thus, I was worried about parking on the island.

I read that parking at all of the trailheads and beaches can fill up and it can be difficult to find parking in the afternoon.

However, I didn’t have hardly any problems finding parking. I was able to park at every beach and every trailhead on my itinerary.

Now, if I went somehwere in the middle of the day, there were definitely more limited spots.

And I did try to visit the most popular places in the mornings to ensure I would find parking (and when I got back to my car in late morning/early afternoon, there was usually someone wanting my spot.)

But, again, I was able to find parking everywhere I went. Even in July. And I was actually quite surprised by this!

I was also nervous about finding parking in the cities, especially while I was staying in Maó. However, I always found parking here too.

While visiting Ciutadella, I found a dirt parking lot about 10 minute walk from the city center that was free with PLENTY of room for parking.

While in Maó, there was a public parking lot about a 3 minute walk from my hotel. It was free in the evenings and on the weekends, so I didn’t end up having to pay anything here either.

And, there are several public parking lots around Maó, though not all are free.

Other Things to Know About Renting a Car in Menorca

Do you need an international driver’s license? If you are from the US, no you do not need to have an international driver’s license. You DO need to bring your regular driver’s license though.

Which side of the road do you drive on? You drive on the right side of the road in Menorca.

Minimum age to rent? This varies by agency. Autos Menorca usually requires drivers to be 19 years old. But some require you to be 21 or even up to 25 years old.

Speedometers and road signs are in kilometers.

If you are on the fence about renting a car in Menorca, just do it. Especially if you want to do any kind of exploring. It will make exploring Menorca SO much easier and efficient and the price increase from taking the bus will be worth it!

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