Ibiza to Formentera: ferry only or a boat tour, and from which port?
Updated October 18, 2026 · 7 min read
For most visitors the ferry is the better choice: a fast crossing from the port nearest your hotel, then a day at your own pace on Formentera. A boat tour makes sense if you would rather have food, drinks and swim stops arranged for you and do not mind that the island itself is only one part of the day. The fast ferry from Playa d’en Bossa at €45 is the benchmark: 4.6 stars from 1,366 reviews.
The crossing depends on the port
Formentera is the small island south of Ibiza, and the ferries land at La Savina. How long you are at sea depends on where you start. Fast ferries from Ibiza Town take about 30 minutes, and the listings for the ferry and bike packages say the same. The catamaran from Figueretas is listed at about an hour, and the Playa d’en Bossa crossing at 45 minutes. From the east coast (Santa Eulària, Es Canar, Cala Llonga, Cala Pada, Es Figueral) there is a ferry with 6 to 8 hours on Formentera, and from Sant Antoni on the west coast a boat that spends about ten hours on the whole day.
So the question is less “which ferry is best” than “which port is closest to where I sleep”. An hour-long crossing from a port twenty minutes away beats a 30-minute crossing that needs a transfer across the island first.
Seven ways to get there, side by side
| Option | Duration | From | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playa d’en Bossa round-trip transfer | 45 minutes | €45 | 4.6 ★ · 1,366 | hotels in the south of the island |
| Figueretas round-trip transfer | 1 hour | €45 | 4.6 ★ · 427 | Figueretas and Ibiza Town |
| Ferry with open return | 1 day | €54.99 | 4.2 ★ · 1,770 | flexible plans, return time not fixed |
| Sant Antoni round-trip boat | 10 hours | €44 | 4.5 ★ · 758 | the west coast, with the coastline as a bonus |
| Ferry from Santa Eulària and the east coast | 6–8 hours on the island | €52 | 4.5 ★ · 251 | the east coast, no drive to Ibiza Town |
| Full-day trip, all inclusive, three stops | 10 hours | €110 | 4.7 ★ · 2,200 | everything arranged, swimming and paddle boards |
| Full-day catamaran with paella | 9 hours | €79 | 4.3 ★ · 368 | a cheaper boat day with lunch |
Check dates and prices for the Playa d’en Bossa ferry
Ferry: freedom, but you plan the day
A ferry ticket gets you across and back, nothing more. The open-return ticket advertises up to 33 daily departures and a flexible way home, but the outbound time is fixed, as the title says. That flexibility comes at €54.99 against €45 for the fixed round trips. It also has the lowest rating of the three big ferry listings at 4.2 stars, and the Playa d’en Bossa and Figueretas ferry from another provider sits at 3.8 stars from 237 reviews. The reviews do not say why, so read the recent ones on the booking page before you choose.
What the ferry does not include is transport on the island. Most day visitors who want more than the beach next to La Savina hire a bike. There are two ready-made packages: ferry plus e-bike at €75, and ferry plus city bike at €63. Formentera is small and mostly flat, so a bike is realistic for most people. If someone in the group cannot cycle, the ferry plus guided bus excursion at €108 over nine hours is the version without effort.
A note on cars: Formentera limits how many vehicles may enter in summer, so do not assume you can bring a hire car across. Ask your rental company before you plan on it.
Boat tour: less island, more arranged
The big all-inclusive boat days sell drinks, food and swim stops rather than the island. On the full-day trip with three stops the listing promises sangria, snorkelling, paddle boards and free time on Formentera. It is the most-reviewed of the Formentera boat days, and at 10 hours it is a long one. For a quieter version, the classic sailboat trip at €120 over seven hours has a perfect 5.0 from 227 reviews.
Compare what you pay for. A €110 boat day against a €45 ferry plus a bike hired on the spot is a difference of about €35 to €45, which is roughly what the lunch and drinks on board have to cover. If you would not buy that lunch and those drinks anyway, the ferry is cheaper. If you want to stop thinking after you have booked, the boat is not overpriced.
Which one for whom
- Couples who want a beach day: ferry from the nearest port, then a bike or taxi to the beach you like.
- Families with small children: a short crossing from Playa d’en Bossa or Ibiza Town. Boat days of nine or ten hours are long on deck.
- Groups with different wishes: a boat tour, where lunch, swimming and music are decided for you.
- Anyone who gets seasick: the ferry, and the shorter crossing.
- Anyone with a fixed flight home: a ferry with a fixed return, booked for the morning, not the last departure.
The boat days are a day at sea first and Formentera second. If the island is the point, take the ferry. All Formentera options are collected on the Ibiza to Formentera page, and the boat trips page covers the rest of the water.
