Lanzarote in 5 Days: everything you need to know

Lanzarote is an island with a profile outlined by the force of volcanoes that was punctuated by the architecture of César Manrique. Impressive cliffs, fine sandy beaches, multicoloured lakes, turquoise sea and rocky terrain stimulate the senses. Lanzarote is the island you feel from end to end and the activities are limitless.

This post is a guide to the best things to do in Lanzarote for your 5 day itinerary so that you can make the most of your visit.

Lanzarote is full of places of interest and the distances are relatively short. An average of 9 kilometres separates one place from another, so I recommend that you hire a car to go at your own pace. Considering that public transport in Lanzarote doesn't have a regular timetable, you'll get the most out of your visit by private car.

From 25 € you can find a car at CICAR, Cabrera Medina or AutoReisen. On the first day I invite you to drive around some of the island's must-see places. Volcanic vineyards, José Saramago's refuge, the lunar landscape of La Geria or the white village of Teguise are important to start getting to know the island and its history.

Another great option is to book a wine tour in Lanzarote, from £41

Reef

The day starts with a tour of the capital of Lanzarote before lunch. The city, like any other coastal resort, is full of shopping streets, colourful flats and Cesar Manrique's first artistic interventions, such as the Casa de la Cultura Agustin de la Hoz.

However, Arrecife revolves around the Charco de San Ginés, the entrance to the marine life of the place. The first chapel in the area was built there, the Church of San Ginés, where you can see the carnestolenda statue of Los Buches. Continue the route along the Calle Real to El Mercadillo, a must when you set foot in Arrecife to refresh yourself.

Afterwards, cross the Puente de las Bolas to reach the Castillo de San Gabriel, a fortress that houses the Arrecife History Museum. Admission is free and inside you'll learn about the island's landmarks and its fishing past, while enjoying a breathtaking view of the Atlantic. This enchanting tour takes about 2 hours.

La Geria

From Arrecife to La Geria is a 20 minute drive, so you'll arrive at a perfect time for cheese and wine tasting and lunch.

The main wineries of the island are concentrated in this area - one of the oldest in Europe, by the way - and the production of these products follows the motto of the island, they are different vineyards. There are also unconventional grape varieties such as the volcanic malvasia, a tiny grape whose fermentation process is one of the top Spanish wines. Where does it come from? From an impossible terrain that gives you ideas of a walk on the moon.

If you want to try the local products of Lanzarote, this is the place. And I'm not just talking about the wines, the cheeses (especially the matured ones) are a delight. I encourage you to join one of the guided tours of the bodegas to see for yourself, then continue along the LZ-30 road to your next stop.

The Casa Museo del Campesino

As you make your way to the Casa del Museo Campesino, you will pass through a black earth terrain full of curious holes. In the middle of each one, a vine flourishes, protected by semicircular walls. These individual fortresses protect from the humidity of the soil and the effects of the trade winds. You'll have to park your car, I tell you, because the landscape is breathtaking.

You'll soon reach the municipality of San Bartolomé, where you'll find the Casa Museo del Campesino, a work conceived by the island's architectural father, Cesar Manrique, accompanied by the master Jesús Soto. The result is an avant-garde tribute to the locals.

At the entrance you will find the Monumento a la Fecundidad (Monument to Fertility), which is just an appetizer. It's well worth the 1 hour visit. The entrance is free, don't worry.

Teguise

The former capital of Lanzarote is a charming town with such interesting things as an old barn which, converted into a bank agency, has some canvases as a work of art and a dining table at the entrance.

In the streets of Teguise you will find little white houses with their traditional wooden balconies, the Museum of Piracy in the Castle of Santa Bárbara; the Municipal Library, a haven of books where time has stood still; or the Church of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, the central emblem of the countryside.

Teguise is a very pretty village where the breeze combines the sea and the volcanic earth. Its terraces are the perfect introduction to the island, so much so that there are travellers who come down from Famara just to dine in this village. If you can, spend the night there, but not before visiting theStratified City, where the sunset is like a film. You can also take the opportunity to go to the Aquapark in Costa Teguise.

On the second day in Lanzarote I invite you to get to know the emblem of the island, its volcanoes. This is an intense day because you will be walking around the Mountain of Fire, better known as Timanfaya, and the main attractions around it.

The whole route adds up to a total of 41 km, not bad for the 6 stops that make it up, however, you must take into consideration one detail, Timanfaya can only be visited with a guided tour and you have a couple of alternatives:

• From 12 € you can buy your ticket when you arrive at the mountain, which will give you access only to Timanfaya with the transport from the centre. If you choose this option, I encourage you to buyvouchers for 4 or 6 sites of interest in Lanzarote.
• Alternatively, you can opt for a full tour of Timanfaya, which avoids the queues, has air-conditioned private transport from your accommodation and often adds other stops such as the Echadero de Camellos.

The complete route (not counting lunch) takes between 5 and 6 hours to enjoy the walk at your leisure. Stop after stop you will be fascinated by the attractions.

Timanfaya

By far the king of Lanzarote's iconic sites. In 1730, after a 6 year mega eruption, all forms of life on the island were wiped out.

As the lava gave way, it created a landscape with complex shapes where new flora and fauna have found their little geographic nook and cranny. This is how birds, camels, geysers and hotbeds combine in Timanfaya.

Los Clicos Lagoon or the Charco Verde del Golfo (Green Pool of the Gulf)

The Laguna de los Clicos is one of the most amazing volcanic landscapes in the world. At this point on the island, water and magma combine in the middle of a beach of white, reddish and black sand to border the also called Charco Verde (Green Pool).

This is an essential stop on your itinerary, the magic of nature will leave you speechless and you just have to get close to the Gulf to appreciate this treasure from the free viewpoint.

Los Hervideros

A little less than 1 km from Playa Montaña Bermeja is Los Hervideros, an Atlantic marvel where the sea hits the lava relief left by the volcano with force to seep into its caves.

In fact, the place owes its name to the sound produced by the crashing of the water. As a result, the caves amplify the sound and create a visual delight.

The Janubio Salt Flats

The last stop of the day takes you to the southwest of the island to visit the Salinas de Janubio, an area of 168 hectares including the villages of Hoya, Laguna de Janubio, Las Breñas and Playa del Janubio. You can find the visit point at the Calle los Hervideros where the locals work to preserve an ancient tradition in the middle of an overwhelming landscape.

You can book an excursion to the Salinas de Janubio where you can buy their products in the Bodega Janubio and have dinner in the restaurant Miradorde las Salinas, a place with a covered terrace where the view covers the salt lagoon.

At the end, if you are on your own, you can stay in Playa Blanca, there you will find a variety of options, and it is close to your next stops because your third day will be a day of sun and sand in Lanzarote.

The third day is a 39 kilometre drive from Playa Blanca to Puerto Calero, passing some ofLanzarote's bestbeaches, namely Playa Papagayo, Playa Flamingo, Playa Quemada and Playa del Pozo.

There are many more you could visit. Both Los Charcones and the Natural Pools are a spectacle, but getting you there is a significant detour and there are special reasons that place the above beaches in a place of honour.

This day you can do the beach by beach tour on your own or go straight to the port, check in at your hotel and take a buggy tour of Lanzarote or take one of the boat tours of Lanzarote.

Marine activities such as snorkelling, kayaking, paddle boarding, scuba diving, submarine rides can be included, so begin an immersive adventure on the sea of Lanzarote.

Papagayo Beach and Pozo Beach

Playa del Papagayo is the most popular tourist beach in the south of the island. Its white sand, rich marine life, calm waters and shallow depths make it a favourite when visiting Lanzarote with children. Just a word of warning, you will find several potholes on the last few kilometres of the unpaved road and you have to pay around €3 to park there.

You could also take a boat trip that includes this beach or a guided tour to include kayaking, snorkelling or scuba diving in Lanzarote. This Caribbean corner of Lanzarote is well worth a visit.

On the other hand, if a trip to Lanzarote with children is not your thing, very close to Playa del Papagayo, just 16 metres away, you will find Playa del Pozo, a nudist beach with a similar landscape to its predecessor. There you can book a diving experience in Lanzarote or go on a kayak and snorkelling tour.

Flamingo Beach

This beach is as small as it is beautiful. It is 200 metres long and has facilities for disabled people, children, adults and the whole family thanks to its artificial construction.

Playa Flamingo is well known for diving and snorkelling. If you bring your mask and snorkel you can do it on your own or rent it around: the Delphinus offers everything you need.

Quemada Beach

The next destination starts to move away from the south, but it will allow you to swim at your leisure and get to know the best beaches of Lanzarote. So start your ascent up the island to see the north on your fourth day and arrive at Playa Quemada.

This beach is one of the quietest at first glance. In the background you can see a fishing village flanked by dark sand and a bunch of little white houses by the sea. Despite its appearance, you can go jet skiing, swimming, or eating with a view of the sea.

You should know that the prices are affordable in the area, the food is delicious and the views are great enough to stay and read with the sea breeze as your adventurous accomplice.

Puerto Calero and Puerto del Carmen

Puerto Calero and Puerto del Carmen are quite similar. Both are tourist areas where the big chain hotels and shops are waiting for tourists so you can visit both or choose your final stop of the day. From there you can take a sailing boat tour or a catamaran excursion and tour the area at sea.

If you choose Puerto Calero you can climb aboard a tourist submarine to see the marine life from its skylights and then go snorkelling in the sea, it's a super cool experience. If you choose Puerto del Carmen, you can book a dolphin watching tour in Lanzarote, especially if you visit the island in spring, or take a Lanzarote Buggy Tour.

You should know that the nightlife is more lively there, so as well as taking a catamaran trip to the various beaches in the area, on your return the terraces and nightclubs are an alternative available.

As you can see, there are plenty of things to see and things to do in Lanzarote and on this day you'll be heading to the north of Lanzarote to visit some of the island's cultural centres. If you want to save a few euros, it might be useful to buy CACT vouchers (Centros de Arte, Cultura y Turismo).

The day's route will take you to the Cactus Garden, Punta Mujeres Jameos del Agua and the Cueva de los Verdes to finish in Órzola or as close to this port as possible, as the last day will be dedicated to one of the best day trips from Lanzarote, to the island of La Graciosa and it is in this port that the boats leave.

This route covers 50 km in which you will discover the island's outstanding treasures at each stop.

Cactus Garden

After breakfast at your hotel in the port, this will be the first stop on the route: the Cactus Garden, one of Cesar Manrique's most interesting works.

In this old quarry in Guatiza you can see around 4,000 species of cactus of various origins. The artist's intention was to combine the beauty of the volcanic landscape with the desert vegetation. The result has won a variety of international accolades and is an unmissable site of interest on the island.

Punta Mujeres

Another of these charming places is Punta Mujeres, a colourful fishing village where blue and white colour its streets. Here you can have lunch, although the main reason to include this place on your itinerary are the natural swimming pools.

They are the most beautiful in Lanzarote and you can take a dip without any problem. If you want something else, stop by the Aloe Vera Museum and shop, you'll find them on your way.

Jameos del Agua

This tunnel created by the eruption of the Corona volcano has an underground lake with a spectacular entrance. Again Cesar Manrique intervened to enhance the beauty of the place and to protect a particular species.

Yes, believe it or not, this small island is home to albino crabs, a unique species in the world.

Find out when and how to visit Jameos del Agua to avoid the queues and crowds.

Cave of the Greens

This is one of those places that leaves you speechless. It is 6 kilometres long, eroded by lava with surprising lighting and acoustics. The colourfulness does not leave you indifferent and at the end the guides will give you a pleasant surprise. I will be another of the accomplices who does not reveal it so that you can live the experience, it is worth it, it is magical.

At the end of the tour you can go to the Mirador del Río and contemplate from a distance the island that awaits you tomorrow, or go straight to Órzola to spend the night. There you will find restaurants and hotels of all kinds.

To round off your visit to Lanzarote you have the jewel in the crown for the last day, La Graciosa.

This is an island whose charms remain untouched thanks to the limited use of vehicles (only official transport is allowed), its natural paths (streets without asphalt) and a scarce offer of hotels and inns (you can find them all in Caleta del Sebo).

This island deserves to be called virgin with all its letters. And taking the above points into consideration, the best thing to do is to take a guided excursion to La Graciosa from Lanzarote.

What to do in La Graciosa

In La Graciosa you can go kayaking, snorkelling and even hiking. The island offers all the conditions to enjoy a natural marine environment.

However, bear in mind that the shops, restaurants and other establishments are located around the harbour, and you are not allowed to take your car with you.

How to get to the island

You can travel by ferry from Órzola and back to Caleta de Sebo. The ferry ticket to La Graciosa can be purchased from £26 and takes between 25-30 minutes. Then it's time to rent a bike (from €15 per day), or take a jeep-taxi.

Another more comfortable alternative is to hire a private tour from Lanzarote. Prices vary from €68 and usually include, among other things, lunch with paella, ferry transfers to the island and catamaran to La Graciosa, as well as all the necessary equipment to practice the water sport of your choice.

The most beautiful beaches of La Graciosa

• La Francesa beach. An exotic beach with a serene sea, transparent water and a wealth of marine life that is well worth discovering with your snorkel. Playa La Francesa is located just 2.5 kilometres south of Caleta de Sebo. You can lie on its white sand, dive into the sea, kayak along it or just gaze at the horizon.
• La Cocina Beach. Just a 15-minute walk from Playa Francesa is this cove located between the imposing cliffs of the Amarilla mountain. This beach is beautiful, with intense green, calm waters and a crystal clear bottom. You can get there by taxi-jeep from the port of Caleta de Sebo or on foot.
• Las Conchas Beach. To the northwest you will find another of the most beautiful beaches of La Graciosa, Playa de Las Conchas. A space with a view of the Clara mountain and its brother, the also uninhabited islet of Alegranza. The sand is coarse and retains the same turquoise tone as its predecessors. This beach is ideal for those looking for more privacy, it is usually not very crowded and it is only 5 kilometres to get there.

Carla's Tip

You will be told to hire a bike if you decide to visit La Cocina or La Francesa because it is only 3km from the port, however, the terrain is quite demanding (few people mention this). It is preferable to take a taxi or walk.