If you find yourself tiring of night clubbing or sunbathing on the island beaches of Ibiza, you might do yourself some good by taking a walk through one of the oldest sections of Ibiza Town.   Start out at the main gate known as Portal de les Taules.  While the drawbridge was built in 1990, the gate itself was constructed in 1585.  Just a short way ahead, you’ll find the placa de Vila, once an ancient market place.  If you turn left here, strolling up the sa Carrossa you’ll find yourself at the bastion Santa Llucia.  There’s a great view of Old Town (or D’alt Villa) here, overlooking as well a tremendous seascape.  From this point, continue along the G. Balansta and you’ll pass a 16th Century Church (the Church of Santo Domingo), while turning left at a small square (the Placa d’Espanya), you’ll find another terrific view of the Mediterranean.

You can visit here the Ajuntament, once a Dominican convent, now the Ibiza Town Council.  Inside, you’ll note some interesting portraits in the first room.  Back in the main hall, go left, and find a peaceful courtyard.  Spend as much time relaxing here as you’d like, then return to the street.  If you climb Calle Pere Tur, you will pass along some grand houses from the 18th and 19th Centuries, which will take you to Career Joan Roman, where you will find the site of a former Seminari.  A little farther: the Augustine nuns’ cloister convent.   Walk up Career Sant Ciriac, and there’s a small chapel built in 1754, honoring the saint after which the street is named.  Legend has it that this is the point where the troops of King Jaume came into the city and took control.  If you continue even higher, you will find Carrer Major (or main street, if you like), and now you’re at the highest point.  Houses here date back to the 15th Century!

Carrer Major ends at the Placa de la Catedral, with an incredible view of the port and city.  There’s two buildings here you want to see: The Cathedral (build from the 14th to 16th centuries, redone in the 18th Century), and la Universitat, a political institution that governed Ibiza, known also as Eivissa, from the 13th to the 18th Century.  It’s now the site of an Archelogical Museum.

From here, leaving the Cathedral, you can find your way down a narrow passage that leads to the bastion of Sant Bernat.  Here, you’ll find, yes, once again, a magnificent view of the sea, this time with the addition, in the distance, of the island of Formentera.  At this point, no doubt, you’re ready to head back to one of the luxury Ibiza hotels and take a nap!