The Castell d'Eivissa sits on the highest point of Ibiza Town, above the cathedral at the top of Dalt Vila, and for most of living memory it was the one part of the old town nobody could go into. It stood empty and fenced while everything below it was restored.
That changed on 10 March 2026, when the castle reopened as the Parador de Eivissa after a restoration that began in 2009 and cost 47 million euros. It is worth knowing what that means before you walk up, because it changes what you can see.
What the castle is
Not one building but several, stacked on the same rock over about two thousand years. The Almudaina is the Moorish keep, the oldest surviving part. Around and on top of it are the Tower of Homage, the former governor's residence and an eighteenth-century infantry barracks, each added by whoever held the island at the time.
The hill under all of it was settled by the Phoenicians in the seventh century BC, which is why the restoration involved one of the largest archaeological excavations in Spain in recent years.
What you can see now
The interior is a hotel with 66 rooms, so it is no longer open to walk in and look round. Access is for guests, and for anyone on a booked visit or a guided tour.
What remains free is most of what people come for. The walls are sixteenth-century and essentially intact, the ramps and gates climb through them, and the terraces below the castle look over the port and out to Formentera. Dalt Vila as a whole is a UNESCO World Heritage site and walking it costs nothing.
Walking up
From the harbour, the Portal de ses Taules is the main gate and the ramp behind it climbs steadily to the cathedral square. It is cobbled and steep in places and takes about twenty minutes at a walk.
There are lifts from the Parc de sa Riba side that cover most of the height for anyone who would rather not do the climb, and they are free.
Go early or late. The ramp is in full sun by mid-morning in summer, and the view does better in the last hour of light.
Quick answers
Can you go inside the Castell d'Eivissa? Not freely. Since March 2026 the interior is the Parador hotel, open to guests and to booked tours.
Is Dalt Vila free? Yes. The walls, gates, streets and viewpoints are all open.
How old is the castle? The Almudaina keep is Moorish; the walls around it are sixteenth-century; the hill has been occupied since the Phoenicians.
How long is the walk up? About twenty minutes from the port, or use the free lifts.
Is it suitable for children? The walk is steep and cobbled. A pushchair is hard work.
What else is up there? The cathedral, the archaeological museum and the terraces over the harbour.