Romance in the Balearics looks completely different depending which island you land on, from a cliffside sunset on Ibiza to a candlelit dinner under a 500-year-old olive tree on Mallorca. Pick the mood, then pick the island that actually delivers it. Ibiza: sunset over a mystical rock Couples gather on the pine-clad cliffs above Cala d’Hort, or at clifftop spots like the Mirador des Vedrà, to watch the sun sink behind Es Vedrà, the 400-meter limestone monolith rising straight out of the sea, part of the Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture World Heritage site.

Three different multi-day trips share the Balearic name and almost nothing else: an island-hopping sightseeing circuit, a mountain trek, and a coastal endurance route. Decide what kind of trip you actually want before you decide how many islands to include. For sightseeing: the 3-island hop (7-10 days) Four days on Mallorca cover Palma’s cathedral, the Sóller train through the Tramuntana mountains, and the Cuevas del Drach. A high-speed ferry then moves you to Menorca for two to three days on the Camí de Cavalls and the Talaiotic prehistoric sites, before a short commuter flight to Ibiza for Dalt Vila and a ferry day trip across to Formentera.

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.

There is no archipelago-wide bus tour circuit here, and no operator running coaches between islands, because the islands aren’t connected by road. What exists is three separate, useful things, and none of them is what “bus tour” usually implies. The Palma hop-on-hop-off loop An open-top double-decker circuit runs 18 stops around Palma de Mallorca, linking the cruise terminal, Bellver Castle on its pine-covered hill, Pueblo Español, La Seu Cathedral, and Plaza de España, with multilingual audio commentary at every stop.