Ibiza

Ibiza has two reputations, and the island lives up to both. One is the superclubs, the beach bars and the DJs who fly in for the summer season. The other is older and quieter: whitewashed farmhouses behind dry-stone walls, pine woods running down to small coves, village churches and a walled hilltop town above the harbour.

The island is small: a single day can take in the sunset coves of the west, the greener north and the salt pans of the south. The risk is spending the whole trip driving between famous beaches. Pick a base, give the island at least four days and start with our Ibiza travel guide.

Ibiza Airport sits a few kilometres south-west of Ibiza Town, with an express bus into town and seasonal buses to the main resorts. Ferries reach the port of Ibiza Town from Barcelona, Valencia, Dénia and Palma. Our getting there guide compares the options and explains taxis and car hire.

Ibiza Town suits most first visits: history, restaurants and transport in one place. Life is slower in Santa Eulària des Riu, Sant Antoni and Playa d'en Bossa are built around nightlife, and the north is for slow days. We compare them in our where to stay guide.

Start with the fortified old town in our Dalt Vila guide, then choose your coast with our beaches guide. For clubs, markets, boat trips and the rest, see our things to do list and the nightlife guide.

Island cooking is rural and Mediterranean. Look for bullit de peix, fish stewed with potatoes, after which rice is cooked in the leftover broth (arròs a banda); sofrit pagès, a hearty farmhouse dish of meats and potatoes; and flaó, a mint-scented cheesecake. Hierbas ibicencas, a sweet herb liqueur, ends many meals. For everyday food, skip the beach clubs and eat in village bars and bakeries.

Phoenicians settled at Sa Caleta in the 8th century BC, and Punic, Roman and Moorish rulers followed before the Catalan conquest of 1235. UNESCO lists Dalt Vila's Renaissance walls, the Puig des Molins necropolis, Sa Caleta and the Posidonia seagrass meadows together as one World Heritage site. Village festes still feature ball pagès, the old peasant dance of the island.