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Punta Nati Lighthouse

The Punta Nati Lighthouse is in the northern part of Ciutadella. It is very famous for its sunset.

In high season (June, July, August) the parking lot is saturated during sunsets and there are tremendous hassles on the way to the lighthouse to park, turn, etc. O

Do you want to see the sunset in Punta Nati?

It is a great place to watch the sunset in summer.

In Menorca there are many incredible places to see the sunset but if you are in Ciutadella it is a good plan to go to “Punta Nati”.

Our advice is very clear if you feel like going:

  • Plan ahead: The parking lot is small and overcrowded. There is quite a mess to get in and out of.
  • Wrap up warm: By the sea when the sun goes down it is usually cold. Bring a jacket.
  • Anti mosquitoes: Undoubtedly the most essential, mosquitoes in Menorca are very hungry.

How to get to Punta Nati Lighthouse?

It is located only 6km from Ciutadella and is easily accessed by a well paved road from the Ronda Norte of Ciutadella.
It is well indicated.

It can be accessed at:

  • Car: It takes about 10 minutes. You park in the parking lot and continue on foot for another kilometer.
  • Bicycle: It is a very pleasant road for cycling. It can take you half an hour to get there.

Photos of Punta Nati Lighthouse

History of Punta Nati Lighthouse

Punta Nati is located between the north and west of the island. It is a complicated point of wind and bad sea. The tramontana is the wind that blows with more intensity in Menorca.

As a curiosity, a few meters from the lighthouse there is a “bufador” (hole in the rocks that reaches the sea) that when there is bad weather, columns of water shoot up to great heights and crash against the lighthouse.

After several accidents, it was decided to build this lighthouse in 1912. The inauguration took place on September 1, 1913.

The straw that broke the camel’s back and prompted the construction of the lighthouse was the sinking of the French steamship Général Chanzy on February 9, 1910. A tragedy in which 156 people died and there was one survivor.

General Chanzy’s ship was a modern steamship for the time that sailed from Marseilles to Algeria.

In the middle of the storm, it was literally stampeded into the side of Punta Nati. The hull of the ship broke in half and sank the ship.

The only survivor was able to walk to the first house and explain to him, through a drawing on the wall, that there had been a shipwreck and many people were dead.

If you are more interested we leave you the best information we have found about the shipwreck:

http://fabian.balearweb.net/post/82671

http://www.generalchanzy.com/