A short crossing to Formentera.

Where the boats leave

Every ferry to Formentera leaves from the port of Eivissa, on the edge of Ibiza Town, a few minutes' walk from Dalt Vila and the streets below it. Boats run to La Savina, the only port on Formentera, at the northern end of the island. This is the shortest link between the two Pitiusas, and the reason Formentera has no airport of its own. It is a working harbour as well as a passenger terminal, with fishing boats and inter-island traffic alongside the fast ferries.

The port has several boarding points along the same quay, and the company named on your ticket decides which one you use. Signs at the harbour list the next departures, and staff at the terminal can point you to the right gate. Allow extra time in July and August, when the queue for the fast boats stretches along the pavement and the ticket desks are busy. A printed or saved confirmation helps when two sailings leave within minutes of each other.

• Port of EivissaBoats to La Savina leave from Ibiza Town port, a short walk from Dalt Vila.
• La SavinaThe only port on Formentera, at the north end, beside Estany des Peix.
• Foot passengersMost travellers cross on foot; a seat is rarely reserved outside the busiest weeks.

How long the crossing takes

Fast ferries cover the distance in about 30 to 35 minutes, which makes Formentera possible as a day trip from Ibiza. Conventional ferries take about an hour. The difference matters less than the departure time you can get, so compare both before choosing. Either way the route crosses the same stretch of open sea, with the low north coast of Formentera in view for the last part of the journey. Sailings are frequent in season and thinner in winter.

The water between the islands is shallow and often flat, but the wind can build in the afternoon and the fast boats move with it. If you feel the motion, a morning crossing usually gives calmer conditions. Sit outside at the stern when the cabin feels close, and keep a light layer within reach: the breeze offshore is cooler than the town you left. Crossings are rarely rough, but they are not always smooth either.

When to book

In July and August the fast boats fill, above all the mid-morning departures that suit a day trip. Book a day or two ahead if you are travelling with a car, and earlier at weekends and around public holidays. Outside those weeks you can usually turn up at the port and take the next sailing, though the timetable is thinner in spring and autumn. Group travel and bicycles need more notice than a single foot passenger.

Tickets are sold at the port, at the operators' desks and online. Nothing is fixed for ever: companies adjust timetables through the season, add boats in high summer and cut them in winter. Check the sailing you want with the operator running it, and confirm the return time on the day of travel rather than assuming the morning pattern holds. If you are meeting someone on the island, send them the sailing you actually booked.

From the airport to the port

Ibiza Airport sits about 7 km south-west of Ibiza Town, in the municipality of Sant Josep de sa Talaia, and buses run between the airport and the town. Allow room for the transfer if you are connecting to a ferry on the same day. In summer the roads around the airport and the harbour are busy and the taxi rank can move slowly. A missed boat is rarely a disaster, since another usually follows, but the last one of the day is different.

The simplest plan for a same-day connection is to land in the morning and take an afternoon boat, leaving a margin of a few hours. Bags can often be left near the port while you eat, depending on the season. If the flight lands late, stay a night in Ibiza Town and cross the next morning, which is calmer and gives you Dalt Vila at dusk.

• Airport to townBuses link Ibiza Airport with Ibiza Town, with more of them in summer.
• Allow a marginLeave a few hours between landing and sailing if you connect on the same day.
• Late arrivalsIf the flight lands late, stay in Ibiza Town and cross the next morning.

Arriving at La Savina

La Savina is small. You step off the boat into a village of a few streets, with the lagoon of Estany des Peix on one side and the salt pans on the other. Bicycle hire and bus stops are close to the landing stage, and the signposted green routes start nearby. The port itself has a handful of places to eat and a small beach on the sheltered side. Most visitors are moving inland within minutes of arrival.

The port is not the capital. Sant Francesc Xavier is a short ride inland, and the beaches at Ses Illetes lie north along a narrow road that fills with traffic in summer. If you are staying elsewhere on the island, arrange the onward leg before you arrive rather than at the quayside with a bag and no plan. Taxis wait at the port in season, though there are not many of them.

Crossing with a vehicle

Cars, camper vans and motorbikes cross on the ferries, but space is limited and demand peaks in July and August. Formentera caps the number of visitor vehicles in high season, so a place on a boat does not by itself guarantee that you can bring a car onto the island. Check the current rules with the Consell de Formentera before planning a visit around driving. The limits are seasonal and reviewed each year.

For most short visits a bicycle or a scooter hired on the island is easier than a car: parking near the popular beaches is scarce and the lanes are narrow. Foot passengers have the least to organise. If you do bring a vehicle, book the return crossing at the same time as the outward one, because the last boats of the day fill first. Trailers and large vans need more room than a standard booking allows, so say what you are bringing.

• Vehicle limitsFormentera caps visitor vehicles in high season; check with the Consell de Formentera.
• Book both waysReserve the return crossing when you book the outward one.
• Bikes and scootersHire on the island rather than bringing a car for a short visit.
• On footFoot passengers have the least to organise and the most flexibility.

The sea between the islands

The crossing passes over meadows of Posidonia oceanica, the seagrass that grows only in the Mediterranean and gives these islands their clear water. The beds between Ibiza and Formentera are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site listed in 1999 as Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture, alongside Dalt Vila, Sa Caleta and Puig des Molins. They grow from the shallows to about 30 to 40 metres down.

Anchoring over the meadows is regulated by a Balearic decree, and mooring buoys are installed in some bays in summer. On the ferry the rules are simpler: nothing goes over the side, and everything you bring comes back with you. The reward is the water you are looking at, which stays clear because the seagrass holds the sand in place. The same meadows support the fishing and the salt works that shaped the island's villages.

The clear water between the two islands is the work of the seagrass, not a trick of the light.

Out of season

From roughly November to April the number of sailings drops, and many of the seasonal businesses around the port close. The ferries keep running, because the island has residents who depend on them, but the rhythm changes: fewer boats, earlier last departures, a quieter crossing. Sant Francesc Xavier stays open all year, as do the everyday shops and services. The towns of Ibiza and the port at La Savina do not shut, but they thin out.

Winter is a good time to cross if you want the island to yourself, with two conditions. The weather can turn, and wind cancels or delays sailings. The buses that serve the beaches in summer do not run with the same frequency, so plan around fewer options. Check the day before travel, and hold a plan for the day after as well. The reward is a Formentera of empty roads and long walks.

Day trip or a stay

The crossing is short enough that a day trip works, and many people do exactly that: an early boat out, a bicycle, a swim, a late boat home. It gives a first view of the island and suits a short stay on Ibiza. What it does not give you is the early morning and the evening, which are the best hours on Formentera. Both are worth arranging a night on the island for.

Staying at least one night changes the trip. The day visitors leave on the afternoon boats, the light softens and the roads empty. La Savina has the port, Sant Francesc has the centre and Es Pujols has the beach and the busier evenings. Book accommodation ahead in summer, and remember that much of it closes in winter. Two nights let you see both ends of the island without rushing.