Ibiza, Spain

Playa D'en Bossa beach. Ibiza, Spain.

Ibiza (Eivissa) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea off the east coast of Spain. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. Its largest settlements are Ibiza Town (Vila d'Eivissa, or simply Vila), Santa Eulària des Riu, and Sant Antoni de Portmany. Its highest point, called Sa Talaiassa (or Sa Talaia), is 475 metres (1,558 feet) above sea level.

Ibiza has become well known for its association with nightlife, electronic music that originated on the island, and for the summer club scene, all of which attracts large numbers of tourists drawn to that type of holiday. The island's government and the Spanish Tourist Office have been working to promote more family-oriented tourism.

Ibiza and the nearby island of Formentera to its south are called the Pine Islands, or "Pityuses".

Ibiza is considered to be a popular tourist destination, especially due to its legendary and at times riotous nightclub based nightlife centered on two areas: Ibiza Town, the island's capital on the southern shore and Sant Antoni to the West.

Nowadays, during the summer, top producers and DJs in dance music come to the island and play at the various clubs, in between touring to other international destinations. Some of the most famous DJs run their own weekly nights around the island. Many of these DJs use Ibiza as an outlet for presenting new songs within the house, trance and techno genres of electronic dance music.

The city has achieved renowned worldwide fame as a cultural center for house and trance in particular, with its name often being used as a partial metonym for the particular flavor of electronic music originating there, much like Goa in India.

The season traditionally begins at the start of June with Space and DC10's opening parties and finishes on the first weekend of October with the Closing Parties. A typical schedule for clubbers going to Ibiza includes waking at noon, early evening naps, late night clubbing, and "disco sunrises."

Due to Ibiza's notable tolerance toward misbehaviour from young adult tourists, it has acquired the sobriquet "Gomorrah of the Med." Also well-known is Café del Mar, a long-standing bar where many tourists traditionally view the sunset made famous by José Padilla, who has released more than a dozen eponymous album compilations of ambient music played at the location. That and other bars nearby have become an increasingly popular venue for club pre-parties after sunset, hosting popular DJ performers.

The island's government is trying to encourage a more cultured and quieter tourism scene, passing rules including the closing of all nightclubs by 6 a.m. at the latest, and requiring all new hotels to be 5-star. The administration wants to attract a more international mixture of tourists.

Cities

• Ibiza (city) (or Eivissa, in Catalan, aka Ibiza town) — is the main city on the island.
• Sant Antoni de Portmany (aka San Antonio) — is a nightlife centre of the island.
• Santa Eulària des Riu — is the 3rd town in the island, with less nightlife than two others.

Climate

The summer climate of Ibiza typically ranges in the upper 20s °C (70s–80s °F), often reaching 30.0 °C (86 °F), with overnight lows below 22.2 °C (72 °F). The winter, off-season temperature reaches lows of 8.1–14.2 °C (46.6–57.6 °F), with highs in the upper-teens °C (60s °F).

Get around

By bus. Bus lines in Ibiza and their schedules are listed at Ibizabus site. There is also unofficial schedule search engine.

By taxi. Taxis can be used to get around the island and cost €20-30 to travel between cities. NOTE: Don't use the fixed-prices taxis right after you leave the airport. Instead queue to use one of the licensed taxis - prices will be around 50% lower.

By car. Driving a car requires an extra care, as the locals are terrible drivers. Many tourists have been run off the road trying to avoid deadly head-on collisions. New road construction has led to the temporary development of detour roads which are poorly marked and dangerous. During the summer months many tourist drivers under the influence of alcohol, pose a potential threat.

Renting a car on Ibiza is easy as long as you can show your driving license. During the summer months of July and August renting a car can be difficult due to high demand, best to book early. Car hire prices are highly competitive.

See

• Es Vedra, the mystical island rock off Ibiza's west coast.

• Atlantis, a hidden cove, but only if you can find a local who'll tell you its secret location.

• Passeig de ses Fonts in Sant Antoni de Portmany.

• Sunset Strip in Sant Antoni de Portmany.

• The old centre of the city of Ibiza.

• Visit nearby Formentera by boat.

• Explore the many beaches all along the coast.

• The famous Es Canar Hippy Market (held only on Wednesdays) on the east coast of the island and Las Dalias Hippie Market in San Carlos on Saturdays.

• Visit Bar Anita in San Carlos, the historical venue where the artists and writers of the 50s, 60s and 70s used to collect their cheques and stop for a drink.

• Visit Cova de Can Marçà in Puerto de San Miguel, the biggest natural caves in Ibiza, a must in Ibiza.

Many young people will be seen flocking to pay for daily rentals on beach chairs, and hawkers scan the beach looking for young adults to attend their club of choice.

Do

• Explore some of the traditional countryside of this beautiful island that few people take the time to enjoy.

• Take a boat ride.

• Go parasailing.

• Learn Spanish in some of the language schools around the island. Some of them specialise in teaching Spanish as a foreign language. Most of them are located in the city of Ibiza, where you also will be able to make use of your knowledge the best way and it also will be easier to stay in hostels near a school.

• Take part in your own Professional Photoshoot.

• Explore the wharf side festival. Hundreds of locals flock to the carnival-style stands for fresh foods, enticing smells, and quality made trinkets. In addition to incredible tastes and smells, there is a strong visual aspect to the festivals. A snake charmer is seen leading a small parade through the different stands at the glee and fright of small children everywhere.

Eat and Drink

Don't forget to try two local specialities: ensaimada, a sort of flat, soft pastry coil - what a Danish pastry would be if it was more like a doughnut - and flao, a sweet cheese and mint flan. Most pastelerias and many bars sell ensaimada - flao is a bit more difficult to track down.

Ibiza is famous for its nightlife. During the day most tourists are soaking up rays at one of the gorgeous beaches or sleeping off the past night's drinks. Bars do not get busy in the city of Ibiza or San Antonio until early evening, about 7 PM.

Nearly every bar, particularly in the busier summer months, has "drink specials" that will be advertised (more like hawked) on the street outside the bar. These are good options to save some cash in a notoriously expensive destination. Usually this will be a beer and a shot for €5, but the terms vary depending on the area, the time of night, and the bar.

The West End, near San Antonio center, is a long, wide street packed with bars and revelers. The party shuts down at around 3 or 4AM here.

Ibiza is most known for its large clubs. Some famous examples are Privilege, Space, Pacha, Eden, Amnesia, and Es Paradis. Most of these clubs have hefty entry fees and the drinks will be extremely expensive. Plan on paying €30-€80 for admission (unless you are able to find a special deal from one of the hawkers on the street) and from €15 per drink (prepare yourself to pay €10 for a bottle of water).

Ibiza clubs attract some of the best DJs in the world who play a weekly 'residency' at a particular night.

Sleep

When it comes to choosing a place to stay on Ibiza, it really depends on what type of vacation experience you are after. Ibiza offers everything from basic hostel-style modest accommodation to five star mega-bling, such as the Ibiza Grand Hotel in the city of Ibiza.

Unless you enjoy surrounding yourself with mainly large groups of rowdy drunks who rarely leave their comforts in "San An", then avoid the central 'West End' bar strip of San Antonio, although its peripheries are far classier, offering sunset viewing at the hugely popular 'sunset strip', including Cafe Mambo for the Pacha pre-parties, the legendary Cafe Del Mar next door, plus a selection of other bayfront bars. If you just want to relax and chill, and visit nice unspoilt beaches, then it's better to spend a little more on a nice villa (and, of course, rent a car).

The resort area of Playa D'en Bossa has recently witnessed something of a reinvention, with upmarket beach bar/restaurants such as 'Nassau' and 'Coco Beach adding to a market of upscale clientele that was once monopolized by 'Blue Marlin' in Cala Jondal. The resort area has a wide range of hotels, with its proximity to the city of Ibiza and the airport being an advantage (although Ibiza is a small Island with a decent road network).

If you prefer a hotel, you have plenty to choose from. There are more than 300 licensed accommodation possibilities on Ibiza, that cover the entire budget range, from hostels to exclusive and intimate rural hotels, and most are represented with web pages online and in numerous travel guides, but do not go there in August without a reservation. You could wind up on the street or on the beach (also illegal).

There are also plenty of apartment and villa bookings for those looking at tailor made vacations, especially since the birth of sites, such as Airbnb and Holiday Lettings there has been a boom from property owners renting vacation rentals. This is can be a much cheaper option than booking a hotel room. (Wikivoyage/Wikipedia)

Go next

Formentera - a neighboring island – more quiet and less spoilt, set in some of the cleanest, most turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. Take a beautiful boat ride to get there.

Portinatx (s'Arenal Gros Bay). Ibiza, Spain.