In this guide we’ll go step by step through how to get to Formentera, examining all possible options, both the cheapest ways using only public transportation and the fastest ways including private transfers. Some tips also on how to avoid getting lost at the port of Ibiza, which is easier than it seems (personally tested)! 🙂
How to get to Formentera
The small and beautiful island of Formentera can only be reached by sea, as it does not have an airport. The steps to get there are:
- Take a flight to Ibiza airport (IBZ), which is the closest to Formentera;
- Move from the airport to the port of Ibiza, there are many ways that we’ll see shortly: by bus, by taxi, with a transfer;
- Take a ferry from Ibiza to Formentera, which takes about half an hour.
Let’s now look in more detail at all the possible combinations for each leg of the journey.
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The easy part: Flight to Ibiza
This is definitely the simplest step: booking a flight to Ibiza is easy given the wide range of flights from Italy with numerous airlines. You can find the best price for your dates using the box below, entering the departure airport closest to you:
When choosing your flight, keep in mind that arriving in Ibiza too late in the evening (or returning home too early in the morning) might cause you problems with transportation to the port and the ferry to Formentera: if you don’t have alternatives you could take the opportunity to spend one or more nights in Ibiza and avoid headaches.
How to get from the airport to the port of Ibiza
To travel between Ibiza airport and the port (or vice versa) there are multiple solutions for every budget.
How to reach the port of Ibiza by bus
The first option to go from Ibiza airport to the port to catch the ferry is bus line 10. Below are all the useful details:
- Ticket cost, in 2025, is €3.60 per person;
- The bus runs every 20 minutes in summer and every 30 minutes in winter
- Travel time: about 30 minutes, but consider that it might easily take 40-45 minutes due to traffic (and not just in August, but also in May…)
- Schedules: you’ll always find them updated both on the official TIB page, or on the ALSA company page; I confess it’s not entirely clear to me: it seems the two companies share the runs of this same line 10.
- The bus stop is located right in front of the airport exit, along the sidewalk.
Where to buy the bus ticket?
- The ALSA website also allows you to buy the ticket online;
- If needed, you can buy it on board from the driver if you have coins.
- Before buying online, have a look at the ferries: some ferry companies offer free bus rides included in the ticket, as we’ll see later.
Where to get off at the port of Ibiza: eyes open!
The correct stop to get off at, which you can see on the map on the TIB website, is the stop “Port (494)”, which appears as “Eivissa/CETIS” when you select the destination in the drop-down menu to see the fare.
At the beginning of the guide, I mentioned the risk of getting lost at the port of Ibiza: why? Well, I recommend you carefully check the route shown on the map on the TIB website and keep an eye on your location with Google Maps while you approach the last stops. It seems that sometimes the bus reverses the triangle route near the port (maybe due to detours, maybe for other reasons), and it can happen—as it happened to me—that the driver halts at the “capitaneria” stop shouting something incomprehensible and everyone get off, giving the impression that you’ve arrived at your destination.
But if you get off there, you’ll have to walk almost a kilometer back to the ferry boarding area, even though around you there are giant signs with the names of the ferry companies to Formentera (i.e. Balearia and Transmapi) with arrows pointing in the opposite direction toward the north piers.
Where exactly is the ferry boarding area for Formentera?
To clear up any doubts, the exact location you need to reach to board the ferry to Formentera is the one in the image below (link to Google Maps): the two points indicated are Transmapi and Balearia docks respectively.
Direct transfers like WelcomePickups
The second option to reach the port of Ibiza from the airport (and vice versa), if you don’t want to wait for buses or worry about stops, if you have lots of luggage or if you are in large groups so you can split the cost, is to choose a transfer shuttle like WelcomePickups.
From the official page you can calculate the price and book if you wish. If the port doesn’t appear among the possible destinations, select “Burger King Ibiza puerto Baleares” which is right in front of the boarding piers, on the opposite side of the street.
Taxi from Ibiza airport or the port
Another alternative if you’re in an emergency situation is to use a taxi. You won’t have trouble finding them: at Ibiza airport, taxis are lined up along the sidewalk in front of the exit doors, while at the port they are located across the street from the boarding piers.
All ferries from Ibiza to Formentera
Finally arrived at the port of Ibiza, now to reach Formentera you just need to hop on the ferry!
There are two main companies offering the ferry service, Balearia and Transmapi:
- The travel time to reach Formentera is about 30 minutes;
- The roundtrip ticket price ranges from a minimum of €35 round trip up to €50 depending on the season and special offers.
- During the day, there is a departure about every 20 minutes: by clicking on the respective links above you’ll get to the official website with the updated schedules.
Which company should you choose between the two? Frequency, schedules, and travel time are similar so it doesn’t really matter. Choose based on your preferred times, trying to do the round trip with the same company to save money. Also, don’t plan down to the minute: ferries can depart or arrive with a delay of 10–15 minutes.
If you also have a car with you, check the symbols on the schedules themselves to see which ferries have space for cars and which do not.
Where to buy ferry tickets to reach Formentera?
You have the following options:
- The Balearia website;
- The FormenteraExpress website, still managed by Balearia but sometimes offers fare discounts or allows you to buy tickets with open return; for example in 2025 it is running a promotion that also includes the free bus 10 ticket to/from the airport;
- The Transmapi website;
- If you prefer to purchase a ticket with the option of free cancellation and open return without a set date to have more flexibility in your plans, you can buy here and then pick up the paper ticket directly in the arrivals hall of the airport;
- For those who want to go to Formentera just for the day and return at sunset, you can find some offers for daily round-trip tickets starting from €22;
We have just seen the transfers needed to get to Formentera. Now that you’ve finally arrived on this beautiful island, it’s time to find the best area to stay in Formentera and how to get around the island! 🙂
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