Lanzarote

A Mars-like volcanic island of Timanfaya National Park, César Manrique's lava-cave architecture and black-ash vineyards – the entire island is a biosphere reserve.

Lanzarote is the northeasternmost of Spain's Canary Islands, about 140 km off the African coast and covering roughly 850 km². The great eruptions of 1730–1736 buried a quarter of the island in lava, creating the Timanfaya volcanic field and the La Geria vineyards planted in black volcanic ash; the whole island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a UNESCO Global Geopark. Local artist César Manrique campaigned to ban high-rises and billboards, and personally transformed lava tubes and quarries into art sites such as Jameos del Agua, the Jardín de Cactus and the Mirador del Río, giving the island its distinctive blend of volcanic landscape and architecture. The island divides into four areas: the north (Jameos del Agua, Cueva de los Verdes, Mirador del Río, Haría, La Graciosa), the centre (Fundación César Manrique, Teguise, La Geria, Monumento al Campesino), the southwest (Timanfaya, the green lagoon of El Golfo, Los Hervideros, the Janubio salt flats) and the southern beaches (Papagayo, Playa Blanca). The climate is dry and mild year-round – around 20°C in winter and 28°C in summer – with frequent strong trade winds; any time of year works, and winter is peak season for Europeans escaping the cold. There are direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and across Europe, as well as connecting flights or ferries from Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Buses on the island are infrequent, so renting a car is recommended; Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca are good bases. Plan to stay 4–5 days. A combined ticket covers the Manrique sites; arrive early in the morning during high season.

Top sights

Timanfaya National Park – A volcanic wasteland formed by the great eruptions of 1730–1736. Ride the bus along the “Route of the Volcanoes,” then have a meal cooked o…
Jameos del Agua – César Manrique transformed a collapsed lava tube into an underground lake, a white swimming pool and a music hall. The lake is home to blin…
Cueva de los Verdes – A long lava tube formed by the Corona volcano's eruption. A guided walk of about 1 km reveals a stunning optical surprise hidden inside.
Mirador del Río – The Mirador del Río, built into a cliff 475 meters above the sea at the island's northern tip, overlooks La Graciosa and the Chinijo Archip…
La Geria – Vines planted in pits dug into black volcanic ash and sheltered by semicircular stone walls: a one-of-a-kind agricultural landscape that al…
Papagayo Beaches – A string of golden-sand coves within the Los Ajaches nature reserve at the island's southern tip, with clear turquoise water. Many consider…
La Graciosa – A small island reached by a 25-minute ferry from Órzola, with no paved roads, sandy streets, white houses and almost empty beaches.
César Manrique Foundation – Manrique’s former home built into a lava flow, where five volcanic bubbles have been turned into colorful underground living rooms, and the…
Jardín de Cactus – Manrique’s last major work, a former quarry whose terraces are planted with nearly 500 cactus species and more than 4,000 plants.
Charco de los Clicos (El Golfo) – Half of a volcanic crater cut open by the waves, with an emerald lagoon hidden behind black sand, and a fishing village beside it famous fo…
Los Hervideros – Cliffs and sea caves formed where lava flowed into the ocean, with huge waves surging into the caves and churning like boiling water, and a…
Salinas de Janubio – Traditional salt pans against a black volcanic backdrop, where rows of square salt pools show white, pink and brown patches in the sunlight.
Teguise – Lanzarote’s former capital, with white colonial houses and stone-paved squares well preserved. Its Sunday market is the island’s largest op…
Castillo de Santa Bárbara – A 16th-century castle on the rim of the Guanapay volcanic crater outside Teguise, housing a pirate museum, with walls overlooking much of t…
Haría – A white village in a northern valley, where palms grow in dense groves, known as the “Valley of a Thousand Palms,” and where Manrique spent…
César Manrique House Museum (Haría) – The home and studio where Manrique spent his last years, with furniture, clothing and unfinished paintings kept as he left them.
LagOmar – A cave mansion built into the rock walls of a former quarry, which legend says actor Omar Sharif lost in a single night of gambling; it is…
Museo Atlántico – Europe’s first underwater sculpture museum, where British artist Jason deCaires Taylor placed hundreds of figure sculptures 12 to 15 meters…
Castillo de San José (MIAC) – An 18th-century castle by the port of Arrecife, converted by Manrique into a contemporary art museum, with a glass-walled restaurant facing…
Charco de San Ginés – A small lagoon in the center of the capital, Arrecife, ringed by white houses and colorful fishing boats, with bars and seafood restaurants…
Playa de Famara – A golden beach about 6 kilometers long on the north coast, backed by the towering Famara Cliffs, and a famous surfing spot in the Canary Is…
Monumento al Campesino – A Manrique sculpture and farmhouse museum at the island’s center honoring the farmers who worked the volcanic ash, where you can enjoy hear…
Caldera Blanca – A hike across the 1730 lava field to the rim of a huge crater about 1 kilometer across, circling the edge for views over Timanfaya.
Caldera de los Cuervos – The first volcano to erupt in the great 1730 eruption, with a gentle loop trail that leads straight into the crater, making it the easiest…
Puerto del Carmen – Lanzarote’s largest resort town, with several kilometers of golden sand beaches and a seaside promenade, and a cluster of restaurants aroun…
Playa Blanca & Marina Rubicón – A resort town at the island’s southern tip, with a relaxed marina market and seafront promenade, and across the water you can see Fuerteven…

Where to eat

Kamezí – Lanzarote's first one-Michelin-starred restaurant, presenting island seafood and local ingredients through a 14-course…
Casa Rafa – A highly-rated seaside seafood restaurant in El Golfo, famous for its fresh fish and seafood rice for two, open for lun…
SeBE – A Michelin-selected restaurant in Costa Teguise, famous for its seafood rice cooked with La Santa red prawns.
Tacande – A family restaurant in Haría, the Valley of a Thousand Palms, blending local goat and fresh seafood with Asian, Peruvia…
La Bodega de Santiago – A Canarian restaurant set in a 19th-century historic house in Yaiza, with highly popular courtyard seating under a gian…
La Carmencita del Puerto – An affordable tapas bar in Matagorda, famous for its smoked fish, popular with both tourists and locals.

Itineraries

Lanzarote & Fuerteventura: 9-Day Dual Island Tour – An eastern Canary Islands journey: experience Manrique's architecture, volcanic parks, white sand dunes, and Lobos Isla…