Ibiza, Spanien

Ibiza was founded by the Phoenicians as Ibossim around 654 BC — the Puig des Molins necropolis is one of the best-preserved Phoenician burial sites in the Mediterranean (UNESCO). The island passed through Carthaginian, Roman, Vandal, Byzantine, Moorish and Catalan hands. The Renaissance walls of Dalt Vila were built by the Spanish Crown in the 16th century to defend against Ottoman and Barbary raids. Ibiza remained a quiet fishing and farming island until the 1960s, when hippies and artists discovered it. The club scene followed in the 1970s–80s (Pacha opened in 1973), and by the 1990s Ibiza had become the world capital of electronic dance music.

Ibiza's traditional cuisine is earthy and maritime. Bullit de peix (fish stew served with arroz a banda) is the island's signature dish — best at beach restaurants like Cala Mastella's El Bigotes (book ahead, no phone, no card). Sofrit pagès (meat and potato stew), flaó (cheesecake with mint and anise), greixonera (a kind of bread pudding), and hierbas ibicencas (the island's herbal liqueur, drunk after every meal). Santa Gertrudis has become the island's inland food hub, with excellent restaurants year-round. Feste: Opening and closing parties (May and October — the club season brackets), Medieval Fair (Dalt Vila, May — costumed market and performances), Festes de la Terra (August — Ibiza's patron saint celebrations), Las Dalias Night Market (Saturday evenings, June–September). Museen: Museu d'Art Contemporani d'Eivissa (in Dalt Vila), Museu Puget (Ibizan art in a Gothic house), Puig des Molins Necropolis Museum (UNESCO — Phoenician burial site), Centre d'Interpretació de Sa Caleta (Phoenician settlement).

Sicherheit: Ibiza is safe. The club scene brings the usual late-night risks (drink spiking, overpriced taxis, counterfeit tickets). Buy club tickets from official channels only. Beach theft occurs — don't leave valuables unattended. Emergency: 112. Sprache: Spanish and Catalan (Eivissenc dialect) are co-official. English is widely spoken across the island. German, French and Italian common in tourist areas. Währung: EUR. Cards accepted at most businesses, clubs and restaurants. Cash useful at hippie markets, beach bars and smaller cove restaurants. Club prices are high: expect €30–80 entry, €15–20 per drink.

Ibiza's dual identity is its greatest strength. The island that invented the superclub — Pacha, Amnesia, Privilege, DC10, Ushuaïa — draws the global electronic music circuit from May to October, with DJs commanding residencies that sell out months ahead. But the other Ibiza is equally compelling and far older. Dalt Vila — the fortified old town of Ibiza Town (Eivissa) — is a UNESCO World Heritage Site: Renaissance walls encircle a medieval quarter of cobblestoned streets, whitewashed houses, the Gothic cathedral, and views over the port, the sea and the island of Formentera. Beyond the clubs and the old town, the island's north is rural and bohemian — pine forests, almond orchards, whitewashed fincas, farmers' markets (Las Dalias, San Juan), yoga and wellness retreats, and coves (calas) where the water is Caribbean-clear and the crowds thin. Cala Comte, Cala Salada, Cala d'Hort (with the dramatic Es Vedrà rock offshore), Cala Mastella and Cala Xarraca are among the most beautiful. The sunset tradition — watching the sun drop into the sea from Café del Mar in Sant Antoni, or from the Kumharas bar, or from the cliffs above Cala Comte — is one of the Mediterranean's defining experiences. Formentera, the smaller sister island, is a 30-minute ferry ride south: white-sand beaches (Ses Illetes, consistently rated among Europe's best), shallow turquoise water, and a laid-back pace that makes Ibiza's north look busy.