If you are reading this it means you chose Formentera as your next destination for your holidays, or at least you are considering it.. well, let me tell you that it's the perfect place to plan it yourself! There are a few simple things to keep in mind and to consider: where to stay, how to get there and how you want to get around once there. We will talk about all this but also about the best time to visit it.
I will give you also some advice to travel to Formentera low-budget: not so easy, but we can make it!
Where to stay in Formentera
278€ for 2 people - 5 nights
We booked the Timon apartment on booking.com choosing Es Pujols for our stay: I always love this place, which is the best option when in Formentera, for me. Here you will find everything: restaurants, night clubs, discos, supermarkets and car and scooter rentals (to find out more about the restaurants and clubs in Es Pujols click here). I find it an optimal choice, it allows me to go out in the evening by walking if I don't want to drive - if you want to know more about Es Pujols click here. The Timon apartment is right at the beginning of Es Pujol, which is also very convenient if you want to take the bus from the port to get to the accommodation. We had a great time: the apartment was spacious: a bedroom with wardrobe, a bathroom (a little old but still clean and equipped with towels and toiletries), and a living room with kitchenette (well equipped), which it gave onto a small terrace. In addition, the apartment has free Wifi with a fairly good connection! Outside there is a swimming pool with some deck chairs and also a volleyball court. In front of the building there is a nice free parking for scooters.
The staff is fantastic: we arrived late in the evening, when the reception was already closed but they sent us the instructions to enter the house via whatsapp and we checked in the next morning. They were also very nice to offer to book the ferry to and from Ibiza at a very discounted price! Definitely very recommended!
How to get to Formentera
Flight
There is no airport in Formentera, so if you plan to get there by plane the best option is to fly to Ibiza and then take a ferry to Formentera. The other alternative is to get there by ship directly from the Spanish coast. We booked a flight with Ryanair in January, paying € 173 a / r in two with only backpacks. We added a cabin bag a week before leaving for € 40: think about the luggage when booking as adding bags immediately is much cheaper than doing it later.
Saturday 14 May BLQ 17:40 - IBZ 19:35
Thursday 19 May IBZ 15:20 - BLQ 17:05
Ferry Ibiza - Formentera
There are several shipping companies that connect Ibiza and Formentera, more or less fast, and all depart from the Eivissa port (Ibiza) and arrive at La Savina (Formentera).
We chose to go with Trasmapi, by making a reservation through the staff of the apartment where we were staying, at a very advantageous price: € 38 a / r per person valid all day (the price also included the return ticket from Ibiza airport to the port). To get to Formentera from Ibiza it takes about 30 minutes. Keep in mind that with Trasmapi the ticket would cost 48 € return without bus (30 € for children under 18): once you booked the accommodation for your stay I recommend that you askwith the staff if they offer this type of service, you will save money and also time once there.
How to get to Ibiza port from the airport
Reaching the port of Ibiza from the airport is very simple: there is a very comfortable bus (Line 10) which leaves every 20-30 minutes, from 6:30 to 23:30 approximately. It takes a while to get to your destination, as it's not a direct bus: it makes all the stops but will drop you off right in front of the ferry departure point!
How to get to Formentera Port (La Savina)
Getting to and from the port of La Savina (Formentera) is also very simple: you have three valid options:
Grab a taxi from the port to get to where you stay or way back: honestly it's always the most expensive option but if you arrive very late in the evening it's certainly the easier option. Consider that from the port of La Savina to our apartment in Es Pujols we payed € 14, not too bad actually.
A certainly cheaper alternative is to take the bus. The L1 line is the one that goes from La Savina to Es Pujols in about 20 minutes for € 1.8 one way.
The last option depends on how much luggage you have: it's to rent a motorbike directly from La Savina, as soon as you arrive (if you intend to rent a car, there is no problem with luggage). In La Savina, right in front of the port, there are many car and scooter rentals: taking it immediately you will avoid having to think about transport to and from the port.
How to move around Formentera: motorbike or car?
Well, we booked our stay, the flight to Formentera, we took care of the ferry .. now we just have to figure out how to get around the island. Formentera is small, unlike Ibiza for which it's certainly more comfortable to travel by car: from one tip of the island to the other it takes less than an hour to drive, so my advice is to rent a motorbike. The island is full of rentals: every village but also near some beaches you will find many and you will have a lot of choice. The prices are more or less the same wherever you go, so don't worry and choose the one that suits you best in terms of location.
If you are traveling in 2, rent only one motorbike: it's more than enough. You can choose between various displacements and sizes: from 50cc to 150cc. The fifty is fine, the island is small, the distances to be covered are short! What's more, exploring Formentera on a motorbike is splendid, among other things: the landscapes make it so much more, trust me. It's different obviously if you are traveling in more than two people or as a family: in this case it is more convenient to rent a car. We rented a 50cc scooter directly in Es Pujols, at LaSavina rental, paying € 84 in two for 4 days, including full coverage insurance, to be safe. They will also give you helmets, don't worry.
Budget for a trip to Formentera
Although Formentera is very wild and hippie, this island is certainly not famous for being cheap. Thanks to its beauty, it has become a particularly popular destination so if you are looking for low cost trip, Formentera may not suits you. Certainly with some nice tips you will be able to visit it without paying too much. Let's see some tricks to save:
book in advance, it always allows you to save on prices and have a wide choice of accommodation;
if you are not looking for a party holiday and you want to relax, chose to travel in off-season: May or the end of September are amazing and prices drop a lot, both on accommodation and on rental of vehicles;
choose an apartment over a hotel: having the kitchen available will allow you to save something on meals. We almost always ate breakfast at home and packed lunches on the beach while shopping in the village;
get from and to the port by bus instead of grabbing a taxi;
rent one motorbike in 2 rather then a car;
choose the free beach instead of renting umbrellas and sunbeds: Formentera is wild and you will enjoy it much more, as well as saving a lot of money. To find out which are the best beaches in Formentera click here.
Best time to visit Formentera
Formentera is located in the Balearic Islands, Spain, and is therefore characterized by a typically Mediterranean climate. Of all the islands of the archipelago, it's certainly the least rainy, being further south. The months of June, July and August are considered high season: in this period the island is filled with tourists and is always very crowded, a little too much for my taste. Honestly, I prefer a slightly quieter period, to enjoy the island in all serenity. The other two times I went in late September - early October, finding a fantastic climate and the island was never too crowded. This year we chose to go in mid-May and I must say that it was a fantastic choice: everything was already open and operational and there really wasn't anyone. We enjoyed the island like never before and the weather was spectacular. We had quite hot day, while in the evening a light jacket was enough to feel great: maybe remember a sweatshirt to wear on a motorbike in the late afternoon and in the evening. Don't worry about the wind: Formentera is not a particularly windy island; as regards the water temperature, it's generally quite cool, but even in May we have always bathed!
We come to the end of this small guide to plan your trip to Formentera on your own, now you just have to take a look at the wonders that this island will offer you (click here to find out what to do and which are the best beaches) and to pack!
READ ALSO: Restaurants and Chiringuitos in Formentera: the list of my favorite places in the Isla Bonita
If you are interested in what to eat in Formentera, also read my guide on where to eat in Formentera, among splendid restaurants and wonderful chiringuitos from which to admire the sunset.
Have a good trip!