Ivisa (Eivissa): old town and harbor
Ivisa is the capital of the island, founded by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC. Then the city was ruled by the Romans, Byzantines, Muslims and Spaniards. Now the island belongs to the Balearic Islands, an autonomy under Spanish rule.
Old Town
The capital has preserved the old town — dalt vila. Here you have to walk and admire the white-washed historical buildings. The fortress wall and the Santa Lucia Bastion are preserved on the hill. Don’t miss the island’s main cathedral, the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, with its painted domes and observation deck. From almost any point in the old town you can enjoy scenic views of the city, the bay and the neighboring island of Formentera.
Every year at the end of May, the finale of the International Music Summit Ibiza takes place near the walls of Santa Lucia. After sunset, a huge open-air party begins with a view of the whole city and the bay.
- Tickets are from 45 €.
- The 2020 summit has been moved to May 2021.
In the old town there is a museum of archaeology and two art museums. Read more about them here. Ivis offers a cultural program — although you wouldn’t expect it from such a resort.
I suggest having a bite to eat at the S’Escalinata Café . Visitors sit on the stairs on soft pouffes. Grab a sangria and snacks, relax and enjoy the views of the old town. There’s also a delicious gazpacho soup. Open from 10:00am, Monday through Wednesday from 11:00am until midnight.
Club Pacha
Ivis is home to the oldest club on the island, Pacha. It opened in 1973 and has been open non-stop ever since. It is one of the few clubs on the island that is open even in winter. You may have seen the Pacha symbol — two cherries. They represent the hippie spirit of freedom, love and modern technology.
- Tickets for the summer parties are from 35 €.
Beaches of Talamanca
Talamanca is just 3 km from the old town. This quiet area of Ivisa is an ideal resort for a vacation with children. There is a long sandy beach and a wooden promenade. There are Mediterranean cafes nearby — and prices are slightly lower than on the Ivisa promenade. The old town and clubs can be reached on foot in 20—30 minutes.
A couple of kilometers away is the village of Jesus. The oldest church in Ibiza, La parròquia de Nostra Senyora de Jesús, was built by Franciscan monks in the late 15th century. The medieval iconostasis has been preserved inside.
Platja d’en Bossa: clubs and beaches
Here is the largest concentration of clubs — the most popular are Hi Ibiza, Sankeys, Ushuaia (part time hotel). Each day of the week in the club is dedicated to its own themed party.
- Rooms at Ushuaia Hotel overlooking the club scene start from 139 €.
Bora Bora Cafe is located on the beach. It is known for its outdoor wet parties. Visitors are hosed down in the middle of dancing — without warning, of course. During the day, the fun takes place on the beach or by the pool — entrance is usually free for all. In the evening, the party moves under the roof, and then DJs perform — for some events you have to buy an entrance ticket.
A little away from the promenade is the largest and oldest water park on the island — Aguamar. There are many high and twisting water slides, tunnels and «spirals», children’s pool, cafes and playgrounds — you would like to spend the whole day in the water park, moving from rides to sun beds.
- The entrance fee is 19,97 €.
- Open from May to September. Open from 10:00 to 18:00.
DC-10 Club.
This is probably the most underground club in Ibiza. It is located near the airport, at the very end of the runway, in a former farmhouse. The club hardly advertises its parties, the organizers believe that electronic music lovers will find them anyway.
- Tickets for the most popular party are 50 €.
- A bottle of water is €5, a beer €10.
Playa den Bossa has a gentle entrance to the water on the beaches and a large water park, but for a vacation with children in high season I still do not recommend it. There are a lot of clubs and the airport is a couple of kilometers away — so the area is noisy almost always.
Sant Antoni de Portmany: sunsets, murals and bars
At the entrance to the city you will be greeted by the «Columbus Egg» — a sculpture of a human-sized egg. It is dedicated to Columbus — it is believed that the navigator was born in San Antonio. In the middle of the hollow egg is a model of Columbus' ship.
Cafe del Mar
The local beach is home to Cafe del Mar, a lounge cafe with the most famous sunsets in the world. The cafe opened its doors in 1980 and since then, every evening the island’s party people gather here to enjoy another sunset. Everyone sits on the terrace or on the rocks of the beach, listening to live music and cheering as the sun sets into the sea. It’s worth coming here if only for the atmosphere of hedonism, relaxation and togetherness.
After sunset in San Antonio, everyone moves to the bars/clubs and dances until morning. The West End neighborhood has the most bars — at night the crowds fill the entire street. The plan for the evening and night is to move from one bar to another, and only get around a small portion by morning.
Let the bar-hopping start at the Amsterdam Bar. Neon sign, cute interior, location in the center of the block.
- Shots at the bars are €4, cocktails from €7.
- Another popular entertainment: inhaling air from helium balloons — 5 € per piece. Due to the small content of laughing gas, it changes the voice to a cartoonish one.
In 1983, the band Wham! was filming a music video for the song Club Tropicana in San Antonio. The filming took place on the territory of the Pikes Hotel. A few years later, Freddie Mercury celebrated his birthday here, Kylie Minogue, Bon Jovi and George Michael also vacationed here.
- Book a room at the legendary hotel and swim in the very pool from the clip — from 179 € per night.
Street art festival
Ibiza hosts an annual street art festival, the Bloop Festival. Artists create murals (graffiti) on city streets and hold workshops. Try a quest to find as many images as possible on San Antonio’s buildings.
San Antonio is where most of the rowdy young Brits come to live. Relax here if you are not intimidated by the music from the many bars and endless parties.
Santa Eularia des Riu: hippie markets
The town is a little away from the center of nightlife, it is quite quiet and peaceful.
The main attraction of the town is the Es Puig de Missa hill. In the 16th century, the Parròquia de Santa Eulàlia church was built here, from which the resort takes its name.
There is also an ethnographic museum (Museo Etnologico di Ibiza e Formentera). The building of the museum is a typical peasant house, and the exposition shows household items, clothes, jewelry, musical instruments, weapons.
- The entrance fee is 3,5 €.
- Open from 10:00 to 20:0 (siesta break from 14:00 to 17:30), Sunday from 11:00 to 13:30.
Beaches stretch along the entire promenade, with everyone sunbathing during the day and moving to cafes and restaurants in the evening.
Hippie markets
Hippie markets have been held near Santa Eularia since the mid-20th century. At them you can not only buy colorful souvenirs and bright clothes, but also listen to ethnic music, and sometimes there are performances.
The most famous hippie market is Mercadillo Las Dalias. It sells unusual clothes, ethno-style jewelry and decorations, old books and handmade cosmetics.
- Open on Saturdays, from 10:00 to 20:00. In summer there are also night markets with live music.
- You can get there by bus on route L16.
At the Punta Arabimarket, the eyesare dazzled by leather goods, jewelry and trinkets made of silver, souvenirs with ethnic motifs.
- Open Wednesdays, April through October, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- There are buses here: routes L18 and L24B.
Santa Eularia is a compromise option if you want Ibiza, but also want to sleep in silence.
Portinatx: diving
This inaccessible fishing village in the north of Ibiza was the center of Franco’s opposition. It is now a picturesque resort amidst sheer cliffs and gorges.
There are no historical sights in Portinaca. You can climb the ruins of a pirate tower on the hill. However, there are three beaches and almost no high waves. The beaches are located in sheltered coves and the cliffs are good for sunsets.
People come here for diving. The instructors choose the most beautiful places near the coast. There is an opportunity to see with your own eyes the cave of light, Hercules pillars, blue lagoons. The most beautiful underwater views are near the Moscater lighthouse.
- The dive costs from 40 €. The boat leaves daily from 09:00 am from the beach side.
Portinac is a very quiet and secluded village, for parties and entertainment you have to go to Ivisa or San Antonio. It is a place for a sealed beach vacation, where you have time to think about the meaning of existence.
The most convenient way to travel between cities is by bus. The route network covers the whole island. At the same time you can have a couple of glasses of wine at lunch. If you rent a car, you can’t do that — there are huge fines for drunk driving.
- Tickets cost from 1.5 €.
If you’re here to party hard and plan to sleep on the beach, then Playa den Bossa and San Antonio are the places to go. A compromise option is Santa Eularia, not far from the clubs of Ivisa, but quiet enough. In fact, the island of Ibiza is small, and from one town to another can be reached in an hour and a half at most. No matter where you settle, you can easily catch all the fun things to do.
