Formentera is about half an hour from Ibiza Town on a fast ferry, and in high season boats leave every fifteen to thirty minutes. That frequency is what makes it a day trip rather than a holiday in itself, though plenty of people come back for a week.
One thing to settle before you go. From 1 June to 30 September every vehicle brought onto or driven on the island needs a permit through the Formentera Eco scheme, applied for in advance with a daily charge. It applies to cars, scooters and motorbikes, including hired ones, so check who is arranging it before you drive onto a ferry.
Getting around
The island is about twenty kilometres end to end and mostly flat, which makes a bicycle the obvious answer and sidesteps the permit question entirely. There is a network of marked green routes for walking and cycling.
Scooters and cars can be hired at La Savina, the port, though in summer they are subject to the same permit scheme. Buses run the main road between the villages.
The beaches
Ses Illetes is the one on the postcards: a sandbar running north from the port with water shallow enough to wade for a long way. It sits inside the natural park, so arrive early in August.
Migjorn is the long south-facing beach, several kilometres of it, and far emptier. Cala Saona on the west coast is a small cove between red cliffs and the best of the sunsets. Es Pujols is the one with the village attached.
The villages and the lighthouse
Sant Francesc is the main village, with the church, the shops and the market. Sant Ferran is smaller and quieter, and holds Fonda Pepe, the bar the island's sixties arrivals used.
The road east climbs to La Mola, the high plateau at the far end, and finishes at the lighthouse on the cliff. There is a craft market up there in season and an obvious walk along the clifftop.
Eating
Juan y Andrea on Ses Illetes is the long-standing one, with boats mooring off the beach for lunch. Blue Bar on Migjorn does sunsets and stays open late. Both want booking in summer.
Doing it as a day trip
The ferry from Ibiza Town runs from early morning. Go on the first boats, hire bicycles at La Savina, and you have the beaches before the crowd arrives from the later crossings.
If you want longer, our guide to Formentera covers staying there, and the quieter beaches are worth the extra day.
Quick answers
How long is the ferry? About half an hour on a fast boat from Ibiza Town.
Do I need a permit for a car? Yes, between 1 June and 30 September, through Formentera Eco.
Can you cycle it? Yes. The island is flat and has marked green routes.
Which is the famous beach? Ses Illetes, the sandbar north of the port.
Is a day enough? For the main beaches and one village, yes.
What is at La Mola? A lighthouse, clifftop walks and a seasonal craft market.