Ibiza was a walled city practically from its origins, when in the 7th century BC the hill that rises up over the bay of Ibiza was the site that the Phoenicians chose to live. The wall was also part of the defence system that already existed back in the Punic period, and there is information and visible remains of the triple walled premises dating from the Andalusian period (in chapter 126 of the Llibre dels Feyts by James I, when it describes the conquest of Ibiza by the Catalans on the 8th of August 1235), as well as the walls from the Middle Ages.

The construction of new walls that would replace the old mediaeval walls was prompted by the island’s insecurity because of the large number of Turkish incursions. In 1554, the Crown commissioned Italian architect Gianbattista Calvi to design new walls. The lines they would trace were approximately the same as the mediaeval walls, which left the outlying areas outside the walls unprotected. In 1574, Jacobo Paleazzo "el Fratín" arrived in Ibiza to replace Calvi after his death as the head of the fortifications in the Mediterranean, and he included the outlying area of Sant Llúcia in the design, giving the walls their definitive appearance. In 1999, Dalt Vila was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The walled area can be reached via the Porta del Mar on a ramp built in 1870. Once past the entrance you reach the Patio de Armas (Weapons Courtyard), followed by the Plaça de la Vila (town square). From there you can reach the Sant Joan bulwark, the first of the seven along the wall. Other points of interest include the Sant Pere, Sant Jaume and Sant Bernat bulwarks. There you will fine the castle, the building that lies of the peak the Puig de Vila hill, with its Torre del Homenaje (Homage Tower) and the Casa del Gobernador (Governor’s House). Following the wall, the calle de la Universitat leads you to the Plaça de la Catedral, and from there you can visit the Plaza del ayuntamiento (Town Hall square) and the Sant Llúcia bulwark.