Things to do in Lanzarote: Timanfaya, Manrique, beaches and stays

Its great artist, César Manrique, turned caves, viewpoints and gardens into works of art blended with nature, and made sure the island grew without high-rises. Three or four days cover Timanfaya, Manrique’s centres and the southern beaches; with a week you can add La Graciosa and beach days.

What to see in Lanzarote: top sights

Top sightsAreas to stay

Timanfaya National Park
The Fire Mountains: volcanoes, craters and coloured lava flows born of the eruptions of 1730 to 1736. You tour it by bus along the Route of the Volcanoes, and at Islote de Hilario the heat of the earth makes geysers shoot up and grills the restaurant’s food.
Recommended time: 2–3 h
Tip: Arrive first thing: by mid-morning queues of cars form at the entrance. Camel rides on the slopes start near the park.
Jameos del Agua
A lava tube César Manrique turned into an art space, with an underground lake home to tiny blind white crabs found nowhere else in the world, a swimming pool of impossible white and an auditorium in the rock.
Recommended time: 1–1.5 h
Cueva de los Verdes
Part of the same lava tube, one of the longest in the world: a guided visit of almost an hour through lava galleries, with a surprise at the end that is best left untold.
Recommended time: 1 h
Mirador del Río
Another Manrique work, hidden in a cliff almost five hundred metres above the sea, with a spectacular view of La Graciosa and the islets of the Chinijo archipelago.
Recommended time: 45 min
César Manrique Foundation
The house the artist built over five volcanic bubbles in Tahíche, with rooms carved into the lava, pools and his art collection. The best way to understand how Manrique changed the island.
Recommended time: 1.5 h
La Geria
A landscape of vines planted in pits of volcanic ash, each sheltered by a crescent-shaped stone wall. Its wineries offer tastings of volcanic Malvasía, the island’s wine.
Recommended time: 1–2 h
Papagayo Beaches
Coves of golden sand and turquoise water in a protected natural area at the southern tip, reached by a dirt track or by boat from Playa Blanca.
Recommended time: 3–4 h
El Golfo and Los Hervideros
On the west coast, the Charco de los Clicos is a green lagoon beside a black beach inside a volcanic crater. Nearby, at Los Hervideros, the sea bursts through lava caves, and the Janubio salt pans form a patchwork of colours.
Recommended time: 2 h
Teguise
The island’s old capital, with white houses, convents and palaces. On Sundays it hosts Lanzarote’s biggest market, with crafts and local produce.
Recommended time: 2 h
Hotels near Teguise · 101 properties
Famara Beach
A wild beach several kilometres long below a huge cliff, the surfing mecca of the Canaries, next to the village of La Caleta de Famara and its sandy streets.
Recommended time: 2–3 h
Tip: There are strong currents: only swim in marked areas or with a surf school.
Hotels near Famara Beach · 54 properties
Cactus Garden
Manrique’s last great work: an amphitheatre in an old quarry with thousands of cacti of hundreds of species from all over the world, next to a gofio mill.
Recommended time: 1 h
Hotels near Cactus Garden · 22 properties

Day trips from Lanzarote

La Graciosa
About 25 min by ferry from Órzola
The eighth Canary Island, with no paved roads: sandy streets in Caleta de Sebo, its fishing village, and almost deserted beaches like Las Conchas, explored by bike or 4x4.
Fuerteventura
About 30 min by ferry from Playa Blanca to Corralejo
The Corralejo dunes and nearby Lobos island can be visited in a day.
Haría, the valley of a thousand palms
About 30 min by car from Arrecife
A white village among palm trees in the north, with the house-museum where César Manrique spent his last years and a craft market on Saturdays.
A boat trip along the south coast
From Puerto del Carmen or Playa Blanca
Catamarans and boats that sail along the coast to the Papagayo beaches, with swim stops and sunset trips to look for dolphins.

Lanzarote in 3 days

Day 1
Timanfaya first thing, the vineyards of La Geria and a winery; in the afternoon, El Golfo, Los Hervideros and sunset at the Janubio salt pans.
Day 2
Manrique’s north: the César Manrique Foundation, the Cactus Garden, Jameos del Agua, Cueva de los Verdes and Mirador del Río.
Day 3
A morning at the Papagayo beaches and an afternoon in Teguise or Famara. Or a day trip to La Graciosa.

Lanzarote with kids

The geysers and volcanic grill at Islote de Hilario in Timanfaya.
A camel ride on the slopes of Timanfaya.
The calm golden beaches of Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen.
The water parks in the south and east of the island.

Free things to do in Lanzarote

The Charco de los Clicos and Los Hervideros.
Famara beach and El Reducto beach in Arrecife.
The Teguise market on Sundays.
The seafront promenade of Puerto del Carmen.
The rock pools of Punta Mujeres, for a swim in lava pools.

Where to stay in Lanzarote

The resorts are on the south and east coasts, and none is more than an hour’s drive from any point on the island.

Puerto del Carmen
The liveliest resort, with a long beach, a seafront promenade and plenty of restaurants, close to the airport.
Places to stay in Puerto del Carmen · 327 properties
Playa Blanca
Quiet and family-friendly, next to the Papagayo beaches and the ferry to Fuerteventura.
Places to stay in Playa Blanca · 260 properties
Costa Teguise
Quieter, with coves for windsurfing and close to Manrique’s centres in the north.
Places to stay in Costa Teguise · 256 properties
Arrecife
The capital, with local life, El Reducto beach and the Charco de San Ginés lagoon.
Places to stay in Arrecife · 177 properties
Haría and the north
Rural houses among palms and mountains, for those seeking peace and hiking.
Places to stay in Haría and the north · 186 properties

See places to stay in Lanzarote · 1,685 properties

When to go to Lanzarote

Lanzarote has good weather all year, with very little rain and mild temperatures; the trade winds cool summer days. For the beach, May to October; to explore the island at a relaxed pace, spring and autumn.

Winter is high season for European visitors: the sea is cool, but the sun shines. The wind blows hard for much of the year, which the surfers at Famara appreciate.

Book activities in Lanzarote

Tours, tickets and day trips with live availability and prices.

Activities from an external partner, which may use its own cookies. These are affiliate links: if you book, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Cookie policy

Frequently asked questions about Lanzarote

Do you need a car in Lanzarote?

It is highly recommended: the island is small and by car you can see several Manrique centres in a day. Buses link the resorts with Arrecife, and organised excursions pick you up at your hotel.

How do you visit Timanfaya?

You drive or take a tour to Islote de Hilario, and from there a bus runs along the Route of the Volcanoes, as you cannot walk freely in the park. Tickets can be bought on the island’s Tourist Centres website.

What are Lanzarote’s Art, Culture and Tourism Centres?

The spaces César Manrique designed or inspired: the Fire Mountains, Jameos del Agua, Cueva de los Verdes, Mirador del Río, the Cactus Garden and others. There are passes to visit several.