What to see in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza

What to see in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza? If you ask yourself this question because you are going to visit this town, we will tell you that it offers you all the charm of that Balearic island. It has no less than forty-six kilometers of coastline planted with urban beaches and virgin sandbanks. But also with numerous hiking trails and an enviable climate.

Santa Eulalia del Río, its full name, comes from the fact that it houses the only riverbed that exists in all the Balearic Islands. It was already inhabited in Muslim times, but it was with the conquest by the Crown of Aragon when he began to acquire his current features. Today the town is one of the main tourist centers of Ibiza thanks to its magnificent infrastructure and its more than three hundred hours of sunshine per year. But, to answer your question, we are going to explain what to see in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza.

Puig de Missa

It is the main symbol of the Ibiza town. In fact, after the aforementioned Aragonese conquest, the town was built from it. It is located on a hill fifty meters high and is an architectural complex made up of a church with its cemetery and several small houses.

But it was also a fortification with its defense tower equipped with cannons to protect itself from pirate attacks. Precisely the church was built in the XNUMXth century on the remains of an older one that was left in ruins after an incursion by those. However, the porch of the temple, which is the largest in all the Balearic Islands, was built in the XNUMXth century to provide more aesthetic value to the complex.

You have a beautiful hiking trail that takes you from the center of Santa Eulalia to Puig de Missa. We advise you to visit it to appreciate the wonderful views of the coast that it offers you. You will also enjoy typical streets and, on the way, you can see Can Ros, which we will talk about later.

On the other hand, the municipality has other churches that are worth your visit. It is the case of that of Jesus, which, perhaps, is the least known. It was built in the fifteenth century and is characterized by its white walls and simple shapes. But inside, a big surprise awaits you. And it is that his main altarpiece It is one of the main sacred jewels of the island. It is made up of twenty-five panels painted by the Valencians Rodrigo and Francisco de Osona in 1498. Although it responds to late Gothic, it already shows signs of the incipient Renaissance.

Finally, as regards religious heritage, we recommend that you also visit the Church of Santa Gertrudis, built at the end of the XNUMXth century. Likewise, it has a beautiful altarpiece, but its porch is more original, very curious due to its small size.

Can Ros, another essential thing to see in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza

We have already mentioned Can Ros when talking about Puig de Missa. But now we are going to explain what it is. It is all a ethnographic museum that shows you what life was like in Ibiza before the arrival of tourism. The exhibition includes clothing, household objects, peasant utensils, musical instruments, weapons, and even jewelry.

But, as important as the interior is the building. The museum is located in a typical house payesa of the many you will find in the area. This type of construction is a perfect example of rural architecture, with its porch and balcony, its kitchen and rooms, its cellar, its mill and its well with a cistern. In short, a beauty and a functional marvel.

On the other hand, it is not the only museum that you will find in the Ibiza town. The Sala Barrau, located on the beautiful promenade of Santa Eulalia, houses paintings by the Barcelona artist Laureà Barrau, who arrived on the island in 1912 after training in France and Italy. Fascinated by its light and its colors, he dedicated himself to portraying his life and his people.

We also advise you to visit the Can Planetes River Interpretation Center, which is about seven hundred meters from Can Ros. Like this one, it is a country house, but it has the peculiarity of having the Dalt's mill, whose operation you can still see today. It even preserves the system of canals that brought water from the river and took it to the fields through ditches.

The Pont Vell

Precisely, through a pedestrian route you will arrive from Can Planetes to Pont Vell. It is a route that, in addition, will allow you to soak up the legends of Santa Eulalia. Among them, we can't resist telling you about the famous. This name is given to a kind of goblin that has great strength and can be very helpful to the peasant who finds it. But it can also ruin it because, when he's not working, he has a ravenous appetite.

Well, legend says that to find one of these characters you have to go to the Pont Vell la San Juans night and look under its arches for a type of flower that only appears for a few hours that day. Once found, it should be kept in a black bottle and capped. When you open it saying the spell feina or menjar (work or food), the goblin will appear.

Legends aside, the Pont Vell was built in the 1927th century, although a fourth arch was added in the following century. It was the only passage over the river between the town and the mills until XNUMX, when a more modern one was built.

Defensive towers and mill of Es Puig d'en Valls

We have already told you about the flour mills when talking about Can Planetes. There were up to forty of them on the island of Ibiza, but the one in It's Puig d'en Valls It was one of the last to be built. It has a cylindrical plant and a height of seven meters. On its roof is born the wooden framework with the blades that rotate by means of a drum mechanism.

As a curiosity, look at the small windows in its upper part. They were used for the miller to observe the direction of the wind and thus move the blades in the right direction. This type of mill is unique in the Balearic Islands, since it differs from those of Mallorca y Menorca in that it is not attached to a dwelling.

On the other hand, when talking about what to see in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza, we also have to mention the defensive towers. The most spectacular of them is the one from Campanitx, conical in shape and even has a small shed on top. Next to it, you should also see those of Can Montserrat, Can Rieró, Can Vidal or Casa Blanca Dona.

fountains and wells

It will be very curious to see that the fields of Santa Eulalia are strewn with agricultural wells, some of them very old. Good example is Pou de Gatzara, which is already documented in the XNUMXth century. Apparently, it not only gave water, but was also used by the peasants to dance around it to celebrate the festivity of Saint James.

Also, on one of the best hiking trails you can do in the Ibizan town you will find the Atzaro fountain. Located on the slope of the homonymous mount, it has also been documented since the XNUMXth century. Next to it, you can also see an entire architectural complex that will reveal how the water from this source was used for agriculture.

It consists of a safareig, name given to the water tanks dug into the ground itself, ditches to carry irrigation to the orchards, an oil mill or trull and even a laundry room. Very close, in addition, you have the predial towers of Can Riero y Montserrat that we have already mentioned.

Beaches of Santa Eulalia del Río and Tagomago Island

Facing the coast of Santa Eulalia you have the imposing Island Tagomago, which is privately owned. However, it has been declared a protected area by the Government of the Balearic Islands and can now only be visited for educational purposes. However, you can approach it with permission and appreciate its more than fifteen hundred meters in length and about one hundred in width. Also, you can see his Lighthouse, built in 1913.

To finish our tour of what to see in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza, we will talk about its beaches. We have already mentioned the good climate of the Ibizan town, so its numerous sandbanks are a must to take a bath in its crystal clear and calm waters.

La Santa Eulalia urban beach it is about three hundred meters long and forty wide. Being in a residential and tourist area, it offers you all the services. And you also have numerous bars and restaurants in its surroundings. For its part, about ten minutes from the city center is the river beach, also very safe for the bathroom.

However, you may prefer to visit more rugged and virgin coves. In this case, we advise you to Es Pou des Lleó, which forms a beautiful landscape, since it is in a sheltered rocky inlet and has old fishermen's houses. We also recommend the S'Estanyol, which is lined with pine trees and has underwater corners perfect for diving. Finally, along with the above, you have other beaches such as Aguas Blancas or Es Figueral and coves such as Boix, Llenya, Llonga, Mastella, Martina, Olivera or Pada.

In conclusion, we have shown you what to see in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza. As you have been able to appreciate, there is much that this town has to offer you. But also, since you are on the Balearic island, take the opportunity to get to know other beautiful places such as San Antonio or own capital. Dare to discover this jewel of the Mediterranean.