Formentera, Balearische
Inseln.
> VILLAGES: La
Savina:
the Harbour of La Savina is the first urban center we have
to consider, since it is the only access that the tourists
have to reach the island and, therefore, an extremely important
place. If there is something characteristic of La Savina,
it is the continuous craft traffic: boats that bring here
or take back to somewhere else tourists and islanders, small
and big fishing boats and, in summer, an incredible number
of pleasure boats with captains on board that have decided
to spend their summer holidays at the sea, travelling Mediterranean
coasts. The evolution of tourism has brought a similar evolution
at the harbour. The place that once was a mooring for some
fishing boats is currently a harbour that provides space for
a great number of boats, mainly in summer season. That is
also the reason why the urban center of La Savina has grown.
Nowadays, there is a great variety of bars, restaurants and
small shops that surround the seafront, which gives colourful
movement to the small harbour of Formentera.
San Francisco Javier:
Three kilometers far from the harbour we can find Sant Francesc
Xavier, which could be considered as the most important urban
center, the capital of the island indeed, due to the fact
that the Town Hall is located in its square. Just in front
of the Town Hall, you can find the church of the town, which
in the 18th century was used as a fortress against the Barbarians
and afterwards has become a shelter for the town's parishioners.
At the Town Hall square the fiestas and most important events
of the town are celebrated. These events usually bring residents
and tourists together in a festive, quiet and, above all,
friendly atmosphere. San Francisco is the most visited town
during the day due to its great quantity of shops and bars,
and, above all, due to its seafront, meeting point for numerous
hippy stalls, which attract tourists because of the great
quantity of objects related to the island they offer. All
these things make of this town the capital of the island and
an obligatory place to visit during the day.
San Fernando:
Going ahead following the same road that begins in the harbour
and passes through Sant Francesc, the following town you will
find is Sant Ferran. You will be obliged to pass through Sant
Ferran if you want to reach La Mola or Es Pujols. Sant Ferran
offers a great variety of bars and restaurants where you can
stop and have something to eat or just take something to drink
while watching the people passing by, or the tourists visiting
the town. One of the most mythical and famous local of Formentera
is located in Sant Ferran: La Fonda Pepe, which in the sixties
had already opened its doors and has been being visited since
then by everyone who wants to enjoy the calm and authentically
hippy atmosphere of the island, beacuse, although many years
has gone by, this is one of the few places that have hardly
changed.
Es Pujols:
The last urban center and probably the most aimed at tourists
is Es Pujols. You can reach this point either taking the road
that begins at the harbour or going through Sant Ferran. As
soon as you have gone into this town, you will notice that
the atmosphere here is completely different from everywhere
else, especially at night. The great variety of shops, restaurants,
bars, pubs and discos turns this place into the tourist's
paradise. At every hour, day or night, there are constantly
people passing by. During the day, you can enjoy its beaches
and go shopping. At night you will discover that there is
a festive atmosphere everywhere, especially at the various
pubs and at the seafront, where the hippy market attracts
lots of people. Here the festive atmosphere get mixed with
the sea scent.
La Mola:
Always straight away at the main road, the next stop after
Sant Ferran is La Mola. La Mola is located at the highest
point of the island, about 15 kilometers far of Sant Ferran.
We could state that this town is one of the calmest ones because,
due to its far-off position in the map, it is not very frequented
by tourists and there are just a few shops and restaurants.
The town's main appeal is the hippy market that opens twice
a week and attracts lots of people. Another appeal of this
small town is its lighthouse, located over the cliffs, from
which you will be able to watch wonderful sunsets and enjoy
the marvellous solitude of this place.
> BEACHES:
If there is something really charcateristic of Formentera,
these are ist beaches. Formentera's coast is full of many
of the best European beaches, as it becomes confirmed every
year by thousands of turists which arrive here in summer to
enjoy the water of those beaches. The tourism evolution has
brought about the possibility for anyone to sstay the whole
day at the beach without the need to go out of it: today there
is actually restaurants, deck chairs, sunshades, water sports...,
everything necessary to enjoy the sun of these beaches.
Here there is a list of some of the best beaches in Formentera,
which can easily be found in the following map:
Illetes: Illetes beaches are situated at
the furthest north part of Formentera, which is the closest
point to the island of Espalmador, approximately 150 meters
far away from Formentera. These beaches are the ones who receive
the highest number of turists. You can reach Illetes with
any type of vehice, although it is recommended to go there
on foot or by bicycle, in order to enjoy the landscape and
contribute to the environmental protection, slightly neglected
because of the constant movement of turists. Furthermore,
due to the unevenness of the landscape, there is no possibility
to reach one part of this zone if you don?t go on foot.
Illetes zone is one of the most complete when talking about
leisure time. Here you will find water sports (sailing, ski,
etc.), restaurants,kiosks, deck chairs, sunshades, etc.; basically,
everything you need to enjoy every minute of the day. There
is also a boat service that takes you from Illetes into the
Sabina port or until the island of Espalmador, which makes
the transport much easier...
Llevant: Llevant beach is also situated
at the furthest north end of Formentera, but, as its ibicenco
name means, on the east side. This beach is also very large
and, although it lies very close to Illetes and, therefore,
in a very crowded area, due to its large extent, it is still
possible to find calm and lonely places therein. Obviously,
you will also find restaurants and kiosks. As it is located
very close to Illetes, you can cover on foot all the beaches
located at the North of Formentera.
Cala Sahona: This little cove, despite its
reduced extent, scarcely 200 meters long, is one of the most
beautiful beaches you can visit. Its characteristic peace
and beauty make it obligatory for every tourist to come here
to visit this cove. It is also sorrounded, obviously, by restaurants
and kiosks where you can eat or, simply, have a fresh drink
and, at the same time, enjoy the wonderful sight of the neighbouring
island of Ibiza or, not so far away, of the coast of Punta
Pedrera, or even of the beautiful cliffs of Punta Rasa, where
you can easily arrive on foot, due to the fact that they are
located 10 minutes far from the beach.
Migjorn: About the beach of Migjorn we could
say that it is one of the biggest in Formentera. Ist sand
extends from almost the whole south coast of the island -almost
from La Mola- to Es Cap de Barbaria. From the beach of Migjorn,
you can see these two points, which are so far-off. The large
extent and the geographic position of Migjorn lead to a lack
of massive tourismus. In fact, Migjorn is one of the least
visited beaches in Formentera and, therefore, one of the most
peaceful ones. Nevertheless, forget about finding a virgin
beach. Here you will also find all kind of restaurants and
kiosks at the very edge of the water.
Espalmador: There is scarcely 150 meters
between the island of Formentera and the island of Espalmador.
Espalmador, despite ist reduced extent, 3 km2, hides a lot
of treasures in ist interior. There are two ways to arrive
here: by boat, taking the one that covers the journey between
Formentera?s harbour, passing through Illetas, until Espalmador,
or swimming in order to cover the existing distance between
both islands (always when the weather and tide allow to do
so). The most famous beach of the island of Espalmador is
Platja de S?Alga, a big one taking into account how big is
the island, declared natural harbour because of its closed
shape. The vigilance tower (Torre de Sa Guardiola), loated
at the highest part of this little island, observs the tourists
passing by along the coast. You must never forget that this
island has a private character and therefore, it must be respected.
You have to bear in mind that this island has been declared
nature reserve due to the wide variety of fauna and flora
that lives in it. Thats the reason why you will never find
a restaurant or any similar business in Espalmador. It is
forbidden to establish business here, which makes the idea
of visiting this little island and its beaches much more interesting.
They have not been altered by human hands.
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