Ibiza Travel Guide

Ibiza (ee-bee-thah) was once a virtually unknown and unvisited island; Majorca, its bigger neighbor, got all the business. But in the 1950s, Ibiza's art colony began to thrive, and in the 1960s it became the European resort most favored by the flower children. A New York art student once wrote, "Even those who come to Ibiza for the 'wrong' reason (to work!) eventually are seduced by the island's easy life. Little chores like picking up the mail from the post office stretch into daylong missions."

Today, it attracts northern European package tourists, ravers, and many gay travelers. At 585 sq. km (226 sq. miles), Ibiza is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, with a jagged coastline, some fine beaches, whitewashed houses, secluded bays, cliffs, and hilly terrain dotted with fig and olive trees. Warmer than Mallorca, it’s a better choice for winter, but swelters in July and August.

Ciudad de Ibiza boasts Playa Talamanca to the north and the white-sand beaches of Ses Figueretes and Playa d’en Bossa to the south. Sant Jordi, in the south near the airport, offers excellent sand at Playa Cavallet and Ses Salines. The long sandy cove of Cala Llonga, south of Santa Eulalia del Río, and the white-sand beach of Es Canar to the north are sacred to Ibiza’s sun worshipers. On the nearby island of Formentara, the pure white sand of Es Pujols, set against a backdrop of pines and dunes, makes it Ibiza’s most popular beach.

Soft drugs and hard sex are so prevalent on Ibiza that academic researchers actually study the trends, noting an alarming increase in unsafe sex practices. Visitors can be deported for engaging in drunk and disorderly conduct; as a result, some heartier revelers have forsaken Ibiza for the even more relaxed atmosphere of tiny Formentera.

Eivissa is the local (Catalan) name for Ibiza. Catalan is the most common language of the island, but it is a dialectal variation -- called Eivissenc or Ibicenco. The same language is spoken on Formentera.