The best of Lanzarote

A one week itinerary

Important

This itinerary for Lanzarote is meant for adventurers who are not keen on spending a relaxed week on the beach with a book in one hand and a cocktail in the other.

It covers a journey around Lanzarote’s most famous landmarks both on the surface and underwater.

A few things to keep in mind:

Renting a car is necessary
Specific days of the week are added only because Teguise market is only there on Sunday.
Days can be swapped around in any order (unless, of course, when it comes to dive days)
Since some of the attractions have an entry fee, it is best to buy a CACT (Centres of Art, Culture and Tourism) voucher valid for 3, 4 or 6 visits depending on how many attractions you’ll be visiting. They are available at all CACT Lanzarote ticket offices. For example, if you follow this itinerary, the first ticket office you visit will be at the cactus garden where you can purchase a voucher. Six CACT locations are included in the itinerary.
Some more information about the locations mentioned in the itinerary can be found at the bottom of the page.
If you would like to read about how we did it, read our dedicated post here. And if you want to see some pictures or are a photography enthusiast wondering whether Lanzarote is worth it, have a look here.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Wednesday

Day 1 - Wednesday

Arrival in Lanzarote

It depends on how and when you get there, but the day is reserved for finding your accommodation and getting some rest. To have the freedom to see everything at your own pace, and to be able to keep up with this itinerary, it is essential to rent a car. It's really a matter of personal preference where to stay in Lanzarote because the island is quite small and it doesn't make much difference for the itinerary, but Puerto de la Carmen (or that part of the island) seems like the easiest choice. Reasons being it is close to the airport, and it has plenty of accommodation to choose from.

Day 2 - Thursday

Day 2 - Thursday

Dive and relax

If you're planning on doing the underwater museum dive, there are several dive centers to choose from. If a refresher dive is needed, this is the day.

Morning - refresher dive.
Lunch at Playa Blanca
Papagayo beaches and/or stop by Playa Quemada

Day 3 - Friday

Day 3 - Friday

Underwater Museum

Morning - Diving Museo Atlantico and a reef dive
Afternoon - Chill at the beach at Playa Flamingo

Day 4 - Saturday

Day 4 - Saturday

North East Lanzarote

09:00 : Drive to Jardin de Cactus (10) - 30 min, assuming that you're staying in Puerto de la Carmen
09:30 The visit at the cactus gardens can take up to one and a half hours
11:00 Drive to Jameos del Agua - 15 min
11:15 Visits usually take up to 1 and a half hours
12:45 Lunch
13:45 Walk to Cueva de los Verdes
14:00 The visit is about 1 hour. However that really depends on the queues.
15:00 Drive to mirador del Rio - 15 min
15:15 Visit for about an 1 hour or less
16:15 Relax at the beach - Playa Caleton Blanco
--:-- Drive back

Day 5 - Sunday

Central Lanzarote and Arrecife

--:-- Drive to Volcan el Cuervo
09:15 The walk takes about an hour and a half
10:45 Drive to Museo del Vino and the vineyards - 5 min
10:50 Depending on the tour, the visit can take a couple of hours. You could add some wine tasting to the ticket.
12:30 Drive to Teguise - 15 min. It is important to note that the market only works on Sundays, and because of that it can get very busy and difficult to find a parking space
12:45 Lunch
13:45 Drive to Museo Lagomar - 5 min
13:50 Visiting the museum takes about an hour
14:50 Drive to Castillo San Jose - 15 min
15:05 An hour is a big enough slot if you choose to visit the museum
16:05 Visit the Telamon shipwreck (a 5 minute drive), find a beach close by or drive back to Puerto del Carmen to Playa Chica

Day 6 - Monday

Day 6 - Monday

Volcanos

--:-- Drive to Los Hervideros
10:00 - Enjoy the walk and views for about an hour. It is best to visit during high tide so you can try to time it right.
11:00 - Drive to Charco de los Clicos - 15 min
11:15 - The walk to the viewpoint takes a few minutes. There is also a path that takes you down to the beach.
12:15 - Drive to Timanfaya National Park - 15 min
12:30 Driving there is easy, however this is a very touristic place, and you might be looking at an hour of queuing for the parking. Once in, take the bus tour and you could have lunch at the restaurant where they cook the meat on hot air. You can step outside the restaurant to observe demonstrations of the power of the volcano (no spoilers).
15:30 Find a beach nearby or drive to Famara beach

Day 7 - Tuesday

Day 7 - Tuesday

Departure

Congrats! You visited the most popular locations in Lanzarote. Hopefully you enjoyed this adventure as much as we did. Time to check out of the hotel, drop the car off and head back home packed with stories to tell and pictures to show.

Map

This map shows the locations included in this itinerary. Visiting all of them in just a few days can be exhausting. The key is not to rush, prioritize, and know your limits. And if there is something you don’t manage to visit, well you will next time!

Museo Atlantico

The underwater museum is the first of its kind in Europe and is located at about 15 meters depth off the coast of Lazarote. It occupies an area of around 50 m by 50 m square and is accessible to divers and snorkelers.

Timanfaya National Park

There are several ways to have a tour of Timanfaya national park. The bus ride takes you around the craters while you’re explained what you are looking at in English and in Spanish. This is the option most people prefer. While walking on your own is not allowed, there are service roads that can be walked as part of a guided tour. This option needs to be booked well in advance (here). The last option is a camel ride which takes you on a short tour to one of the volcanoes.

Black sand beach near Los Hervideros, Lanzarote

Lanzarote Beaches

Lanzarote offers a great diversity of beaches and everyone can surely discover one for their specific preferences – black, gold or white sand, suitable for surfing, snorkeling or just a small sheltered family friendly beach, Lanzarote has all of them. While we recommend that everyone does their research to find the beach that suits them best, we added the most famous ones to the itinerary.

What else is there to do?

There are many other things to do in Lanzarote. If any of the activities and things to see included in this itinerary are not your thing, here are a few alternative suggestions:

Take a ferry to La Graciosa
Take a submarine safari in Puerto Calero
Discover Arrecife
Spend a day at Rancho Texas Park in Puerto del Carmen
Enjoy the views of the salt pans
Hike the Montaña Colorada