Formentera, Balearic Islands, Spain

Idea About: place

Country: Spain
Tytpical Formentera (Balearic Islands, Spain) beach

Tytpical Formentera (Balearic Islands, Spain) beach
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General Information

Country: Spain (6)
Location Info:  City: Es Pujols  Province/State: The Balearic Islands
Idea About: place (99)
Type of Travel: beaches and sun (20) | entertainment (5) | rest and relaxation (13)
Features: archipelago (6) | fishing (7) | hiking (31) | island (18) | lagoon (1) | megalith (1) | resort (14) | scuba diving (6) | water sport (8)
Recommended for: family (60) | honeymoon (18) | romance (12) | senior (53) | single (48) | student (49)
Budget: budget (80) | mainstream (85)
Trip Length: one day (26) | several days (37)
Region: Western Europe (47)

Description

Formentera is an island located about 4 miles (6 km) south of Ibiza (travel route by boat is 11 miles) in the Mediterranean Sea. It is a part of the Balearic Islands, an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of Spain (other large islands of the archipelago are Majorca, Minorca and Ibiza). Another known island in the group is Cabrera (considered as a minor island, the location of the Parc Nacional de l'Arxipèlag de Cabrera). Because of the relative proximity of the islands in the Balearic archipelago they are subdivided into two groups: the Gymnesian (Gimnesias) Islands in the north-east (Majorca, Menorca, and Cabrera) and the Pine (Pitiusas) Islands, south-west (Ibiza and Formentera). All islands are very popular tourist destinations.

Formentera is small - about 12 miles (19 km) long; its land area is about 31 square miles (83 sq km). Formentera's population is about 10,000 people and consists of one municipality (also called Formentera). The shape of the island is rather irregular; north of it is another, even smaller island of Espalmador (Isla de s'Espalmador). There is a shallow sandbar between Formentera and Espalmador wadable during low tide.

Formentera is rather flat with two plateaus: Barbaria (west) and La Mola (east). La Mola plateau is higher than the rest of the island; the highest point of Formentera, 630 feet (192 m) is located on this plateau (about one mile south-west from La Virgen del Pilar). Cap de Barbaria is the second highest point on island. Both, La Mola plateau and Cap de Barbaria are surrounded by rather spectacular limestone cliffs (originally reefs) to the sea. In the north, there are coastal lagoons and seawater lagoons and ponds. The area called El Pla between Cap de Barbaria and La Mola is made up of dune formations (many fossilized) with small valleys between them.

The main island's town (and the capital of Formentera) is Sant Francesc Xavier (San Francisco Javier), eastern part of the island. The port of La Sabina is about two miles north from San Francisco. Other villages are Sant Ferran de ses Roques and El Pilar de la Mola. The main road on the island connects La Sabina with San Francisco, Sant Ferran de ses Roques, and the resort of Es Pujols. There are also less improved though paved (metalled) roads to Cap de Barbaria on the western tip and Far dela Mola on the eastern tip of Formentera.

Formentera's two main industries are salt and tourism (the biggest part of the island's economy); there is also a small-scale traditional fishing. Although there is a vegetation on the island, the agriculture is not developed. One of Formentera's most traditional agricultural activities is viniculture. References can be found dating back to 1246 that demonstrate the existence of this activity in Formentera. There are very few cultural or historical attractions on the island - it is more known for its less crowded (than on Ibiza) and relaxing sand beaches where nude sunbathing is usually allowed.

There is a number of small hotels on the island; however, many visitors to the island are day-trippers coming from Ibiza.

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What Makes It Special

Once with the reputation of "forgotten Balearic", Formentera is becoming more known to mass tourism especially n the peak season of July-August with crowds of visitors. Still, it is much more quieter than Ibiza, its neighbor. Formentera's excellent climate with moderate temperatures during almost all the year and its quiet and relaxed atmosphere make Formentera a true paradise. Add to this rather rich vegetation of pines and palms, great beaches and lonely bays, pretty villages with whitewashed houses and churches, and you will understand why anybody who has spent holidays on the island didn't wish to return.

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Directions To Destination

There is no airport on Formentera, but it is easy to reach the island. Most travelers use the nearest airport located on neighboring Ibiza and serving the Balearic islands of Ibiza and Formentera - Ibiza International Airport (IATA: IBZ). It is located 4.3 miles (7 km) southwest of Ibiza Town (Eivissa in Catalan) and operates year-round scheduled domestic flights to Madrid, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca.

You will need a ferry to get from Ibiza to Formentera. They are scheduled from the passenger terminal called Estacion Maritima del Puerto in Eivissa. The airport has a broad range of transportation you can use to connect to the town and port: a taxi, bus and airport transfers. Ferries also depart from other parts of Ibiza during the high season. The cost of a round trip to Formentera is about euro&;50 per person, duration is about 30 minutes. These two sites can help you with details and ferry schedules: Direct Ferries.co.uk and Balearia Ferry Lines Online.

If you are already traveling in Europe or Spain (especially by car) and want to visit Formentera, you can pick up a ferry from Barcelona, Valencia or Denia (Dénia is a city in the province of Alicante, Spain, on the Costa Blanca halfway between Alicante and Valencia) to Ibiza - Eivissa and than to transfer to ferry going to Formentera. Also, check the schedule for ferries from Denia - there is now a direct route (may be canceled off season) between this city and Formentera (travel time about 2.5 hours). The cost of a round trip without a car is about €170/person.

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Best Time To Go

The best time to go is July - August; though, expect large numbers of tourists during this period. The climate of Balearic Islands is a temperate, Mediterranean. Formentera enjoys the warmest and least rainy weather. Because of the cooling affect of the Mediterranean sea the maximum temperatures are very pleasant 82-84 ºF (28 -29 ºC ) in July - August. The climate during the winter is generally mild with occasional showers. The lowest temperature in January is about 52 ºF (11 ºC). Tramontana, a prevailing northerly cold wind, shows its force in winter months and in March and is not a problem during tourist season.

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Where To Stay

If you want to stay on Formentera for more than one day, we recommend to select your logging in the resort village of Es Pujols
- Hostal Sa Volta (Miramar, 94, 07871 Es Pujols) a three star hotel. Rates start from euro&;90 per room/night, taxes and breakfast included. Located 650 feet from Es Pujols Beach. It is known as one of the best hotels on Formentera known for its hospitality, service and price/value combination. The hotel has 25 rooms. Advanced reservation is recommended.
- Hotel Club Sunway Punta Prima (Venda de Sa Punta, s/n, 07860 Es Pujols), a three star hotel. Rates start from euro&;100 per room/night, taxes included. The hotel is within ten-minute walk from the center of Es Pujols and is ideally located for visiting Formentera’s many beaches including Migjorn and Illetas. It has 125 rooms.
Research and book hotels in or near Es Pujols, Spain

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Activities

Swimming, sunbathing (including nude sunbathing), windsurfing, fishing, canoeing, biking (it's easy to rent a bike on the island), hiking, bird watching, painting and photography. The sea surrounding the island is very clear; snorkel and enjoy the beauty of the under water landscapes and life. Since snorkeling is a very popular activity, you will be able easily to find all equipment on the spot.

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Useful Visitor Information and Tips

- During the high season buses connect all parts of the island with the port. They depart with the intervals approximately of 30 minutes. The cost is about euro&;2 and does not depend on the duration of your trip.

- You can drive a car on the island. Formentera has paved (metalled, sealed) roads allowing an easy access to all its parts. Most people prefer to explore this flat and small island with a rented moped or bicycle. There are a lot of picturesque tracks around lagoons and beaches on the island.

- Formentera is famous for its white sand beaches where a nude sunbathing is allowed. In September and August the water temperature reaches 81 ºF (27 ºC). The water is absolutely clear with excellent visibility sometimes up to 200 feet (60 m) which gives an opportunity to enjoy scuba diving and snorkeling. Among good diving sites are Punta Prima, La Mola, Es Banc, Punta Rasa, El Arco, Bajo Espardell, Punta Pedrera, Punta Gavina. Chech if the site is in the Marine Reserve of ES Freus-Ses Salines where permission obtained from the Minister of Environment of the Balearic Islands is required.

- Pay attention to the wind while picking a beach for a day. Depending on the wind direction, the sea can be rough in one place of the island and calm in another.

- If you would like to stay on Formentera for several days be sure to make reservations for your hotel in advance. Most hotels on the island are privately owned and small and usually all booked in high season.

- Camping is forbidden on the island.

- The island of Espalmador is uninhabited, but has nice sandy beaches (camping is prohibited). It is a nice and popular point to spend time for those yachting between Ibiza and Formentera.

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Additional Information

Tags: archipelago (5); Bajo Espardell; Balearic Islands; Barbaria; Beaches and sun (11); biking (4); bird-watching (4); canoeing (3); Cap de Barbaria; coastal lagoons; Denia; Eivissa; El Arco; El Pilar de la Mola; Entertainment (4); Es Banc; Es Pujols; Estacion Maritima del Puerto; Fishing (8); Formentera; Hiking (17); Iberian peninsula (2); IBZ; Illes Balears; Island (8); La Mola; La Plataforma; La Sabina; La Virgen del Pilar; Marine Reserve of ES Freus-Ses Salines; Mediterranean Sea (3); painting and photography; plateau (2); port of La Sabina; Punta des Far; Punta Gavina; Punta Pedrera; Punta Prima; Punta Rasa; Resort (7); resort of Es Pujols; Rest and relaxation (8); salt pans; Sant Ferran de ses Roques; Sant Francesc de Formentera; Sant Francesc Xavier; Scuba diving (5); snorkeling; Spain (6); Tramontana; Water sport (6); windsurfing (2)

Web Sites:   Official tourism website for Formentera

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