Lanzarote or Fuerteventura: which island to visit? (our opinion)

Want to visit the eastern Canary Islands? Excellent, but here’s the question: Lanzarote or Fuerteventura?
Both islands have a lot to offer: beaches, volcanoes, cliffs…
Here’s our photo comparison to help you decide: scenery, conditions, beaches, activities…

This opinion is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.

Lanzarote or Fuerteventura? Quick response

If you don’t want to read all the criteria and photos below in the article, here’s our general answer:

• If you want a wide variety of activities and lots of charm, then head for Lanzarote.
  – see our tips for planning a wonderful trip
• If you want a beach vacation or wind sports, go to Fuerteventura
  – see our tips for planning a great trip

We loved both, but our favorite was Lanzarote. We love the way it has kept its authenticity with limited architecture and development and the number of fascinating volcanic features there are.

And here are our opinions on the various elements:

• The best wild beaches: Fuerteventura
• The best resort beaches: Lanzarote
• The most beautiful landscapes: Lanzarote
• Top attractions: Lanzarote
• Climate: equivalent
• Culture: Lanzarote
• Gastronomy: equivalent
• Ease of movement: Equivalent
• Ease of access: Equivalent

If you’ve made up your mind, see our tips on:

• where to stay in Lanzarote
• where to stay in Fuerteventura

And if you can’t decide between more islands, check out our comparison of all the Canary Islands.

Best beaches: Lanzarote or Fuerteventura?

Lanzarote’s most beautiful beaches

Lanzarote offers a wide variety of beaches, from wild ones to fully equipped ones.
Among our favorites:

• Playa de Papagayo, wild on the oldest part of the island
• Playa Flamingo, in the seaside resort of Playa Blanca
• Famara beach, with giant cliffs

See our top 15 most beautiful beaches on Lanzarote.

Fuerteventura’s best beaches

To start with, Fuerteventura is renowned for having the most beautiful beaches in the Canary Islands. It has plenty of big ones, with fewer tourists, so you can enjoy some of the quieter corners of the beach.
Only Corralejo has small beaches right in the middle of town.

Among our favorites:

• Playa Sotavento de Jandia, the famous wild lagoon
• Playa del Viejo Reyes with its magnificent cliffs
• Playa Tierra Dorada (Mal Nombre), unique
• Playa del Matorral, the large beach of Morro Jable
• The beaches of the Corralejo dunes

You can easily find the beach that suits your mood.
Find out more in our article on the best beaches in Fuerteventura.

Winning island

Fuerteventura definitely has a lot more sand than Lanzarote, so there’s a wider choice of beaches for you to choose from.
Both have interesting choices. But we’d choose Fuerteventura because you have a lot more space there and can more easily get away from the crowds if you want.

OUR TIPS FOR RENTING A CAR IN THE Canary Islands

• Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars – one of the best rated sites.
• Choose a motor powerful enough for Tenerife and La Gomera. A small car is sufficient for the other islands
• But you can also choose a larger one if you wish, as the parking spaces are rather large.
• There’s a lot of demand and these are islands, so book early.

See available cars ->

Which island has the most beautiful scenery?

Landscapes of Lanzarote

Lanzarote is particularly famous for its volcanic landscapes and cliffs.
We fell in love with its lava fields and colorful volcanoes.

• Numerous volcanoes, including Timanfaya National Park. Some are black, some are red, and there’s even a big white one.
• There are also many fascinating volcanic landscapes, such as lava fields (smooth or rocky), lava tubes (where Cesar Manrique has fun reinventing space), lava cliffs at Los Hervideros or the green lagoon at El Golfo.
• You can also find high cliffs to the northwest at Famara.
• And vineyards at the foot of volcanoes
• And of course, the beaches we mentioned in the previous section…

Get a better idea with our article on the most beautiful landscapes in 25 photos.

Fuerteventura landscapes

In Fuerteventura, the landscape is much less volcanic:

• Fascinating unvegetated mountains in shades of orange, pink and brown
• White sand dunes in Corralejo Natural Park
• Impressive cliffs in the south-west at the famous Cofete (accessible only by bumpy track)
• Ancient cliffs and caves at Ajuy
• Fascinating sand lagoon at Jandia in southeastern Spain

Get a better idea with our article on the most beautiful landscapes in 25 photos.

Winning island

Because of all the volcanoes, the winner is Lanzarote.
But we have to admit that we were pleasantly surprised by Fuerteventura. It was much more interesting than we expected from just looking at the photos.

The best option if you have 2 weeks would be 9 days in Lanzarote and 5 days in Fuerteventura or something like that.

A LITTLE MORE patience

All the photos, maps, information and addresses you need to make your stay in the Canaries a success will soon be available in a single ebook!

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Best hotels

Both islands have a very good hotel offer. But we have a preference for hotels in Lanzarote. César Manrique did in fact establish rules for building on the island, which means that the buildings are, on the whole, more harmonious (in our opinion). And the choice of luxury hotels is more interesting.

Best hotels in Lanzarote

See our selection of the most beautiful hotels in Lanzarote.

CHOOSING A HOTEL IN Lanzarote

Choosing where to stay:

• Where to stay in Lanzarote
• Playa Blanca or Puerto del Carmen or Costa Teguise

Select by hotel type:

• 5-star hotels
• Best boutique-hotels
• Best adults-only hotels
• Best all-inclusive hotels
• Best hotels for families

Our favorite: Hotel Cala Lanzarote – See prices, photos and availability

Select by city:

• Best hotels in Playa Blanca
• Best hotels in Puerto del Carmen
• Best hotels in Costa Teguise

Best hotels in Fuerteventura

See our selection of the most beautiful hotels in Fuerteventura.

CHOOSING A HOTEL IN Fuerteventura

Choosing where to stay:

• Where to stay in Fuerteventura
• Best part: North or South

Choose by hotel type:

• 5-star hotels
• Best boutique-hotels
• Best adults-only hotels
• Best all-inclusive hotels
• Best hotels for families
• Best resorts (quiet or lively)

Our favorite: Hotel INNSide – See prices, photos and availability

Select by city:

• Best hotels in Corralejo
• Best hotels in Morro Jable
• Best hotels in Costa Calma
• Best hotels in Caleta de Fuste

Cultural attractions – which island offers the most?

Cultural activities in Lanzarote

Lanzarote’s cultural offer is very interesting. You can find out more about:

• the astonishing work of Cesar Manrique, integrating nature with architecture and art: for example at his foundation or at Jameos del Agua
  See the different locations
• volcanoes and enjoy a bus tour of Timanfaya and discover the activity underground with some demonstrations
  Read more
• The history of wine and vineyards
• The charm of historic villages like Teguise

Cultural activities in Fuerteventura

Next to Windward Island, you can discover..:

• Pastoral history and cheese-making(Museo del Queso Majorero)
• The charm of historic villages like Betancuria
• The salt marshes
• The use of windmills on the island
• See our list of the best museums.

Winning island

Lanzarote has a more developed offer for those seeking cultural activities.

Activities: sports, fun, sensation

Theme parks in Lanzarote

Lanzarote offers several theme parks for families:

• In Lanzarote, you can visit the Rancho Texas park, which combines a zoo, water park and other outdoor activities. It’s near Puerto del Carmen – Book your tickets
• Lanzarote also has a second water park on the Costa Teguise with a paintball area – Book your ticket

See Lanzarote theme parks

HAVE FUN WITH THESE Lanzarote activities

• Dolphin watching
• Buggy / Quad
• Kayak excursion
• But also: Diving at the Museum of the Atlantic, Catamaran outings, Paddle excursions, Parasailing

See all activities in Lanzarote -> Lanzarote

Theme parks in Fuerteventura

On the island of Fuertenvetura, you’ll find..:

• Acua Waterpark in Fuertenvetura – Book your tickets
• Exotic animals in Oasis Park – Book your tickets

See Fuerteventura theme parks

HAVE FUN WITH THESE activities

• Dolphin watching
• Boat to Lobos Island
• Buggy tour
• But also; surfing lessons, 4WD tour in Cofete, windsurfing, scuba diving…

See all activities in Fuerteventura ->

Winning island

The choice of parks and attractions is roughly equivalent.

Conduire à Fuerteventura vs LanzaroteSur les deux îles, les routes sont en assez bon état. On y roule à droite.

Driving in Lanzarote

On Lanzarote, the roads are very easy.
They are in good condition, with good visibility and little traffic.

We strongly recommend renting a car to discover all the island’s most beautiful landscapes. See our tips for renting a car in Lanzarote.

Our favorite platform for renting a car is Discovercars: see the offers.

Driving in Fuerteventura

In Fuerteventura, the roads are very easy.
There’s a major freeway from north to south and very little traffic, even in the towns.
The only difficulties are a few places where the roads are unpaved, such as the Cofete cliffs.

We strongly recommend renting a car to discover all the island’s most beautiful landscapes. See our tips for renting a car in Fuerteventura.

Our favorite platform for renting a car is Discovercars: see the offers.

Winning island

Equally easy to drive on both islands.

Gastronomic offer

Because of the Canaries’ shared history and similar weather conditions, you can find similar foods on both islands.
Local cuisine combines seafood and traditional Spanish recipes with Latin American influences.
There isn’t much agriculture on the islands, so fruit and vegetables are imported and rarely found on menus.

A special feature of Lanzarote are the vineyards where trees grow thanks to the volcanic rocks of the Picon. Sweet wine tasting and great tours to discover unique farming techniques.

See our selection of the best restaurants in Lanzarote.
See our selection of the best restaurants in Fuerteventura.

Climate

Let’s take a look at the travel conditions you can expect on both islands.
Being very close to each other, there aren’t many differences, except for the accommodation.

• Generally speaking, the weather is warm and dry all year round.
• Both islands are windy, but Fuerteventura is considered to have more wind.
• Both islands experience foggy days, especially when the wind blows in from the Sahara.
• In winter, we can expect a temperature of around 21°C, while in summer it rises to 28°C – 30°C.

See our article on when to go to Lanzarote (coming soon).
See our article on when to go to Fuerteventura.

Nearby islands – Lobos or La Graciosa

The funny thing is that Lanzarote and Fuerteventura both have wonderful little volcanic islands very close to them.
They can be reached by smaller ferries and explored on a day trip.
We really liked both.

From Lanzarote: La Graciosa

To the north of Lanzarote lies the small island of La Graciosa, accessible by ferry from Orzola.
The island boasts stunning sandy beaches and volcanoes.
There are no roads, only dirt tracks, and you can pay for a 4WD cab to get around.

From Fuerteventura: Lobos

And to the north of Fuerteventura lies theisland of Lobos. It’s smaller than La Graciosa. It can be reached by ferry from Corralejo. Book here (option to add snorkelling)
The walks are fascinating with their mix of sand and volcanic soil.
A truly worthwhile outing.

Lanzarote vs Fuerteventura – Videos

Before writing point by point on the various criteria to compare and help you decide where to go: Lanzarote or Fuerteventura – here are 2 videos below to give you a snapshot of the two islands.

Let’s start with an introduction to everything you can see on Lanzarote:

And now an introduction to what a visit to Fuerteventura is like:

Combination – Lanzarote and Fuerteventura

As we said earlier, a good idea is to combine Lanzarote and Fuerteventura in a single trip.
Either 1 week each or more than 1 week each.
It’s easy enough to travel from one to the other with a short ferry ride between Playa Blanca and Corralejo – see ferry options.

Other option: Day excursions

The other option is to book a day trip to the other island, just to get a snapshot and maybe come back on another trip. For example:

• From Lanzarote you can explore the northern part of Fuerteventura with the sand dunes of Corralejo – find out more
• Or from Lanzarote as well, you can discover the mountains and history and Fuerteventura – find out more
• From Fuerteventura, you can enjoy a day trip to discover Lanzarote’s volcanoes and its wine region – find out more

SHE MADE THE TRIP AND WROTE THE ARTICLE Claire