What to see and do in Formentera in 1 day, dream island in the Balearic Islands

If there is an ideal destination to spend a vacation this summer recovering normality, it is the Balearic islands. It combines many attractions, among which is nature tourism.

And in this regard, a few years ago a friend told me about the experience of his day trip to Formentera, and since then I was left with the idea that it was a different place.

I recently had the opportunity to travel to the island of Formentera and verify that it really is a real natural paradise what we have in it Mediterranean coast.

It is a place that has been preserved from the presence of large tourist complexes, and where you can enjoy beaches with really crystal clear waters.

How to get to Formentera by ferry

And we also come to Formentera in a way I didn't imagine, with my own car.

Well, in fact, I had always thought that the only way to go to Formentera was cross on a small boat from Ibiza, an island located to the north, just half an hour away fast ferry.

But the truth is that in our most recent trip to the Balearic Islands we have lived the experience of cross by ferry with our car to Formentera and Ibiza.

From the peninsula you can get to Formentera in just two and a half hours aboard a Baleària fast ferry which leaves every day at 9 in the morning from port of Denia.

This service allows you to make a excursion from the peninsula for visit Formentera in one day, well you can return on a ferry that leaves at 9 at night to Denia.

Of course, the most common way is get to Formentera on a ferry from Ibiza.

On our trip we crossed to this island aboard one of the comfortable Eco fast ferries de Baleària, a company that offers a service frequency every half hour for almost the entire day.

In parallel, the car was traveling on another larger ferry from the same company.

How to get around Formentera

Formentera It is a very small island, elongated in shape, with a little more than 20 kilometers distance from one end to the other.

Almost completely flat, the highest height is found in the cliffs of the La Mola Lighthouse, with barely 200 meters of difference in height above the sea.

It is only 83 square meters of surface surrounded by beaches and coves, all in a very lonely environment.

Of course, during the typical vacation period of the months of July and August, the island of Formentera It reaches 45.000 residents, although during the rest of the year it barely has 10.000 inhabitants.

As soon as you get off the ferry, if you are not traveling with your own car as was our case, the ideal way to get around the island is rent a motorcycle type scooter or a bicycle.

If you want to tour the entire island, the appropriate option is the aforementioned scooter, because this way you can go up without problems to the platform where the aforementioned is located Lighthouse de la Mola and get to know some other interesting enclave in that area.

If you don't plan to go too far from the Savina, which is where it is located Port, and you are only going to tour the western area of Formentera, it may be enough to rent a bike.

This will also allow you to enter the rural roads that lead you to coves and beaches.

What is tourism like in Formentera?

Formentera It is an island where there are no traffic lights or establishments fast food, and where you find a lifestyle slow, so fashionable in recent times.

In the past, the It was primarily French and German, but in recent times this island has become fashionable among Italians because it became Holiday destination of various celebrities from that country.

To such an extent that, when trips to Formentera, don't be surprised to see that most of the foreign tourists They are Italian.

Of course, currently this island is almost visited more by Spaniards, with the months of May and October being the best time to visit Formentera.

Another aspect that you have to take into account is that Formentera It is not a cheap island for tourists.

Where to sleep in Formentera

On the contrary, there are very few hotel establishments, also with high prices, so that together with the apartments, there are only about 15.000 beds available for stay tourism.

For your trip, here you have information and you can book at Formentera hotels and apartments.

The official advertising of Formentera He has come to describe her as last paradise of the Mediterranean, which is justified by being a true natural enclave, with 70 percent of the territory protected, and where you will not see large buildings or resorts tourist.

The latter is undoubtedly marked by the lack of an airport, which limits the arrival of visitors and preserves it from excessive urbanization.

What to see on the Formentera tourism visit

The tourist image of Formentera, which you surely know, are their crystal clear turquoise waters, which can be seen very well from the air.

This is the result of one of the keys to this island, the posidonia Oceanica, a plant (not an algae) that filters the waters that surround it and that extends throughout the 700 square meter maritime area that connects Formentera with Ibiza.

This marine reserve has been declared Heritage awarded by the Unesco, and there is the largest specimen of Posidonia that is known, 8 kilometers long and 100.000 years old.

To explore the island, from the port you have the road that towards the southeast takes you to La Mola and the one that goes south takes you to the Barbaria Lighthouse.

Les Illetes beach in Formentera

En Formentera stand out their beaches, especially that of The Illetes, considered not long ago by the portal TripAdvisor as the seventh best beach in the world and the most beautiful in Spain.

This beach, which I can tell you is wonderful, is located within the ses Salines natural park, Near the port of La Savina.

But for the 66 kilometers of Formentera coast you will find numerous beaches and coves.

Defensive towers in Formentera

From the heritage point of view, in addition to the aforementioned lighthouses, enclaves highly visited by tourists, it is worth highlighting the defensive towers which are located in various coastal corners of the island.

This is the case of Punta Prima Tower which rises on a cliff near the aforementioned Les Illetes beach.

Mills in Formentera

It should also be noted the flour mills, most of the 18th century, like the Molí Vell that you can see very near the Mola Lighthouse.

With a cylindrical tower and six blades, they came to work six mills on the island, and all of them stopped being active in the decades of the 50s and 60s of the last century.

The quoted Mola mill It preserves all the original machinery and can be visited from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9,30:13,30 a.m. to XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.

In the three towns on the island your attention will be drawn to churches, specifically that of The Pillar of the Mola, with its austere completely white façade.

Port of Es Caló de San Agustín in Formentera

And as for charming corners, you should not miss visiting the natural harbor de It is Caló de San Agustín, which you find next to a beach a little before climbing the slopes that lead you to La Mola.

The wooden boathouses where fishermen raise their boats to protect them, they create a scene of great charm and authenticity.

What activities to do in Formentera

On the other hand, on the island you will find 32 trail routes with about 100 kilometers in length, ideal for going for a horse ride, go through it in bike or do Hiking.

In addition to sun and beach tourism, in Formentera various can be practiced activities at sea, especially the scuba diving, facilitated by the special transparency of its waters.

But it is also possible to make a kayak excursion through the cliff area, a very good way to appreciate and enjoy these crystal clear waters.

Boat trips around Formentera

Or you can also sail along the coast of Formentera, an excursion of about four hours that will take you to Cap of Barbaria, Saône Cove, where you will take a dip, and the idyllic Ses Illetes beach.

Here you have all the information and you can reserve your boat trip through the coves of Formentera.

If you are on vacation on the island of Ibiza, you can also do a catamaran ride through the coves of Formentera, an excursion that will take you four and a half hours.

In short, an island very different from its other sister islands in the Balearic Islands.

Formentera It is very ideal for enjoying tourism in peace, at the pace of a bicycle, discovering beautiful natural places, almost from another time, and seeing charming heritage corners.