Cheap flights to Ibiza

Quick summary

Identity

More than its nightclubs

Ibiza (Eivissa in Catalan) is a Balearic island of 572 km2 with about 160,000 residents (INE 2024). It carries two coexisting reputations: in the 1960s and 70s it became a refuge for the international hippie community, and from the 1980s and 90s it established itself as one of the capitals of electronic music.

The two identities share the map: the south and west hold the party, notably in Sant Antoni (San Antonio) and Playa d'en Bossa, while the north, around Portinatx and Sant Joan, stays rural, planted with almond and fig trees. Since December 1999 the island has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List as Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture.

Old Town

Dalt Vila, the Renaissance fortress

Dalt Vila is Ibiza's Old Town, perched on a hill above the harbour: cobbled lanes inside a triple Renaissance wall begun in 1555 under Philip II, among the best preserved in the Mediterranean. The cathedral at the top gives the best viewpoint over the marina and, on a clear day, Formentera. It is also a good place to take in the island's long Phoenician, Carthaginian and Moorish history.

Heritage and nature

Posidonia, Puig des Molins and Sa Caleta

The four UNESCO components are Dalt Vila, the Posidonia meadows between Ibiza and Formentera, the Puig des Molins necropolis and the Phoenician settlement of Sa Caleta in the south, which also has a beach. The seagrass produces oxygen, protects beaches from erosion and helps keep the water clear.

Puig des Molins is one of the largest known Punic necropolises (Spanish Wikipedia) and has an archaeological museum. The Ses Salines nature park in the south combines salt pans and birdlife.

Museums and landmarks

Archaeology, contemporary art and ramparts

The island has few large museums, mostly in and around Dalt Vila. Hours and fees change, so check before you go.

Archaeological Museum of Ibiza and Formentera. In Dalt Vila, it covers the Phoenician, Punic and Roman periods (German Wikipedia).

Museum of Contemporary Art (MACE) and Museo Puget. Two museums in the old town, one devoted to contemporary art (German Wikipedia).

Cathedral. Medieval in origin, it holds the Virgin of the Snows, patron of the island (Spanish Wikipedia), and a diocesan museum.

Casa Broner and Medina Yabisa. A Bauhaus-style house and an interpretation centre on life in Moorish times (German Wikipedia).

Can Marçà caves. A stalactite cave in the north of the island, near Puerto de San Miguel (Wikivoyage).

Coast

Coves, beaches and clear water

Away from the clubs, the west coast hides some of the Mediterranean's best water. Cala Comte, with golden sand, shallow water and one of the best sunsets near San Antonio, is often listed among the finest beaches. Cala Bassa, Cala Gració, Cala Salada, Santa Eulalia, Sa Caleta, Playa d'en Bossa (the island's longest beach) and Ses Salines complete a coastline of big family beaches and coves reached on foot or by boat. The quietest coves are in the north.

Legend

Es Vedrà, the mysterious islet

Off the south-west coast, this steep rock almost 400 metres high has fed legends and reported UFO sightings for decades. Uninhabited and protected, it is best seen from the Sa Talaia viewpoint or Cala d'Hort beach, especially at sunset, or on a boat trip.

Nightlife

Pacha, Amnesia and the club season

For decades the world's top DJs have played the island every summer, in clubs that have become institutions.

The season usually runs from late May or June to mid-October; outside it most clubs close. Entry is charged at the door and drinks are expensive, which is worth budgeting for.

A local ritual

Sunset, an Ibiza institution

Long before the big clubs, Café del Mar, open since the 1980s facing the sea in San Antonio, made sunset a shared ritual set to music, giving rise to the chill-out style. Even today visitors and locals gather each evening on the promenade or at sea to applaud the sun going down.

Food and drink

Sofrit pagès, bullit de peix and flaó

Ibizan cooking draws on both land and sea. Traditional dishes include sofrit pagès, bullit de peix (boiled fish) served with rice, arròs de matances, borrida de ratjada (ray), coca with peppers and Ibizan sobrassada (Spanish and German Wikipedia).

Desserts. Flaó, a fresh-cheese flan flavoured with mint, plus orelletes, bunyols and greixonera; ensaimada is the classic pastry (Wikivoyage).

Drinks. Hierbas Ibicencas liqueur, palo (a local vermouth) and country wine (Spanish Wikipedia).

Markets. The Las Dalias hippie market in San Carlos is held on Saturdays, the Es Canar one on Wednesdays (Wikivoyage). To eat local, choose places busy with residents: they rarely open before 1pm and 7pm.

Getting around

Airport, buses, ferries and cars

From the airport. The airport is about 7 km south-west of Ibiza Town, roughly 10 minutes by car. Bus line 10 links it to town; other lines serve Sant Antoni and Santa Eulària (Wikivoyage). Reaching Sant Antoni, Santa Eulària or the north can take up to 40 minutes. Fares change, so check them.

On the island. The CETIS bus station in Ibiza Town is the starting point for lines to Sant Antoni, Santa Eulària and Playa d'en Bossa. Many beach and night buses do not run from October to the end of May (German Wikivoyage). Taxis are costly over long distances. Driving is described as demanding; a rental car is easy to get but should be booked early for July and August.

Ferries. The ferry port is 1.5 km from the centre of Ibiza Town. Ferries link the island with Denia, Barcelona, Valencia and Mallorca (Wikivoyage). Formentera is 11 nautical miles, about 20 km, away: 30 to 40 minutes by sea, with fares that vary by operator and season.

Good to know

An island of two speeds

You can spend a week in Ibiza without setting foot in a club: the north stays rural, with quiet coves. San Antonio and Playa d'en Bossa hold most of the party scene. Santa Eulària is more family-oriented. For an urban extension, Ibiza combines easily with Barcelona, about an hour by air or linked by ferry.

Why track Ibiza with SniperAir

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By length of stay

What to do in Ibiza depending on how long you stay

Ibiza airport

An island in high demand at peak season

When to go

Climate and best time to visit Ibiza

The climate is Mediterranean: 18.3 °C annual average, roughly 400 to 420 mm of rain a year and more than 2,700 hours of sunshine (French and Spanish Wikipedia, German Wikivoyage). The best trade-off is May and June or September and October.

Budget

A budget that depends on the season

Ibiza sits at a mid-to-high price level in summer, with accommodation and flights clearly dearer from June to September. Clubs and their drinks are expensive; eating out costs less away from the party areas. A tourist tax is added to overnight stays.

We do not publish price figures, because they change and do not cross-check. To cut the bill, aim for May, June, September or October and compare offers before you book.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions about flights to Ibiza