Sights · Our pick in Formentera
Formentera’s lighthouses and capes: the back story
The back story
About Formentera’s lighthouses and capes: the back story
Formentera is small, but it runs from one dramatic cape to another. At the eastern end, the Far de la Mola stands on a cliff 120 metres above the sea; at the southern tip, the Far de Barbaria looks out from a 100-metre cliff towards Africa. Between them lie a Bronze Age tomb, a Roman fort, windmills, watchtowers and the fortress-church of Sant Francesc (formentera.es).
La Mola
The Far de la Mola stands on a cliff 120 metres above the sea on the La Mola plateau, where the island’s highest point, Sa Talaiassa, reaches 192 metres. Beside it is a monument to Jules Verne, who mentions the lighthouse in “Hector Servadac”. Since 2026 the lighthouse has shown the Cati Verdera collection, 56 works by artists linked to the island (formentera.es).
Barbaria
The Far de Barbaria presides over a sheer cliff 100 metres above the sea at the island’s southern tip. Nearby are Sa Cova Foradada, a cave you enter through a hole in the ground (take great care), and the Torre des Garroveret, about 150 metres to the west. The Consell recalls the lighthouse’s role in Julio Medem’s film “Lucía y el sexo” (formentera.es).
Es Cap de Barbaria is, in the Consell’s words, the southernmost rocky outcrop of the Balearic Islands.
Prehistory and Rome
The megalithic tomb of Ca na Costa, between the Estany Pudent and Es Pujols, dates from around 2000 BC and was discovered in 1974; the Consell calls it the oldest megalith in the archipelago. The Roman castellum of Can Blai, of the late 3rd or early 4th century AD, stands beside the road to La Mola at kilometre 10 and was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1994 (formentera.es).
Churches and towers
The church of Sant Francesc was blessed in 1738 and built to resist pirate raids, with an iron-clad door and a barrel vault strong enough to bear artillery. Watchtowers guard the coast at Sa Gavina, Punta Prima, the Pi des Català, the Garroveret and Sa Guardiola (formentera.es).
Our advice: Barbaria at sunset, La Mola at sunrise or on a market afternoon. Go by bike if you can: the roads to both are narrow.
Why it's on our list
- La Mola
- Barbaria
- Prehistory and Rome
- Churches and towers
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Formentera’s lighthouses and capes: the back story before you go.