IIbiza has roughly 80 beaches crammed into a coastline you could drive around in two hours. Most guides just list them. This one sorts them by what you're actually after, whether that's a cold beer with a DJ, a quiet sunrise, or somewhere the kids won't get battered by waves.
Rent a car. You need one. Buses exist but they're slow, infrequent, and won't get you to half the places below. Budget around £30-40 a day in peak season. Park early at popular beaches or you'll be walking 20 minutes down a dirt track in flip-flops.
Party Beach Bars
Playa d'en Bossa is where most of the action lives. It's a long, flat strip of sand on the south coast running from Ibiza Town almost to the airport. Beachouse sits at the southern end, doing day-to-night sessions where a long lunch slides into DJ sets by early evening. Expect to pay around £80-100 per person for a sunbed, food and a few drinks. Ushuaia is at the north end of the same strip, though it's more pool club than beach.
Blue Marlin at Cala Jondal is the big name. It's been running for over 20 years and still pulls an international crowd. A single sunbed is about £15 for the day, but there's a minimum spend of around £40-50 per person on food and drink. A Balinese double bed for four people is around £85, with a £250 minimum spend. The food is good (sushi, grilled seafood, Mediterranean plates) and the music builds through the afternoon. By 6pm it's a proper party with a full dancefloor. Book a bed in advance for July and August or you won't get one.
Cala Bassa Beach Club (CBbC) near San Antonio is the one that works for mixed groups. It has three restaurants, water sports hire, and a more family-friendly feel during the day. Music picks up in the afternoon but it never goes fully feral. Sunbed prices vary by zone but budget around £50-100 for a pair with umbrella. The water here is some of the clearest on the island.
Sunrise Beaches
The east coast faces the open Mediterranean, so that's where you head for sunrise. In summer, the sun comes up at around 6:30am.
Cala Llonga is the easiest option. It's a wide bay sheltered by hills on both sides, about 10 minutes from Santa Eulalia. At dawn it's practically empty apart from a few dog walkers. The hills frame the sunrise, and because the bay faces east you get the full show. There's a promenade with cafes that open early if you want a coffee after.
Aigues Blanques is the more dramatic choice. It's an exposed, east-facing beach about 4km northeast of Sant Carles. Gold sand, crumbling cliffs dividing it into sections, and almost nobody there at sunrise. It's officially a nudist beach, though before 8am it's really just you and the sea. Park at the top and walk 10 steep minutes down. The chiringuito at the southern end opens later in the morning.
Talamanca Beach works if you're staying in Ibiza Town and don't want to drive. It's a long curve of sand just north of the old town with a clear eastern horizon. Shallow, calm water for a post-sunrise swim, and a row of cafes along the promenade. Less spectacular scenery than Aigues Blanques but infinitely more convenient.
Sunset Beaches
The west coast is sunset territory. Everyone knows this, and everyone turns up.
Cala Conta (Cala Comte) is the one that tops every list because it deserves to. Three separate beach areas on the west coast near San Antonio, all looking out at the rocky islet of S'illa des Bosc. The water changes colour through the afternoon, from deep blue to turquoise to something close to green. Sunset Ashram is the beach bar here, open-air with DJs from about 6pm. Get there by 4pm in July and August or you'll struggle for sand space. 15 minutes by car from San Antonio.
Cala Benirras is up north, about 30 minutes from Ibiza Town, and it has a completely different energy. It's famous for the Sunday drumming sessions that have been going since the 1970s. Dozens of drummers line the beach as the sun drops behind the "Finger of God" rock formation in the bay. The whole thing has a slightly spiritual, hippie feel. Parking is a nightmare in high season, so arrive well before sunset or take the shuttle bus from Sa Plana. Elements Ibiza on the promenade does good Mediterranean-Asian food if you want to eat while you watch.
Cala d'Hort is where you go for the view of Es Vedra, the 400-metre-tall rock island that rises out of the sea to the southwest. The beach is small, the chiringuitos are decent, and the sunset behind Es Vedra is properly dramatic. Popular with both tourists and locals, and the car park fills fast.
Punta Galera near Cala Salada isn't a sandy beach at all. It's flat rock platforms above the sea, north of San Antonio, and it's where the locals go when they want a sunset without the crowds. No facilities, no sunbeds, no bar. Just rock, sea, and sky. Bring your own supplies and something to sit on.
Still Water
If you're travelling with small kids or you just want to float around without getting smacked by waves, these are the ones.
Cala Vadella on the southwest coast is one of the most sheltered bays on the island. It sits at the end of a deep inlet with cliffs on both sides, so the water stays flat even when it's breezy elsewhere. White sand, shallow water, a few restaurants, a dive school and SUP hire. It's an upmarket little resort but not flashy. Bus L26 runs from Ibiza Town four times a day in summer (about £2.50, 45 minutes).
Cala Llonga comes up again here. The horseshoe shape of the bay keeps it calm, the water is shallow for a long way out, and there's a playground right on the sand. It's the default choice for families staying around Santa Eulalia.
Portinatx in the far north has three small beaches: S'Arenal Gros, S'Arenal Petit, and Playa Porto. All three have calm, clear, shallow water. It's the kind of place where seven-year-olds spend entire afternoons with a mask and snorkel without anyone worrying. Plenty of restaurants and amenities within walking distance.
Cala Gració and Cala Gracioneta, just west of San Antonio town centre, are two tiny coves connected by a short path. Sheltered, calm, shallow, and surrounded by vegetation that gives natural shade. Gracioneta has a small chiringuito. Both get busy in peak season but they're walkable from town, which is useful if you don't have a car.
Most Beautiful
Ses Salines (Las Salinas) sits inside a natural park on the south coast. It's a long, wide strip of fine sand backed by dunes and pine trees. The water is clear and the setting is genuinely beautiful, but the scene is more important than the scenery to a lot of the people here. Beach clubs like Jockey Club and Sa Trinxa line the shore, and the crowd is fashion-conscious. Come mid-morning and claim your patch.
Cala Salada and Cala Saladeta near San Antonio are two coves side by side, backed by pine-covered hills. Cala Saladeta is the smaller one and it's stunning: tiny strip of white sand, water so clear it barely looks real. To reach it you follow a winding path from Cala Salada. Both beaches are small (200m and 100m) and fill up fast in summer, so early mornings are essential.
Sa Caleta (Es Bol Nou) near the airport is a small cove backed by striking red-orange cliffs. It looks like someone dropped a Mediterranean beach into the American Southwest. The water is shallow, clear, and warm. There's a good fish restaurant (also called Sa Caleta) right on the beach, and the remains of a Phoenician settlement are just a short walk along the cliff. Pebbles at the waterline, sand once you're in. Important: since April 2025, access to the beach itself has been fenced off due to the risk of falling rocks from the cliffs. Police are checking and issuing fines, so don't try to hop the fence. The restaurant, beach boutique and the Sa Caleta Interpretation Centre are all still open, and the plan is to secure the cliff walls at some point, but no date has been set. Check locally before visiting.
Cala d'Hort makes this list too, purely for the Es Vedra views. There's nowhere else in the Mediterranean that looks quite like it.
Water Sports
Playa d'en Bossa is the biggest concentration of water sports on the island. Jet ski hire, parasailing, banana boats, paddleboard rental, flyboarding. It's all lined up along the strip. Expect to pay around £40-50 for a 30-minute jet ski session and about £50-60 for parasailing.
Talamanca Beach near Ibiza Town is one of the better spots for stand-up paddleboarding. The water is calm and there are rental outfits right on the sand. SUP Paradise Ibiza runs guided excursions from various locations including here.
Cala San Vicente in the northeast is the go-to for a well-rounded water sports day. It's one of the biggest beaches in the north, with full services, kayak and SUP hire, and views out to the island of Tagomago. Good conditions for beginners because the bay is relatively sheltered.
Es Figueral on the east coast is where Kayak Ibiza is based. They run guided kayak excursions along the coastline, paddling past cliffs and into caves. The beach itself has a good range of water sports hire and the water is clear enough for decent snorkelling close to the rocks.
Santa Eulalia has a watersports centre in its marina and is the base for Aqua Diving Center, a proper PADI dive centre. Good for anyone wanting to try scuba for the first time without the chaos of the bigger resort beaches.
Hidden Beaches
These all require a bit more effort to reach, which is the whole point.
Cala d'en Serra is in the far north near Portinatx. A small cove surrounded by cliffs and pine trees, with an abandoned hotel shell sitting above the bay. The road down is rough and steep but manageable. The water is very clear and there's good snorkelling off the rocks. There's a small beach bar in season. It's not completely unknown but it's far enough from the main resorts that it stays quiet.
Pou des Lleo in the northeast is a genuine locals' spot. A small bay ringed by traditional fishermen's huts and low cliffs, with a basic beach bar serving fresh seafood. No sunbeds, no DJ, no nonsense. Get there via Sant Carles.
Cala Olivera on the east coast near Roca Llisa is one of the better-kept secrets. It's accessed through a gated residential community via a rough dirt track. Visitors are welcome but the access puts most people off, which keeps it quiet. Tiny pebble-and-sand beach, clear water.
Sa Pedrera (Atlantis) near Cala d'Hort is a former sandstone quarry with carved rock formations and natural pools. Getting there means a steep, challenging hike down from the cliffs above. The landscape looks like something from another planet, and on a weekday you might have it to yourself. Not suitable for kids or anyone unsteady on their feet. The views of Es Vedra from the bottom are extraordinary.
Ses Balandres on the northwest coast is the extreme option. You reach it by climbing down a cliff using ropes and basic ladders left by previous visitors. Dramatic, isolated, with views of the Ses Margalides sea arch. Only for the genuinely adventurous.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
Sunbed prices at beach clubs can be eye-watering. Budget around £15-20 for a basic lounger at a standard beach, and anywhere from £50-200+ at the famous beach clubs, often with minimum spend requirements on top. The free sand is always right there.
August is rammed everywhere. If you can go in June or September, the water is warm, the flights are cheaper, and you can actually park at Cala Conta.
Most chiringuitos (beach bars) are cash-only or have unreliable card machines. Carry euros.
Water shoes are worth packing. Several of the best beaches (Sa Caleta, Cala Jondal, the hidden coves) have pebbly or rocky entries.
Reef-safe sunscreen is increasingly expected in and around the Ses Salines natural park area. The posidonia seagrass meadows off the coast are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the reason the water stays so clear. Don't anchor on them, don't pull them up, don't be that person.