Island escapes

Ibiza

Forget the superclubs and banging beats, Ibiza is also home to some of Europe’s most enjoyable riding

Images Joe Branston

The third largest of the Balearic Islands behind Majorca and Menorca, Ibiza sits in the middle in terms of how lumpy its terrain is, with a higher maximum altitude (475m) than Menorca (358m) but some way short of the 1,436m of Majorca’s Puig Major. That 475m, though, along with how up and down the terrain is, is ideal early season fodder: testing, yes, just not overly onerous. We also only saw one other road cyclist in May this year.

Where to go

We based ourselves in Ibiza Town, heading to the far northeast for our first day of riding, to the west coast the next and to Formentera on the third outing. That debut day saw us head to Cala San Vicente, a pretty coastal resort in the northeast and the obvious choice for lunch, before the big climb of the day from there. This saw us gaining close to 300m in just under 8km on a road with a set of sweeping switchbacks, before we returned to Ibiza Town down the spine of the island.

How to get there

Direct flights to Ibiza are available daily across the UK, with our flight from Bristol taking roughly two hours. For a non-flying option, you could take an overnight ferry from Barcelona for around £300 return.

When to go

As ever with the Med, May, June and September are glorious months to visit – before and after the major heat and minus the peak season crowds. Prices are also generally lower.

Where to stay

For easy access to restaurants, Ibiza Town is the place to be – just remember to bring your ear plugs! We stayed in the Nautico Ebeso (£80 per night; bghotels.com), nicely located on the coast and a short walk to the old town. Simon at Velo Club Ibiza (veloclubibiza.com) loaned us decent road bikes for 30 euros per day and will bring them to your hotel in his van.