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> 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.
+ INFO:
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