Ibiza to Formentera in a Day, 2026: The Yacht-and-Bike Trip

I did this trip on my first ever visit to Ibiza. It was meant to be a half-day window — go across, swim, ride, ferry back, save the rest of the week for clubs. Instead I got off the bike at Cala Saona at sunset, looked at my phone, and changed the return ticket. The version below is the trip itself, ridden once. The practical details — ferries, bike hire, places to eat — were re-checked against official sources in October 2026, because several had changed.

If you only have one day in Ibiza and you want to spend it well: do this. If you have a week here and you don't make the trip across, you're missing the best day out from Ibiza.

How to get across

There are two real options. Picking between them is a budget call, not a vibe one — both land you in the same place.

Public ferry from Ibiza port — roughly €20-35 each way

Four operators run the route every day of the year: Baleària, Trasmapi, Formentera Lines (which used to be Mediterránea Pitiusa) and Aquabus. The fast boats take about 30 minutes; the slower car ferries take up to an hour. Fares vary by operator, sailing and where you book, so compare on the day.

In summer the boats back from La Savina run late: there are sailings through the evening, and Formentera Lines runs a night boat at about 01:00.

Honest take: they're all fine. Book a return ticket the morning you go — the queues at La Savina for the 19:00 and 20:00 sailings back to Ibiza in July/August are real. If you turn up at 18:55 hoping to walk on, you may be waiting for a later boat.

Private day-charter — €800-2,500 for the group

Worth it if you're 4+ people and want a swim stop on the way. You charter from Marina Ibiza or Marina Botafoch (both right next to Ibiza Town), the skipper takes you west around the south of Ibiza, drops anchor at S'Espalmador — the tiny uninhabited island between Ibiza and Formentera with shallow turquoise water and a protected lagoon where mud bathing is banned (fines run to €1,000) — for a swim, then continues to anchor off Ses Illetes for lunch.

Companies to compare: Charter Ibiza, Click & Boat (it's an aggregator — read each individual listing's reviews), and Boatjump. Avoid the cheap "boat party" charters that mark themselves up as "private" — they're not, and the deck stops being yours the moment ten other people board.

Day-charter pricing for 2026 across the small/mid-size segment:

• 8m motor yacht (4-6 people): €700-900/day with skipper, plus fuel (€100-180)
• 12m sailing yacht (6-8 people): €1,200-1,800/day all-in
• 15m+ motor yacht with crew: €2,000-3,500/day

Fuel is the variable that will catch you out — always confirm whether it's included or extra before you sign.

On Formentera: hire two wheels at La Savina

This is the single decision that makes or breaks the day. Don't skip it for a taxi or a rental car.

Formentera is 19 km long, basically flat, and the entire island is built around the bike-and-scooter loop. Cars are a hassle — limited parking everywhere, and the best bits aren't on the main road anyway. Two wheels let you stop anywhere, take a side track to a cala you've never seen, and not worry about parking.

I rode it on a motorbike, and that's the way to do the whole loop below in one day and still stop properly at each point on it; a scooter does the same job. A bicycle (or an e-bike if it's August and you want air on you) makes a slower, gentler day: you'll cover less of the island, so pick two or three of the stops rather than all five. Anything with an engine needs the right licence for its size, so check with the hire shop before you go.

Rental shops at La Savina port (right where the ferry lands):

• Moto Rent Mitjorn — bikes, e-bikes and scooters, and proper road bikes if you want to actually cycle the island in earnest. Several other hire shops line the port; compare prices before you pick.

Pay the small ferry supplement to bring your own bike from Ibiza if you have one — it's worth it on weekends when the rental queues hit 30 min.

The route I rode

This is the south-coast loop, about 55 km in all, and I rode it on a motorbike. On a motorbike or scooter that's roughly an hour and a half of riding, which leaves the day for the stops. On a bicycle, count on four hours or so in the saddle, and choose your stops.

1. La Savina → Es Pujols (4 km)

Roll out of the port, head north-east on the PM-820. Es Pujols is the only proper "town" on Formentera with a beach attached — coffee at La Boutique (the bakery on Avinguda Miramar), a pastry, and you've got energy for the rest. Skip lunch here, save it for the south coast.

2. Es Pujols → Migjorn (12 km)

Head south through the middle of the island past the salt flats. You'll cross the spine and drop down to the Migjorn coast — the southern stretch, a long curved beach that runs about 5 km. This is where the locals' beach bars are.

Stop at Chiringuito KM11 (ex-Pirata Bus), on the sand at kilometre 11. The famous yellow bus is gone: Pirata Bus closed after 2023, and KM11 opened on the same spot in August 2024 — a beach kiosk with food from €2.50 to €12. Lunch here, swim, ride on.

3. Migjorn → Far de la Mola lighthouse (10 km)

The eastern tip of the island, the highest point, the lighthouse Jules Verne wrote about. The road climbs gently: the only real hill on Formentera, easy with an engine and the one climb of the day on a bicycle. Quiet hours are 14:00-16:00 (the day-trippers go to Ses Illetes, not here).

There's a small bar at the lighthouse — Códice Luna — for a coke and the view. The cliffs drop straight to the water.

4. Far de la Mola → Cala Saona (about 21 km — the long leg)

Head back west, across the spine, to the south-west corner. Cala Saona is a small horseshoe bay with the best sunset on Formentera — west-facing, framed by red cliffs on both sides, far less crowded than Ses Illetes (which is on the north peninsula and absolutely dies after the day-charter boats leave).

Park the bike, walk down to the water, sunset around 21:15 in July, 21:00 in late May and 20:00 in mid-September. Restaurant Cala Saona above the beach is fine for a wine and a snack but I'd save the proper dinner for back in Ibiza.

5. Cala Saona → La Savina (6 km) — the ferry back

In summer the boats back run late — there are sailings after sunset and a night boat at about 01:00 — so there's no need to race the light from Cala Saona. Book your return sailing, though: the evening boats fill in July and August. Miss the last one and you're sleeping on Formentera, which is romantic but expensive (rooms €200+ in season and very few of them).

Where to eat on the island

• Chiringuito KM11 (Migjorn) — see above. Food from €2.50 to €12.
• Es Caló de Sant Agustí (Es Caló village, north-east coast) — small fishing-cove restaurants. Restaurante Es Caló for grilled fish from the morning's catch. €40-50 a head, worth it for a long lunch.
• Can Carlos (Sant Francesc Xavier — the inland village) — the locals' choice when they want to eat properly off the beach. Modern Mediterranean, €60-80 a head with wine. Book ahead.
• Juan y Andrea (Ses Illetes) — the famous beach paella spot. Iconic for a reason, and worth doing once if that's the day you want: arrive by yacht, tender to the beach, paella + a bottle of something cold, the whole performance. €60+ for the paella, €25 for a salad, €15 for water, and the tender service has gone industrial in peak season. Premium and over-priced are not the same thing — Juan y Andrea is premium; the question is whether the experience matches your day. Some weeks it does. Just don't do it twice in the same trip.

Where the tourists go that I won't recommend

• Ses Illetes itself in July/August. Beautiful beach, unquestionably. But by 11:00 it's covered in superyacht tenders, the sand is invisible, and the chiringuitos are charging €25 for a club sandwich. Hit Ses Illetes in May or September if you want to see why it's famous — or just anchor offshore for an hour, swim, leave.
• Beso Beach (Ses Illetes) — independent beach club, opened in 2012. Expensive and glam. If that's your vibe you already know about it.
• Day-trip "tours" from Ibiza that combine ferry + bus + a Ses Illetes stop. They're €70+ and you spend two hours of the day on a coach. Just take the public ferry and a bike.

Practical bits

• Cash: bring some. Some smaller places are still card-resistant.
• Water: there are two filling fountains — one in Es Pujols, one in Sant Francesc. Otherwise carry your own; €3 bottles at every beach bar add up.
• Sun: the wind on the bike masks the heat. Sunblock the back of your hands and the tops of your ears specifically — the two places people fry on a Formentera day.
• Phone signal: patchy in the lighthouse zone and along Migjorn. Download offline maps (Komoot or Google Maps offline) before the ferry.
• Late boats in summer 2026: sailings back from La Savina run until about 01:00 (Formentera Lines' night boat), but always check the day's schedule — wind cancellations happen.

The honest summary

The reason this trip hits is that it's the only day in your Ibiza week where you're not part of a marketed thing. No DJ schedule, no booking deposit, no dress code, no €25 daiquiri. Just an island, a bike, and a coast the locals have kept quiet about as long as they reasonably can.

If your Ibiza week is DC-10 Monday → Amnesia Tuesday → [UNVRS] Wednesday → Ushuaïa Thursday — book the Formentera day for Friday before the comedown. You'll come back lighter than when you left.

The full set, from the trip

Real shots, not stock — every photo here is from the trip. Click any frame for the full-resolution version.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Questions

How long does the ferry from Ibiza to Formentera take?

About 30 minutes one way on the fast ferries, and up to an hour on the slower car ferries. Four operators sail from Ibiza port: Baleària, Trasmapi, Formentera Lines and Aquabus. In summer the boats back from La Savina run late, with a Formentera Lines night boat at about 01:00.

Do I need to book the ferry in advance?

Book the return ticket the morning you go. Walking on at 18:55 hoping for the 19:00 ferry back is the rookie mistake — peak-season queues fill the next two sailings. Outbound has more elasticity than inbound.

Can I bring my own bicycle on the ferry?

Yes, for a small supplement; check the price with your operator when you book. Worth it on summer weekends when the La Savina rental queue hits 30 minutes.

Motorbike, scooter or bicycle?

A motorbike or scooter gets you round the whole loop in a day with time to stop, which is how I did it; you'll need the right licence for whatever you hire. A regular bicycle is plenty for a shorter day — the island is flat, 19 km long, and the only real climb is the lighthouse road. Take an e-bike if it's August + 35°C and you want the air on you rather than the heat off you.

What's the best lunch spot on Formentera?

Chiringuito KM11 on Migjorn, on the old Pirata Bus spot, is the cheap beach lunch, with food from €2.50 to €12. Juan y Andrea on Ses Illetes is the famous €60-paella yacht-tender experience — premium, worth doing once if that's the day you want, but don't do it twice in the same trip.

What if I miss the last ferry back?

In summer there's a night boat from La Savina at about 01:00, so check the day's timetable first. Miss that and you're sleeping on Formentera: rooms run €200+ in season and there are very few of them — Es Pujols and Es Caló are your best chances for a same-night booking. Wind cancellations have stranded people before, so build a buffer if you've got an early Ibiza flight the next day.

When's the best time to do this trip?

Mid-May to late-June, or September. July-August are doable but Ses Illetes turns into a yacht car-park by 11:00 and the queues everywhere are real. Shoulder months: same weather, half the crowds.

Cards or cash on Formentera?

Bring both. Some smaller places are still card-resistant. The ferry, the bike-rental shops, and the cafés in Sant Francesc all take cards. Carry €30-50 for the day as a buffer.