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:
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.
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
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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:
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 Fuerteventura
See our selection of the most beautiful hotels in Fuerteventura.
CHOOSING A HOTEL IN Fuerteventura
Choosing where to stay:
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:
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
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
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
HAVE FUN WITH THESE activities
- Dolphin watching
- Boat to Lobos Island
- Buggy tour
- But also; surfing lessons, 4WD tour in Cofete, windsurfing, scuba diving…
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
