Visit the Balearic Islands: which island and when

Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera: four islands an hour's flight from France, but four different trips. Hiking in the Serra de Tramuntana, the empty calas of Menorca, the old town of Ibiza, cycling on Formentera. Which island you pick matters more than how long you stay.

Why visit the Balearic Islands?

The Balearic Islands are a Spanish archipelago in the western Mediterranean, with no paperwork or currency exchange for a traveller from the eurozone. Each island has a strong identity: you do not plan the same trip for the peaks of Mallorca, the coves of Menorca, the nightlife of Ibiza or the quiet of Formentera. Ferry links let you combine two.

What to discover in the Balearic Islands, island by island?

Mallorca, the all-rounder

The largest island has it all: Palma and its cathedral, the UNESCO-listed Serra de Tramuntana for hiking and stone villages (Deia, Valldemossa, Fornalutx), the eastern calas and the Drach caves. Allow at least five days and a rental car: the bus network is decent around Palma but thin along the coast. From France, Palma airport has the best connections; it is also the departure point for ferries to Barcelona and the other islands.

Menorca, the unspoilt one

A biosphere reserve since 1993, Menorca has curbed concrete and keeps dozens of calas reachable only on foot along the Cami de Cavalls, a 185 km path that circles the island. The two towns, Ciutadella in the west and Mahon in the east, take half a day each. The island is also the richest in Talayotic sites, Bronze Age stone monuments. Four to five days are enough; the tramontana wind can blow hard in spring.

Ibiza, beyond the clubs

Ibiza has two faces: the south and its megaclubs from May to October, and a rural north of hills, markets and small coves like Benirras or Cala d'en Serra. The walled old town of Dalt Vila, UNESCO-listed, is best visited in the morning or at sunset. Off season the island empties and half the addresses close. Three days are enough to see it if you skip the clubbing.

Formentera, the wild outlier

Reachable only by ferry from Ibiza (30 minutes), Formentera has neither an airport nor relief. You explore it by bike on dirt tracks between the beaches of Ses Illetes and Migjorn, whose sand and water recall the Caribbean. The island has few places to stay and prices rise fast in July and August; two nights, once the day trippers have left, show its real character. It belongs to Spain just as Ibiza does, under whose administration it falls.

Cities to visit in Balearic Islands

Featured destinations appear first.
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Balearic Islands in pictures

The Balearic Islands' must-sees

Eight sites that show how little the four islands resemble each other.

Palma Cathedral

A Gothic cathedral nicknamed La Seu, on the Palma waterfront, with a 12-metre rose window and a canopy designed by Gaudi.

Serra de Tramuntana

A UNESCO-listed mountain range in north-west Mallorca, laced with terraced trails and hairpin roads down to Sa Calobra.

Cami de Cavalls

A historic 185 km path circling Menorca, split into 20 stages that link every cala on the island.

Dalt Vila

The UNESCO-listed walled old town of Ibiza, 16th-century ramparts, a cathedral and white lanes at the top of the hill.

Ses Illetes

A white sandbar at the northern tip of Formentera, between two stretches of shallow turquoise water, in a nature park.

Drach Caves

A network of galleries under eastern Mallorca holding one of Europe's largest underground lakes, with a classical concert from a boat.

Naveta des Tudons

A Talayotic burial monument on Menorca shaped like an upturned ship's hull, over 3,000 years old.

Es Vedra

A 400-metre rocky islet rising from the sea off the west coast of Ibiza, a sunset spot from Cala d'Hort.

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Balearic Islands: frequently asked questions

Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza or Formentera: which island to choose?
Mallorca for a full first trip, hiking and a city. Menorca for a quiet holiday and wild calas. Ibiza for nightlife, but also a calm north. Formentera for switching off, alongside Ibiza. Each island deserves four to five days.
Can you go to Formentera without going through Ibiza?
No. Formentera has no airport and the only regular ferry leaves from Ibiza, a 30-minute crossing. There are seasonal direct links from Denia on the mainland, but nothing from Mallorca or from France.
Do you need to book parking for the calas of Menorca?
For the best-known ones, yes: Macarella, Turqueta and Cala Mitjana have paid car parks often full before 10am in summer. Better to arrive early, take a bus from Ciutadella, or reach the coves on foot along the Cami de Cavalls.
Is Ibiza only about partying?
No. The south holds the megaclubs, but the north of the island is rural: hills, the Las Dalias hippie market, coves like Benirras or Cala Xarraca, and the UNESCO-listed old town of Dalt Vila. Outside July and August the mood is quite different.
Can you visit several Balearic islands in a week?
Two islands at most in a week, linked by ferry: Mallorca and Ibiza, or Ibiza and Formentera. Pairing Menorca with another is awkward, as direct links are rare off season. Better one island seen well than three skimmed.
Are the Balearic Islands cheaper than Corsica or Sardinia?
Outside July and August the Balearics are often more affordable, with frequent low-cost flights and a wide choice of lodging. In high season prices match Corsica, especially on Ibiza and Formentera where space is limited.
When is the Serra de Tramuntana pleasant on foot?
From October to May, when temperatures stay mild. In summer the heat and lack of shade make the trails hard by mid-morning. Spring adds the almond and orange trees in blossom around Soller.

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