The island of Lanzarote belongs to the Canary Islands and is very popular among European holidaymakers. From the Netherlands you fly to Lanzarote in 4.5 hours. The island has a desert climate, so you can go here all year round to enjoy the sun. In summer it is around 30 degrees and in winter around 20 degrees. This makes Lanzarote the ideal sun destination for every season! We visited Lanzarote in winter and therefore had a wonderful time. Read everything about your holiday to Lanzarote here, but would you also like to see the video? Then watch the video here: Lanzarote: all sights.
What to do in Lanzarote? Rent a car to explore the island!
Lanzarote is the first destination of our big trip around the world in 2022. On New Year’s Eve our big adventure starts on a small, fairly well-known island in the Atlantic Ocean. Although we will encounter a lot of amazing countries after this, this is already off to a fantastic start. With three hundred conical volcanic peaks and colorful lakes and bays, Lanzarote is a very diverse island. In this blog you can read all about the highlights and what to do on Lanzarote. Tip: Take a rental car so you can explore the entire island yourself! We rented a car at Topcar, one of the cheaper car rental companies on Lanzarote.
Where to stay in Lanzarote?
There are of course many options to stay on Lanzarote. You will find most of them around Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen on the south side. You can also choose to stay more secluded in the middle of the island. I would like to give you a good tip about that!
Casa Tomarén: an Indonesian oasis
Our first residence on the island is called Casa Tomarén and is built entirely in Indonesian style. We spend the night in an apartment with a living room, bedroom and kitchen in one, also completely in Indonesian style. I personally think it’s a really cool way to stay on this island. We are really traveling around the world with all the different cultures around us. You can also sit outside on your own terrace and enjoy the silence. We really found this place to be an oasis of peace! During the day we take a lovely dip in the heated pool and when it starts to get cooler at the end of the afternoon, we enjoy the outdoor jacuzzi. After all, it is winter, so the evenings can be quite cool.
The area, the town of Mozaga, is really a hamlet in the middle of nowhere. With a rental car we can reach our apartment from the airport in about 25 minutes. Most tourists stay in Puerto del Carmen. This seaside resort has a lot to offer tourists, there are dozens of restaurants, bars and souvenir shops. From our apartment it was about a fifteen minute drive to the seaside resort. doable, right?
An apartment on the coast
After our stay at Casa Tomarén, we will spend another night in the popular seaside resort of Puerto del Carmen. From our apartment we have a beautiful view over the bay. We stay within walking distance of the boulevard of Puerto del Carmen and enjoy the atmosphere on the street in the evening. There are many good and cozy restaurants, pubs and cafes.
Parque Nacional Timanfaya
One of the absolute highlights of the island is the Parque Nacional Timanfaya, a real moon landscape without any signs of life. The island largely consists of this park. Unfortunately, it is not possible to drive around this beautiful moon landscape yourself. Upon arrival, park your car and take a bus tour of approximately 45 minutes. Once on the bus, we understand very well why you cannot and should not drive this yourself. The road is very narrow and has many sharp bends. If you look out the window, you can look straight into the ravine. Our bus driver must be a very experienced driver to be able to do this every day. Cheers! We’re still alive.
Charco de los Clicos (Laguna Verde)
Just outside Timanfaya National Park lies perhaps the area’s biggest attraction. Charco de los Clicos is about a ten-minute drive from the park entrance, towards the west. The beautiful green lake is also called Charco Verde or Laguna Verde. Next to a dark gray strip of lava sand, opposite the wild, deep blue Atlantic Ocean, lies a bright green lake. You can choose to walk to the viewpoint in about five minutes from the parking lot, but you can also go off the beaten path for a closer look on the beach. Of course I also wanted to admire the view with the drone.
Jameos de Agua
A number of Lanzarote attractions revolve entirely around the earth and volcanic activity that shaped the island. In the north, La Corona volcano (how appropriate at this time) has created a gigantic lava tunnel, which we can walk through. We start at the Jameos de Agua center, a beautiful location designed by artist Cesar Manrique. There is a beautiful swimming pool in the artistic Jameos de Agua, but no one ever swims in it. Jens wanted to try it, but he would first have to become King of Spain. The bath is that exclusive!
TIP: Plan your visit to Jameos de Agua and Cuevas de los Verdes in the morning. When we visited both attractions around lunchtime and walked back to the parking lot, it was very busy with cars and the line for Cuevas de los Verdes stretched all over the parking lot. A waste of your time!
Cuevas de los Verdes
On the other side of Jameos de Agua are the Cuevas de los Verdes, where you can walk through part of the lava tunnel. The stretch of about one kilometer resembles Jules Verne’s ‘Journey to the center of the earth’. The biggest surprise at the end (spoiler alert): after standing at an abyss a number of times, the guide asks us to throw a stone ‘down’. Everyone is amazed and starts laughing when the stone almost immediately causes a splash in the water. The crystal clear reflection provided optical illusion, very cool!
TIP: You can buy combination tickets online, but also at the attractions themselves, to visit multiple attractions on the island. This is much cheaper than buying an entrance ticket separately everywhere. If you choose to purchase your combination tickets online, please keep in mind that it is a requirement to bring them printed out! So just look sweetly at the hotel receptionist. Or purchase your tickets online at home! You can buy the combination tickets here.
Mirador del Rio
The northernmost point of Lanzarote has the most beautiful view. Also designed by the same artist Manrique is a bizarre panoramic viewpoint incorporated into the mountain.
On the other side you can see the island of La Graciosa, a small island that is also part of Lanzarote. The difference in height provides a spectacular and endless view. From the town of Órzola you can visit the island of La Graciosa with a boat trip.
Caleta de Famara
An absolute highlight during your holiday on Lanzarote is the beach Caleta de Famara, in the north of the island. This place is a true paradise for surfers. We visited Caleta de Famara on a sunny Sunday and it was a wonderful place to be. Even if you don’t go surfing yourself, a visit to this beach is worthwhile. We see many surfers on the water and also a lot of tourists taking surfing lessons. The huge rocks and all those surfers remind us a lot of Hawaii. We take a nice walk along the coast and watch the countless surfers in the water. Jens also thinks it’s a beautiful sight!
Teguise
From Caleta de Famara we drive in the afternoon to Teguise, the old capital of Lanzarote. The center is full of old buildings from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Every Sunday there is a large market here with local products, souvenirs and, above all, lots of Aloe Vera. The streets of Teguise are very photogenic and are also full of all kinds of old cars. That’s why it’s just hard not to keep taking photos all day long. After our visit to the market, we sit down on a bench in a playground in the middle of the village, so that Jens can enjoy himself for a while. The beer we drink afterwards on one of the cozy terraces now tastes extra good!
Playa del Papagayo
On our last day in Lanzarote we drive to the south of the island. In this part of the island you will find the most beautiful bays of Lanzarote, including Playa del Papagayo. We decide to park the car here and take a walk. From above you have a beautiful view of the bay. Downstairs you can of course enjoy the sea and the beach. Because there is a nice restaurant on the rocks, you don’t have to move all day!
The mills
The Netherlands is not the only country with beautiful windmills. The windmills of the Canary Islands are also worth a visit. Coincidentally, Jens loves mills a lot and started singing ‘mill songs’ from the car. The mill we visited is located in the town of Tiagua in the center of the island. You can look inside and a visit is therefore completely free. So great tip!
Puerto del Carmen
Puerto del Carmen is a nice fishing town, which has now turned into a tourist mecca full of restaurants, cafes and arcades. Despite the presence of tourist attractions, the steep streets and small restaurants in the old village are very worthwhile. We chose to stay one night at the harbor, with an amazing view like in the photo above. We wouldn’t spend the entire holiday in this place, but a visit with a snack and a drink is definitely recommended.
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