10 Best Family Things to Do in Ibiza

Aguamar (Platja d'en Bossa, 07817) is Ibiza's main water park and the single most popular family attraction on the island. It operates from roughly June to September, with adult entry around 28 EUR and children (under 10) around 20 EUR. The park has a full range of slides from gentle children's pools to high-speed flumes, a lazy river, and dedicated areas for toddlers with very shallow water. It sits directly adjacent to Playa d'en Bossa, so you can combine beach and water park in the same day.

Book tickets online in advance to avoid the entry queues, which in July and August can run 30-40 minutes. The park has lockers, sunlounger hire, and several food outlets - you can also bring your own food from outside.

Pro Tip: Buy tickets online at least 48 hours ahead in July and August - the park reaches capacity and turns away walk-ins. Arrive at opening time (10 AM) to access the best slides before queues build. The gentle children's section fills up fastest by midday.

Santa Eulalia des Riu is the most family-friendly resort town on the island and its main beach - Platja de Santa Eularia - has everything parents need: shallow, calm water protected by a small headland, a beach promenade with cafes and ice cream, a children's playground at the southern end, and lifeguards in season (June to September). The town itself is quieter and more low-key than Ibiza Town or San Antonio.

The beach stretches for just over 1 km and has both a sunlounger area (about 10 EUR for two) and free public sand. The Mercado de Santa Eularia (craft market) runs on Sundays near the port and is a good additional option for a rainy or over-hot afternoon.

Pro Tip: The northern section of the beach, beyond the breakwater and closest to the marina, has the shallowest water and the most gentle entry - ideal for toddlers and non-swimmers. The public toilet and shower facilities here are better maintained than the busier central section.

Can Mayans Hipodrom is the island's main horse-riding centre and offers pony rides for young children alongside full trail rides for adults and older children. It operates year-round on the flat agricultural plain south of Ibiza Town, close to the airport. Pony rides for children under 8 run about 15-20 EUR for 30 minutes; guided beach trail rides for older riders (8+) are about 45-60 EUR per hour and often head towards the salt flats of Las Salinas.

The facility is well-maintained and the horses are used to children. Morning sessions starting before 10 AM avoid the worst of the midday heat, particularly important in July and August when the flat plain south of town has little shade. Booking 24 hours ahead is recommended in peak season.

Pro Tip: Book the 8 AM session in July and August to avoid both the heat and the competition for places. The trail towards Las Salinas salt flats (Ses Salines) passes through flat agricultural land with views of the distant hills and is suitable for beginners - a good first riding experience for children who've never been on a horse.

Talamanca beach is the most accessible family beach from Ibiza Town - a 15-minute walk or a short water taxi from the harbour. The bay faces east and is protected from the prevailing westerly winds, giving consistently calm and shallow water. It's noticeably less busy than Playa d'en Bossa and has a broader strip of sand, a beach promenade with restaurants, and full services including showers and toilets.

The bay is lined with sunlounger areas and cafes at the northern end near the marina. The southern section of the beach, towards the fishing village of Jesus, is quieter and backed by a residential neighbourhood rather than a tourist strip - a better option for families looking for space without noise.

Pro Tip: Take the water taxi from Ibiza Town port (departures roughly every 30 minutes, about 3 EUR each way) rather than walking. Children find the short boat trip genuinely enjoyable and it avoids the hill climb that makes the walk back to town harder with tired kids in the afternoon heat.

Cala Llonga is a natural cove on the east coast, enclosed on three sides by pine-covered hills, with water so calm and shallow that it's consistently recommended as the best beach on the island for young children. The bay rarely has waves and the gradient of the sandy bottom is very gradual - children can stand in waist-deep water 30-40 metres from shore. It's quieter than the big resort beaches despite being easily accessible.

The beach has sunlounger hire (about 10 EUR for two), a beach bar, and shower facilities. The surrounding residential development is low-rise and unobtrusive. The steep road down to the beach has a car park at the top (free) and a second smaller car park at the beach level.

Pro Tip: The pine trees on the hillside to the north of the cove provide a strip of natural shade from about 3 PM onwards - useful for families with very young children who need shade in the afternoon. The beach stays swimmable until early October and is significantly emptier in the last two weeks of September.

Cova de Can Marca is a series of sea caves carved into the north coast cliffs of Sant Miquel, with a tourist route through illuminated stalactite chambers and an underground lake. Guided tours run throughout the day in season (April to October, entry about 12 EUR adults, 7 EUR children), last about 45 minutes, and are well suited to children aged 5 and above. The caves stay at a constant 18 degrees Celsius - noticeably cool on hot summer days.

The caves were formerly used as a smugglers' store (the tunnel entrance is original) which adds a narrative element that keeps older children engaged. The cave exterior gives a view down over the Port de Sant Miquel bay - one of the most picturesque on the north coast and worth a swim after the cave visit.

Pro Tip: Book the earliest morning tour (10 AM) to beat the coach parties that arrive from midday onward. Combined with a swim at Port de Sant Miquel beach directly below the cave entrance (300 m walk), this makes a full half-day excursion from anywhere on the island.

The west-facing promenade of San Antonio (Passeig de ses Fonts) is a 20-minute walk lined with ice cream parlours, pizza restaurants, and amusement arcades that children find impossible to ignore. While the evening scene is firmly adult, the afternoon promenade between 4 PM and 7 PM belongs largely to families doing exactly what families do on holiday. The Egg Monument (Monument a l'Ou de Colom) at the northern end is a good focal point for younger children.

Playa de San Antonio (Platja de Sant Antoni) stretches from the promenade south to the Punta des Molins headland and has calm water, lifeguards in season, and a paddling area in the southern corner that is very shallow. Ice cream from the stalls on the promenade runs about 2-3 EUR.

Pro Tip: The water bicycle hire stalls at the southern end of San Antonio beach (about 15 EUR per 30 minutes for a four-person pedalo) are popular with children and give them a way to engage with the water that doesn't require confidence in the open sea. Avoid the northern section of the bay in the afternoon when the jet ski activity increases.

The salt flats at Ses Salines (Salines d'Eivissa, Parc Natural de Ses Salines) turn flamingo-pink in midsummer as the mineral concentration rises, and greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) use the flats as a regular stopover - sometimes in groups of 30 or more. For families with children, walking the flat access track alongside the salt flats is one of the few genuinely wildlife-focused experiences on Ibiza. The track runs from the Ses Salines car park on the Cami de Sa Sal Rossa and is completely flat and buggy-accessible.

The nature reserve is free to enter. The salt harvesting operation (in summer, when the flats dry to a crystalline crust) is visible from the track and interesting for children to observe. The reserve is also excellent for migratory waders in spring and autumn. Playa de las Salinas - a fine white sand beach at the southern boundary of the reserve - is a natural extension of the visit.

Pro Tip: Bring binoculars - flamingos are typically present from May to September but stand 300-400 metres back from the track. The best viewing time is early morning before the heat haze builds over the flats. After the walk, Playa de las Salinas (800 metres south of the car park) is swimmable and significantly less crowded than the main resort beaches.

Cap Blanc Aquarium sits inside a natural sea cave at Cala Gracio, about 2 km north of San Antonio. It holds local Balearic Sea fish species - grouper, moray eels, sea bass, octopus - in natural cave pools, a format that makes it one of the more unusual aquariums in Spain. Entry is modest (around 5-8 EUR per person) and the combination of cave and marine life impresses younger children more reliably than conventional tank-style aquariums.

The aquarium shares the cove with Cala Gracio beach, a small sandy cove with calm water and a beach bar, making this a natural half-day combination. The cove is significantly quieter than San Antonio main beach and has excellent snorkelling around the rocky edges at the northern end.

Pro Tip: Visit the aquarium first (it takes about 45 minutes) then spend the afternoon at Cala Gracio beach. The cave interior stays cool even on the hottest days, making it a useful midday activity when the beach is at its most intense. Children under 4 are typically free.