Ibiza travel guide
Where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Things to do in Ibiza, planned over three days
Best time to visit Ibiza
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Opening season, 20 to 25C, empty beaches and prices below peak.
Sweet spot, 25 to 30C, everything open and crowds still below July.
Peak, 28 to 33C, biggest DJ weeks at maximum price, crowd and heat.
Late season and closings, warmest sea and falling crowds, some places shut from late September.
Winter island, clubs and seasonal hotels shut, best for hiking, wellness and resident life.
What's on
- International Music Summit late April
Industry season curtain-raiser ending with the IMS Dalt Vila finale party.
- Eivissa Medieval Fair second weekend of May
Dalt Vila fills with markets and re-enactments.
- Festa de Maig early May
Santa Eulalia's local, family fiesta.
- Sant Joan 23-24 June
Bonfires and village fiestas, biggest at Sant Joan de Labritja.
- Festes de la Terra around 5-8 August
Ibiza Town fiestas with fireworks over the port.
- BBC Radio 1 Dance Weekend early August
Radio 1's weekend of big name DJ sets, held at Ushuaïa and Ibiza Rocks in recent years.
- Sant Bartomeu fiesta 24 August
San Antonio's patronal fiesta.
- Closing weekend roughly 8-12 October
Venue closings cluster here, the party trip regulars rate above openings.
- Pikes Halloween party 31 October
Ticketed Halloween party, the season's absolute last event.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Ibiza
Dalt Vila
UNESCO walled old town of steep lanes, a cathedral and bastion views over the harbour to Formentera.
Hï Ibiza
Polished multi-room superclub in Playa d'en Bossa, best chosen for its residency rather than its fame.
Ushuaïa Ibiza
Open-air daytime superclub opposite Hï, running roughly from late afternoon into the evening.
Pacha Ibiza
The original glamour club in Ibiza Town, a polished night out close to the marina and old town.
Amnesia Ibiza
Big-room and terrace institution near San Rafael, one of the island's classic large clubs.
DC-10 Ibiza
Rawer, heads-down club on the Sant Josep road, best known for Circoloco on Mondays.
UNVRS
New large-scale hyperclub entrant, built for big production nights and major residencies.
Es Vedrà
Protected rock island off the south-west coast, viewed best from Cala d'Hort or the watchtower above.
Where to stay in Ibiza
Ibiza Town and Talamanca
first trip, all-round base
Dalt Vila, the port and year-round restaurants, with calm Talamanca beach and boardwalk just north.
Santa Eulalia del Río
couples, families, food and longer stays
Real year-round east-coast town with promenade, marina and the island's densest good restaurants.
Santa Gertrudis and the rural centre and north
quiet, food and wellness trips
Finca hotels among orchards and village life, with the best rural restaurants and a car essential.
San Antonio bay side and Sunset Strip
budget and sunset base
Improved bay-side hotels and the island's best sunsets, away from the West End streets.
Playa d'en Bossa
club weekends only
Long beach opposite Hï and Ushuaïa, loud and seasonal, perfect for three club nights and little else.
Far north and south-west coves
beach-and-nothing-else stays
Beautiful, quiet and family-friendly coves, remote in summer and partly shut in winter.
Think twice about
- San Antonio West End
Very cheap drinks, promoters, drunk crowds and noise until dawn, with petty theft and scam risk.
- Playa d'en Bossa strip in peak season
Relentlessly loud for non-clubbers, with beach-club sound, club queues and promoters at all hours.
- Unlicensed tourist apartments and villas
Too-cheap August listings are the classic rental scam. Book only licensed places with a licence number.
- Remote northern resorts in winter
Hotels, restaurants and even shops close from November to March, leaving long drives for dinner.
Best restaurants in Ibiza
Bar Costa
Village square bar famous for ham sandwiches and walls covered in art.
La Paloma
Family-run finca restaurant in an orange grove, the one rural dinner to prioritise.
Amante
Clifftop restaurant over a cove, the island's most romantic special-occasion dinner setting.
Es Boldado
No-frills fish restaurant on the rocks staring straight at Es Vedrà, order the bullit de peix.
El Bigotes
Rustic shack famous for wood-fired bullit de peix served at set sittings to those who booked.
Can Pujol
Family seafood house from 1980 at the quiet end of the bay, with a sunset terrace.
Casa Jondal
Beach restaurant splurge for superb seafood and Spanish classics with feet in the sand.
Bar Anita
Village institution for house hierbas, simple tapas and sandwiches, paired with Las Dalias.
Outdoor things to do in Ibiza
Formentera
Essential day trip by fast ferry, best explored by bike or scooter on arrival.
Ses Illetes
Long Caribbean-looking spit in a natural park, repeatedly ranked among the world's best beaches.
Golf Ibiza
The island's only golf venue, with 18-hole and 9-hole courses in pine-covered hills.
Sa Pedrera de Cala d'Hort
Old sandstone quarry known as Atlantis, reached by a steep unshaded walk to rock pools.
Es Figueral
East-coast cove used for guided kayak and snorkel trips to caves, arches and clear meadows.
Ibiza boat day
Shared catamaran, sunset cruise or private charter is the other way Ibiza is meant to be seen.
Ibiza scuba diving
Dive trips to reserve sites around Ses Salines, Es Vedrà islets and the north coast.
Santa Gertrudis cycling interior
Road and e-bike riding through red-earth lanes, villages and olive country in the centre and north.
Best hotels in Ibiza
Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay
Barefoot-luxury hotel on Talamanca beach, walkable to Ibiza Town with two pools.
Ibiza Gran Hotel
Five-star landmark opposite the marina with a big spa and destination dining.
The Standard, Ibiza
In-town boutique on Vara de Rey with a rooftop pool, port and old town on foot.
Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel
Iconic finca estate in orange groves with gardens, spa and pools spread like a village.
W Ibiza
Design-forward five-star on the Santa Eulalia promenade with a rooftop pool and livelier feel.
ME Ibiza
Serene beachfront five-star just north of Santa Eulalia, with a strong spa and rooftop.
Six Senses Ibiza
Destination wellness resort on a northern bay, remote from clubs and Ibiza Town.
Pikes Ibiza
Small eccentric adults-focused hotel where the party inside the gates is the point.
Is Ibiza expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €140 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €325 a person |
| Splurge | €650 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Hï Ibiza: weeks ahead
- Ushuaïa Ibiza: weeks ahead
- Pacha Ibiza: weeks ahead
- Amnesia Ibiza: weeks ahead
- DC-10 Ibiza: weeks ahead
- UNVRS: weeks ahead
- Pikes Ibiza: weeks ahead
- Formentera: a few days ahead
- Buy official club tickets as soon as dates are set for openings, closings and top residencies.
- Book hotels months ahead for late July, August and closing weekend.
- Book Amante, La Paloma, Jondal, Es Boldado and the Pikes guestlist weeks ahead in season.
Is Ibiza safe?
- Watch bags and phones around club queues, crowded buses, Bossa and San Antonio at night.
- Do not stop for the street guessing game, a distraction used for pickpocketing.
- Watch drinks in party resorts, stay with your group and use licensed transport home.
- Many calas have no lifeguard, so avoid rock swims after drinking and check local jellyfish advice.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Ibiza travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Ticket touts, street PRs and free wristbands. Buy club tickets only from official sellers.
- Playa d'en Bossa beach clubs as a beach day, paying club prices for a loud crowded strip.
- Front-row sunset tables with minimum spends when the same sunset is free from the rocks.
- Boat trips promising to land on Es Vedrà, which is a protected reserve you cannot land on.
Getting around Ibiza: public transport and more
- Rent a car for beaches, rural restaurants and the north, and book ahead for July and August.
- Buses link towns and main beaches in season, and the night Discobus links the clubs from midnight.
- Use licensed taxis and apps only, never an unlicensed pirate taxi from the airport or a club.
Who Ibiza suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Ibiza your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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