Ibiza is World Heritage

Ibiza’s claim to fame is its status as one of Europe’s most lit places to party, but there’s so much more to Ibiza Town, the Balearic Island’s capital, than raves, 24-hour clubs, and study abroad spring breakers. To start, there’s Dalt Vila, a fortified medieval old town perched on a cliff that offers sweeping views of the Mediterranean Sea atop 16th-century battlements. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Perched on a small mountain next to the sea and overlooking the town is the fortified old town of Dalt Vila which translates to "Upper Town".

Originally called Ibosim and founded by the Phoenicians, Dalt Vila has been added to by successive occupiers and was once one of the most important coastal cities in the Mediterranean. The last addition was the Renaissance defensive walls that surround it, which Kings Charles I and Philip II of Spain had constructed to defend against the French and the Ottomans.

Walking into the main square, Plaza de Vila, many restaurants, art galleries and shops are closed due to lack of tourists.

The Catalans were the first to penetrate Dalt Vila from within and by doing so, crushed Moorish rule. 

As legend has it, the brother of the Emir that controlled Ibiza was deeply jealous of his sibling and had betrayed him to the Catalan pretenders. He told them the whereabouts of a secret tunnel that came out at a small chapel, which afterwards was named in honour of San Ciriaco, the Patron Saint of Ibiza.

Inside the heart of Villa Dalt where the cost per m2 is anything between 5000 and 10'000.- Euros.

Looking down from the battlements by the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, allows for a  wonderful panoramic view over the city and the harbour.

Santo Domingo church, built in the 17th century, is attached to the Monastery of the same order, and it is the second largest temple in the isle, after the Cathedral.

The Cathedral of Ibiza came about after the conquest of Ibiza by Catalan troops in 1235, and it takes up the space that, until then, had been occupied by the town’s mosque.

When the Bishopric of Ibiza was created in 1762, this was only parish on the island. It became a Cathedral and was dedicated to Saint Mary of the Snows.