You want to discover the Canary Islands, and you can find out why you should go to Lanzarote rather than another.
This island is one of the most fascinating, especially if you love volcanoes. In this article, we share with you the reasons why we love this atypical land, starting of course with its magnificent beaches and national park!
This opinion is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
Is Lanzarote worth visiting?: quick answer
Lanzarote is the ideal Canary Island if you love volcanic landscapes and a variety of things to do.
Enjoy city beaches, wild beaches, lava or mountain cliffs, salt marshes, charming villages and volcanoes!
Reason 1: for the volcanoes
If you love volcanic landscapes, you’ll love Lanzarote.
The island is covered with large and small volcanoes of all shapes and colors, as well as lava rock formations. It is fascinating!
Here you can discover..:
- The famous Timanfaya National Park, with its mountains of fire.
These volcanoes are located on the western side of Lanzarote, in an area affected by the eruption that lasted 6 years, from 1730 to 1736. It’s famous for being one of the most spectacular eruptions on Earth, and for changing the shape of the island.
In the national park, you can find many volcanoes of different colors. But many of them have a reddish color, and when the sun rises or sets, they seem to be on fire.
- Lanzarote Volcanic Park with even more volcanoes and lava flows around Timanfaya
Among our favorite spots, we recommend a hike around Montana Cuervo or the volcanic bomb of Montana Colorada.
- Other lava-related rock formations
We love the basalt columns where the lava meets the sea, as at Los Hervideos, and the lava tubes at Jameos del Agua and Cueva de Los Verdes.
Lanzarote’s landscapes are truly exceptional.
Reason 2: for sunny weather all year round
Lanzarote’s highest point is around 670m above sea level. This means that mountains don’t stop clouds… and it doesn’t rain.
The downside is that vegetation is extremely limited. Don’t come to this island if you’re looking for a tropical forest…
But the big advantage is that you’re guaranteed sunshine(even in winter).
Reason 3: for its integrated architecture, thanks to César Manrique
Thanks to the singular vision of César Manrique, Lanzarote boasts unique places where architecture blends with nature. He left an indelible mark on Lanzarote thanks to his commitment to respecting the environment and integrating himself into it.
Thanks to him, hotels don’t take up too much visual space, white contrasts with nature, and his works offer unique experiences in the heart of nature.
The main ones are :
- The cactus garden in a former quarry
- Jameos del Agua in a lava tube
- Mirador del Rio to admire the sea and the island of La Graciosa from a former military post
See tour options to discover his works.
Reason 4: for boat tours and water sports activities
Dolphin watching
We always love to take a boat trip, which gives us a different perspective on the scenery.
Our selection of boat trips
You have many options in Lanzarote, but one of the most popular is dolphin watching.
There’s no guarantee of finding dolphins, but you can still enjoy the beautiful views and a good swim.
We were very lucky, as we were surrounded by lots of dolphins for a long time.
See the tour we had chosen, and its availability.
Water sports and activities
Thanks to the wind, which blows regularly in Lanzarote (although less than in Fuerteventura) and (so you don’t get too hot), you can discover some great water sports and activities:
- Surfing – discover the joys of gliding
- Windsurfing
- Kitesurfing
- Diving – take your first dive!
- Parasailing – admire the island from the sky
- …
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Reason 5: for the beaches
Lanzarote offers a wonderful variety of beaches.
- Sandy beaches in the city with all the facilities you need
- The superb wild beaches of Papagayo if you’re looking for wide open spaces
- Famara beach with its impressive cliffs (ideal for sunsets)
- Northern beaches with shallow lagoons.
See our top 15 most beautiful beaches on Lanzarote.
Reason 6: for unique vineyards
Yes, there are vineyards on Lanzarote. It’s quite amazing, but by using “picon” on the soil to capture moisture and creating small rock walls to protect from the wind, they are able to grow grapes and make wine!
You can visit several Bodegas on the island. The most famous is La Geria with its impressive valley ( see tour program ).
If you rent a car, our favorite was El Grifo, with its small museum and more intimate setting for tasting.
If the subject interests you, join a guided tour with tasting: see program and availability – and book!
Reason 7: For fun activities on land
And so, thanks to all these wide-open spaces, you have a huge playground.
Wherever you stay, you’ll find great excursions with varying degrees of adrenalin to have fun and enjoy the scenery.
For example, you can go on outings:
- by Buggy (but remember to cover your face) – see options and departure points
- in 4WD
- in a water park
- …
Reason 8: For the charm of the villages
Okay. Lanzarote is not the richest in terms of cultural landscapes, but you can find some interesting places. We had a great time visiting them:
- The old center of Teguise, the former capital of Lanzarote, with its beautiful church.
- The salt marshes, so important to the island’s development and so photogenic!
- Museums dedicated to César Manrique
- Churches everywhere…
Reason 9: Ease of exploration
Some of you may just want to sit on a beach and discover just 2 or 3 places. Organized tours will suffice.
But if you’re a little more curious, we highly recommend renting a car to explore the island.
The roads are generally in excellent condition. There is little traffic. It’s very easy to drive and parking spaces are quite large, which is rare in Europe.
OUR ADVICE FOR RENTING A CAR IN Lanzarote
- Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars – one of the best rated sites.
- A small car is all you need.
- But you can also choose a larger one if you wish, as the parking spaces are rather large.
- Demand is high, so book early.
Reason 10: For the island of La Graciosa
Yes, talking about another island may sound a bit odd, but the island of La Graciosa is a tiny volcanic pile to the north of Lanzarote with very few buildings. It’s a magnificent reserve with wonderful beaches
In our opinion, this is one of the main excursions not to be missed on Lanzarote.
Read our article dedicated to the island of La Graciosa.
Unlike Lanzarote, it is covered in golden-white sand. But there are also a few volcanoes. The colors are magnificent and you can enjoy different landscapes: beaches, volcanoes and basalt columns.
Even the ferry crossing is fascinating, with superb views of the Famara cliffs to the north of Lanzarote.
To get there, we recommend
- the ferry from Orzola – reserve your seats
- a catamaran boat trip from Puerto del Carmen – see program and availability – and book!
Why visit certain towns on Lanzarote
On the whole, Lanzarote’s towns are not as historic as those on the mainland. We don’t really come to the island to visit them. But here are some of our thoughts on some of them.
Is Arrecife worth a visit?
Arrecife is the capital of Lanzarote. But it’s also one of the island’s least touristy towns.
If you have a little time, we enjoyed our tour of the old town with:
- The little port with the Charco de San Gines fishing boats
- Castillo de San Gabriel fort and access road
- Parroqui de San Ginès church
- The narrow streets of the old town
- More about Arrecife
Is Puerto del Carmen worth a visit?
If you’re not staying in Puerto del Carmen, it’s not a particularly popular tourist destination…
But it also offers many activities: mini-golfs, its famous Rancho Texas park, and it’s often the starting point for boat tours and other activities.
Is Playa Blanca worth a visit?
Yes, Playa Blanca is surely one of Lanzarote’s most interesting tourist towns.
We loved the seafront promenade, the views towards Fuerteventura and the island of Lobos, and the Montana Roja volcano that dominates the area.
It’s our favorite tourist town on Lanzarote, but it doesn’t have much in the way of cultural attractions.
There’s also a water park here : Aqualava
Is Teguise worth a visit?
Yes, Teguise is well worth a visit. As listed in reason 8 above, Teguise is one of the most interesting towns to visit on Lanzarote. Its old town has a lot of charm.
Fuerteventura or Lanzarote: where to go?
We love the 2 islands.
If you prefer beautiful beaches and fewer crowds, choose Fuerteventura.
If you like lots to do and volcanoes, choose Lanzarote.
See our comparison
