Ibiza in 4 days: old town, west-coast coves, Formentera and the north

Four days is enough for a first trip to Ibiza if you keep one base, pick one or two beach days and book the two things that sell out: the Formentera ferry and any big club night. The Ibiza travel guide has the island at a glance, and the wider Spain travel guide shows how it fits with a mainland trip.

The route below goes from the old town to the west coast, then to Formentera, then to the north and east. It is built for a base in Ibiza Town, Santa Eulària or Sant Antoni; see where to stay in Ibiza for how to choose. It works with or without a car, with notes on what changes. If you are deciding when to go, read the best time to visit Ibiza first, because venues and ferries run on a seasonal calendar.

Keep a spare half day. Wind can delay boats, and heat can make a midday beach a poor idea. A plan with no slack becomes stressful fast, particularly in July and August, when the roads and the beaches are at their fullest.

Start with the old town. Dalt Vila, the walled upper town, is UNESCO-listed and best done in the late afternoon, when the stone glows and the day-trip groups thin out. Walk up through the gate, wander the lanes and finish at the cathedral and the viewpoints over the port. Wear flat shoes, because the cobbles are steep. Our Ibiza Town travel guide breaks the town into districts if you want more detail.

Spend the morning on a beach nearby. Figueretas and Talamanca are the nearest town beaches, and a bus or taxi takes you to Ses Salines in the south if you want a wider sweep of sand. In the evening, eat in the port streets or La Marina. If you want a big club night, book tickets ahead and plan transport back, because taxi queues are long at closing time.

If you arrive in the afternoon, keep day 1 light. Check in, walk up to Dalt Vila for the view, eat early and sleep. The island rewards a slow start.

The west coast is the island's postcard side, with rocky coves, clear water and the sunset. A car makes this day easy. Without one, take a bus from Ibiza Town or Sant Antoni toward Cala Comte, or book a boat trip from Sant Antoni that stops at coves along the coast.

Spend the morning in Sant Antoni's bay or at a cove such as Cala Comte or Cala Bassa. Both have sand and clear water, and both fill by late morning in peak season, so arrive early. Many coves charge for parking or sunbeds in summer, so bring cash and expect to pay.

For the evening, watch the sunset. The sunset bars along the waterfront in Sant Antoni are the classic choice, and many travelers book a table ahead in July and August. For a quieter view, the viewpoints near Cala d'Hort look toward the offshore rock of Es Vedrà, which is one of the island's best-known sights. Bring a layer, because it cools quickly after sunset.

Formentera is the small island south of Ibiza, known for long white-sand beaches and clear shallow water. The fast ferry from Ibiza Town to La Savina takes about 30–40 minutes, so it works as a day trip. Book the ferry ahead in July and August, when midday and evening sailings sell out, and choose a return with a margin. The Formentera travel guide explains the island in more detail.

Spend the morning at Ses Illetes and Llevant on the northern peninsula, which are the postcard beaches and get busy by late morning. In the afternoon, rent a bike or take a bus to Migjorn on the south coast, where the sand is long and finding a spot is easier. The island is small and mostly flat, so bikes are the best way to see it, and the island council limits the number of vehicles that can enter in summer (the rules are in the next section).

Return on an evening ferry, or stay a night to see the island once the day boats have left. If you stay, remember that the Balearic tourist tax applies to overnight stays; our note on tourist taxes in Europe explains how it works.

Plan Formentera around the vehicle rules, which are stricter than most visitors expect. For the 2026 season, the Consell de Formentera applied its regulation from 1 June to 30 September. Bringing a car or motorbike on the ferry needed prior authorization through its formentera.eco portal, and the portal lists daily fees: cars at €6 a day in June and September and €9 a day in July and August, each with a minimum charge, and motorbikes at €3 and €4.50 a day, with hybrids at half price and electric vehicles free. The rules also cap the number of vehicles, including rental fleets, so a scooter or a car hired on the island can sell out in July and August.

The council sets the rules each year, so check formentera.eco for the season you travel in before you plan to take a car or scooter across. For a day trip the easy answer is to leave the car on Ibiza, ride the ferry as a foot passenger and rent a bike or use the island buses. That also avoids a fee that, for a one-day visit, is large next to the cost of a bike. Foot passengers do not need an authorization.

The first is taking a rental car to Formentera on a whim. Without the authorization you should not expect to board, and the rental company's own terms may also forbid the crossing. The second is booking the last evening sailing back from Formentera with no margin: wind can delay boats, and a missed return means a night you did not plan.

The third is judging the island by the postcard beach. Ses Illetes is the busiest stretch, so go early or head to the longer southern sand where finding a spot is easier. The fourth is packing the west coast sunset and a club night into the same evening without transport back. Taxis are scarce at closing time, so book the ride or stay near the venue. The last is leaving the Formentera day to the final day of the trip: wind can cancel a sailing, so it needs a spare day behind it.

Use the last day for the quieter side. A hire car is best here, because buses are infrequent and many coves are reached by narrow roads. Drive north through pine woods to Sant Joan de Labritja or Portinatx, with stops at small coves and hill villages. The North & Interior Ibiza guide lists more places for this day.

On the east coast, Santa Eulària has a marina, a promenade and a hill village with a church, and weekly hippie markets operate nearby in season; check days before you plan around them. Benirràs, in the north, is a cove known for informal drumming on summer evenings, and parking there fills early.

If you do not drive, spend day 4 in Santa Eulària by bus, with a taxi to a nearby cove, or book a guided tour of the north. Keep the evening free for packing and a last dinner in town.

Book three things before you leave home: your accommodation, the Formentera ferry and any club night you care about. These are the items that sell out in July and August, and they are hard to fix once you are on the island. If you plan a sunset table in Sant Antoni, book that as soon as you know which evening is clear in your plan, because the best positions go first.

Leave the rest loose. Beach days depend on wind and sea, and a rigid timetable makes a rough morning feel like a loss. If the forecast is poor on the west coast, swap day 2 for day 4 and use the sheltered east side instead. If a boat trip is cancelled for wind, most operators refund or rebook, but check their terms when you buy.

Weather is a smaller issue than crowds. In July and August, the roads fill by mid-morning and the coves by late morning, so the best hours at a beach are early and late. In May, June and September, you can run the same plan at a slower pace, with more room on the sand and a better chance of a table at sunset.

Ibiza has fewer wet days than northern Spain, but wind and storms do occur, especially in spring and autumn. Keep one indoor plan ready. The old town in Dalt Vila has museums and a cathedral, and the market halls and cafes in the port area fill the gaps between showers. In Santa Eulària, the small museum on the hill and the church make a short, quiet outing.

If the sea is rough, skip boat trips and Formentera, and go to a sheltered cove or a town beach instead. The south and the bay of Sant Antoni are often calmer than the exposed north and west when the wind blows from a particular direction, so ask your hotel which side of the island is best that day.

You can see Ibiza well without a car, if you accept a smaller map. Base in Ibiza Town, Santa Eulària or Sant Antoni, all of which have bus links, taxis and a promenade or old town. Use boats for the west coast and Formentera, buses for Ses Salines and the main beaches, and a taxi or guided tour for the north.

Without a car, plan one big outing a day rather than three small ones. A taxi to a cove and back is a good use of money if you cannot reach it by bus, and a guided day in the north replaces a hire car for those who dislike mountain roads. If you decide to drive for part of the trip, rent only for the days you need, and collect and return the car at the airport.

Sort out data and cover before you fly. Compare options in our getting around Spain guide, get an eSIM so that maps and taxi apps work on arrival, and check travel insurance for scooter, boat and cancellation cover.