There's a moment on every good Ibiza summer when the island starts to feel gloriously busy — the beaches full, the calas buzzing, the roads humming with hire cars — and the smartest thing you can do is get on a boat and leave for the day. Thirty minutes south lies Formentera, Ibiza's smaller, quieter, impossibly clear-watered sister, and this week the crossings are running thick and fast. If a Formentera day trip from Ibiza has been sitting on your holiday wishlist, the next seven days are the perfect window to finally make it happen.
Formentera is what a lot of people picture when they close their eyes and imagine the Mediterranean: sand the colour of bone, water that shifts from mint to sapphire depending on the light, and almost none of the high-rise development that shaped Ibiza's coastline. There are no big airports here, no motorways, and a strict cap on cars in July and August. That is precisely the point. You come to slow down. Below is a local's guide to the best ways to get there this week, from the fast ferry to the swim-stop cruise, plus what to actually do once your feet hit the sand.
Why Formentera deserves a whole day
People sometimes treat Formentera as a quick photo stop, and that's a mistake. The island rewards the unhurried. Its most famous stretch, Ses Illetes, regularly turns up on lists of the best beaches in Europe, and once you've waded into that shallow, luminous water you understand why. The whole island is part of the Ses Salines Natural Park, a protected marine and land reserve, which is why the seagrass meadows offshore keep the water so astonishingly transparent.
Give yourself the full day and you can swim at two or three different beaches, eat grilled fish at a beach shack with your toes in the sand, rent a bike or scooter to reach the wilder northern coves, and still be back on the boat for a golden-hour crossing home. Rush it and you'll spend more time queuing than swimming. So block out the day, pack light, and treat the journey itself as part of the fun.
The fast, no-fuss crossing
If your priority is maximum beach time and minimum faff, the direct ferries are your friend. The Balearia Fast Ferry runs the Ibiza Port–Formentera route in around 30 minutes, with departures almost every half hour through the day, and tickets from €27.50 return. It's the classic choice: turn up at Ibiza Town's port, hop aboard, and you're stepping off at La Savina before you've finished your coffee. Prices climb to around €55 for premium and flexible options, but for a straightforward there-and-back it's hard to beat.
Staying on the east coast? The Santa Eulalia–Formentera ferry saves you the trip into Ibiza Town, gliding down the coast from Santa Eulària from around €24 return. And if you're based around the south — Figueretes or Playa d'en Bossa — the Ulises Cat ferry to Formentera picks up right there from about €22, one of the best-value crossings on the water this week. All three run daily over the next seven days, so you can pick the departure point closest to your bed and skip the cross-island scramble.
When the journey is the day out
Not everyone wants a straight point-to-point ferry, and this is where the cruises come in. The Formentera Cruise (from €39.99) trades speed for scenery, sailing turquoise seas with swim and snorkel stops in quiet coves along the way, so you're already in holiday mode before you've even landed. It's a lovely option if you're travelling as a couple or a small group and fancy a bit of deck time, sunshine and a dip in water you can't reach from the shore.
For something more indulgent, the Calas de Formentera boat trip (around €150) spends the day nosing into Formentera's string of hidden calas — the kind of secluded, barely-accessible inlets that make the island legendary — with anchor-down swim stops and a genuine sense of escape. It's a splurge, but if you're marking a special occasion this week, it's the version of the day you'll still be talking about in winter.
Two Balearic icons in one trip
Here's a route locals love: combine Formentera with Es Vedrà, the dramatic limestone rock that rises out of the sea off Ibiza's southwest coast and anchors a thousand sunset photos. The Es Vedrà + Formentera excursion (from €69.50) stitches both together in a single day on the water, cruising past the mythic monolith before crossing to Formentera's beaches. You get two of the archipelago's most photographed natural landmarks in one outing, plus swim stops in between — arguably the most scenery-dense way to spend a summer's day around here. At €69.50 to €139 depending on the package, it lands in the sweet spot between a basic ferry and a full private charter.
What to do once you land
La Savina, Formentera's little port, is where every crossing arrives, and it's a five-minute walk or shuttle to your first swim. From there, the island opens up. Ses Illetes and the neighbouring Llevant beaches are the headline acts, but rent a bike or scooter from the port and you can escape to quieter spots like Cala Saona, with its low red cliffs and sunset-facing sand, or the long wild sweep of Migjorn on the south coast.
Lunch is non-negotiable. Formentera's beach restaurants do simple, brilliant things with fresh fish, grilled prawns and cold local wine — nothing fancy, everything delicious. Come afternoon, find a patch of shade, let the day drift, and time your return ferry for that soft late light when the whole crossing turns gold. If you only do one "excursion" all holiday, make it this.
Practical tips for the perfect crossing
A few things worth knowing before you go. Bring cash — some beach shacks and smaller rental outfits still prefer it, though most take cards. Book your ferry or cruise in advance this week: July sailings fill up, especially the popular mid-morning departures, and locking in your ticket online saves queuing at the port. Take reef-safe sun cream, a hat and more water than you think you'll need; shade is scarce on the open beaches and the Formentera sun is fierce.
Aim for an early crossing to claim your spot before the day-trippers arrive, and a late-afternoon or early-evening return so you're not fighting for the last packed boat. If you're renting wheels on the island, note that cars are heavily restricted in peak season — a bike or scooter is genuinely the nicest way to get around anyway. And keep an eye on the weather: on the rare choppy day the crossing can get bouncy, so if you're prone to seasickness, the faster direct ferries beat the longer cruises.
Whichever boat you choose, the reward is the same: a whole day on an island that feels like the Mediterranean before the crowds found it. You can browse this week's full timetable of Formentera crossings, cruises and island-hopping trips over on the Ibiza Calendar, compare prices, and book the departure that suits you. The water's waiting — go find it.