I hadn’t heard of Lanzarote – wasn’t even sure how to pronounce it – but this unique little island left us begging for more. From its other-worldly, volcanic terrain to the most idyllic beaches, “unique” really is the best word to describe the place.
In the Canary Islands, Tenerife is the popular kid in school. Everyone knows of her, and she even had an Ed Sheeran song written about her. Lanzarote is lesser known, but the more time you spend, the more you’ll fall in love.
We stumbled on this trip through a combination of wanting to do something different, and finding really cheap flights. In the lead up, people warned that Lanzarote was becoming condensed with primarily English and German travelers, seeking a cheap and boozy weekend at all-inclusive resorts. Others warned that weather, while pleasant year-round, can become very windy.
Don’t let any of this deter you – we can attest that a trip to Lanzarote should firmly be on every traveler’s wish list. When you do wise up and plan a trip, we hope these 10 tips can help you out:
1. Rent a car
You’ll be exploring every corner of this island, so get one you’re excited to drive.
2. Explore the North
The South has the man-made resorts, and the more commercial options when it comes to shopping and eating. It also has some breathtaking beaches, but we’ll get to that.
The North is more authentic, less populated, and boasts some impressive beaches of its own. We recommend Playa de las Conchas, Famara, and Playa de la Garita (aka Arrieta)
3. Take a ferry to La Graciosa, and bike to Playa de las Conchas
About 600 people live on La Graciosa, and its max length is less than 5 miles .
There’s something euphoric about feeling so remote from everything.
From Lanzarote, you can catch a ferry every half hour from Orzola (starting at ~9AM, free parking). The ferry is only 20-30 minutes, and the whole time you can gaze and appreciate the massive, coastal mountains of North Lanzarote.
Once you get to La Graciosa, make sure you stock up on water. You’ll be renting bikes and peddling across the island to Playa de las Conchas, which is 3.5 miles away and has no shops or restaurants.
Las Conchas might seriously be the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, but she does make you work for it. The bumpy sand trail, combined with the shitty rental bikes, make for a pretty tiring ride. Once we got there, we realized the long trek meant that almost everyone on the beach was young and fit. Moreover, you’ll find that the women prefer to sunbathe topless.
We both concluded that perhaps every beach should include an exhaustive, sandy bike ride as a prerequisite.
4. Stay in a yurt
We don’t usually shout-out our accommodations, but this one took the cake. Book a stay with Kate and Claire via 1yurt.com, and thank us later.
5. Skip the tourist attractions
If we could do it over, we would have skipped the tourist attractions and kept on exploring. There are just too many beaches and landscapes on this island to waste time in queues and listening to a guide say the same thing thrice in different languages.
6. Explore the South
On the drive down, if you have time, we suggest stopping by the wine region of La Geria, or exploring volcanos in Timafanya National Park.
We stayed in Playa Blanca, which was a great base for exploring our top picks: Playas de Papagayo and El Golfo.
7. Spend at least a day exploring the Papagayo Beaches
Papagayo actually has several beaches to choose from, but there is one called Papagayo Beach, and that’s where we spent our entire day. We enjoyed every second, but we left with remorse that we left this for our last day on the island. If you have the time, do at least a full day of beach hopping at Papagayo – or better yet spread it across two days. After catching a tan, unwind with a beer and an ocean view at El Chiringuito.
8. Catch the sunset. Every night.
If you do one thing on your trip, go to Bogavante around 7pm to grab a table by the rocky beach. Indulge in locally-produced white wine and freshly-caught fish, all while the sun sets into the ocean. Right in front of you. El Golfo faces west, so it is alwasy an ideal spot for sundowners.
Wash the meal down with a Barraquito, a mix of espresso coffee and vanilla liqueur that is traditional to the Canary Islands.
9. Stargaze. Every night.
Coming from London, this was such a pleasant surprise for us. If you stay at 1yurt, you can start up a fire, play some tunes, and use their telescope to really tap into your inner astrologist.
10. Stay a while
When the plane was landing, I honestly thought the landscape was a little ugly. When we drove off in the rental car, I thought the buildings looked somewhat run down. I was worried the trip was going to be a disaster. But the longer we stayed, the more we came to love Lanzarote.
We took two days off from work for a long weekend in Lanzarote, but we both left wishing we had more time. Do yourself a favor, and spend as much time here as you can.
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