Emerging from the Mediterranean, 6 km south of Ibiza, this island looks like a Polynesian lagoon! No airport. You arrive by boat and it is already another rhythm that settles in... Head for the dunes, the pine forests and the turquoise waters. With its 19 km length, the narrow Formentera is the smallest of the four islands of the Spanish Balearic archipelago. Many small islets are attached to it. Accessible by ferry from Ibiza, Formentera is a famous destination for scuba diving and sailing. Hiking is also practiced there. In the summer, locals come to spend the day there on weekends. Between them, Ibiza and Formentera make up the sub-archipelago of the Pityuse Islands.

This island is a jewel of preserved Mediterranean nature. Two roads, two lighthouses, a port with its marina, two marshes, salt flats, a mill, vineyards, olive groves and four villages structure Formentera. From Savina, where the port is located, the "main" road of the island starts, which connects the main village in the center and gives access to the other villages by passing between the two large salt ponds. The secondary road leads to the south of the island and to the Cape of Berberia with its powerful lighthouse, a landmark for all sailors arriving from the Strait of Gibraltar. Another lighthouse marks the Cape of La Mola, at the eastern end, where the main road ends. And while in Ibiza, the dance floors are in effervescence and the decibels are at their maximum, you can sit quietly on a terrace of the port while nibbling on tapas...

When to go Formentera ?

The small island, which for a long time remained confidential, no longer escapes the tourist influx of the very high season from July 15 to the end of August. However, the pressure is not as strong as in Majorca or Ibiza. Spring and autumn, and even winter when temperatures remain mild but the water becomes cooler, remain the best seasons to enjoy the island. Two highlights on the island: Sant Joan, on June 24 in La Mola, and the great festival of the island's patron saint Sant Jaume, on July 25, in San Francisco. There is also Santa Maria, on August 5, which is venerated like everywhere else in Spain.

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Practical information for travel Formentera

Vous découvrez Formentera pour première fois et ne savez pas par où commencer ? Peut-être avez vous déjà monter votre programme aussi. Laissez-nous tout de même vous présenter quelques suggestions d'itinéraires. Vous pourrez y piocher quelques idées et/ou accommoder certaines de ces propositions à vos goûts et vos envies. La première idée de séjour s'adresse aux néophytes qui découvrent pour la première fois Formentera mais aussi à ceux qui la connaissent déjà et voudraient en effectuer le tour en cinq jours sans ne rien omettre ! Considérer notre idée de séjour "Formentera Express" comme un best-of de l'île. La seconde suggestion aura les faveurs de ceux qui viennent pour faire le plein d'énergie. Le farniente est au programme de ce week-end ! Il vous permettra en outre de découvrir les plus belles plages de Formentera. Pour ce qui est du choix des restaurants, n'hésitez pas à piocher dans le guide, il est pétri de bonnes adresses ! 

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How to go alone

You can make a simple one-day stopover in Formentera when you stay in Ibiza, but it would be a shame to deprive yourself of a more advanced immersion on this island. No difficulties to organize your stay from France. Just land in Ibiza, take the ferry and you're there! You will always find accommodation, except perhaps in the very high tourist season when it is preferable to have reservations.

How to go on a tour

The organized trips proposed by the big French companies concern rather the other islands, mainly Majorca and Minorca. But you have the possibility to organize your own trip from France with a local company like Mallorca Authentic. The assurance of a perfect stay!

How to get around

It is the smallest of the Balearic Islands and therefore the only one where it is easy to go without a car. But you can also rent a car, a scooter or a bicycle to leave the beaches and connect the villages, visit the salt flats and the monuments.

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Discover Formentera

The smallest island in the Balearic archipelago exudes an undeniable charm. Its 83.2 km² of white sand and topaz sea have undoubtedly contributed to the myth of the last Mediterranean paradise. And it has to be said that this little corner of Spain conceals in its translucent waters one of the treasures of the Grande Bleue, Europe's largest posidonia meadows, classified as a Unesco World Heritage site since 1999. Between age-old traditions and cosmopolitan cultures, the island retains a bohemian spirit inherited from the hippies who landed here in the 1960s and fell in love with its Caribbean beaches, whitewashed villages and sun-scorched windmills. Lighthouses at the end of the world, spectacular light, unspoilt shores... The island has become posh and is no longer the last secret of the Mediterranean, but it continues to fascinate its visitors.

Pictures and images Formentera

Marché hippie de La Mola. Naeblys - Shutterstock.com
Calo des Mort. Nachosuch - Shutterstock.com
Touristes sur l'île. goodluz - Shutterstock.com
Catamaran sur la plage de Ses Illetes. Holbox - Shutterstock.com

The 12 keywords Formentera

1. Green paths

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The island's authorities have marked out 32 green routes to be explored by bicycle or on foot. The booklet presenting the routes is available free of charge at the Tourist Office. Don't forget your mobile phone and a bottle of water! If you get lost, don't panic, the island is small! You will easily find your way back

2. Coves

The walls of the island are pierced by numerous natural caves and underground galleries. In the past, they served as refuges for animals, prehistoric man and later for pirates and hippies. Some of them were dug millions of years ago, like the famous Cova d'en Jeroni, discovered in 1975.

3. Coves

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Formentera is full of small coves, more or less wild, that you will have to find! Caló des Mort is one of the most beautiful, but is also very busy. The same goes for Cala Saona, a white sandy cove bordered by turquoise water on the east coast. The wildest coves are often bordered by rocky bottoms, like Cala en Baster.

4. Escars

The embarcaderos or escars are the typical wooden constructions found in the island's natural harbours. They are made up of small cabins and long rails that go down to the water. In the north-east of the island, Es Caló de Sant Agustí, once the second most important port on the island, is worth a look.

5. Hippies

The hippies arrived on the island in the middle of the 20th century and left their mark. Some of them made Formentera a stopover on their way to India: Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin... All of them have spent many happy days in this little paradise. The island still attracts artists who have come to set up their stalls in the hippy markets.

6. Mills

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Formerly known as the "land of wheat", Formentera is home to elegant windmills. Only three of them are still standing today, in Sant Francesc, Sant Ferran and La Mola. These circular lime constructions generally have two floors, a ground floor and long (4 or 5 m!), sophisticated wings.

7. Naturism

All of Formentera's beaches are nudist and you'll come across a lot of people in their Adam's clothes lounging or playing ball on the sand. Don't be surprised if you're the only clothed person on the beach! Here, the watchword is tolerance: textile and nudist enthusiasts live in harmony.

8. Headlights

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The island's three lighthouses - at La Savina, La Mola and Cape Barbaria - are emblematic constructions of the island's landscape. Built on a cliff 120 m high, the lighthouse at La Mola is the highest on the island. This place is so singular that Jules Verne immortalized it in an episode of his novel Hector Servadac.

9. Pityuses

The Pityuses or Pityuse Islands include the islands of Ibiza and Formentera, as well as several small islets such as Espalmador and Espardell. The name Pityuse probably comes from the ancient Greek word pitys, which means "pine". In ancient times, the Pityuses were differentiated from the rest of the Balearic Islands (Mallorca and Menorca are the Gymesias).

10. Dry fish

Peix Sec or dried fish is one of the culinary specialities that Formentera shares with Ibiza. It consists of pieces of salted fish, dried in the sun and then packed in olive oil. It is also one of the ingredients of the peasant salad. But it can also be eaten simply on a slice of toast!

11. Posidonia

These aquatic plants, which create a rich ecosystem, are responsible for the transparency of the water thanks to their ability to produce a large quantity of oxygen. Almost 100 million years old, Posidonia oceanica covers a large part of the Mediterranean seabed. It is off Formentera that the largest meadows grow!

12. Sargantanes

You'll see them everywhere, on postcards, key rings, between the rocks or even next to your beach towel: the sargantanes(Podarcis pityusensis) are the symbol of Formentera. These large lizards are an endemic species of the Pityuse Islands, so much so that Formentera has made them its emblem! There are more than 30 subspecies around

You are from here, if...

You speak Catalan, or at least Spanish. If you know two words of Spanish, don't hesitate to use them! The people here are used to tourists and will appreciate anyone who makes the effort to speak Spanish, even if only a little.

You will not talk to (almost) anyone! Spaniards generally dislike the use of "vouvoie" and banish the word " usted " (the polite "you") from their vocabulary. However, it is appropriate to be polite to older people and employees.

You respect others as you respect yourself. This is a particularity of the islands: in the towns and villages of the Balearic Islands, everyone walks around calmly without being judged on their appearance, religion or customs.

You respect the environment by not leaving plastic or cigarette butts lying around. Nature is sacred in Formentera.

You have no qualms about stripping off your clothes on the island's beaches for a good sunbath

You don't hesitate to add an ice cube to your latte.

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