Opening hours
They differ from shop to shop, but in the main they are open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 – 13:30 and from 16:30 – 20:30. Some supermarkets (supermercado), bakeries (panadería) and paper shops (librería or kiosko) also open Sunday mornings.
Bars are allowed to stay open until 2:00 at night, but from midnight music can only be heard inside the establishment (all doors are closed)
Banks are open from Monday to Friday from 8:30 – 14:00. You also can change money in the exchange offices (oficina de cambio), these are open, in the main, until 20:30, even on weekends. All banks are now equipped with cashpoints accepting all the popular credit and debit cards.
The main post office in San Francisco is open from Monday to Friday from 9:00 – 14:00, Saturdays from 9:00 – 12:00, but only for urgent issues (e.g. it is not possible to withdraw money).
Please note that all tabac shops also sell stamps.
Water
In Formentera the tap water can be quite salty although on small parts of the island some establishments do take advantage of small desalination plants.
Most holidaymakers buy drinking water in the large 5 or 8 litre bottles from the local shops, they will usually sell ice (hielo) by the bag too.
Electricity
The electric current is 230 volts and 50 Hz.
Petrol stations
There are two petrol stations on Formentera. One is located on the main road between the port of La Savina and the capital San Francisco and the other between San Franciso and San Fernando. Both sell unleaded petrol (95 or 98 octane) and diesel.
Tips
Although it is optional, it is customary to give a tip in bars and restaurants and also for the catering staff in hotels, normally between 5-10% of the amount of the bill.
Please note, that the electrical installations sometimes are not as reliable as at home.
Doctors
For the emergency doctor of the Centro Medico in San Francisco please call Tel. 971 322 369 / 971 322 357.
There are also private medical centres in La Savina, San Francisco and San Fernando. In San Francisco you'll also find two private dentists.
Chemists
There are chemists in Es Pujols, San Francisco, San Fernando and Es Caló. On their door they usually display the hours they cover (always cover for 24 h). If you need a replacement drug that you take, take the package with you – they might not have the same name, but they will recommend a Spanish product with the same ingredients.
Spanish chemists have excellent qualifications and are permitted to give broad advice; so are usually the first stop before visiting a doctor.
Church
Catholic services are held in the churches of San Francisco, San Fernando and Nuestra Señora del Pilar.
Emergencies
Like in the whole European Union, the 112 is also the general emergency number in Spain.
In public telephone kiosks you will find on the right side, above the telephone, a multilingual emergency guideline with all local emergency telephone numbers listed (Teléfonos de interés).
Should you be the victim of a crime whilst on the island remember to report the crime at once to the Guardia Civil. They will provide you with a report which you can then send on to your insurance company when submitting a claim.
If you don't speak Spanish you can, in the case of theft, also report the crime by telephone: 902 102 112. There are people who can speak English, they will complete the report and later you can collect a copy at the police station they tell you.
