Ibiza Town is four things within a fifteen-minute walk: the walled old town on the hill, the old port at its foot, the nineteenth-century grid behind that, and the two marinas across the water. Everything people come here for sits in that square kilometre, which is why the town works as a day on foot rather than a series of drives.
The walled town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is still lived in rather than preserved as a museum. We have taken the four parts in the order you would walk them, so you can see how much of a day they come to.
Dalt Vila, the walled town
The Renaissance walls went up in the sixteenth century and are largely intact, which makes the climb through them the thing to do first. You enter at the Portal de ses Taules, the main gate above the port, and the ramp carries on up past the cathedral to the castle at the top.
The cathedral sits on the summit and the view from the terrace beside it takes in the port, the salt flats and Formentera. The archaeological museum on the same square is closed for building works, so the climb is for the walls, the streets and the view rather than the exhibits.
It is cobbled, steep and largely without shade. In July, do it before eleven or after six.
La Marina and the old port
Below the walls, La Marina is the grid of narrow streets between the gate and the harbour, and it is where the small shops are. At the edge of it sits the Mercat Vell, the old produce market, and from April to October an evening market runs along the port. The shops on this side are covered in our guide to shopping in Ibiza Town.
The port itself is working rather than ornamental: the Formentera ferries leave from here, and the promenade along it is the evening walk.
Vara de Rey and the new town
Vara de Rey is the broad tree-lined avenue behind the port, and the streets around it hold the chain shops, the Adlib fashion houses and most of the town's everyday life. This is where people who live here shop.
The marinas
Across the harbour, Marina Ibiza and Marina Botafoch hold the international brands and a run of restaurants looking back at the walls. It is a ten-minute drive round or a short water taxi across, and the view of Dalt Vila lit up at night is the reason to eat on that side.
Good to know before you book
Parking is the hard part. The underground car parks fill from mid-morning in summer, and the streets around the old town are largely residents only. The town is a place to arrive in and walk, not to drive around.
Dalt Vila is steep. There is a lift from the port side to the lower level of the old town, which helps.
It is the best-connected point on the island. The airport is ten minutes, the bus station serves everywhere, and the discobus runs through the night in season.
Quick answers
What is Dalt Vila? The walled sixteenth-century old town on the hill, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
How long does the old town take? Two hours at a walk, longer if you stop.
Is the archaeological museum open? The Dalt Vila site is closed for building works.
Is there an evening market? Yes, along the port, April to October.
How far is the airport? About ten minutes.
Is it good with children? The port and Vara de Rey are easy. Dalt Vila is cobbles and hills.
Who it suits
Ibiza Town suits people who want to walk out of the front door into something, and anyone who would rather not drive to dinner. It is the one place on the island where a week without a car is straightforward, and the beaches at Talamanca, Figueretes and Playa d'en Bossa are all within ten minutes.