Santa Eulària des Riu

Santa Eulària des Riu is Ibiza’s third town, on the east coast, with a long palm-lined promenade, a marina and a genuine town square. The name means “Santa Eulària of the river”, after the watercourse that reaches the sea here. It is calmer than the west side of the island and it goes to bed earlier.

History

Above the town stands Puig de Missa, the fortified church on the hill: whitewashed, thick-walled, with a covered porch. Churches like this were built on Ibiza to serve as refuges for the surrounding farms whenever danger came from the sea. The real community lived around that hill for centuries; the seafront town below it is a later development. The river the town is named after once drove mills and made farming possible in a place where water is scarce. During the twentieth century Santa Eulària became a gathering point for painters and writers, which gave it a different tone from the resorts on the west side.

What to do here

• Climb up to Puig de Missa: the white fortified church above the town, looking out over the coast and the interior.
• Walk the full promenade to the marina and on along the coast.
• Visit the weekly market and the shopping street behind the square — this is one of the few places on Ibiza with real everyday amenities.
• Explore the coves north of town, such as Cala Llenya and Cala Nova, by car or bus.
• Eat out in the centre: Santa Eulària has the island’s densest concentration of restaurants outside the capital.
• Follow the old river bed inland for a walk away from the coast.

Facts

• The full name Santa Eulària des Riu refers to the river at the town.
• Puig de Missa is a fortified church on the hill above the town — the oldest part of the municipality.
• The municipality covers a large part of the east coast and is one of the island’s most populous.
• This is the Ibicenco side of the island: Catalan in its Ibizan form is still ordinary street language here.

Good for

Families, couples and longer stays where you do not want to go out every night.