Ibiza on a budget? How do you do that? Surely that's not possible? The most expensive island in Europe? But I do want the real Ibiza experience, mind you! And in high season, no less!
Yes! Ibiza is special! Certainly not the most beautiful island in Europe. Far from a budget destination! On the contrary, perhaps the most expensive island in Europe! On top of that, Ibiza only has a short high season. It doesn't have winter tourism like many other Spanish islands. But it does have just about the best vibe in the world.
So how do you tackle Ibiza without paying through the nose?
Our travelling party
Let me first tell you what our travelling party looks like. We are a family of five. Mum, dad, toddler, teenager and pre-teen. Not an easy combination! The littlest one just wants to play, the girls want to shop and have some fun, while mum and dad like to enjoy a bit of nature. And yet, two weeks in Ibiza.
And Ibiza on a budget, at that!
Ibiza on a budget: Transport
There are several ways to travel to Ibiza: by plane, on a cruise ship, or by car and ferry from Barcelona or Denia.
If you're going to Ibiza for a longer period or doing a road trip through Spain, that last option is definitely worth considering.
Another option is to make a stop with one of the many cruises that pass through Ibiza. If you keep an eye out, you can often find 1+1 free or kids-go-free offers. The downside is that you're only on this magical island for a day. The upside is that food and accommodation are included in the package.
How we did it
The option we chose is the most common one. Simply fly! Contrary to what many people think, flights to Ibiza are not expensive at all. If you keep an eye out, your flights will probably even be the cheapest part of your trip!
When you book a package holiday (flight and hotel), a transfer is usually included. Do read the small print, though, because with lesser-known providers you sometimes have to book this separately.
We booked our flights with Ryanair. I always keep an eye out for offers or sales. Often you can book your flights for next to nothing.
INSIDER TIP
When you see a cheap flight, that's not the time to think it over. Or to ring mum, auntie, gran, a friend, a colleague, … one more time. You book, and preferably straight away. It can also be worth checking in advance how much the flights cost and how much you're willing to spend.
Practical example
For reference: I pay 160 eur for 5 people, return, with 1 checked suitcase. For the baby there's a standard fare of 25 eur on your lap. So sometimes it's worth simply booking a full ticket. Ryanair sometimes has flights for 10 or 5 eur per ticket. I also never book seats in advance. The two youngest children have to sit with an adult, and beyond that we don't mind sitting apart. In practice you can usually just sit together anyway.
Ibiza on a budget: transfers
When you arrive in Ibiza and your transfer isn't included in your package, you have four options: the bus, a taxi on the spot, a taxi booked in advance, or a hire car.
The cheapest option is the buses. But these buses don't always run smoothly and certainly don't go everywhere. The last thing we as a family wanted was to be lugging a suitcase, a baby and a couple of teenagers through hot Ibiza at midnight (which is when our flight landed).
We usually rent a car, preferably from a smaller provider. Experience has taught us that you often have the least hassle that way. This summer the rental prices were exorbitant. For two weeks a small hire car would have cost us almost 1600 euros. Although Spain is usually a cheap country for renting cars, this summer was notorious as a disaster in terms of rental prices. So if you're travelling in 2023 or later, it's definitely worth checking the rental prices. We never pay more than 500 eur for two weeks.
Another option is taxis or Ubers (yes, you can order those in Ibiza). If there are four of you, this is definitely worth considering. With five, absolutely not. Whereas in many countries a baby on your lap is considered normal, in Ibiza it absolutely isn't. So you'd have to take two taxis, which is pretty pricey.
On top of that, there are few taxis at the airport. Even at midnight we saw an immense queue of people waiting for a taxi. And the taxis were only trickling in slowly.
How we did it
We arranged a transfer in advance with a rather upmarket taxi company, Alpha VIP Transfers. Quotes are tailored to your group and the number of journeys. On top of that, they had larger cars and top-notch service. As soon as we came out of the airport, a driver was waiting to escort us to the taxi.
Ibiza on a budget: Accommodation
This is usually where the shoe really starts to pinch when you want to travel to Ibiza on a modest budget. As far as we're concerned, there are 3 ways to stay in Ibiza on a small budget in high season. Camping in a bungalow, tent or van, renting a small apartment, or staying in a youth hostel/hotel.
We tested the apartment, the van and the youth hotel for you.
Ibiza has quite a few campsites, mainly around the north, where you can rent a bungalow, static caravan or tent. The important thing here is to book as early as possible. You can find them by googling 'camping ibiza' or by looking on Airbnb.
Since we, of course, were only booking our trip a month in advance, that was no longer an option.
The teenagers also absolutely wanted to stay in a hotel with a DJ for once, and mum wanted a few days of complete rest.
So we opted for a combination of 3 days in a hotel with a DJ, a week in a campervan and 3 days in a small apartment.
Want to know how that went? Read the reports on Ibiza on a budget: a campervan, Ibiza on a budget: a hotel with a DJ and Ibiza on a budget: a small apartment.
Ibiza on a budget: Excursions
For us, a holiday stands or falls by what we've done. To keep the budget under control, we try to research every possible excursion in advance via Google, social media and blogs.
We make a list of them and cross off everything that isn't unique enough. Only the excursions that make the country truly unique are kept. For example jet skiing … you can do this much more cheaply elsewhere and it isn't particularly specific to Ibiza. So that gets crossed off.
In the case of Ibiza, the following remained:
- Visiting a beach club
- Boat trip to Formentera
- Visiting the hippie market
- A unique dining experience
- The drums of Benirras
- Pool party with DJ
- Dinner at a chiringuito at sunset
We would have liked to do a sailing trip too, but with a toddler who's starting to walk, can't sit still and adores water, that would have been too stressful. We'll save that one for next time.
Want to know which excursions we did? Then be sure to read our blog on Ibiza on a budget: Excursions
Ibiza on a budget: Food
For us, food is part of the cultural experience. Food brings people together, lets you soak up the culture and is simply very enjoyable.
So we always try to fit a few culinary experiences into our budget. These range from fancy to unique to down-to-earth.
Beyond that, we often cook ourselves or have picnics, going to the supermarket or market and gathering up all sorts of things.
That's why you'll also see genuine food experiences among our excursions.
Want more tips on our food addresses? Then have a look at our blog: Culinary Ibiza on a budget.
In any case, we had a wonderful time in Ibiza and never felt that we missed out on anything. Apart from the boat trip, that is. But it's always nice to leave a place with the feeling that you have to come back.
Conclusion: It really is possible to go to Ibiza on a tight budget. You'll have to be more creative, but Ibiza has so much to offer that you can actually travel here on any budget. It's not for nothing that Ibiza is the homeland of the hippies … human connections and nature above materialism. Always … everywhere.
