The islands
Where on Ibiza and Formentera do you want to be?
Ibiza is small, but the mood changes sharply from place to place. The sunset side is a different holiday from the old town, and the north is something else again. Formentera, the neighbouring island you can only reach by sea, is a category of its own. A guide to the places, so you know where to base yourself — including what is disappointing about each one.
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Ibiza Town (Eivissa)The walled old town, the harbour and the island’s administrative heart
San Antonio (Sant Antoni de Portmany)The west coast: sunset over water and the island’s densest nightlife
Playa d’en BossaA long, straight sand beach with the densest concentration of daytime parties
Santa Eulària des RiuAn east-coast town with a river, a hilltop church and a calmer paceSes SalinesWorking salt pans, a nature park and the beach at the island’s southern tipCala Comte (Cala Conta)Low rocky shoreline, islets offshore and the clearest water on the west coast
Cala JondalA pebble bay on the south coast where the yachts drop anchor
Es VedràThe uninhabited rock off the south-west coast, and the viewpoints above it
San Juan (Sant Joan de Labritja)The hilly north: villages, terraces and the empty part of IbizaBenirràsA northern bay between cliffs, known for the drums at sunsetPortinatxSheltered coves on the northern tip, with the lighthouse and clear waterEs CanarA calm family resort on the east coast, with the hippy market next doorCala LlongaA deep bay between wooded slopes, halfway between the town and Santa EulàriaSanta Gertrudis de FruiteraThe village in the middle of the island — no coast, but everything around itSant Josep de sa TalaiaThe village below the highest peak, and the municipality with the best-known beachesFormentera6
FormenteraThe island with no airport, reachable only by seaSes IlletesThe sand spit in the north, with water on both sidesEs PujolsFormentera’s main resort, and the island’s only real evening streetSant Francesc XavierFormentera’s main town — inland, and without a beachLa MolaThe high plateau in the east, with cliffs and a lighthouseEs Caló de Sant AgustíA small fishing settlement on the north coast, below the climb to La Mola