Lanzarote is the volcanic island: black lava fields, red craters, white villages and vines growing in ash. Most of its big sights are run by the island council and need booking, the best beaches are in the far south and north, and a hire car is the easiest way to link them in a few days.
Timanfaya and the Fire Mountains
The eruptions of 1730 to 1736, and another in 1824, buried a large part of the island under lava. The core of that landscape is Timanfaya National Park, which you visit through the Montañas del Fuego centre: a coach drives the Ruta de los Volcanes through the craters (you cannot walk or drive it yourself), and staff show how hot the ground still is just below the surface. The El Diablo restaurant grills over volcanic heat.
Tickets are sold online only, for a fixed date and time, through the island's tourist centres network CACT Lanzarote, which listed the price at 30 euros at the time of writing. The free Mancha Blanca visitor centre, outside the paid area, explains the eruptions.
César Manrique
The artist César Manrique (1919 to 1992) shaped modern Lanzarote: he pushed for low, white buildings with no roadside billboards and turned caves, cliffs and quarries into places to visit. The main ones, all on the CACT site:
- Jameos del Agua, a lava tube with a saltwater lagoon, a pool and an auditorium.
- Cueva de los Verdes, a guided walk at set times through the same volcanic tube.
- Mirador del Río, a viewpoint built into a cliff above the strait facing La Graciosa.
- Jardín de Cactus, a cactus garden in an old quarry near Guatiza.
- Fundación César Manrique, his former home built into lava bubbles at Tahíche (run separately from CACT, see its website).
CACT prices listed at the time of writing run from about 9 euros (Mirador del Río, Jardín de Cactus) to about 17 euros (Jameos, Cueva de los Verdes); check the site for current fares and resident discounts.
Beaches
- Papagayo, a string of coves in the Los Ajaches protected area east of Playa Blanca. Cars pay a small charge at the start of the dirt access road (around 3 euros according to recent reports), and there is little shade.
- Famara, a long, wild beach under cliffs in the north, loved by surfers. Currents are strong; swim only where it is safe.
- Playa Blanca, Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise, the resort beaches, calmer and with all services.
- La Graciosa, the small island off the north coast, reached by ferry from Órzola, with sandy tracks instead of roads.
La Geria wine region
Between Yaiza and San Bartolomé, farmers dig each vine into a pit (hoyo) in the volcanic ash and protect it with a half-moon stone wall against the wind. The result is one of the most striking vineyard landscapes in Europe, and the signature grape is the white Malvasía Volcánica. Several wineries along the LZ-30 road open for tastings, including El Grifo (founded in 1775, the oldest in the Canaries, with a small wine museum), La Geria and Rubicón. Check each winery's hours, and if you drive, taste lightly or bring a designated driver.
Villages and markets
Teguise, the old capital, hosts a large Sunday market. Haría, in the green "valley of a thousand palms", has Manrique's last home. Arrecife, the capital, has the Castillo de San José with its contemporary art museum.
Getting around
Lanzarote's airport (ACE) is next to Arrecife, a short drive from Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise. Buses connect the capital, the airport and the resorts, but most sights are inland or at the ends of the island, so a car makes life much easier. Ferries cross from Playa Blanca to Corralejo on Fuerteventura in about half an hour.
Before you go
Lanzarote is Spain and part of Schengen. Spanish and EU citizens need only a valid ID card or passport. UK and US visitors need no visa for stays of up to 90 days in 180, and the EU Entry/Exit System now records their fingerprints and photo at the border. UK passports must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive and be valid for at least 3 months after you leave. The EU's ETIAS authorisation is due to be introduced, so check the EU ETIAS site for your dates and the UK government advice for Spain before travelling, as rules change.
Staying connected
Timanfaya tickets are sold online only, and you will navigate unsigned lava roads with your phone. Since Brexit many UK plans charge for roaming in Spain. A data eSIM for Spain, installed before you fly, gives you local data from arrival without removing your own SIM; see how to install it.