Ultimate Balearic IslandsIsland Guide
The road winding out to the lighthouse on Cap de Formentor, Mallorca, above the open sea

The island guide to the Balearics, Spain

The Balearic Islands

Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera: four islands, four characters, and the boats and planes between them.

Your trusted guide to the Balearic Islands

The Balearics lie off Spain’s east coast, and each island has its own pace. Mallorca, the largest, has Palma’s Gothic cathedral, the UNESCO-listed Serra de Tramuntana and coves all round its coast. Menorca, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1993, is quieter and greener. Ibiza pairs a walled old town with long summer nights, and Formentera, half an hour from Ibiza by ferry, is all white sand and bicycles.

Start here to choose your island and plan the crossings, then go deeper in our full guides. We check every place against its own website or an official source, and we leave out anything we can’t confirm.

Choose your island

Four guides

Mallorca

The largest of the islands and the all-rounder: a Gothic capital on the sea, a UNESCO mountain range and coves all the way round the coast.

Best for Grand hotels, starred dining and a little of everything

  • La Seu, Palma’s Gothic cathedral above the old sea wall
  • The Serra de Tramuntana, a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape since 2011: Deià, Valldemossa and Sóller
  • Nine MICHELIN-starred restaurants in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Spain
Open the Mallorca guide

Menorca

Quieter and greener: two harbour towns facing each other across the island, pine-backed coves and prehistoric stone monuments.

Best for Slow days, coastal walks and early swims

  • A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 8 October 1993
  • Ciutadella’s harbour below the old walls, and Maó on its deep harbour in the east
  • Cala Macarella, the classic south-coast cove, reached through the pines
Open the Menorca guide

Ibiza

A walled Renaissance old town above the harbour, the rock of Es Vedrà offshore and long summer nights.

Best for Nights out, sunsets and serious dining

  • Dalt Vila, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture”
  • Es Vedrà at sunset, seen from the cliffs above Cala d’Hort
  • Three MICHELIN-starred kitchens in the 2026 guide: Unic, Omakase by Walt and brula
Open the Ibiza guide

Formentera

Flat, quiet and ringed with white sand, half an hour by ferry from Ibiza. Leave the car behind and take a bicycle.

Best for Beaches, bicycles and the sea

  • Ses Illetes, the long white sand spit pointing north to Espalmador
  • Far de Barbaria, the lighthouse on the cliffs at the southern tip
  • The Ses Salines natural park, shared with Ibiza: anchor on sand or buoys, never on the Posidonia
Open the Formentera guide

Island hopping

Ferries and flights

Ferries link all four islands, and the crossing from Ibiza to Formentera is short enough for a day trip. Times below are as the operators publish them; timetables change with the season, so check and book on the operator’s own site before you travel.

Between the islands

Mallorca → Ibiza

Ferry · Baleària

130 km, about 2h 15min

From Palma.

Ibiza → Formentera

Ferry · Baleària

20 km, 30 minutes

Departures every 45 minutes.

Mallorca → Menorca

Ferry

Port d’Alcúdia to Ciutadella

Several companies have run the route: check current operators and times on their own websites.

Palma → Menorca or Ibiza

Flights

Times vary by airline

Flights link Palma with Menorca and with Ibiza: check schedules with the airlines.

From the Spanish mainland

Barcelona → Ciutadella (Menorca)

Ferry · Baleària

5h 15min, or about 3h 30min

The faster crossing is on the fast ferry Margarita Salas.

Dénia → Mallorca

Ferry · Baleària

233 km, 5h 15min

Valencia → Mallorca

Ferry · Baleària

268 km, about 9 hours

Dénia → Formentera

Ferry · Baleària

2 hours

Ferry distances and crossing times: Baleària’s routes and timetables, read 22 October 2026. Some routes run only in season.

Good to know

  • If you sail, anchor only on sand or on authorised buoys: anchoring on the Posidonia seagrass meadows is generally prohibited in Balearic waters (Decree 25/2018, caib.es).
  • In the Ses Salines natural park between Ibiza and Formentera, bathing in or using the mud of Espalmador’s lagoon is prohibited (caib.es).
  • Formentera limits the number of vehicles on the island in summer; the 2026 rules were published in the Balearic official bulletin (BOIB) on 28 February 2026. Check before you take a car across.

Plan with the Mallorca guide

Getting aroundAirport, buses, trains and ferries Before you goEntry rules, the tourist tax and the roads Ibiza and Formentera by boatA three-day itinerary