La Savina is where Formentera begins. The ferry from Ibiza docks here, and within a hundred metres of the terminal you will find bicycle rental shops, scooter hire, car hire, boat rental, and a row of waterfront cafés where people sit recovering from the crossing. It is not a place to linger — most visitors take their bearings and pedal south toward the beaches within minutes of arriving. But it has its own harbour character: fishing boats tied alongside motor yachts, pelicans sometimes sitting on the bollards, and the salt pans immediately to the south edging the view with pink and blue.
The lagoon of Estany des Peix sits just west of the port, a sheltered natural lagoon connected to the sea by a narrow channel. It is a popular spot for windsurfing and kayaking in calm conditions, and the shores are quieter and less developed than the main beaches. From La Savina the main road heads south toward Sant Francesc, with the signposted turn for Ses Illetes heading north — the first decision of the Formentera itinerary, and a pleasant one.