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The Ibiza Bucket List, Ranked

Ibiza, SpainDecember 9, 20242 min read
By MASA Editors
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A wooden boardwalk running through low dunes to the pale sand and luminous turquoise shallows of Platja des Arenals on Formentera, a single white parasol open on the empty beach.01
A wooden boardwalk running through low dunes to the pale sand and luminous turquoise shallows of Platja des Arenals on Formentera, a single white parasol open on the empty beach.Photo: Tom Podmore / Unsplash

A UNESCO-listed walled town, a mythic offshore rock and some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean. The island beyond the superclubs, in order.

The clubs are real and they are excellent, but they are perhaps a fifth of what Ibiza is. The rest is a small Balearic island of pine-backed coves, a walled Renaissance town on a hill, salt flats full of flamingos and a countryside of whitewashed farmhouses. Ranked by what you would most regret missing.

The quick facts

  • Balearic Islands, Spain, in the western Mediterranean off the Valencian coast
  • Season runs roughly May to October; the island is very quiet outside it
  • Ibiza Town (Eivissa) and Sant Antoni are the two main bases; ferries and an airport connect the island to the mainland

1. Dalt Vila at golden hour

The walled upper town above Ibiza Town is UNESCO-listed, and climbing it through the Portal de ses Taules to the cathedral and the bastions is the single best hour on the island. Cobbles, cats, cannon views over the harbour, and almost nobody up there before evening.

A quiet, shaded cobbled alley in Ibiza's old town, hemmed by ochre and pink stone walls with an iron street lantern and two figures at the sunlit far end
A quiet, shaded cobbled alley in Ibiza's old town, hemmed by ochre and pink stone walls with an iron street lantern and two figures at the sunlit far endPhoto: Julia Haupt / Unsplash

2. Es Vedra from Cala d Hort

The limestone islet rising sheer out of the sea off the southwest coast is the image Ibiza sells itself on, and it deserves it. Watch it from the beach at Cala d Hort in the late afternoon, ideally with a long lunch involved.

3. Cala Comte at sunset

Low rust-red rocks, water in three separate shades of blue, and islets sitting exactly where the sun goes down. It is the classic Ibiza sunset spot and it gets busy, so arrive well before the light does.

Aerial view over Ibiza Town's old quarter, terracotta rooftops, a leafy plaza and a church tower above whitewashed houses.
Aerial view over Ibiza Town's old quarter, terracotta rooftops, a leafy plaza and a church tower above whitewashed houses.Photo: Belinda Fewings / Unsplash

4. One night at a legendary club

Pacha, Amnesia, Hi Ibiza and Ushuaia are internationally famous for good reason, and one properly planned night is worth more than three half-hearted ones. Line-ups are announced in advance, tickets are cheaper booked ahead, and the island's nights start extremely late.

5. A day trip to Formentera

Ferries run frequently from Ibiza Town to the smaller sister island, where the water at Ses Illetes is famously clear and the pace drops away entirely. Go early and come back on a late boat.

A whitewashed Ibiza Town building with mustard-trimmed shuttered windows, iron balconies and bicycles parked below.
A whitewashed Ibiza Town building with mustard-trimmed shuttered windows, iron balconies and bicycles parked below.Photo: Katy Cao / Unsplash

6. Ses Salines natural park

The working salt pans in the south are a protected wetland where flamingos are a regular sight, and the beach beyond them is one of the best on the island. It is a rare Ibiza combination of nature reserve and glamorous sand.

7. The hippy markets

Las Dalias near Sant Carles and the Punta Arabi market at Es Canar are the surviving originals from the island counterculture of the 1970s. Days and hours shift by season, so check before driving out.

Aerial view of swimmers and a small boat anchored in crystal-clear turquoise water off a rocky Ibiza cove.
Aerial view of swimmers and a small boat anchored in crystal-clear turquoise water off a rocky Ibiza cove.Photo: Ana Maria Tomescu / Unsplash

8. Benirras at sundown

A north-coast cove where drummers traditionally gather to play the sun down, especially on Sundays. The parking is limited and the road is narrow, which is part of why it still feels like a local ritual.

Tip: Hire a car for at least part of your stay. The coves that make Ibiza worth the trip are scattered around the coast, and taxi supply on the island is famously tight in peak season.

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