Best things to do in Lanzarote. 15 great tips!

Lanzarote is great! If you’re looking for the best things to do In Lanzarote you’re in the right place.

While talking about an island, everybody’s imagination goes to a comfortable deckchair on powdery white sand and oceanview, maybe with your sunglasses on and something icy to drink.

Nothing could be more obvious and far from the essence of Lanzarote, which doesn’t reflect the common idea of itself.

Lanzarote is told by the black lava lapillus, the skyline of its volcanic craters and the black road crossing a black landscape. Lanzarote is the smashing waves of Los Hervideros or the incessant wind blowing over Mirador del Rio and Cala de Famara.

This island is both rough and elegant.

This article won’t talk about astonishing beaches or social life in Lanzarote. My trip was about discovering the island’s natural beauty and attractions: a short but intensive time.

Do you want to figure out the soul of this Canarian island? Here you are, on the right article. Let’s explore together how to enjoy, but most of all the best things to do in Lanzarote.

Lanzarote: getting ready for the journey

The incredible island of Lanzarote is one of the seven Spanish islands of the Canarian Archipelago. It’s a few km far from Morocco’s coast.

Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are the oldest islands, geologically speaking, and the most attractive, from the landscaping point of view. Its time-zone is one hour back from Italy.

The windis blowing anytime, anywhere, but the climate is really pleasant. During my visit at the end of January, the temperature varied between 15 and 20 degrees. Although the warm weather, the wind lowers significantly the perceived temperature. Therefore one should be carrying a windbreaker or a coat, according to the period.

Furthermore, Lanzarote was the topic of many paintings of Cesar Manrique, one of the more famous attractions of the island. He was a Spanish artist who left here his lasting mark, performing the island in his way.

Lanzarote is properly organized for tourism, according to which, the Arts, Culture and Tourism Centres were built. You can explore these 9 CACTs by clicking the following link: https://www.cactlanzarote.com/en/ or downloading the app.

What’s interesting is the possibility to buy convenient tickets combining several CACTs.

We can image to divide the itinerary to discover the best things to see in Lanzarote between a northern tour and a southern one, assuming to start from Puerto del Carmen.

Where to stay in Lanzarote?

Puerto del Carmen is a good headquarters for staying in Lanzarote. It’s the most experienced location and it’s full of restaurants and clubs, most of all for tourists. Despite this, this is the best starting point for you Canarian journey.

In this regard, if you don’t know where to stay in Lanzarote, I suggest my choice. I stayed in a new tidy complex of apartments, with its swimming pool, which offers fun for children as well. It’s a wonderful solution both for families, looking for a quiet place and those are looking for cool experiences, like me. Get a look at HOTEL THB FLORA.

Rather, if you need some suggestions about other places to overnight, you have to read this article -> Where to stay in Lanzarote?

The best things to do in Lanzarote: the northern territory

The northern side of Lanzarote island is deeply connected to César Manrique’s masterpieces and attractions. While the southern / southern-west are self-painted by their spectacular moonscapes.

1 – Campesino’s Monument

César Manrique’s handicrafts deeply affected the island. He was strongly interested in the relation between humans and nature. Fort this reason, he focused on the poor but central role of the Campesinos (farmers), paying his respects through his paintings.

This monument is located in San Bartolomé, right the center of Lanzarote. Next to it is located the Monumento a la Fecundidad, provided by boat water tanks and always keeping watch it. The closeness of the two monuments points out the balancing and foresight in managing water, with which each campesino earned his living in the harsh volcanic soil.

This attraction of Lanzarote hasn’t opening or closing times and it’s easily accessible, since it’s almost on your way.

Besides the monument, there’s a farmer House-museum to visit, always open, with free access from 10 am to 5.45 pm.

Do you wanna take a tour discovering César Manrique’s world? Here you can find the TOUR AVAILABLE.

2 – Jardin de Cactus

From the campesino’s monument, moving on towards the northeast, across the typical bleak landscape, you’ll reach the town of Teguise. Then, driving along the coast, you’ll arrive to one of things to do in Lanzarote: Jardin de Cactus.

But…what is it? Jardin de Cactus is an oval-shaped terrace*. It’s a Manrique’s work. It hosts more than 450 different species of cactus, for a total amount of more than 4500 plants. Cactus from all over the world: tiny, huge, funny or majestic cactus, they all live together, right here.

*it’s a Rofera, a volcanic place from which the Rofe was mined..

In my opinion, the Jardin is not something unmissable, but it’s a pleasant stop along the ride.

Timetable and prices:

• Every day, from 10 am until 5.45 pm.
• Full ticket, 5.8 euro; reduced ticket for children from 7 to 12 years old, 2.9 euros.

On the way back to Teguise, you can enjoy a particular landscape: here you can stop and have a walk around typical volcanic formations, which are extremely porous and so fragile to crumble simply by touching or the blowing of the wind.

3 – Jameos del Agua

A few km far from the Jardin, in the North, you can sadly (for me!) find the most touristic attraction of the island: Jameos del Agua, a very crowded place. This is a Manrique’s creation, designed to harmonize the beauty of nature and the eclecticism of mankind. In his perspective, Jameos del Agua is really attractive and I sure would love to see its naïf origins, not the pure speculation I breathed.

Jameos takes its name from a big underground lake, located inside a tunnel, 6km long, 1 km of which is beneath the sea. This tunnel was born during the eruption of the volcano Monte de la Coruna. Jameos del Agua is composed of 3 underground lakes (Jameo Grande, Chico e Redondo), born of seepages. Small and blind crabs live the Jameos floor: they are 1 cm long and, as a result of the absence of the light, they highlight for their white pigmentation.

Strictly linked to Jameos and its tunnel is Cueva de Los Verdes.

Timetable and prices:

• Every day, from 10 am until 6.30 pm. On Tuesday and Saturday, until midnight.
• Full ticket, 9.5 euro- 20% discount from 3 to 7 pm; reduced ticket, 4.5 euros.

Find you proper Jameos tour here? CLICK HERE

4 – Exploring Cueva de los Verdes

Very close to the Jameos is La Cueva de Los Verdes. It’s a cave composing itself the tunnel mentioned above, but unlike those lakes, it’s almost pristine, because tourists can reach it only accompanied by CACT’s guides.

Here, the hike is 1 km long, a couple of meters below the ground, where the muffled silence resists the incessant strong wind above.

Inside this beautiful place to visit in Lanzarote, the route is definitely striking and it reminded me of the wonderful Cueva el Soplao, in Cantabria (Northern Spain). The lights, here, give an amazing shade of orange, so that it’s a delight walking inside. Claustrophobic people can easily explore the Cueva. It’s wide, except for few transitions, in which visitors have to get low. Awfully, at the end of the Cueva, there’s a hall, with lots of pianos.

Timetable and prices:

5 – Remain entrances at Mirador del Rio

To make sense of a flight to Lanzarote, it would be enough talking about Mirador del Rio. Seriously, it’s worth the flight price. You’ll get all impressed by the small island of La Graciosa, opposite to the northern side of Lanzarote.

From the outside, you cannot imagine the sight waiting for you. The Mirador del Rio is another Manrique’s stroke of genius. Suddenly, once inside, you’ll stand in front of the huge stained glass of a restaurant, wasting your time marveling at La Graciosa.

The construction is made of a coffee room/restaurant and an external walk. It’s the best way to enjoy the small island and discover this great places to see in Lanzarote, taking hundreds and hundreds of pictures.

Why this name, Mirador del Rio? Rio means river, to which the small tight strip between Lanzarote and La Graciosa looks like.

Timetable and prices:

• Every day, from 10 am until 5.45 pm.
• Full ticket, 4.75 euro; reduced ticket, 2.4 euros.

You can enjoy a trip to La Graciosa -> LOOK HERE the AVAILABLE TOUR

6 – Surfing o kite-surfing in Caleta de Famara

There’s something else to visit in Lanzarote, that is a small cove, Caleta de Famara. It is overcome by the tallest mountain of the island (about 600m of hight). It’s almost 30 minutes far from Mirador del Rio, connected by a scenic road, which drives you across the white town of Haria. I warmly suggest you to get the road I pointed out on the map, because it’s really impressive.

La Caleta de Famara is one of the best Lanzarote’s beaches. It’s very popular within surfers and kite surfers. Here the wind never stops blowing, this is the optimal place to have fun, if you love these sports!

This is the last place I suggest you about the things to do in the North of Lanzarote. Even if there are some museums I didn’t mention, such as the Museo de la Pirateria in Teguise, the International Museum of Contemporary Arts in Arrecife and the Manrique’s Foundation in Tahiche.

The best things to do in Lanzarote: the southern territory

As I wrote above, the northern side of Lanzarote is deeply connected to César Manrique’s style. Instead, the southern/ southern-west are self-painted by their spectacular and totally natural, landscape.

In my opinion, this side of Lanzarote is my best one, because I love being astonished by natural beauties, instead of the human ones: that’s about flavor. Rather, once back, leave a comment on this post and let me know which is the side of Lanzarote you enjoyed most.

Let’s begin from the sparkling Puerto del Carmen.

7 – Discover the Lanzarote’s wine route

Are you wondering which type of grapevine lives In Lanzarote? How can they survive in such a difficult and arid land? Am I right? Well, there’s a region on the island of Lanzarote known for its wines and wineries. You can see it walking or driving along the route which links Yaiza to Campesino.

This road runs through the typical moonscape of Lanzarote, among the crops of grapevines and protected by volcanic fences. Here, they produce Malvasia wine and ever in the nearby of Masdache you can visit the Museo del Vino el Grifo.

Follow these two suggestions:

8 – Hiking the Eremita de Los Dolores and the Natural Park

A white church and its black outline on the front. In the background, volcanos. Here it is Eremita de Los Dolores, the most visited church in Lanzarote. In front of it, there’s a huge parking, which is the meeting point for every package trekking too, that’s is really one of the beas things to do in Lanzarote.

Hiking through the volcanic craters is something to be done, definitely.

9 – Visiting the National Park of Timanfaya

Timanfaya is the National Park, available only for bus visits: they usually start from the Visitor Center and drive among the most beautiful and important craters of Lanzarote.

So, I strongly suggest you one more time, to arrange an excursion. However, inside the National Park you can’t hike or touch anything. This experience is gorgeous, even if pretty ordinary. Read my post -> Visiting the Timanfaya natural park in Lanzarote: discovering Canaria’s volcanos.

I don’t dwell on Timanfaya, since I already posted something on it, but you should know it’s one of Lanzarote’s CACTs and the bus tour is included in the ticket entrance.

Timetable and prices:

• Every day, from 9 am until 5.45 pm.
• Full ticket, 10euro (20% discount from 3pm); reduced ticket, 5 euros.

10 – Discovering El Golfo and its small village

An amazing road links the National Park to Yaiza, among the beauty of La Geira (wine region) and Timanfaya. Once in Yaiza, move towards El Golfo, a small village gently looking out over the Ocean. The Oceanview and its few restaurants make El Golfo very simple and really attractive and I suggest you to delight at sunset, maybe having a fish dinner..so amazing!

But El Golfo is not exclusive for its village, but rather for its green lake, located over the ocean, south of the village. As soon as you enter the street for El Golfo, you can find on the left a big parking. The short path for the Ocean begins right here.

Last eruption happened around 1730 and went long 6 years, switching between intense and light periods. Around El Golfo, the lava met the water of the Ocean, solidifying and looking like an amphitheater. Gradually, the water emerged from the ground infiltrations, creating the lake. The plant organisms present in the water give the typical green color.

During a sunny day, you can enjoy the green contrasting the black of the beach.

You can marvel at El Golfo from both the top and the bottom, but in this case, the access is located on the main street, few meters far from the village. However, the problem now is the parking. Here it’s the place:

11 – Los Hervideros

Los Hervideros and its stretch of the coast are definitely the soul of Lanzarote. Here, the cliff knocked by the rumbling waves and the volcanic landscape enclose the essence of the Island, on which, nature silently works, as we are spectators.

12 – The Salinas of Janubio

Many people suggest to visit this part of Lanzarote, especially at sunset its Salinas. They’re not wrong. During this particular moment of the day, the tints of Lanzarote take on a fascinating coloring even more and the Salinas are photographically one of the best place to see in Lanzarote. Here, there are several viewpoints. I suggest you to visit more than one. The light changes the panoramas

13 – Stop by Pechiguera’s Lighthouse

Lighthouses always intrigue me, for their desolation or perhaps for their loneliness in front of the ocean, their worst enemy.

The Faro Pechigueira left me a little bit disappointed, even if it’s a lighthouse! How can you disappoint a lighthouse? None. However, it looks like overlooked and adrift. The nearby cliff is knocked by the waves and lends itself to some good snapshots.

14 – Southern beaches and Playa Blanca

How could I forget to mention the beaches? Perhaps, they’re not the main winter destination of Lanzarote, but when spring comes with its mild temperatures, the beaches welcome tourists. In winter, you can discover them from a photographic point of view.

In the south, there are several small coves, looking at Fuerteventura. The most famous are Playa Blanca and Playa Papagayo. The first one runs from Las Coloradas until Pechiguera’s lighthouse, consisting of many beaches. Its name arises from the small central one.

15 – Visiting Playa Papagayo

Far South, Playa Papagayo deserves a separate mention. It’s one of the best places to see in Lanzarote and the most photographed one. As you arrive over there, you will find out the reason. This beach is simply amazing, even if you can enjoy its colors just on sunny days. Its white soft sand is protected from the wind, thanks to its particular shape.

You can join Playa Papagayo by walking a few unpaved km, but first, you must pay a 3 euros fee, since it’s now a protected area. From this unpaved path, you can decide which coves reaching, as well as the main one.

Additional information on CACTs and combination tickets

As already told, I concentrated my journey on natural aspects. I didn’t visit all the CACTs and in my plan, I didn’t include:

• Atlantic Museum, the main European undersea one.
• Amarilla House, in Arrecife.
• The MIAC, International museum of contemporary art.

For the ones who want to visit more than one CACT, there are combination or multiple tickets, available in each of them.