Exploring the Quieter, Hippie Side to Ibiza

When most people think of Ibiza they imagine crazy clubs and night life, fancy beach clubs, luxury yachts, stunning beaches and mesmerising sunsets.

This is all true, but I’d heard there was a quieter, more spiritual, hippie side to the famous party island.

I’d already done a hedonist clubbing trip but this time I wanted to see Ibiza’s hippie side. So I hopped on a cheap flight to go and find the other side of Ibiza and to see if it was possible to enjoy Ibiza on a budget!

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Ibiza’s Hippie History

Ibiza has a long hippie history. During the fascist rule of General Franco (which began in 1936) many artists, non conformists and political liberals fled to Ibiza to escape the regime and the Spanish Civil War.

The undeveloped island offered huge rustic fincas (farms) for very little money where the hippies could live out their days in peace. The main hippy hangouts were Ibiza Town, Sant Joan, Sant Carlos, and La Mola.

The island became notorious for its free thinking, liberal attitude and magical aura. By the time of the 1960’s, the summer of love and the hippie ‘flower power’ revolution, Ibiza has become the European equivalent of San Francisco full of artists, writers, musicians and hippies.

The big clubs like Pacha and Amnesia, that started in the 1970s, started off as hippy dance gatherings at first and where all about celebrating togetherness and evolving consciousness.

1987 saw a ‘2nd summer of love’ where rock stars flocked to the island and Ibiza became known as THE place to go for super clubs and dance music but the super high prices the super clubs charge nowadays is very far from the original hippie ethos.

Hippie Ibiza: Hippie Markets, Drum Circles & Yoga

Another thing that the hippies started in Ibiza (and Goa) markets were flea markets or hippie markets. The hippies would travel to India in the winter and bring back exotic items to sell to help them fund their lifestyle.

There are still colourful, bohemian, hippie markets happening in Ibiza – the Hippie Market in Punta Arabi on Wednesdays and Las Dalias in San Charles on Saturdays have been running since the 1970s.

Ibiza’s hippie markets make a wonderful, colourful day out browsing and shopping for handicrafts and jewellery in the sunshine, listening to live music and sampling the refreshment stalls – just don’t expect any super cheap bargains!

Another hippie hangout that still persists today is the Sunday sunset drum circle at Benirras beach in the north west. It’s a beautiful beach hidden away between the cliffs and pine trees far and a world awat from bustling San Antonio.

On Sundays Benirras Beach gets super packed at sunset for the drum circle. When I visited there was a handful of hippies drumming surrounded by hundreds of tourists from all over the island taking pictures of them. It felt more like a tourist attraction than a genuine drum circle like you get every sunset in Goa.

These places can be difficult to get to unless you rent a car, but you can also join this Other Side of Ibiza Tour to explore the northern, hippie side of Ibiza. It visits Las Dalias hippie market, Natural Park of Ses Salines (the salt ponds), Can Marçà cave, and Benirras beach.

The island has also become a place for spiritualty, healing, and wellness with many yoga retreats offering everything from fitness and detox to yoga, meditation, sound healing and cacao ceremonies.

By joining one of these retreats you’re also joining a community of like minded people who want to reconnect to nature and expand their consciousness so this is the best way to immerse yourself in hippie Ibiza nowadays.

And if you want to be really free and let it all hang out there are also a couple of nudist beaches in Ibiza which felt more hippie – you can even get a free mud bath at Aguas Blancas.

Magical Es Vedra: The Spiritual Heart of Ibiza

One thing I couldn’t miss when visiting Ibiza was checking out the magical island of Es Vedra – an uninhabited monolithic limestone 400 meter high rock formation situated on the south coast off Cala D’hort.

Es Vedra is the source of many myths and legends, some say it was the quarry of Sa Pedrera (the lost city of Atlantis), some say it is the third most magnetic point in the world, after the North Pole and the Bermuda Triangle hence it’s magical energy and healing powers.

I don’t know how true any of these are but I certainly felt a very special energy watching the sunset here!

It is difficult to get to Es Vedra on public transport, so you’ll need to rent a car or motorbike or take a tour. This highly rated secret spots island tour will show you some hidden caves, the mystical Time and Space monument, (the stonehenge of Ibiza) and ‘the doors of Cala LLentia’ artwork before a short hike to a secret Es Vedra viewpoint.

Whilst you can’t actually go onto the rock itself you can you admire it from many points on the cliffs or take a boat trip to Es Vedra and go swimming and snorkelling to get closer.

The cliffs overlooking Es Vedra are also popular places for unforgettable yoga sessions with sound healing and even crystal healing ceremonies and shamanic rituals.

If you’re into hiking it’s quite an easy climb up to an altitude of 475m on Ibiza’s highest peak Sa Talaia where you can soak up great views.

Camping La Playa, Es Canar

I was looking for a peaceful escape and hippie vibes so I choose to stay at Camping La Playa which is situated in a super peaceful spot right by the sea near Es Canar in the north of the island, a world away from the noise and crowds around clubbing mecca San Antonio.

The campsite is situated right on the coast just steps away from Cala Martina on one side where you can relax on the beach and on the other side is a jetty perfect for morning meditation or just jumping off into the clear, sparkling water.

It’s only 10 minutes walk into Es Canar, a laid back resort town with a beach, hotels, shops, bars and restaurants, and it’s next door to the famous Wednesday Punta Arabi Hippie Market.

They have a huge variety of quirky accommodation options, you can bring your own tent or campervan or hire a tent, colourful retro caravan, wooden bungalow, yurt, tipi or even the big love shack caravan or an old converted bus.

I opted to stay in one of their Nomad Tents which was a huge, spacious, pre pitched tent with a real bed, electricity and sea views. There’s plenty of showers and toilets that are in good condition with decent hot water.

I loved falling asleep to the sound of the waves and waking up to views over the water and being able to jump into the sea.

What really attracted me to stay at Camping La Playa is the activities on offer including yoga in the mornings and a really fun African dance class. There’s also muay Thai, dance, hula hoop and meditation classes in high season.

However, I went in September because it was cheaper than in peak season (a week cost me €440) but there weren’t so many activities happening then.

There’s not a camp kitchen so I hired a fridge, cooker and kitchen set for the tent which allowed me to go to the supermarket and cook my own food enabling me to keep costs down.

If you don’t fancy cooking there is also a popular beach bar at the campsite called Chirincana which serves healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner with views over the ocean and also has live music 3 times a week including a really popular party on Wednesday nights after the Hippie Market.

Camping La Playa offered the perfect base from which to explore an Ibiza that is a world away from the clubbing frenzy of San Antonio and was also a great place to simply hang out, soak up the sun and sea views and join in with the activities.

One of the things I enjoyed the most was the coastal walk from the campsite to the town of Santa Eularia d’es Riu which offered lots of opportunities to stop at small beaches en route for a swim and sunbathe.

Other Things to do in Ibiza

On my quest to discover Ibiza beyond the night clubs, I also checked out Ibiza Town and the nearby island of Formentera.

Did you know that the old city, Dalt Vila, is UNESCO listed and one of the oldest cities in Europe. It’s got a cathedral, impressive 16th century fortifications, views and steep, white-washed warren of old streets packed with cafes, galleries and boutiques that are well worth exploring.

Another must visit is Formentera – just a 30 minute ferry ride from Ibiza. This tiny island boasts some fantastic wild beaches, impossibly turquoise water, pink salt flats, and a more laid back vibe than Ibiza.

Formentera was also popular with hippies back in the day. You can still go to the Blue Bar, where Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, and Pink Floyd once played, and check out the Sunday hippie market – Mercadillo de la Mola.

Formentera gets busy with day trippers from Ibiza so it’s worth staying overnight if you have the time and money to experience the island without the crowds. I stayed at Mayans Apartments because it offered the best value for money.

But is Ibiza still a good place for hippies?

Ibiza is a beautiful island with plenty of peaceful places to chill out, stunning natural beauty, magical vibes and a bohemian feel. There’s so much more to do here than just partying and clubbing – but is it still a good place for hippies?

While there’s a special energy and a hippie history that shows through the hippie markets and drum circles,  to be honest, these things have just become tourist attractions for the modern well heeled tourists. And while camping made it possible to explore Ibiza on a budget most things on the island are still too expensive for real hippies anyway.

Ibiza is a great place to take a yoga or wellness retreat, but there are not the plethora of cheap drop in yoga classes, workshops and healing therapies aimed at hippies and backpackers like you find in India or Bali.

To be honest, the most hippie part of my trip was the campsite Camping La Playa with the funky, unique accommodation, sea views, beach bar parties, coastal walks, yoga and African dance classes.

There was always someone around playing music, chatting, chilling or having a smoke and the highlight of my trip was just hanging out at the campsite, being in the nature, soaking up the views, meeting people and joining in with the activities and parties there.

Where to Stay in Ibiza on a Budget

If you also want to explore the hippie side to Ibiza, here’s some tips to help you plan an affordable trip.

Choose where you stay in Ibiza carefully – if you want to find the more peaceful, hippie side of the White Isle (and the more affordable side!) avoiding the pumping clubs, crazy nightlife, crowds and high prices then don’t stay in the popular areas of San Antonio, Playa d´en Bossa and Ibiza Town.

Ibiza is not known as a budget destination, most hotels and Air BnB rooms in Ibiza cost at least €100 per night and even hostel dorm beds are about €30 per night.

If you want to have a more budget friendly,  peaceful and laid back Ibiza trip then head instead to the North of Ibiza especially areas around Es Canar, Portinatx, Benirras and San Carlos and San Vicent.

Staying at a campsite or renting an apartment with a kitchen is a smart budget tip for a budget hippie stay as you can save a lot of money but cooking your own meals instead of eating out in expensive restaurants all the time.

Here’s some good budget apartments in the northern part of Ibiza:

• Apartamentos Playa Sol in Es Canar
• Apartamentos Portinatx Sea View in Portinatx,
• Apartamentos Can Miguel in Cala Sant Vincent,
• San Miguel Park/Esmeralda Mar in Puerto de San Miguel near Benirràs Beach
• Typic Art Apartments in Es Canar

If you’ve got a bit more to spend there are some beautiful boho hippie chic hotels in Ibiza. Here’s the top 5 picks:

• Ibiza Zen, Santa Eularia des Riu
• Los Enamorados, Portinatx
• Pikes Ibiza, San Antonio
• Petunia Ibiza, opposite magical Es Vedra
• Paradiso Ibiza Art Hotel, colourful and fun Art Deco style in San Antiono

Other options for budget accommodation in Ibiza include backpacker hostels, farm (finca) stays and campsites.

A farm stay like Agroturismo Rural Can Prats inland near the hippy village of San Charles or Finca Ecológica Ibicenca in San Rafael,  will give you a taste of authentic rural Ibizan life far beyond the beaches, tourists and nightclubs.

There are also a couple of campsites in Ibiza like Camping Cala Nova and Camping La Playa, both near to Es Canar, which offer the cheapest accommodation in Ibiza.

Even if you don’t have a tent, or don’t want the hassle and expense of taking it on the plane, no worries, these Ibiza campsites even provide tents, cabins, tipis, yurts and caravans for a hassle free glamping experience. There’s even the option of a camping kitchen or shared kitchen so you can cook your own meals too.

Youth or backpacker hostels are often a good and sociable budget choice. It’s a great place to meet other travellers and most have shared kitchens so you can save money by cooking your own food.

However there are not many backpacker hostels in Ibiza and most are more party focused, I don’t know if you’ll find much peace in the hostels in Ibiza! Anyway, my top picks for hostels are the colourful and arty Giramundo (only private rooms though) and Amistat Hostel which has a swimming pool and dorms. They are both located in Ibiza Town.

I hope this post has helped you discover there’s a whole other side to the party island of Ibiza.

Have you been to Ibiza? Did you find the hippie side of the island?

More Blog Posts on Ibiza:

The Best Yoga Retreats in Ibiza