Ibiza 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 Eularia 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 attract large numbers of tourists drawn to that type of holiday.
Several years before 2010, the island's government and the Spanish Tourist Office had been working to promote more family-oriented tourism, with the police closing down clubs that played music at late night hours.
In 2010 this policy was reversed. Around 2015 it was resumed.
Ibiza is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ibiza and the nearby island of Formentera to its south are called the Pine Islands, or Pityuses.
Ibiza is a rock island covering an area of 572.56 square kilometres (221.07 sq mi), almost six times smaller than Majorca, but over five times larger than Mykonos in the Greek Isles or 10 times larger than Manhattan in New York City.
Ibiza is the larger of a group of the western Balearic archipelago called the Pityuses or Pine Islands composed of itself and Formentera.
The Balearic island chain includes over 50 islands, many of which are uninhabited. The highest point of the island is Sa Talaiassa, at 475 metres (1,558 ft).
Ibiza has a Hot-summer Mediterranean climate bordering on a Hot semi-arid climate (BSh). The average annual temperature of Ibiza is 18.3 °C (65 °F), being warm and mild throughout the whole year.
Ibiza lies at the same latitude as Atlantic City, yet it is much warmer for its location in the Mediterranean Basin.
The climate of Ibiza is typically warm, sunny and dry, with low variation between highs and lows. The sunshine hours of Ibiza are 2700-2800 per year, while the yearly rain amount goes from 400 to 450 millimetres (16 to 18 in).
The average high temperature is 22.2 °C (72 °F), while the average low is 14.3 °C (58 °F). Winters are slightly rainy and mild, from November to April normally the whole island turns green for the seasonal rains.
Summers are hot and very dry, with few rainy days, often accompanied by thunderstorms. During the coldest month, January, the average high temperature is 15.7 °C (60 °F), while the average low is 8.1 °C (47 °F).
In the warmest month, August, the average high temperature is 30.3 °C (87 °F), while the low is 22.2 °C (72 °F).
Extreme temperatures are rare for the influence of the sea. The average temperature of the sea in Ibiza is 19.7 °C (67 °F) and beach weather usually lasts 7 months, from May to November.
Demographically, Ibiza displays a very peculiar configuration, as census agencies diverge on exact figures.
According to the 2001 national census, Ibiza had 88,076 inhabitants against 76,000 in 1991, 64,000 in 1981, 45,000 in 1971, and 38,000 in 1961.
However, two years later, this figure jumped to 108,000, and by the start of 2010 had reached 132,637. This rapid growth stems from the amnesty which incorporated a number of unregistered foreign migrants.
In terms of origin, about 55 percent of island residents were born in Ibiza, 35 percent are domestic migrants from mainland Spain, mostly working-class families from Andalusia.
The remainder from Catalonia, Valencia and Castile, and the remaining 10 to 15 percent are foreign, dual and multi-national citizens of the EU and abroad.
The most commonly visiting foreigners are German, British, Latin American, French, Italian and Dutch, in addition to a myriad of other nationalities.
This mosaic reflects the fluidity of foreigners living and moving across the island, in ways that render impossible to exactly quantify the expatriate population.
The Spanish composer and music theorist Miguel Roig-Francoli was born in Ibiza, as was the politician and Spain's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abel Matutes.
Notable former residents of Ibiza include: English punk musician John Simon Ritchie, the psychedelic rock band Philiac, comic actor Terry-Thomas, Hungarian master forger Elmyr de Hory, American fraudster Clifford Irving, and film director/actor Orson Welles.
Eivissenc is the native dialect of Catalan that is spoken on Ibiza and nearby Formentera. Catalan shares co-official status with Spanish.
Because of the influence of tourism and expatriates living in or maintaining residences on the island, other languages like English, French, German and Italian are widely spoken.
Ibiza is considered to be a popular tourist destination, especially due to its legendary and at times riotous nightclub based nightlife centred on two areas, Ibiza Town, the island's capital on the southern shore and Sant Antoni to the West.
Night life in Ibiza has undergone several changes since the island's opening to international tourism in the late 1950s. Origins of today's club culture may be traced back to the hippie gatherings held during the 1960s and 1970s.
During these, people of various nationalities sharing the hippie ethos would regroup, talk, play music and occasionally take drugs.
These would most often happen on beaches during the day, with nude bathing a common sight, and in rented fincas in the evenings or at nights.
Apart from this confidential scene, which nevertheless attracted many foreigners to the island, local venues during the 1960s consisted mostly of bars.
Bars which would be the meeting points for Ibicencos, ex-pats, seafarers and tourists alike. The Estrella bar on the port and La Tierra in the old city of Eivissa were favourites.
During the 1970s, a decade that saw the emergence of the contemporary nightclub, several places opened and made a lasting impact on Ibiza's nightlife.
Four of these original clubs are still in operation today : Pacha, Privilege formerly Ku, Amnesia and Es Paradis.
These four clubs mainly defined nightlife on the White Island, which has evolved and developed from several distinctive elements.
Open-air parties - Es Paradis, Privilege, Amnesia, held in isolated places, eventually old fincas - Pacha, Amnesia, that mixed in nudity and costume party - Es Paradis, Privilege, Pacha and enabled people from various backgrounds to blend.
The hippie ethos served as a common factor that infused all these venues and catalyzed the experience of a certain kind of freedom, accentuated by the holiday nature of most of the stays on the White Island.
During the 1980s, the music played in these clubs gained in reputation and became known as Balearic beat, a precursor of the British acid house scene.
As rave parties blossomed all over Europe, a DJ-driven club culture took hold of Ibizenca nightlife. It was the time when Space opened, thanks to Pepe Rosello, which found a niche in the after-hour parties.
The club would close at 6 AM and open again at 7 AM, when all the other clubs were still closed, enabling party-goers to flock from the other clubs to Space and continue dancing in broad daylight.
At the end of the 1990s, the after-hour parties held firm root on the island. In 1999, the Circoloco parties made their debut at DC10, with some of the original elements of Ibiza nightlife at the forefront.
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 island has achieved renowned worldwide fame as a cultural centre for house and trance in particular, with its name often being used as a partial metonym for the particular flavour of electronic music originating there, much like Goa in India.
Since 2005, the live music event Ibiza Rocks has helped to redefine the Ibiza party landscape. Bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, The Prodigy, and the Kaiser Chiefs have played in the courtyard of the Ibiza Rocks Hotel.
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.
Due to Ibiza's notable tolerance toward misbehaviour from young adult tourists, it has acquired the name Gomorrah of the Med.
Also well-known is Cafe del Mar, a long-standing bar where many tourists traditionally view the sunset made famous by Jose 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.
A number of novels and other books have been written using Ibiza as the setting, including - The White Island - by Stephen Armstrong, Joshua Then and Now by Mordecai Richler, Soma Blues by Robert Sheckley,Vacation in Ibiza by Lawrence Schimel.
A Short Life on a Sunny Isle: An Alphonse Dantan Mystery by Hannah Blank, They Are Ruining Ibiza by A. C. Greene, and The Python Project by Victor Canning.
In popular music, American singer-songwriter Mike Posner released I Took a Pill in Ibiza alternatively known as In Ibiza, or its clean title I Took a Plane to Ibiza in April 2015, as single on his Vevo account and in the exclusive The Truth EP; it was later released on At Night, Alone in May 2016.
Originally an acoustic guitar-based folk pop song, it was remixed by the Norwegian duo SeeB as a tropical house dance pop song, and released digitally as a single in the United States on July 24, 2015.
I Took a Pill in Ibiza peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., and reached #1 on seventeen other charts.
Tourism officials in Ibiza were reportedly annoyed by the song's apparent reinforcement of drug culture associated with Ibiza in the past, and Tourism Director Vicent Ferrer subsequently invited Posner to witness the island's culture and how it contrasts with the party typecast.
Though primarily known for its party scene, large portions of the island are registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and thus protected from the development and commercialization of the main cities.
A notable example includes God's Finger in the Benirras Bay as well as some of the more traditional Ibizan cultural sites such as the remains of the first Phoenician settlement at Sa Caleta.
Other sites are still under threat from the developers, such as Ses Feixes Wetlands, but this site has now been recognised as a threatened environment, and it is expected that steps will be taken to preserve this wetland.
Because of its rustic beauty, companies and artists alike frequently use the island for photographic and film shoots.
A monument - The Egg - erected in honour of Christopher Columbus can be found in Sant Antoni, Ibiza is one of several places purporting to be his birthplace.
Since the early days of mass tourism on the island, there have been a large number of development projects ranging from successful ventures, such as the super clubs at Space and Privilege, to failed development projects, such as Josep Lluis Sert's abandoned hotel complex at Cala D'en Serra.
The half-completed and now demolished Idea nightclub in Sant Antoni, and the ruins of a huge restaurant/nightclub in the hills near Sant Josep called Festival Club that only operated for three summer seasons in the early 1970s.
The transient nature of club-oriented tourism is most obvious in these ruins scattered all over the island.
Local artist Irene de Andres has tackled the difficult issue of the impact of mass tourism on the island local landscapes, both natural and cultural, in an ongoing project called Donde nada ocurre meaning - Where nothing happens.
In 2013, Ibiza property prices generally remained above market value, and many of the development projects on the island have now been completed or continue, as well as some new projects announced at the end of 2012.
Since 2009, Ibiza has seen an increase in tourist numbers every year, with nearly 6 million people traveling through Ibiza Airport each year.
The summer season has become concentrated between June and September, focusing on the clubbing calendar which is currently booming. In recent years, the luxury market has dramatically improved, with new restaurants, clubs, and improvements to the marina in Ibiza Town.
Ibiza's increased popularity has led to problems with potable water shortages and overrun infrastructure. This has led to imposition of a Sustainable Tourism Tax which went into effect in July 1, 2016.
Minister of Tourism Vincente Torres stated in an interview in 2016 that the government has instituted a moratorium and building in certain areas.
He said that with almost 100,000 legal touristic beds and about 132,000 inhabitants on the island's 572 square kilometres (221 sq mi) not much more tourism can be supported.
Ibiza is served by Ibiza Airport, which has many international flights during the summer tourist season, especially from the European Union.
There are also ferries from the harbour of Sant Antoni and Ibiza Town to Barcelona, Majorca, Denia, and Valencia.
There are also ferries to Formentera leaving Sant Antoni Harbour normally every Wednesday, and daily from Ibiza Town, Santa Eularia, and Figueretes–Platja d'en Bossa.
Several public busses also travel between Sant Antoni and Ibiza Town—every 15 minutes in summer and every half-hour in winter.
In addition, there are buses from Sant Antoni to Cala Bassa, Cala Conta and Cala Tarida, and to the Airport. From Ibiza there are buses to the Platja d'en Bossa, Ses Salines, the Airport, and Santa Eularia.
Ibiza's local cuisine is typically Mediterranean. Of the most common culinary products of the island are sweets known as flaons. Other savory dishes include sofrit pages, bullit de peix or fish stew, arros de matança or rice with pork and arros a la marinera.
Cities of Ibiza
- San Antonio
- Ibiza Town
- Santa Eularia des Riu
- Sant Josep
Formentera- neighboring tranquil and unspoilt island set in some of the cleanest, most turquoise waters of the Mediterranean, and a beautiful boat ride to get there.
Ibiza and Formentera are also known as the Islas Pitiusas from the Greek word pitys meaning pine tree because of the abundance of pines that cover their landscapes. Ibiza and Formentera are home to about 111,200 inhabitants.
Though Balearic Catalan is the official language of the Balearic Islands, and all sign posts etc. are in Catalan, Castilian (Spanish) is the main language of the island, with most natives speaking either English or German.
English is very widely understood throughout the island, and you can get by with just a basic knowledge of Spanish if you wish to make a slight effort
Enter Ibiza By Plane
- Aer Lingus, scheduled flights from Dublin.
- Transavia.com, daily scheduled flight from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Copenhagen.
- Easyjet
- British Airways, direct flights from London Gatwick, Heathrow and Edinburgh. Economy and Business class, Club Europe available.
- Air Berlin
- First Choice, fly direct from most British airports but, being largely dependent on their own tour operator traffic, they're probably worth checking for late deals / stand-by offers
- Jet2.com, serve most of the airports in the north of England e.g. Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Blackpool, Edinburgh & Belfast.
- Iberia.com, the major Spanish carrier, adapting to the competitive dot.com airline world, worth checking if you can cope with unusual hours and Internet booking.
- Vueling.com, cheap Spanish airline.
- TravelMatch, for cheap flights to Ibiza and the other balearic islands.
- Thomas Cook, Charter and Schedule flights.
- BeatTheBrochure, Cheap holiday flights to Ibiza
- Flyniki, cheap flights from Vienna to Ibiza during summer season.
- Ryanair, Barcelona, Birmingham, Bologna, Bournemouth, Brussels, Dublin, Düsseldorf, East Midlands, Eindhoven, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London,Madrid, Milan, Pisa, Rome, Trapani.
Other airlines serving Ibiza are Air Baltic, Air Europa, BMI Baby, Condor, and Germanwings.
Enter Ibiza By Boats
- Denia from Ibiza and St. Antoni with Iscomar
- Alicante only in summer by Trasmediterranea
- Barcelona all year by Trasmediterranea, Balearia, Iscomar
- Valencia all year, by Trasmediterranea
- Palma de Mallorca by Trasmediterranea and Alquiler barcos Ibiza
Pictured at right is the wharf, located right down the street from the heart of town.
Moving around in Ibiza
- Buses, Ibiza Bus
- Rentals, require extra driving 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.
- Car hire, 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. Ibiza Holidays,Ibiza Car Hire, Autos Tanit Ibiza, First rent a car Ibiza
- Taxis, can be used to get around the island and cost €20-30 to travel between cities. 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.
- Boats, sailing is also a very popular way to view the island of Ibiza as the coastline has many beautiful hidden caves and secluded bays worth visiting.
If you want to visit Formentera you will either have to buy a boat ticket or acquire a boat charter or yacht rental. There are a few places where you can rent a boat or a yacht for a few days, however, many require a boat license.
- Walking, the cities are small enough not to require any mechanical locomotion
Attractions in Ibiza
- 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 San Antonio.
- The old part of Ibiza Town.
- 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 Marça in Puerto de San Miguel, the biggest natural caves in Ibiza. A must in Ibiza.
The beautiful beach that settles just outside the main hub of town. 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.
Explore some of the traditional countryside of this beautiful island that few people take the time to enjoy.
Take a boat or go parasailing.
Learn Spanish in some of the language schools around the island. Some of them are specialised on teaching Spanish as a foreign language.
Most of them are located in Ibiza town, 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.
During the local beach front festivals, merchants offer a wide array of goods. Pictured above is a fragrant batch of healthful herbs, for making teas or incense.
The numerous stalls are alive with colors and patterns. Above are recognizable wooden figures, hand crafted from the skilled merchants.
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.
If you're interested in craft beer, visit Ibiza's first microbrewery Ibosim Brewhouse located in Port des Torrent
Wedding Organizers, Provides wedding support services, catering and locations for getting married in Ibiza.
Wedding Suppliers, Provides wedding services and supplilers
Tamas Kooning Lansbergen, Offers professional services for wedding photography.
Wedding Photographer. Established wedding and special occassions photographer from Ibiza.
Wedding Music, Pianist & Singer, Holly J Kotze Professional Pianist & Singer for Weddings and Private Parties
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.
There is also plenty of fast food restaurants/outlets in San Antonio and Ibiza Town if you're after something quick to eat on the go.
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 Ibiza town or San Antonio until early evening, about 7PM.
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. 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-€55 for admission, unless you are able to find a special deal from one of the hawkers on the street and drinks from €7 beer in smaller venues to €20 cocktails at bigger venues/events.
Ibiza clubs attract some of the best DJ's in the world who play a weekly 'residency' on a particular night.
Jockey Club and Malibu both on Salinas beach, perfect places to drink and watch the beautiful people lying in the sun while DJs spin deep house and chill out tunes, one of the residents Nati Holland plays every saturday afternoon during the summer season
Pacha. The island's most expensive, and arguably best club. Plan on €50 entry and €12 for a beer though. Over recent years, Pacha has increasingly devoted a large proportion of its floorspace to VIP tables at the expense of areas for regular clubgoers.
If the VIP experience is your thing, Pacha will be your #1 choice on the island, but expect your credit card to glow red-hot.
Space nightclub. Playa d en Bossa attracts people from all over the world and has received many awards, such as Best Global Club.
Its opening and closing party weekends are widely regarded as the unofficial start and end of the Ibiza clubbing season. The superclub is hosted by house music legend Carl Cox on Tuesday nights.
Richie Hawtin's techno and minimal-based enter on Thursday nights has been gaining a large following in recent years.
Amnesia. One of Ibiza's most popular superclubs. Located directly in between Ibiza Town and San Antonio, their intimate main room and enormous terrace play home to Cream parties on Thursday nights; past residents have included Paul Van Dyk, Deadmau5, and Above & Beyond.
DC10. This little venue at the far end of Ibiza Airport's runway reopened fully in 2010 for the first time in 2 years following various closures and bans. Plays mostly underground dance music and techno.
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 un-modernized accommodation to five star mega-bling, such as the Ibiza Grand Hotel in Ibiza Town.
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.
This 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 yourself rent a car.
The resort of Playa D'en Bossa has recently witnessed something of a reinvention, with upmarket beach bar/restaurants such as Nassau and Tides adding to a market that was once monopolised by the now rather passe Blue Marlin in Cala Jondal.
The resort has a wide range of hotels, with its proximity to Ibiza Town 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.
Many 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 which is illegal. Furnished Room Rentals are also very popular.
Tourism Observer
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