Portal De Ses Taules

The Portal de ses Taules, the Gate of the Tables, is the main entrance to Dalt Vila, the walled Upper Town of Ibiza, and it is a good place to begin a visit to the old city. It was built in 1585, under the rule of Philip II of Spain, as part of the great reconstruction of the town's defences that was planned by Italian military engineers after the threat of Ottoman raids, and it is among the finest pieces of Renaissance military architecture in the Balearic Islands. The gate faces the lower town and the harbour, and a broad stone ramp, set between two massive bastions, leads up to it from the market square, the Plaça de sa Drassana area, so that anyone approaching must climb toward a monumental arch.

The doorway is an arch of stone with a plain, strong form, and above it, in a niche, is a large marble plaque bearing the royal coat of arms of Philip II, with the imperial crown and the arms of the Spanish monarchy, which declares the origin of the structure. The gate is flanked by two bastions, Sant Joan and Santa Llúcia, whose slanting walls were designed to deflect cannon fire, and the passage runs through the wall under a vaulted roof. In front of the gate, a moat once ran along the foot of the wall and was crossed by a drawbridge, later replaced by a permanent bridge, which now carries the entrance.

On either side of the arch, you will see two white marble statues, copies of Roman figures that were found in the area and are kept in the Archaeological Museum, a reminder that the site has been occupied since antiquity. They are headless or damaged figures in togas, and they add a note of classical dignity to the military design. The inscriptions and the carved stone details are best seen in the morning light, before the crowds arrive.

Beyond the arch, the passage opens into the Pati d'Armes, the Armoury Courtyard, a vaulted space with several arches that once served as a place where soldiers assembled, and in more recent times, as a venue for markets and craft stalls. From here, steep cobbled streets climb between whitewashed houses toward the cathedral and the castle at the top of the hill. The climb is demanding, but the views over the port and the sea improve at every turn, and small cafes, galleries and shops line the way.

The gate is free to pass through at any time, and there are no fixed opening hours. It suits everyone who wants to understand how the old town was defended, and it is a convenient point of orientation, with the harbour behind and the old quarter ahead. Wear shoes with good grip, as the stone ramps can be slippery.