Balearic Islands Day Trip Ideas
The timetable decides your day trip here before the sights do. Work backward from the ferry or bus schedule, not forward from a wish list.
The 30-minute crossing: Ibiza to Formentera
This is the easiest inter-island day trip in the archipelago, a fast catamaran from Ibiza Port to La Savina in about half an hour. On the ground, rent an electric bike or scooter rather than plan on buses, and head for Ses Illetes, the sandbar where turquoise water sits on both sides of a strip of white sand narrow enough to see both shores from the middle. The official Formentera tourism page is worth a look before you go, since the island runs a shorter season than Ibiza.
The 75-minute crossing: Mallorca to Menorca
The Baleària high-speed ferry connects Alcúdia to Ciutadella in roughly 75 minutes, tight enough that you should confirm your return sailing before you plan anything past a walk through Ciutadella’s old sandstone streets and a swim at Cala ’n Bosch.
No crossing at all: Cap de Formentor
Still on Mallorca, the drive to the Formentor Lighthouse needs no ferry, just patience with the restriction on the final stretch: private cars are barred there from 15 May to 18 October, 10:00 to 22:00. Inside that window, park at Port de Pollença and ride the official TIB shuttle , Line 334, the rest of the way, or book a guided Formentor day trip that skips the parking question entirely.
The one that isn’t a day trip: Ibiza to Mallorca
The ferry between Palma and Ibiza Town runs 2 to 3.5 hours each way. Do the math before you book: that’s most of a day gone before you’ve seen anything, which is why this pairing works as an overnight trip and not a day trip.
Whichever crossing you take, factor in the region’s sustainable tourism tax if you’re staying overnight anywhere on the trip, typically one to four euros per adult per night, added at checkout and used to fund the trail and conservation work that keeps these coastlines in the condition you’re visiting them for.
Verdict: the Formentera hop is the best day-trip return on time invested in the whole archipelago; treat the Menorca crossing as worthwhile but tighter, and don’t stack a third stop onto either one.
Buy your return ferry ticket before you leave the dock in the morning, not after lunch. Summer sailings between Ibiza and Formentera fill up, and getting stranded overnight without a hotel booked is the one mistake that ruins an otherwise easy day. For trips that need more than a single day, see the multi-day trips guide .