What the east feels like
Santa Eulària des Riu is the island’s only river town — the riu — and it has a different character from anywhere else on Ibiza: a long, palms-and-yachts promenade, a serious marina, an excellent restaurant scene, and a calm that reads as quality of life rather than sleepiness. Five minutes up the coast, Es Canar is its beachier little brother, wrapped around a sandy bay and famous for two things: the Punta Arabí hippy market every Wednesday and the cluster of campsites that makes this corner of the island the natural home of Ibiza camping.
The three east-coast campsites each have a personality: Camping La Playa is the beachfront classic with its retro caravans and the Chirincana bar; Camping Cala Nova is the family-run favourite behind the dunes of the coast’s best family beach; Camping Es Caná hides in the pine forest with its two pools and quirky cabins. Between them they cover every style of camping holiday, and they are all reachable by bus L24 from the airport and Santa Eulària — the only part of Ibiza where a car-free camping trip really works.
The beaches
Cala Nova is the star for families: fine sand, dunes, shallow water. Cala Martina is the boho sibling with the Chirincana beach bar and sunset-facing sand. Es Canar beach is the village beach — pedalos, ice cream, promenade life. And Cala Llonga, just south of Santa Eulària, is a broad sheltered bay that feels like a resort from a gentler era. All of them face east; mornings are golden, and none of them gets the wild afternoon wind that sometimes whips the north.
The markets
Wednesday in Es Canar means Punta Arabí — the oldest hippy market on the island, hundreds of stalls under the pines. On Saturdays, everyone heads inland to San Carlos for Las Dalias, the island’s most famous market, with its garden setting, live music and night-market evenings in summer. Both are institutions, not tourist traps: locals shop here too.
Who the east suits
- Families — shallow water, easy logistics, campsites built for kids
- First-time campers — everything is close, gentle and well-serviced
- Market-goers and boho souls — Punta Arabí and Las Dalias are on the doorstep
- Non-drivers — the best bus-served camping corner on the island
Practical notes
- Book campsites early for July and August; the east coast’s three sites absorb most of the island’s camping demand.
- The coastal promenade from Santa Eulària to Es Canar is a lovely 4 km walk — do it at golden hour.
- On market days, don’t drive to the markets: parking is chaotic and the bus is easy.
- Cala Nova and Es Canar are shallow and safe, but the east coast has no lifeguards everywhere — keep an eye on small children.
