Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa (in Catalan and officially) is one of the Balearic Islands. It is world famous for its intense nightlife and huge clubs, and attracts top DJ:s from all over the planet. Ibiza is also listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture". The maximum length of the island by highway is 42 km.
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Cities
- Eivissa (aka the city of Ibiza or Ibiza town) — is the main city on the island
- Sant Antoni de Portmany (aka San Antonio) — is a nightlife centre of the island
- Santa Eulària des Riu — is the 3rd town in the island, with less nightlife than two others
Understand
Ibiza and Formentera are also known as the Islas Pitiusas (from the Greek word "pitys" meaning pine tree) because of the abundance of pines that cover their landscapes. There are about 111,200 inhabitants live there.
Talk
- See also: Catalan phrasebook, Spanish phrasebook
The official language of the Balearic Islands is Balearic Catalan, or simply "Catalan", as in the Autonomy Statute, and all sign posts etc. are in Catalan. Nevertheless, Spanish (Castilian) is more common as an everyday language on the island. English though is very widely understood throughout the island.
Get in
By plane
- 1 Ibiza Airport (IBZ IATA) (7 km SW of the city of Ibiza), ☏ +34 91 321 10 00, toll-free: 902 404 704. See Ibiza Get in for a list of the major airlines serving the airport
Among the companies fying to Ibiza Airport are:
- Aer Lingus - scheduled flights from Dublin.
- Transavia.com - daily scheduled flight from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Copenhagen.
- Easyjet
- British Airways - London only, premium rate scheduled flights.
- Monarch Airlines - fly to Ibiza from Manchester, Birmingham and London Gatwick.
- Air Berlin
- First Choice - fly direct from most British airports but, being largely dependent on their own tour operator traffic, they're probably worth checking for late deals / stand-by offers
- Jet2.com - serve most of the airports in the north of England e.g. Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Blackpool, Edinburgh & Belfast.
- Iberia.com - the major Spanish carrier, adapting to the competitive dot.com airline world - worth checking if you can cope with unusual hours and Internet booking.
- Vueling.com - cheap Spanish airline.
- Thomas Cook' - Charter and Schedule flights.
- Flyniki - cheap flights from Vienna to Ibiza during summer season.
- Ryanair - Barcelona, Birmingham, Bologna, Bournemouth, Brussels, Düsseldorf, East Midlands, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Milan, Pisa, Rome, Trapani.
Other smaller airlines serving Ibiza are Air Baltic, Air Europa, BMI Baby, Condor, and Germanwings.
There is no left luggage service at the airport building, but there is one in the vicinity:
- 2 Ibiza Lockers (left luggage), Can Pep Cristoful, s/n Rotonda Aeropuerto Ibiza (Bar La Ponderosa and Bravo Rent a Car at the car park, approx. 400m from the airport), ☏ +34 971 39 09 99, +34 673 45 39 40, 2am-7am – emergency number 34 657532707 (also Whatsapp and Viber), ibizalockers@gmail.com. 24h. Automatic lockers, also on FB Standard Lockers: 1,50€/h; King Lockers: 5,00€/h.
For tourist information on Ibiza you can inquire at (or at their site):
- Tourist office at the airport, Terminal de llegadas del Aeropuerto de Ibiza (at the arrivals). M-Sa 9am - 3.30pm.
Airport transportation
- Bus lines link the airport with the major settlements on the island:
- Ibiza-San Jorge-Airport (Line #10). Nov-Mar: 7:00 - 23:30, every 30 min.; Apr-Oct: 6:00 - 24:00, every 20 min. (Jul-Aug: every 15 min.). €3.50.
- Sant Antoni-San José-Airport (Line #9). Jun, Sep: 8:00 to 1:00, hourly; Jul, Aug: 8:00 to 3:00. hourly. Out of season take bus #10 to Av. Isidoro Macabich in the city of Ibiza, then change to #3 or #8 (longer route) to Sant Antoni €4.
- Cala Nova-Es Canar-Santa Eulària-Airport (Line #24). 7:00 to 23:00, hourly. €4.
- Taxi rank. Make sure you take a taxi from there rather than at some other place, as the former one is for official machines, which are reportedly more reliable and cheaper. Should the rank is empty the airport site advises to call Radio Taxi de San José (971 800 080)
By boat
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Boats to:
- Denia from Ibiza (Eivissa) and San Antonio with Iscomar
- Alicante (only in summer): Trasmediterranea
- Barcelona (all year): Trasmediterranea, Balearia, Iscomar
- Valencia (all year): Trasmediterranea
- Palma de Mallorca: Trasmediterranea and Balearia
- Formentera: (many boat companies, all year round)
Get around
By bus
Bus lines in Ibiza and their schedules are listed at Ibizabus site. There is also unofficial schedule search engine [1].
By taxi
Taxis can be used to get around the island and cost €20-30 to travel between cities. NOTE: Don't use the fixed-prices taxis right after you leave the airport. Instead queue to use one of the licensed taxis - prices will be around 50% lower.
By car
Driving a car requires an extra care, as the locals are terrible drivers. Many tourists have been run off the road trying to avoid deadly head-on collisions. New road construction has led to the temporary development of detour roads which are poorly marked and dangerous. During the summer months many tourist drivers under the influence of alcohol, pose a potential threat.
Renting a car on Ibiza is easy as long as you can show your driving license. During the summer months of July and August renting a car can be difficult due to high demand, best to book early. Car hire prices are highly competitive.
See
- Es Vedra, the mystical island rock off Ibiza's west coast
- Atlantis, a hidden cove, but only if you can find a local who'll tell you its secret location
- Passeig de ses Fonts in Sant Antoni de Portmany
- Sunset Strip in Sant Antoni de Portmany
- The old centre of the city of Ibiza
- Visit nearby Formentera by boat
- Explore the many beaches all along the coast
- The famous Es Canar Hippy Market (held only on Wednesdays) on the east coast of the island and Las Dalias Hippie Market in San Carlos on Saturdays
- Visit Bar Anita in San Carlos, the historical venue where the artists and writers of the 50s, 60s and 70s used to collect their cheques and stop for a drink
- Visit Cova de Can Marçà in Puerto de San Miguel, the biggest natural caves in Ibiza, a must in Ibiza [2]
Many young people will be seen flocking to pay for daily rentals on beach chairs, and hawkers scan the beach looking for young adults to attend their club of choice.
Do
- Explore some of the traditional countryside of this beautiful island that few people take the time to enjoy
- Take a boat ride
- Go parasailing
- Learn Spanish in some of the language schools around the island. Some of them are specialised on teaching Spanish as a foreign language. Most of them are located in the city of Ibiza, where you also will be able to make use of your knowledge the best way and it also will be easier to stay in hostels near a school
- Take part in your own Professional Photoshoot
- Explore the wharf side festival. Hundreds of locals flock to the carnival-style stands for fresh foods, enticing smells, and quality made trinkets. In addition to incredible tastes and smells, there is a strong visual aspect to the festivals. A snake charmer is seen leading a small parade through the different stands at the glee and fright of small children everywhere
Eat
Don't forget to try two local specialities: ensaimada, a sort of flat, soft pastry coil - what a Danish pastry would be if it was more like a doughnut - and flao, a sweet cheese and mint flan. Most pastelerias and many bars sell ensaimada - flao is a bit more difficult to track down.
Drink
Ibiza is famous for its nightlife. During the day most tourists are soaking up rays at one of the gorgeous beaches or sleeping off the past night's drinks. Bars do not get busy in the city of Ibiza or San Antonio until early evening, about 7PM.
Nearly every bar, particularly in the busier summer months, has "drink specials" that will be advertised (more like hawked) on the street outside the bar. These are good options to save some cash in a notoriously expensive destination. Usually this will be a beer and a shot for €5, but the terms vary depending on the area, the time of night, and the bar.
The West End, near San Antonio center, is a long, wide street packed with bars and revelers. The party shuts down at around 3 or 4AM here.
Ibiza is most known for its large clubs. Some famous examples are Privilege, Space, Pacha, Eden, Amnesia, and Es Paradis. Most of these clubs have hefty entry fees and the drinks will be extremely expensive. Plan on paying €30-€80 for admission (unless you are able to find a special deal from one of the hawkers on the street) and from €15 per drink (prepare yourself to pay €10 for a bottle of water).
Ibiza clubs attract some of the best DJ's in the world who play a weekly 'residency' at a particular night.
- Jockey Club and "Malibu" (both on Salinas beach) - perfect places to drink and watch the beautiful people lying in the sun while DJs spin deep house and chill out tunes, one of the residents. Nati Holland plays every Saturday afternoon during the summer season [3]
- Pacha. The island's most expensive, and arguably best club - plan on €50 entry and €10 for a beer though! Over recent years, Pacha has increasingly devoted a large proportion of its floorspace to VIP tables at the expense of areas for 'regular' clubgoers. If the VIP experience is your thing, Pacha will be your #1 choice on the island, but expect your credit card to glow red-hot.
- Space nightclub (Playa d´en Bossa). Attracts people from all over the world and has received many awards, such as Best Global Club. Its opening and closing party weekends are widely regarded as the unofficial start and end of the Ibiza clubbing season.
- Es Paradis. Located in downtown San Antonio, the pyramid shaped club is decorated in a roman theme and is most famous for its water party Fiesta Del Aqua.
- Eden. Eden is also located in San Antonio, next door to Es Paradis. It is one of the newer clubs on the island, having travelled a long way in a short period of time, thanks to hosting nights by UK Radio One DJ's Judge Jules and Pete Tong.
- Amnesia. One of Ibiza's most popular superclubs and home to Cream parties on Thursday nights with residents including Paul Van Dyk and Deadmau5.
- Privilege. The biggest club on the island and according to its promoters the largest dancefloor in the world. Hosts superstar DJ Armin Van Buuren as its headline act.
- DC10Reopened fully in 2010 for the first time in 2 years following various closures and bans. Plays mostly underground dance music and techno.
- Cas Gasi. Fancy restaurant an excellent example of authentic Mediterranean cuisine in Ibiza
- ECO & ACT (The Village), Plaza de España 5 (north of the island). Perfect REAL IBIZA lunch brunch snack dinner place!
- Ibiza Rocks, Ibiza Rocks Hotel (C/ Estrella, San Antonio, Ibiza). The prime live music venue on the island. The concerts happen every Wednesday at the Ibiza Rocks Hotel. Previous headliners have included Arctic Monkeys, The Prodigy, Kasabian, Keane, MGMT, Kaiser Chiefs and Dizzee Rascal
Sleep
When it comes to choosing a place to stay on Ibiza, it really depends on what type of vacation experience you are after. Ibiza offers everything from basic hostel-style modest accommodation to five star mega-bling, such as the Ibiza Grand Hotel in the city of Ibiza. Unless you enjoy surrounding yourself with mainly large groups of rowdy drunks who rarely leave their comforts in "San An", then avoid the central 'West End' bar strip of San Antonio, although its peripheries are far classier, offering sunset viewing at the hugely popular 'sunset strip', including Cafe Mambo for the Pacha pre-parties, the legendary Cafe Del Mar next door, plus a selection of other bayfront bars. If you just want to relax and chill, and visit nice unspoilt beaches, then it's better to spend a little more on a nice villa (and, of course, rent a car).
The resort area of Playa D'en Bossa has recently witnessed something of a reinvention, with upmarket beach bar/restaurants such as 'Nassau' and 'Coco Beach adding to a market of upscale clientele that was once monopolized by 'Blue Marlin' in Cala Jondal. The resort area has a wide range of hotels, with its proximity to the city of Ibiza and the airport being an advantage (although Ibiza is a small Island with a decent road network).
If you prefer a hotel, you have plenty to choose from. There are more than 300 licensed accommodation possibilities on Ibiza, that cover the entire budget range, from hostels to exclusive and intimate rural hotels, and most are represented with web pages online and in numerous travel guides, but do not go there in August without a reservation. You could wind up on the street or on the beach (also illegal).
There are also plenty of apartment and villa bookings for those looking at tailor made vacations, especially since the birth of sites, such as Airbnb and Holiday Lettings there has been a boom from property owners renting vacation rentals. This is can be a much cheaper option than booking a hotel room.
- Cas Gasi. / Camino Viejo de Sant Mateu
- Can Talaias. Can Talaias a privileged spot. Villa accommodation in Ibiza
- Harissa Villas Ibiza, Office: Carrer de Cala Carbo 2 – Cala Carbo, ☏ 0034 971808178. Luxury villas.
Go next
- Formentera - a neighboring island – more quiet and less spoilt, set in some of the cleanest, most turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. Take a beautiful boat ride to get there.