The Costa Blanca and the Pityuses: a week from Alicante
The Costa Blanca and the Pityuses in one week: the Tabarca marine reserve, white Altea, the sunsets of Sant Antoni on Ibiza, the water of Formentera and the Peñón d'Ifach on the way back. The loop from Alicante is about 185 nm: two open-sea crossings of 55–58 nm from a dawn start, the other legs two to four hours. It is a route for a crew with long passages behind them; without Ibiza it becomes a relaxed week along the coast.
Day by day
Marina Alicante
- Alicante38.340, -0.478
Boat handover after 17:00, provisioning in town. The Santa Bárbara castle is lit above the pontoons, and dinner is on the palm-lined Explanada, five minutes' walk away.
Alicante → Tabarca
- Tabarca38.166, -0.479
Two hours south to Tabarca, Spain's first marine reserve. A village inside 18th-century walls, a few dozen residents and not a single car; night at anchor off the island, which empties once the last excursion boats have left.
Tabarca → Altea
- Altea38.595, -0.049
North along the coast past Alicante and the island off Benidorm. Altea is a white hill town with the blue dome of its church on top; night in the marina below.
Altea → Sant Antoni
- Sant Antoni (Ibiza)38.980, 1.300
The crossing to Ibiza: eight to nine hours of open water from a dawn start. Sant Antoni is a wide bay on the west of the island, and the sunset bars along its shore are the reward for the longest day of the week.
Sant Antoni → Formentera
- Es Vedrà38.867, 1.200
- Illetes (Formentera)38.759, 1.430
South past Es Vedrà, the rock of nearly 400 metres off the south-west corner of Ibiza, and through the shallow Freus strait to Illetes beach on Formentera. The afternoon is spent in the clearest water in Spain.
Formentera → Calpe
- Calpe38.636, 0.068
The crossing back to the mainland from a morning start; for the last two hours the Peñón d'Ifach, a 332-metre rock and natural park, grows ahead. Night in the marina under the rock, dinner in the old town.
Calpe → Alicante
- Alicante38.340, -0.478
South along the coast past Benidorm and into Marina Alicante by lunchtime. Refuelling and handover, a last night on board.
Coordinates are approximate, for the harbour or bay. Paste them into Google Maps or a chartplotter, and check the chart and pilot book before you moor or anchor.
Good to know
- Weather: both long crossings are sailed only on a settled forecast, decided on the morning you leave. With no window, the week becomes a Costa Blanca loop of about 90 nm: Tabarca, Altea, Calpe, Moraira and Jávea, with short daytime legs. The best months are May, June, September and October.
- Berths: around Ibiza and Formentera anchoring on Posidonia seagrass is banned — sand only — and off Illetes and Espalmador there are summer buoy fields booked online. The Freus strait is shallow and rocky: follow the marked channel and don't cut corners.
- Tabarca is a marine reserve: part of the water around the island is closed to anchoring, so check the zone chart with the fleet before you leave. Ibiza's marinas are the most expensive on the route in July and August: book Sant Antoni ahead or plan the night at anchor in the bay.
- Logistics: Alicante–Elche airport is twelve kilometres from the marina, about twenty minutes by taxi. Flights run all year round, so the route works well outside the high season too.
When to go and what it costs in Spain
Median € per berth per week from the agent's latest check, monohulls; each month's page has both boat types, a chart and boats departing that month.
Discounted boats in Spain
All boats in Spain
How long is the Alicante — Ibiza route and where do you stay overnight?
7 days and about 185 nautical miles in a loop, starting and finishing in Alicante. Overnight stops in order: Alicante, Tabarca, Altea, Sant Antoni (Ibiza), Illetes (Formentera), Calpe. The longest leg is day 6, 58 nm.
When is the best time to sail the Alicante — Ibiza route?
In the Balearics the season runs May to October. July and August are the peak: marinas are expensive and full, so you anchor or pick up a buoy. June and September bring warm water and lower prices; May and October are the shoulder months. In winter people sail in the Canaries, a separate area. By the agent's latest checks (monohulls), the cheapest month is October: a median of €272 per berth per week. The most expensive is January, at €300. The most boats with 20% off or more are in October: 46%. The agent checks the current month and the next five; each month has its own page with the numbers.
How much does a yacht for this route cost?
A whole boat in Spain for a week starts from €1,148 in the agent's current selection: the cheapest discounted week departing in the next three months. Prices per berth by month are higher up the page; the boats are under “All boats in Spain”.
Do I need a licence to charter a yacht?
For a bareboat charter (no skipper or crew provided), yes: a skipper's licence and, as a rule, a VHF radio certificate. Without a licence, we add a skipper, paid separately from the boat price.
What's included in the boat price?
Just the boat, for a week. Usually paid separately: transit log and final cleaning, fuel, marina fees, the security deposit (or deposit insurance), a skipper, cook and hostess if you need them, and extras (SUP board, on-board Wi-Fi, coffee machine, child safety netting).
