In physical terms as well as in its atmosphere and adventure, IBIZA TOWN ( Ciutat d'Eivissa ) is easily the most attractive place on the island. Approach by sea and you'll get the full frontal effect of the old medieval walls rising like a natural extension of the rocky cliffs which protect the harbour. Within the walls, the ancient quarter is topped by a sturdy cathedral, whose illuminated, but often inaccurate, clock shines out across the harbour throughout the night.

Daylight hours are usually spent on the beaches at Ses Salines and Es Cavellet or the nearer (but not so nice) Figueretes. In summer, the streets are packed with people exploring the whitewashed, warren-like port area, where many of the fashionable boutiques stay open until 2am in summer, and stalls line the pavements, selling everything from jewellery and sarongs to Ibiza-mix CDs. Bars stay open until 4am or later, and afterwards the action moves to the clubs until daylight, and for the serious hedonists, there are yet more after-hours bar-clubs. As a break from the stress of sunbathing and the simple pleasures of wandering the streets, there are a couple of modest museums and fancy modern art galleries with prices that will amaze you even if the displays don't.

Ibiza Town

The city's stone walls reach a dramatic climax at the imposing main entrance, the Portal de ses Taules , a triple gateway designed to withstand the heaviest artillery barrage. Inside this monumental entrance you enter a UNESCO world heritage site - the entire historic enclave of Dalt Vila was bestowed the honour in December 1999. Just beyond the main gate is the Plaça de Vila, packed with restaurants and cafés. Here too, above the arch of the Portal de ses Taules, is the Museu d'Art Contemporani (summer Tues-Fri 10am-2pm & 5-8pm, Sat 10am-2pm; winter Tues-Fri 10am-2pm & 4-6pm, Sat 10am-1.30pm; ¬2.40); the large stone premises house good contemporary art exhibitions and cultural events. Heading east uphill along Sa Carrossa, you'll pass a strip of fine restaurants, and have easy access to the top of the walls, which provide great views down over the town. You'll soon reach c/General Balanzat, where the sixteenth-century church of Sant Domingo (also known as the Església de Sant Pere) stands next to its former monastery, converted in 1838 into the ajuntament , which overlooks the pretty, palm-lined Plaça d'Espanya. Across the square a long tunnel leads through the walls; a five-minute walk around their exterior will take you back into the old town at the Baluard de Santa Tecla above Plaça de la Catedral. Some 90m above sea level, the site of the Catedral (Tues-Sun: June-Sept 9am-4pm; Oct-May 10am-2pm; free) has been a place of worship for over 2000 years. Originally a Carthaginian temple graced this pivotal position above the harbour, then a Roman replacement was constructed, dedicated to the god Mercury, and later a mosque. Today's thirteenth-century cathedral is pleasingly austere, its sombre, sturdy Gothic lines supported by giant buttresses. Inside, the decor is far less attractive: whitewashed throughout, with somewhat trite Baroque embellishments. A plaque commemorates the massacre of over a hundred churchmen, soldiers and ordinary islanders at the hands of anarchists during the Civil War. The cathedral's museum is closed for renovation at the time of writing but is scheduled to reopen with displays of ecclesiastical regalia: bishops' mitres, sandals, gloves, cloaks and so on. Across the square is the Museu Arqueològic d'Eivissa i Formentera (April-Sept Tues-Sat 10am-2pm & 5pm-8pm, Sun 10am-2pm; Oct-March Tues-Sat 10am-1pm & 4pm-6pm, Sun 10am-2pm; ¬1.80 with a collection of local archeological finds. The majority of the objects on display are from Phoenician and Carthaginian (Punic) sites, but there are also some bones from Formentera that date back to 1600 BC, and various Arab and Roman curiosities. If this whets your appetite, check with the turisme to see if the museum on Via Romana, on the slopes of Puig des Molins - a hill just west of Dalt Vila - has reopened, as this contains many finds from a huge Punic necropolis that was excavated here. Among the objects unearthed were some decorative terracotta pieces, clay figurines, amphoras and amulets depicting Egyptian gods. Ibiza, the sacred island of the goddess Tanit, functioned as a A-list burial site, with wealthy Carthaginians paying by special minted currency for the shipment of their bodies to the island upon death, in anticipation of a fast-track passage to heaven.

Drinking and Nightlife

However good the restaurant scene in Ibiza Town, it's something of a sideshow compared with the bars and clubs which have made the island internationally famous - you come to Ibiza to party. Together they keep the place going pretty much twenty-four hours a day, and with money, mobility and stamina the night is yours, never mind the morning. The town's bars throng the streets of the lower town, where unsuspecting visitors are herded into terrace bars around Plaça de sa Tertulia by teams of hustlers and fleeced for as much as ¬6 for a beer. Better to start the night in Plaça des Parc in Sunset or Madagascar, where prices are more reasonable, and then head for the stylish bars of Sa Penya - Bar Zuka on c/de la Verge, Base Bar and Rock Bar at the eastern end of c/Garijo - all attract a seriously funky, clubby clientele. The gay scene is centred on c/de la Verge, perhaps the wildest street in the western Mediterranean, where dozens of bars, and myriad shops cater for an almost exclusively (male) gay crowd; Caprichio and Teatro are both fashionable spots, but the Dôme bar close by at c/d'Alfonso XII is the really über -hip gay destination bar. Meanwhile, clubs - some of the globe's most spectacular venues - are spread across the southern half of the island, but primarily in Sant Antoni, Sant Rafel, Platja d'en Bossa, and of course, Ibiza Town itself. It's actually quite easy to hop from one club to the other courtesy of the Disco Bus (nightly 0.30am-6.30am; ¬1.80 per journey; details from the tourist office). Neither is there much difficulty in finding out what's happening: each club employs PR people, who descend on Ibiza Town to parade through the streets in a competitive frenzy of night hype. Processions of stilt-walkers, silver- and gold-painted angels, devils and dwarfs strut through the streets, drumming up custom. Many of the happening bars also hand out free club entry tickets in return for your custom, which represent a significant saving. None of the clubs open until midnight, but there again they do carry on until at least 7am. Most have a policy of a free drink with the admission price and the majority accept credit cards.

For live music , the prime spot is Teatro Pereira , c/Comte de Rosselló 3, housed in the old municipal theatre near the Passeig de Vara de Rey. This splendid old building, has a great atmosphere and showcases live acts each night - blues, R&B, reggae, rock and jazz. Open 8pm-5am all year, it has no admission fee but the drinks are expensive.


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