Ferry from Ibiza to Barcelona

We managed to miss our flight out of Ibiza back to the UK after this years (2010) closing party weekend. Pretty bad move as there were no flights at a reasonable price for the rest of the week. Instead it worked out that the cheapest (if not quickest) way home that week was to catch a ferry from Ibiza to Barcelona and pick up a flight from there back to London. In case anyone else is thinking of taking the Ibiza to Barcelona ferry I thought I’d write up my experience of it here.

Who operates the ferry between Barcelona and Ibiza?

We found 3 companies who operate the ferry route between Ibiza and Barcelona, Balearia – who we booked with, Iscomar and Acciona. As far as I can tell these are the only three companies who operate this ferry route.

Booking the ferry

This was pretty easy, we actually booked it through an agent called directferries.co.uk as it seemed to work out slightly cheaper and the website was better. You can also book tickets at the ferry company office either in Ibiza Town or San Antonio ferry port- although be warned that if you leave it until the day you might pay more for your ticket than if you book in advance online.

Getting on in Ibiza Town

The ferry leaves from the port at Ibiza Town. You’ll need to check in and exchange your online booking confirmation for a boarding pass at the office before making your way down to the ferry at the end of the dock. It’s a big ass ferry so its right at the end of Ibiza Town port.

Your tickets say to check in 75 minutes before departure. If you’re a foot passenger this probably isn’t necessary but better safe than sorry.

Seating/ accommodation options

When you book there’s a choice of accommodation options. The most basic is called ‘Reserved Seat Sirena’ actually as it transpired for us this wasn’t a reserved seat at all but only entitled us to sit in the restaurant and reception areas. When we got on we sat in the big comfy black lounge chairs but once we got going we were told we had to move as these seats were €50 extra each.

Now those chairs were nice and it’s a long old ferry ride, about 8 hours in all so if you’ve got the money I’d consider it but on this occasion the weekend and extra traveling had already cost a fair bit so we roughed it on the cheap seats. This was fine, the ferry was pretty empty so there was loads of room to stretch out and lay down if you wanted.

There’s also the option of a 4 birth room on the ferry. As it’s a day crossing, leaving Ibiza at 11am and arriving in Barcelona at around 6:30pm this is a bit of a luxury, although it would have been nice to chill out in my own cabin and have a snooze during the journey. I didn’t see inside the cabins so can’t really comment on whether they were worth the extra cash.

The journey

Now I don’t really like ferry trips but I’ve gotta say despite the hangover and length of the trip this wasn’t too bad at all. The boat is pretty spacious and comfortable, at least when its half empty and they play movies (in Spanish) throughout the ferry. There’s plenty of power points (European, obviously) throughout the boat so you can plugin your laptop or charge your phone.

The Ibiza to Barcelona crossing was pretty calm when we did it in early October so I imagine its fine throughout most of the summer. The restaurant is at the front of the boat on the lower deck which is also the worst place to sit if you’re prone to seasickness- unfortunately its also got the most comfortable seating area if you haven’t got a reserved seat onboard. I ended up sitting at the back, which was quieter and less bumpy.

As you’d expect most people using the Ibiza to Barcelona ferry are Spanish although plenty of the staff seemed to speak English as well.

Food and drink

One thing I’d definitely recommend if you’re thinking of taking the ferry from Ibiza to Barcelona, or any other ferries actually because its always the same, is that the food onboard is terrible and overpriced. Do yourself a favour and pack a sandwich and a couple of bottles of water (or beer!).

Arrival in Barcelona

The Ibiza – Barcelona ferry docks at Barcelona ferry port at about 6:30 (we didn’t end up getting off the boat until around 7pm as it takes time to unload). The ferry port in Barcelona is actually pretty centrally located but getting out of the port itself is a bit tricky. If you’re on foot you can jump on a bus which will drop you somewhere fairly central in Barcelona where you can get a cab or other public transport. We headed straight to the airport which was about 20 minutes in a taxi.

Summary

If you’re thinking about traveling from Ibiza to Barcelona the ferry is definitely a valid option. Realistically if I was doing it again I would probably fly it as flights with Spanair or other Spanish airlines only cost about €70 if you book far enough in advance and it’s a hell of a lot quicker. But if you don’t like flying or obviously of you’ve got a car it’s a pretty easy journey and I would definitely recommend Balearia ferry for the crossing.

Balearia sail from Ibiza to Barcelona 6 days a week. Book your ferry from Ibiza to Barcelona with direct ferries here…