Ibiza

Introduction

Ibiza town

© Aylin

Ibiza (in Catalan: Eivissa) is one of the most popular party destinations in all of Europe. It is one of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Spain. Its culture and history are dating back to Phoenician times.

During summer, the island's population doubles as tourists flock to Ibiza to enjoy the night clubs, beach bars and restaurants. It is also a major haven for people looking to hear famous DJ's or hear more up and coming DJ's. If you're looking to party the night away this is the island for you. During the afternoons, you can also find beach parties and ad-hoc contests and events that you can join.

But the island also has many things to offer to people who aren't here to party all day every day. Ibiza is a good place for walking, hiking or mountain biking, especially in the months outside the busy tourist season. The aquatic sports practiced on the shores of Ibiza are a great way of spending some fun time with your friends and family, and the secret beaches scattered all around the shoreline offer a way to spend some times away from all the agitation and they are great for families looking for a quiet time. Going towards the interior of the island, you can find amazing picturesque streets and small coffee shops and restaurants, ideal for some romantic time with your partner.

If you are looking to get to know more about the island's history and culture, there are plenty of interesting museums around Ibiza, and you can also visit the famous castle and the Cathedral of our Lady of the Snow. The ancient Necropolis Puig de Molins is a famous attraction amongst visitors, the site displaying great findings from over 3,000 tombs, and it's worth visiting all year round.

Towns

Ibiza Town is the main settlement on Ibiza. It is located on the southeast side of the island. Other major towns on the island include , Sant Antoni de Portmany Santa Eularia des Riu, Sant Josep and Portinax

Sights and Activities

Beaches

Ibiza is home to many beautiful beaches with crystal clear water and white sand all round the island. When looking for more deserted beaches you might also want to consider taking the boat trip to nearby Formentera, which is less packed with tourists.

• Northern Beaches: Cala Benirras and Port de San Miguel.
• Southern Beaches: Talamanca, Playa d’en Bossa, Figueretes, Playa de las Salinas and Cala Jondal.
• Eastern Beaches: Cala Llonga. Cala Nova
• Western Beaches: Cala Salada, Cala Conta, Cala Tarida, Cala Gracio, Cala Vedella, Cala d’hort, Cala Bassa and Atlantis.

Cava de Can Marça

Near Port de San Miquel you will find the Can Marça cave. It is located at about 10-12 metres above see level, making it a great place for smuggles to stash their stuff in the old days. Tours are guided and take around 40 minutes, and costs €10.00, kids €6.00.

Discotheques

Most discotheques are only opened during the busy summer season. This is also the time that the best DJ's travel from and to the island, usually in style as you can see If the land at the airport and see the private jets. This means that the opening parties take place late May/Early June, and the closing parties at the end of September/early October.

Amnesia

• Location: San Rafael (Between San Antonio & Ibiza Town).
• Open: Every night during summer.
• Areas: 2 rooms + VIP.

Pacha

• Location: Ibiza Town (opposite marina).
• Open: All year round.
• Areas: 2 rooms + VIP & chillout area.

Space

• Location: Playa D'en Bossa.
• Open: Every day & night during summer EXCEPT Monday.
• Areas: 3 rooms inside, 1 room outside & outside chillout area. Extra outside terrace during opening & closing parties.

DC 10

• Location: Near airport.
• Open: Monday mornings & selected nights during the week.
• Areas: 2 rooms.

Privilege

• Location: San Rafael (Between San Antonio & Ibiza Town).
• Open: Every night during summer.
• Areas: 2 rooms + VIP & outside chillout area.

El Divino

• Location: Ibiza Town, in the Marina.
• Open: Every night during summer.
• Areas: 1 room + VIP & outside chillout area and VIP.

Heaven

• Location: Ibiza Town (opposite marina).

Underground

• Location: San Rafael (opposite Privilege).

Es Paradis

• Location: San Antonio.
• Open: Every night during summer.

Eden

• Location: San Antonio.
• Open: Every night during summer.

Hippy Market

Every Wednesday a hippy market takes place at Es Cana, on the eastern coast, There are many stands with all kinds of stuff, (also a lot of commercial stuff.), music and a lot of places to take a drink or a bite.

Mountainbiking

If you want to get sporty when staying in Ibiza, there are a couple of Mountain bike routes laid out across the island. They vary in difficulty and start from various towns. For many of them you need to be aware to take enough food and drinks with you, as not all routes pass through towns.

Weather

Ibiza has a typical Mediterranean climate with warm and dry summers and mild but relatively wet winters. Summers last from June to September when temperatures during the day average between 24 °C and 28 °C with nights generally still above 20 °C. Occasionally, temperatures can hit almost 40 °C. Winters last from December to February with temperatures around 13 °C or 14 °C and nights around 10 °C. This is also the time when most rain falls, although autumn and spring have a good deal of showers as well and even summers can have some heavy showers now and then.

Getting There

By Plane

Ibiza Airport (IBZ) serves the island of Ibiza and is especially busy in summer. Many charter airlines and budget airlines like Ryanair use the airport. It is located about 7 kilometres from Ibiza Town.

By Boat

Acciona Trasmediterránea, Balearia andIscomar have connections to the mainland (Barcelona and Valencia and other Balearic Islands.

Getting Around

By Car

Cars can be rented at many places, especially in the bigger towns like Ibiza City and Sant Antoni, as well as on the airport. If you don't want to drive yourself, please be aware that taxis have fixed rates.

By Public Transport

For an overview of schedules and connections, check thebusschedule.com.

Sleep

Upscale

You can use the form below to search for availability (Travellerspoint receives a commission for bookings made through the form)

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet is widely available within Spain. Most airports have wifi-zones and in most towns there are internet cafés or shops where you can use internet for a fixed price. Wi-Fi points in bars and cafeterias are available after ordering, and most hotels offer Wi-Fi connection in common areas for their guests.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The international access code for Spain is +34. The emergency number for police, ambulance and the fire brigade is 112.

In cities you can find plenty of public phones, and 'locutorios'. The latter are small shops where you can use the phone and use internet. Most of them also sell prepaid cards for mobile telephones. These shops are used a lot by foreigners to call to their mother country.

The main mobile network operators in Spain are Yoigo, Vodafone, Movistar and Orange, as in most of Europe voice and data coverage is generally good in urban areas however it can be patchy in rural locations. Cheap mobile phones (less than €50) with some pre-paid minutes are sold at FNAC or any phone operator's shop (Vodafone, Movistar, Orange). Topping-up is then done by buying scratch cards from the small stores, supermarkets, vending points (often found in tobacco shops) or kiosks.

Post

If you want to post a card, you can head to the post office (Correos). The Spanish post is not yet as efficient as colleagues in other countries so receiving a card can take a bit longer than the number of days that it should take. On the website of Correos, you can find the locations of nearby post offices.
Post offices are generally open from 8:30am to 2:00pm, although times will vary according to the size of the city/town and the main post offices might be open until the early evening. Most will also open again on Saturday mornings, but in the smaller towns will close as early as 12 noon. When posting a letter, look for a yellow box and, if possible, post at the post office itself where there will also be divisions for local, national and international mail. Be prepared for long queues at the post office. This is why tobacco shops sell stamps and many will also have the facility to weigh packages. Standard letters/postcards of up to 20 grams sent within Spain are €0.34. However, non-standard letters/postcards of up to 20g are €0.39. Letters/postcards of 20 to 50 grams are €0.45. In the case of international shipping, the price is €0.64 to most countries within Europe for standard envelopes (letters/postcards) up to 20g, for a few European countries and outside Europe it is €0.78. If you want to send a package you are probably better off with a private courier company like TNT, DHL or UPS, as they offer quick and reliable services against competitive prices.

External Links

• Official Governmental Website
• Official Tourism Website