Tips for planning your trip to the island of Lanzarote

The island of Lanzarote has become the favorite place for many tourists to spend their holidays and relax among beaches, natural pools, and volcanoes.

However, despite being a relatively small island, when planning your trip, you may have a thousand doubts, related to transportation, climate, places to visit, places to eat, or which is the best area to stay. 

Here are several tips to help you clear up the most common doubts and make the most of your experience.

Best time to visit Lanzarote

It could be said that Lanzarote is a good destination to visit at any time of the year, although undoubtedly, autumn could be considered the best season, due to its relatively long days and pleasant temperature, but also due to the decrease in wind and tourism.

Specifically, the month par excellence is October, as wind gusts drop to 15 kilometers per hour and with a pleasant temperature of about 25 °C on average. Furthermore, as it is low season, tourist occupancy tends to be 80%, compared to 90% in July and August.

In any case, the months of September and November also offer good conditions for visiting the island of Lanzarote. The former has warmer temperatures, but it is also more difficult to find accommodation, as it is still a month that attracts a lot of tourism.

For its part, in the penultimate month of the year, temperatures are substantially colder, but without dropping below 20 °C. Regarding the wind, it begins to blow a little stronger, with gusts between 19 and 25 kilometers per hour, but which still allow you to enjoy practically deserted beaches.

How to get to the island

Being an island located in the Atlantic, the only way to get to Lanzarote is by boat or by plane, the latter being the most common option among travelers, as it is the fastest and most economical. In just two or three hours you can arrive from any point on the peninsula.

César Manrique Airport in Lanzarote offers numerous connections, not only nationally but also with European countries, as it receives up to three million tourists a year, most of them foreigners.

In any case, for those who prefer to venture by boat, the best option is hiring a cruise with a stopover in the port of Arrecife or Playa Blanca. This way you will see the most tourist enclaves without ceasing to enjoy the experience offered by the boat trip.

How many days do you need to tour it?

Although Lanzarote is a rather small island, it has countless corners to see, from secret caves, spectacular volcanoes, and viewpoints from which to watch incredible sunsets, so a trip of about three or four days will probably be a bit short.

In addition, it is also a place with many beaches, even black sand, and natural pools where you can relax and disconnect, something you won't be able to fully enjoy if you have to rush from one place to another to visit the maximum number of sites in such a short time.

Therefore, the most advisable thing is to plan a trip of between five and seven days, to also be able to spend at least one day on the island of La Graciosa, the eighth island of the Canary Islands.

Where to stay

If what you are looking for is the comfort of a hotel or an apartment complex with a pool, you will find numerous options spread throughout the island's geography, especially in tourist areas such as Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise, or Playa Blanca.

You can also opt to spend the night in one of the hotels or apartments in its central capital called Arrecife and, if you are one of those people who wants to get away from the hustle and bustle of tourist spots and enjoy tranquility, then you should stay in more rural houses, villas, or bungalows in villages, such as Haría, Famara, El Golfo, or La Santa.

In any case, Lanzarote offers a wide variety of accommodations for all tastes and budgets in all its municipalities.

How to get around the island

Lanzarote has numerous ways of getting around, you can opt for public transport, rent a car, take a taxi, or hire guided tours that include transport, there is something for everyone.

In case you want to move around the island with complete freedom and rent a car, there are numerous companies with a wide variety of vehicles and very competitive prices, however, it is of vital importance that you book them as far in advance as possible, especially for the summer.

If, on the other hand, you prefer to be taken to all the tourist spots without having to worry about anything, the best option is to hire excursions with different travel agencies.

Where and what to eat

The Canary Islands are famous for their volcanoes, beaches, and mild climate, but also for their gastronomy, specifically for their wrinkled potatoes with mojo, among other dishes.

You can try them in restaurants such as Ropavieja Grill Bar or El Risco, as well as in the restaurants of the Tourist Centers, such as in the Monumento del Campesino itself. There you can also take the opportunity to try other typical dishes at a good price and in an emblematic setting, such as millo soup, fried cheese, or traditional sancocho.

You can also try them in the teleclubs, which are scattered throughout all the municipalities of the island, places where many locals also gather to play Canarian ball or cards.

Essential places you must visit

If you have a few days, the ideal is to focus on visiting the most touristy sites, such as the Mirador del Río, the Montañas del Fuego in Timanfaya, the beaches of Papagayo and Famara, the Cueva de los Verdes, the Jameos del Agua, the Jardín de Cactus, as well as a quick stop at Los Hervideros and El Golfo.

If you have more time, you should also stroll along a black sand beach, such as Montaña Bermeja, swim in a natural pool, such as Los Charcones, climb to the top of Risco de Famara to watch the sunset, or enter the crater of a volcano, for example, with the trail that surrounds the Volcán del Cuervo or Caldera Blanca.

How to save money on tourist visits

Many of the must-see attractions require payment, so the Tourist Centers have established a pass that includes several of them. This way you can visit several locations at a lower price than if you bought the tickets separately.

The price will vary depending on the tourist sites you want to include in it, allowing you to choose between three, four, or six centers. Among them are many of César Manrique's works, such as the Mirador del Río, Los Jameos del Agua, or the Jardín de Cactus, but it also includes the Montañas del Fuego in Timanfaya, the Cueva de los Verdes, and the Castillo de San José.