The Balearics are the one entry in this collection that is not a coast at all. Four inhabited islands, four quite different holidays, and the only part of Spain outside Catalonia that charges a tourist tax. Choosing the wrong island is the single most common mistake people make here, and it is easy to avoid once you know what separates them.
At a glance
- Where: the western Mediterranean, off the Valencian and Catalan coasts.
- Islands: Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera, plus Cabrera and smaller islets.
- Airports: Palma (PMI), Mahón (MAH) and Ibiza (IBZ). Formentera has none.
- Ferry gateways: Barcelona and Valencia for Mallorca and Menorca; Dénia on the Costa Blanca is the short hop to Ibiza and Formentera.
- Tourist tax: the Sustainable Tourism Tax applies on all four islands, charged per person per night and usually collected at check-in.
Three things that surprise first-time visitors
Formentera has no airport. You fly to Ibiza and take the ferry, roughly half an hour. That single fact is why it stayed quieter than its neighbour, and it is also why day-trippers dominate the beaches in high summer while the island empties in the evening.
Mallorca has mountains, not just resorts. The Serra de Tramuntana is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape of terraced hillsides, and the island’s interior is farmland and stone villages. The package-holiday image comes from a handful of bays, not the island.
You pay a tax almost nowhere else in Spain charges. Only the Balearics and Catalonia levy a tourist tax. Rates drop substantially in the low season, roughly a quarter of summer rates between November and April.
Mallorca: the one with everything
Big enough to hold a capital city, a mountain range and a cave system. Valldemossa is the Tramuntana village where Chopin spent a difficult winter in a former charterhouse. Sóller is reached by a vintage wooden train and connected to its port by an even older tram. Pollença has the 365-step Calvari stairway. Andratx covers the exclusive western port and the Sa Dragonera nature reserve, and Manacor has the Drach caves and the pearl industry.
Ibiza and Formentera: not the same holiday
Ibiza town is more than the clubs: Dalt Vila is a UNESCO-listed walled upper town with a cathedral and a Phoenician necropolis below it. Formentera is flat, small and best seen by bicycle, with Ses Illetes among the most photographed beaches in Europe. They are half an hour apart and completely different in temperament.
Menorca: the quiet one
Mahón sits on what is usually called Europe’s second-largest natural harbour, and the Georgian architecture is a leftover from the eighteenth-century British occupation. Menorca is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, has the least seasonal swing of the four, and is where you go if the point is not nightlife.
Local tip
If you are already on the Costa Blanca, Dénia is the shortest crossing to Ibiza and Formentera and avoids the long haul from Barcelona or Valencia. It also means you can combine mainland and island in one trip without flying twice.
Reality check
Island hopping sounds easier than it is. Mallorca–Menorca and Ibiza–Formentera are straightforward; other combinations often mean routing back through Palma and losing most of a day. Pick one island for a week, or accept the travel time. In August, ferries, hire cars and the good beaches all need booking well ahead, and Formentera restricts vehicle access.
Verdict
Mallorca if you want variety and mountains, Menorca if you want calm and coves, Ibiza if you want a real old town as well as the nightlife it is famous for, Formentera if you want a bicycle and a beach and very little else. Trying to see all four in one week is the mistake.
How we assess
This guide is compiled and cross-checked from established, verifiable information about each place, its geography, history, headline sights and food. We do not invent first-hand fieldwork or personal anecdotes. Where something is a matter of taste or shifts with the season, we say so plainly, and place names use correct Catalan and Spanish spelling and accents.
Which island is for you?
| Island | Character | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Mallorca | Largest; mountains, capital city, caves, every kind of resort | Variety, walking, a first visit |
| Menorca | Quietest; biosphere reserve, coves, Georgian Mahón | Calm, families, shoulder season |
| Ibiza | Nightlife plus a UNESCO walled old town | Clubs, and more history than expected |
| Formentera | Smallest and flattest; no airport, bicycles | Beaches and doing nothing |
When to go
May, June, September and early October give warm sea without the August crush, and the tourist tax is lower outside the high season. Menorca stays pleasant longest into autumn. Mallorca and Ibiza increasingly function year-round; Formentera largely closes down in winter.
Related on Costamap
Every town guide on the Balearic Islands
9 towns on this coast have their own guide on CostaMap. They are listed alphabetically, with what each one is actually for.
- Andratx — Andratx guide: the exclusive Port d’Andratx, Sa Dragonera natural park, Sant Elm
- Formentera — Formentera guide: Ses Illetes beaches, the Ibiza ferry, cycling routes
- Ibiza — Ibiza guide: the UNESCO old town of Dalt Vila, the cathedral and necropolis
- Mahón — Mahón guide: Europe’s second-largest natural harbour, Menorca gin, Georgian architecture
- Manacor — Manacor guide: Drach and Hams caves, Majorica pearls, the Rafael Nadal academy
- Palma de Mallorca — the Gothic La Seu cathedral, the historic old town
- Pollença — Pollença guide: the 365-step Calvari stairway, the old town, Port de Pollença
- Sóller — Sóller guide: the vintage wooden tram to Port de Sóller, the Tramuntana valley
- Valldemossa — Valldemossa guide: Chopin’s Royal Charterhouse, a Tramuntana mountain village, coca de patata
Getting around once you’re here
Mallorca and Menorca need a hire car to be seen properly. Ibiza works with a car or taxis depending on how much you move. Formentera is bicycle and scooter country, and cars are restricted in summer anyway. Mallorca also has the Sóller train and tram, which are worth taking as sights rather than transport.
Frequently asked questions
Which Balearic island should I choose?
Mallorca for variety and mountains, Menorca for quiet coves, Ibiza for nightlife plus a walled old town, Formentera for beaches and bicycles. Choosing badly is the most common mistake here.
How do I get to Formentera?
There is no airport. Fly to Ibiza and take the ferry, about thirty minutes from Ibiza town.
Is there a tourist tax?
Yes. The Sustainable Tourism Tax applies across the Balearics, charged per person per night and normally paid at check-in. Rates are roughly a quarter of summer levels between November and April.
Can I reach the islands from the Costa Blanca?
Yes. Dénia has the shortest crossings to Ibiza and Formentera, which makes combining mainland and islands in one trip realistic.
Plan your trip
Every island town covered here is on the CostaMap interactive map, alongside the mainland coasts they connect to.