Ibiza Travel Guide — The Practical Version
Ibiza is easy to visit and easy to misjudge. The two things that catch people out are the size of it and the hours it keeps — a 45-kilometre island where dinner is at ten, clubs shut at six, and nothing you want to do happens between eleven in the morning and four in the afternoon.
This is the logistical guide. Where to sleep is covered in the where to stay guide and what it costs in the price guide; what follows is everything else.
Landing and the First Hour
The airport sits at the southern tip, ten minutes from the Playa d'en Bossa strip, fifteen from Ibiza Town, and a solid hour from the north coast. Summer brings direct flights from most of Europe, and there are ferries from Barcelona, Valencia and Dénia if you would rather bring a car.
Two things will slow you down on arrival. Car hire queues in July and August are long enough to eat an afternoon, so book in advance and pick up off-airport if the operator offers it. And Saturday is changeover day, when the whole island is either arriving or leaving and the road between Sant Antoni and the airport does not move.
If you land in the evening, do not plan a distant first dinner. Eat near where you are sleeping and start properly the next day.
You Will Need Wheels
Unless you are staying in Ibiza Town or on the southern strip, assume you are driving. Taxis are genuinely scarce in high season and there is no version of this island where you can reliably summon one at two in the morning in the countryside.
Book the car before you fly. On-island rates during August are punishing and the good categories sell out. A small car is more useful than a large one — village streets are narrow and beach car parks fill by midday. Scooters are popular and the coast roads are not the place to learn on one.
For nights out there are two alternatives: the Discobus, which is the summer night bus connecting the resorts to the main clubs, and a private driver for the return leg. The second one is the only genuinely predictable option at five in the morning, and worth it.
The Island Clock
Everything is shifted late. Lunch runs from about two, terraces fill for dinner around half past ten, and kitchens are still serving at midnight in August. Book a table at eight and you will eat alone.
Clubs open at midnight, are thin until one or two, and close at six across the island. Beach clubs cover the daylight hours instead, and the good sunbeds are gone by eleven in high season. Shops in the villages still keep a proper afternoon break, so if you need something practical, do it in the morning.
Plan the middle of the day as downtime or as time on the water. The nightlife guide sets out how the evening hours fall, and the party guide covers spacing several nights across a week.
The Days Worth Planning For
Dalt Vila, the walled old town above the port, in the early evening when it cools down. It is a proper fortified town rather than a viewpoint, and the walk up through it to the cathedral is the best hour in Ibiza Town.
Formentera, about half an hour by fast ferry from Ibiza Town. Flat, low, extraordinary water, and a long lunch by the sand at Juan y Andrea. It is a whole day and it is the single best one on offer.
The north on a slow afternoon: the pine ridges towards Sant Joan and Sant Miquel, lunch in Santa Gertrudis, Benirràs on a Sunday evening when people bring drums to the sunset. And the cliffs above Cala d'Hort looking out at Es Vedrà, which costs nothing and beats most things that do — the Es Vedrà area page has more on that corner. Behind the airport, the salt flats at Ses Salines turn pink at the end of the day and there is a beach at the end of them.
Small Practical Things
The sun here does more damage than people expect, particularly on a boat where the sea reflects it back at you. Shade in the middle of the day is not caution, it is the difference between five good days and two.
Cards work everywhere; carry some cash for village bars and beach kiosks. Tap water is drinkable but most people buy bottled. Sunday is quiet inland and busy on the coast. Catalan and Spanish are both official, English is universal in the tourist areas, and any attempt at Spanish is received warmly.
Finally: three or four days is enough for a first trip built around the south, but a week is what the island actually deserves — see when to visit for choosing the month, and the escort roster if part of the trip involves company.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Almost certainly, unless you are staying in Ibiza Town or on the Playa d'en Bossa strip. Book it before you arrive: August rates on the island are far higher and taxis cannot be relied on as a substitute.
Three or four days works for a first visit built around the south of the island. A week lets you add Formentera, the north and a couple of slow days, which is where most of the good memories come from.
Underestimating distances and eating too early. A 45-kilometre island sounds small until you drive it twice a day, and a nine o'clock dinner reservation puts you in an empty restaurant.
The season runs from the opening parties in late April and May to the closings in late September and early October. Outside that, most clubs and beach venues are shut and the island belongs to the people who live here — beautiful, but a different trip entirely.
Continue Exploring
Discover More of Ibiza
Working out the shape of the trip? Read the where to stay guide, or browse the Ibiza roster if part of the week involves company.