From the runway to your bed.

What the airport gives you

Arrivals open onto a small forecourt with a taxi rank and bus stops in front of the terminal. The building is compact and signed in Catalan and Spanish, with Eivissa used for the town. Everything happens outside the doors: taxis queue to one side, buses pick up along the marked bays. In high season the pavement is busy, so allow a few minutes and read the signs before you commit to anything.

The airport sits in Sant Josep de sa Talaia, about 7 km from Ibiza Town, which puts the port and the lower town within a short ride. Distances here are short in kilometres and long in minutes in July and August, when the main road towards the town fills up. A hire car collected at the terminal is one answer, but parking in Dalt Vila and the smaller coastal villages is limited, and the island bus network covers the main routes.

Buses from the terminal

Buses link the airport with Ibiza Town, Sant Antoni, Santa Eulària and the south beaches. More lines run in summer, when the seasonal network reaches the main resorts; in winter the timetable thins out and some routes stop altogether. Services are run by the island bus operator, and timetables are published there rather than at the airport. Check the current schedule before you rely on a late arrival, particularly in spring and autumn.

For Ibiza Town the bus is a short ride and frequent in season, and the terminus puts you within walking distance of the port and the lower edge of Dalt Vila. For anywhere else, the bus usually means a change in a town centre, which is fine with a light bag and awkward with two suitcases and a house at the end of a track. Not every cove has a service.

• Ibiza TownThe shortest run, frequent in season and close to the port.
• South beachesSeasonal lines reach Playa d'en Bossa and the salt-pan road.
• Sant AntoniA direct run in summer; check whether it operates in winter.
• Santa EulàriaServed in season, with a change for the smaller east-coast coves.

Taxis at the rank

Taxis wait at the rank outside arrivals, and in summer the queue moves quickly at midday and slowly after the last flights of the evening. Drivers take cards and cash, and the meter runs rather than a fixed price by destination, with supplements for luggage or night hours possible. Check the current fare and the supplement rules with the Consell d'Eivissa, which licenses the island service, before you get in.

A taxi makes sense for Ibiza Town, Talamanca, Playa d'en Bossa and anywhere within a short run of the airport. It makes less sense for Portinatx or Cala d'Hort, where the ride is long, the last road is narrow and the return is harder to find in the evening. Taxis are scarce across the island in August, so arrange the way back rather than hoping for one.

Pre-booked transfers and pickups

Booking a transfer before you fly means a driver waiting with your name, which suits late landings, families with small children and groups who can share a larger vehicle. The arrangement is agreed in advance rather than metered. Operators are not named here; compare what is offered, read the cancellation terms, and confirm that the vehicle can reach the door of a rural house rather than the nearest tarmac road.

Rural addresses deserve a second look before you travel. Many houses in the interior sit at the end of unsurfaced tracks, and a standard car does not always manage with four people and luggage. Ask the property what the last stretch is like and whether a smaller vehicle is the practical answer. Carry the address in Catalan, and keep the number of the keyholder to hand.

Which coast suits which approach

The island is about 40 km end to end, so the coast you choose decides the transfer more than the distance does. The south and the town are quick from the airport. The west and north are longer runs on slower roads, with a last stretch of lane. The east sits in between. Matching the transfer to the coast before booking accommodation saves more time than any shortcut on arrival day.

Think about the return as well. A house in the north that felt easy to reach in daylight can be hard at six in the morning, when no bus runs and taxis are thin. If the flight home is early, arrange the transfer the night before or spend the last night closer to the airport. The last morning of a stay deserves the same planning as the first.

• Dalt VilaBus or taxi from the terminal; vehicles stop below the walls.
• South and Ses SalinesThe shortest rides, with seasonal buses along the main road.
• West coastLonger taxi runs to Sant Antoni and the calas beyond it.
• NorthFewest buses; arrange a transfer before you land.
• EastSanta Eulària by bus; the smaller coves need a car.

Base yourself in Dalt Vila

Dalt Vila is the walled upper town of Eivissa, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site listed in 1999, with Renaissance walls built in the 16th century and the cathedral at the top. Staying inside means cobbles, steep steps and no traffic, with the port, the market and the ferry dock all on foot. It suits a first visit and anyone arriving without a car.

Vehicles stop below the walls. Arriving by bus, you reach the town and walk up; arriving by taxi, you are dropped at the edge of the old town and take the bag the final stretch. Ask the accommodation where the nearest vehicle access is before booking, and pack so that one bag can be carried rather than dragged over stone. Comfortable shoes matter more than a smart outfit.

The last hundred metres into Dalt Vila are on foot, and the bag you packed is the bag you carry.

The south, salt and short hops

Playa d'en Bossa, Talamanca and the road to Ses Salines are the quickest places to reach from the airport, which makes them practical for a short stay or a late landing. Buses run along the main road in season and taxis are easy in both directions. The trade is noise in high summer and a shoreline that fills by mid-morning, so the early hours are the better half of the day.

Ses Salines Natural Park covers the south of Ibiza, the north of Formentera and the sea between, with salt still harvested from the pans and dunes held in place by the plants behind the beach. The posidonia meadows offshore are part of the same UNESCO listing. From the air you see their shape under the water; on the ground you see why the water stays clear.

• Playa d'en BossaThe closest beach strip to the terminal, with seasonal buses.
• TalamancaA short taxi run, and a walk into Ibiza Town from the far end.
• Ses Salines roadBuses in season, then sand and salt pans on foot.

Late landings and winter arrivals

Flights land after dark all year, and the island answers differently depending on the month. In July and August the rank is busy and the buses still run late. In November a late arrival can find the rank quiet, the seasonal lines gone and the town kitchens closing. Book the first night's transfer in advance if you land after the light goes, and confirm the key arrangement.

Much of the tourism business closes roughly from November to April, including many hotels, beach bars and boat trips, and seasonal buses are fewer or absent. The main towns stay open year-round. If you arrive out of season, confirm that the accommodation is open and that someone will meet you, and arrange the transfer rather than relying on what runs in summer. Flights are fewer too.

The return and the buffer

Allow more time than the map suggests for the way back. The airport is small, but the road to it is the road everyone uses, and in summer the last kilometres can slow to a crawl. A buffer of an hour beyond what feels necessary is not wasted; it is the difference between a calm departure and a sprint through the terminal with the bags.

Buses towards the airport run in season from the main towns, and the timetable is worth checking the day before rather than on the morning. Taxis can be booked ahead, which matters most in the north and west. If the flight is early, return the hire car the evening before where the paperwork allows, and stay somewhere close enough for a short morning ride.