Where to Stay in Ibiza: An Area-by-Area Guide

The real choice in Ibiza is between a town base with buses and restaurants on the doorstep and a rural or northern base that needs a car. Distances are short (nowhere is much more than an hour's drive from anywhere else), but summer traffic and patchy late transport make your base matter more than the map suggests. For first visits we'd pick Ibiza Town.

Ibiza Town (Eivissa)

The capital wraps around the harbour: Dalt Vila on its hill, La Marina's shops and bars below, the marina with Pacha, and calmer edges at Talamanca and Figueretes. It is the hub for buses and for the fast ferries to Formentera, and the airport is close. Suits first-timers, couples and anyone who wants history by day and dinner late. Drawbacks: the town beaches are ordinary, and rooms in the old centre can be small and noisy in August. Our Dalt Vila guide covers the old town.

Playa d'en Bossa

A long sandy beach running south from town, lined with large hotels and beach clubs, with Ushuaïa and Hï Ibiza at its centre. Suits travellers who came for the clubs and want to walk home from them. Drawbacks: little local life, music late into the night, and the southern end lies under the airport's flight path.

Sant Antoni de Portmany

The west-coast resort town on a wide bay, known for its sunset bars and the West End's party streets. Its position makes it handy for the western coves, which our beaches guide describes. Suits groups and younger travellers on a budget. Drawbacks: the centre is loud and rowdy in high summer; for a quieter stay, look across the bay towards Cala de Bou.

Santa Eulària des Riu

A tidy east-coast town with a seafront promenade, a marina, family beaches and a real town centre with year-round residents. Suits families, couples and older travellers, and it is the base for the Wednesday market at Punta Arabí and the weekend one at Las Dalias. Drawbacks: limited nightlife, and the big clubs mean a long taxi ride.

The north: Sant Joan, Portinatx and Sant Miquel

The greenest, emptiest part of the island: pine hills, farmland, small coves and villages with whitewashed churches. Accommodation is mostly rural hotels and villas, plus a few resorts at Portinatx and Port de Sant Miquel. Suits slow trips, walkers and anyone avoiding the party scene. Drawbacks: you will need a car, buses are sparse, and evenings are quiet by design.

Book July and August early everywhere; in winter many hotels outside Ibiza Town and Santa Eulària close.