Sant Rafel de sa Creu, or San Rafael, sits on the road between Ibiza Town and San Antonio, in the municipality of Sant Antoni. Most people drive straight past it, which is a pity.
What it’s like
The village is the island’s pottery centre and has been declared an area of craft interest. Several potters have workshops and shops here, making everything from pieces inspired by Punic ceramics to modern designs, and in many of them you can watch the work being done.
The white church, ordered by Bishop Manuel Abad y Lasierra in 1786, stands on a rise above the village. From the square in front of it there is a fine view across the countryside to the walls of Dalt Vila on the horizon and, on a clear day, to Formentera.
What to see and do
Visit the potters, take in the view from the church and stay for a meal: the village has a varied choice of restaurants.
On Thursday evenings in summer, from late June to mid-September, the village hosts a craft and farmers’ market along Avinguda Isidor Macabich and around the church square, the Can Portmany cultural centre and the social centre. From 7.30pm until around 10.30 or 11pm, some twenty stalls sell traditional and contemporary crafts, from Ibizan pottery and ceramics to jewellery, basketry, espadrilles, embroidery, crochet and woodwork, alongside fruit, vegetables and other produce from the island’s farms. With the potters’ workshops open nearby, it is the best moment to see the village at its liveliest.
Sant Rafel celebrates its patron saint on 24 October.
Getting there
The village is about ten minutes from Ibiza Town and San Antonio, and the T1 bus between the two stops here.
Good to know
Some of the island’s best-known clubs are just outside the village, so expect traffic on summer nights.
