Getting Around Ibiza Town
Ibiza Town is built in layers. Dalt Vila, the walled old town and part of the island's UNESCO World Heritage listing, sits on the hill. Below it are La Marina and the port, and beyond them the early-1900s new town around Vara de Rey. Across the harbour, Marina Ibiza and Marina Botafoch hold the yachts, the casino and Pacha. A hotel in one layer and a dinner in another is an ordinary evening here, and the distances are short, but the old streets were not laid out for cars.
The island has no railway; ferries provide connections to neighbouring islands and the mainland. Ferries to Formentera leave from Ibiza port, about 30 minutes on the fast boats, and the mainland lines use the Botafoc maritime station across the harbour. Include your ferry details and arrival time when booking so we can arrange your pickup at the port.
Evenings often end somewhere else on the island. Playa d'en Bossa, with Ushuaïa and Hï Ibiza, is about 5 km south; the sunset bars of Sant Antoni, Café del Mar among them, are about 16 km to the west. A transfer there and another back, at the times you choose, mean the ride home from a club is arranged before the night starts.
Dalt Vila and La Marina are restricted-access areas. In Dalt Vila the barrier opens only for vehicles authorised in advance, and in La Marina an unauthorised car may stay only a short time. Send us the full address at booking, and we will say how close to it the car can get.
Airport Transfers to Ibiza Town
Ibiza Airport is the island's only airport, about 7 km south-west of the town, and the transfer takes 10 to 20 minutes. It is the arrival point for Formentera too: guests going on there land at IBZ and cross from Ibiza port, so their transfer runs from the terminal to the harbour rather than to a hotel.
The distance is short, but summer traffic can lengthen the journey. According to the Consell d'Eivissa's traffic counts, July and August run about a third above the island's annual average, and much of that traffic runs on the airport road and the E-20 ring road around the town. Journey times vary with traffic and the time of day.
Book with your flight number: your chauffeur monitors your flight and adjusts the pickup if your arrival time changes. Your booking confirmation shows where to meet the chauffeur. Leaving Ibiza Town, allow for the drive to the airport when choosing your pickup time: 10 to 20 minutes, longer in July and August. You set the pickup time yourself, and the confirmation shows it.
Island & Ferry Travel from Ibiza Town
Many Ibiza holidays have a second half. A few nights in town are followed by a villa in the countryside near Sant Josep, about 15 km away, or a week in Sant Antoni, about 16 km across the island, or in Santa Eulària des Riu, about 16 km up the east coast. Each move is a single booking, luggage and all, from one address on the island to the next.
Days out follow the same roads. The hippy market at Punta Arabí in Es Canar runs on Wednesdays from April to October, and the beach restaurants of Cala Jondal are about 10 km from town. Each is an ordinary booking from the hotel.
Formentera is reached by sea. The car takes you to Ibiza port, and the ferry does the rest; Trasmapi, one of the operators, wants foot passengers at the terminal no later than a quarter of an hour before departure. Include the sailing time when you book, and choose the pickup time with that margin in mind.
Groups, Luggage & Summer Travel in Ibiza Town
Groups come to Ibiza with more than suitcases. A party for a week of clubs, a group with event or sound kit, guests joining a yacht at Marina Ibiza, which takes boats up to 110 m: both passenger numbers and luggage requirements determine the vehicle size. Tell us what you are bringing and the vehicle is matched to the load. A Sprinter van carries up to 12 people with their bags, and bigger groups go by coach, with up to 56 seats. If the group arrives on several flights, every arrival gets a transfer of its own.
The harbour sets its own rhythm in summer. Cruise ships berth at the Botafoc breakwater, across the harbour from Dalt Vila, and on cruise days their passengers come ashore from late morning, while the Formentera ferries run more than 60 crossings a day in high season. Between 1 June and 30 September the island also limits how many vehicles can be brought over from the mainland.
The dates to book early are July and August, the closing parties from mid-September into October, and the medieval fair in Dalt Vila in May. Local vehicles and drivers are booked up early for those dates. If your plans go beyond a standard booking, write to support with the dates, addresses, number of passengers, flights and luggage, and the team will arrange it.
