Ibiza's coastline is a string of dazzling coves and beaches, from the Caribbean-clear water of Cala Comte to the sheltered family sands of Cala Bassa, the chic scene at Ses Salines and the bohemian sunset drumming of Benirràs. Whether you want calm shallows for children, a glossy beach-club day or a wild, undeveloped cove, here are the island's best stretches of sand, with facilities, access and insider tips.
Cala Comte (Cala Conta)
Area
Sant Josep (west)
Facilities
Sunbeds, beach bars, snorkelling
“It faces west — stay for the sunset over the islets, rated among the best on the island.”
Cala Bassa
Area
Sant Josep (west)
Facilities
Family, beach club, watersports
“Skip the car and arrive by the little ferry from Sant Antoni — it drops you right on the sand.”
Ses Salines
Area
Sant Josep (south)
Facilities
Beach bars, chic scene, nature park
“This is the see-and-be-seen beach — its chiringuitos like Jockey Club get busy, so book a bed for peak weekends.”
Cala d'Hort
Area
Sant Josep (southwest)
Facilities
Seafood restaurants, snorkelling, Es Vedrà view
“The cove is small and pebbly in parts — come early, and reserve a restaurant table for the Es Vedrà sunset.”
Talamanca
Area
Ibiza Town
Facilities
Family, calm, promenade restaurants
“The closest proper beach to Ibiza Town — walk the seafront path around the marina from the port in about 20 min.”
Benirràs
Area
Sant Joan (north)
Facilities
Sunday drum circle, snorkelling, boho scene
“Come for the famous Sunday-evening drumming sessions, when hippies gather to hammer out the sunset.”
Cala Jondal
Area
Sant Josep (south)
Facilities
Upscale beach clubs, yachts, dining
“This is a glossy beach-club cove — a day here means booking a bed at Blue Marlin or lunch at Casa Jondal.”
Aguas Blancas
Area
Sant Carles (east)
Facilities
Naturist, cliffs, natural feel
“Steep steps lead down to the sand — it is clothing-optional and wonderfully wild, with little development.”
Ibiza beaches in detail
1.Cala Comte (Cala Conta)
Cala Comte (Cala Conta in Catalan) is regularly named among the most beautiful beaches in Spain, and it is easy to see why: a series of low, golden coves opening onto some of the clearest, most luminous turquoise water on the island, dotted with small offshore islets. The gently shelving, calm water is superb for swimming and snorkelling, and the pale sand and rocky ledges give plenty of room to spread out across the linked beaches. It is well set up without feeling overdeveloped, with sunbed hire, a couple of good beach bars and a large paid car park on the headland above. Crucially, Cala Comte faces due west, which makes it one of Ibiza's premier sunset beaches — the sky and sea light up spectacularly, and the beach bars fill for the show. That popularity means it gets very busy in peak summer, so arrive before noon for a good spot, or come for the late-afternoon-into-sunset shift. Reachable by summer bus from Sant Antoni or, more flexibly, by car. Bring water shoes for the rockier entries and stay for golden hour.
Hours
Always open; summer lifeguards
Price
Free; sunbed + parasol ~€20/set; parking ~€5
Getting there
Bus 4 from Sant Antoni (summer); or ~20-minute drive from Sant Antoni, large car park above the coves
Insider tip: It faces west — stay for the sunset over the islets, rated among the best on the island.
2.Cala Bassa
Cala Bassa is a broad, sheltered horseshoe of soft white sand and shallow, calm turquoise water backed by pines and juniper, on the west coast near Sant Antoni. Its protected aspect and gently shelving seabed make it one of the safest, most family-friendly beaches on the island, ideal for children and easy swimming, while the clear water and rocky fringes are good for snorkelling. It is also home to the well-known Cala Bassa Beach Club (CBbC), a large, stylish restaurant-and-lounge operation that layers a lively, upmarket day-club atmosphere over the natural beauty, with DJs, food, cocktails and sunbeds — so the bay balances relaxed family beach on one side with a dressier scene around the club. Watersports, sunbed hire and full facilities round it out. The nicest way to arrive is the seasonal ferry from Sant Antoni bay, which saves the drive and parking hassle and delivers you straight to the sand. It gets busy in high season, so come early for space. Whether you want a calm family day or a livelier beach-club session, Cala Bassa covers both — bring cash for the ferry and sunbeds.
Hours
Always open; summer lifeguards
Price
Free; sunbeds ~€20; beach-club minimum spend varies
Getting there
Ferry from Sant Antoni (~25 min, seasonal); or drive ~15 min with paid parking
Insider tip: Skip the car and arrive by the little ferry from Sant Antoni — it drops you right on the sand.
3.Ses Salines
Ses Salines is the island's most stylish and sociable beach, a long, curving stretch of fine white sand at Ibiza's southern tip, protected within the Ses Salines Natural Park and framed by dunes, pines and the shimmering salt flats behind. The water is clear and shallow near the shore, good for swimming, while the beach itself is the place to see and be seen — a chic, cosmopolitan crowd, chilled house music drifting from long-established chiringuitos like the Jockey Club and Sa Trinxa, and a scene that runs from relaxed morning swims to a lively, party-leaning afternoon. Despite the fashionable reputation it remains a beautiful natural beach, and being inside a protected park limits overdevelopment. It sits close to the airport (planes bank low overhead) and to the Es Cavallet beach next door. Because it is so popular it fills fast on summer weekends, so arrive early or reserve a sunbed at one of the bars. Reach it by summer bus from Ibiza Town or by car, using the paid parking behind the dunes. Combine a swim with a wander through the adjoining salt-pan reserve.
Hours
Always open; summer lifeguards
Price
Free; sunbeds ~€20–25; parking ~€5
Getting there
Bus 11 from Ibiza Town (summer); or ~15-minute drive south, parking behind the dunes
Insider tip: This is the see-and-be-seen beach — its chiringuitos like Jockey Club get busy, so book a bed for peak weekends.
4.Cala d'Hort
Cala d'Hort is the beach for that quintessential Ibiza image — a small, intimate cove of mixed sand and pebbles that looks straight out across clear water to the towering rock of Es Vedrà. The view alone makes it special, and it turns magical at sunset, when the islet is silhouetted against the sky and the whole beach turns to watch. The transparent, sheltered water is excellent for swimming and snorkelling, and a handful of long-standing seafood restaurants terraced above the sand serve fresh fish, paella and rice dishes with that unbeatable backdrop — a leisurely lunch here, table booked in advance, is one of the island's great pleasures. Being remote and relatively small, with limited parking, it is best reached by car and best enjoyed early in the day or in the golden late afternoon; midday in peak season can feel crowded on the modest strip of sand. There is little natural shade, so bring an umbrella and water. Pair a swim and a long lunch with the clifftop Torre des Savinar viewpoint just above for the definitive Es Vedrà experience.
Hours
Always open
Price
Free; sunbeds ~€15; parking ~€5
Getting there
Car from Sant Josep toward Cala d'Hort (~15 min); very limited seasonal bus
Insider tip: The cove is small and pebbly in parts — come early, and reserve a restaurant table for the Es Vedrà sunset.
5.Talamanca
Talamanca is the most convenient beach to Ibiza Town, a long, gently curving bay of soft sand and calm, shallow water just north of the marina — close enough to reach on foot in about twenty minutes along the harbour-side promenade, or by a quick water-taxi across the port. Its sheltered, gradually deepening water makes it genuinely family-friendly and safe for children, and a relaxed line of beachfront restaurants and chiringuitos along the back of the sand serves everything from casual bites to the well-regarded Sa Punta overlooking the water. It lacks the dramatic turquoise clarity of the wilder west-coast coves, but it more than makes up for it in ease of access, amenities and views back to the glowing walls of Dalt Vila across the bay. That makes it ideal if you are staying in the capital and want sand without a drive, or a gentle beach day between sightseeing and nightlife. Sunbeds and parasols are available, and it is well served by lifeguards in season. Come for a swim, a long lunch by the water and that lovely old-town view.
Hours
Always open; summer lifeguards
Price
Free; sunbeds ~€15
Getting there
20-minute walk around the marina from Ibiza Town port; or a short taxi/boat-taxi hop
Insider tip: The closest proper beach to Ibiza Town — walk the seafront path around the marina from the port in about 20 min.
6.Benirràs
Benirràs is the beach that best captures Ibiza's enduring hippy soul. Set in a deep, pine-cloaked cove on the wild north coast near Sant Joan, it looks out to a distinctive rock formation known as 'Es Cap Bernat' or the 'finger of God' rising from the sea. The reddish sand and clear, calm water are lovely for swimming and snorkelling, but Benirràs is most famous for its Sunday ritual: as the afternoon fades, drummers, dancers and free spirits gather on the sand to hammer out rhythms until the sun goes down, a tradition dating back decades that draws a joyful, bohemian crowd for one of the island's great communal sunsets. A few relaxed beach restaurants and chiringuitos serve the cove. Because the approach is a narrow, winding country road with limited parking, come early on Sundays or expect a walk in, and a car is really the only practical way to arrive. Even on a quiet weekday it is a beautiful, tranquil spot; on a summer Sunday evening it becomes something close to a spontaneous festival. Bring cash, water and a towel to sit out the drumming.
Hours
Always open
Price
Free; sunbeds ~€15; parking ~€5
Getting there
Car from Sant Joan toward Benirràs (~10 min) down a winding road; no reliable bus
Insider tip: Come for the famous Sunday-evening drumming sessions, when hippies gather to hammer out the sunset.
7.Cala Jondal
Cala Jondal is where Ibiza's jet-set beach scene comes into its own — a sheltered, smooth-pebble cove on the south coast that has become synonymous with glamorous day clubs, moored superyachts and long, boozy lunches. Its headline names, Blue Marlin Ibiza and the acclaimed seafood restaurant Casa Jondal, draw a moneyed, party-leaning crowd for sunbeds, cocktails, house DJs and see-and-be-seen dining that runs from late morning into the evening. The water itself is clear and good for swimming, and the cove is genuinely pretty, framed by low cliffs and pines, but the pebble beach and the premium-priced beach clubs mean this is more about the scene than a simple sand-and-bucket day. If you want a taste of Ibiza's upscale beach-club culture without committing to a nightclub, this is the place — reserve a bed or a lunch table in advance for the busy summer season. Those after a quieter, cheaper swim can still use the public stretch of the beach with their own towel. Reach it by car with paid parking, and dress the part if you are heading for the clubs.
Hours
Always open; beach clubs ~11:00–late
Price
Free beach; beach-club minimum spend / sunbeds €25+
Getting there
Car from Sant Josep toward Cala Jondal (~15 min), with parking; limited seasonal bus
Insider tip: This is a glossy beach-club cove — a day here means booking a bed at Blue Marlin or lunch at Casa Jondal.
8.Aguas Blancas
Aguas Blancas (Aigües Blanques) is one of the most striking and unspoilt beaches on Ibiza's eastern coast, a long strip of dark, coarse sand hemmed in by tall, ochre cliffs that give it a wild, dramatic feel quite unlike the manicured west-coast coves. Reached by a steep flight of steps down the cliff, it has been an official naturist beach for decades and retains a relaxed, back-to-nature, clothing-optional atmosphere, with minimal development beyond a couple of simple chiringuitos serving drinks and snacks. The water is clean and clear, good for swimming and snorkelling, though it can be more exposed to wind and swell than the sheltered southern bays, so conditions vary. The lack of easy access and facilities keeps the crowds down and the vibe mellow, drawing free-spirited regulars and those after a genuinely natural beach day. Its east-facing aspect makes it a wonderful spot for a quiet morning swim or, in a different mood, an atmospheric sunrise. Come by car, wear shoes you can manage the steps in, and bring water and shade, as there is little on the sand itself.
Hours
Always open; summer lifeguards
Price
Free; a couple of chiringuitos
Getting there
Car from Sant Carles toward Aigües Blanques (~10 min), then steep steps down the cliff
Insider tip: Steep steps lead down to the sand — it is clothing-optional and wonderfully wild, with little development.