Places to visit in Lanzarote: Top five activities & attractions

Jaillan Yehia

Jaillan Yehia

The fourth largest of the Canary Islands, sitting at the North Eastern point of this holiday-island chain - and the closest of the Canaries to the Sahara, Lanzarote is a great place to escape to at any time of the year. Here are our top tips for places to visit in Lanzarote.

Places to visit in Lanzarote - Costa de Papagayo
Places to visit in Lanzarote - Costa de Papagayo © Pedro Caba - Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0

Despite being on the same latitude as Agadir, in Morocco, Lanzarote is cooled by pleasant breezes. This means the island enjoys year-round perfect temperatures.

Lanzarote's stark volcanic landscape is peppered with stunning viewpoints: everything from black beaches perfect for surfing, to alien-looking national parkland. It is a paradise for lovers of the outdoors.

Top 5 Places to Visit in Lanzarote

For culture vultures and art fans, the Bondesque lairs designed by local architect and artist Cesar Manrique are not to be missed. Here are 5 fantastic places to visit in Lanzarote, where there is more to be discovered than meets the eye.

1. Park Nacional de Timanfaya

This totally unique volcanic national park will leave you asking yourself if you're on our planet at all, let alone in a part of Spain.

Timanfaya National Park Entrance, Lanzarote
Timanfaya National Park Entrance, Lanzarote © Emanuele Leoni - Dreamstime.com

Timanfaya was created around 300 years ago, when a series of volcanic eruptions rocked the island for six years straight, spewing out millions of cubic metres of lava and creating the Montañas del Fuego you see today.

Here you can eat at the Manrique-designed Restaurant del Diablo, where food is cooked directly in the boiling hot volcanic soil.

2. El Golfo, The Emerald Green Lake and The Boiling Pots of Los Hervideros

Typical of Lanzarote's raw natural beauty, the Green Lake is a geological marvel. It was made famous by Raquel Welch's film One Million Years B.C.

Just along the coast by car are a collection of caves and inlets formed - much like Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway - by the pummelling waves that create blowholes in the volcanic rock. These dramatic off-the-beaten-track natural wonders will shape your holiday to Lanzarote more than any day at the beach.

3. Fundacion Cesar Manrique

One of Lanzarote-born artist Caesar Manrique's many creations on the island that fuse architecture with the unique spectacle of lava-ridden landscapes, this lair is a home, which incorporates naturally-occurring features in the lava bed that you can explore with your fellow tourists.

Manrique spent time in the USA and was greatly influenced by Matisse and Picasso. For those familiar with art, the shapes and forms will feel familiar.

The Cesar Manrique Foundation, Lanzarote
The Cesar Manrique Foundation, Lanzarote © Jorg Hackemann - Dreamstime.com

At this site, as well as the other six on the island, you can enjoy Manrique's unique style. You can also thank Manrique for Lanzarote's low-rise, traditionally-painted and whitewashed buildings remaining so prevalent - it's largely thanks to his political campaigning that the island is so beautifully unspoiled.

4. Teguise Market

One of the real highlights of any visit to Lanzarote, especially for fans of shopping and browsing, is Teguise market. Held on Sunday mornings from 9am until 2pm, this is the perfect place to go for a lively morning's entertainment and a wander through the most picturesque Lanzarote village, complete with traditional white and green houses.

There's the usual market fodder on sale but also much more rare items are to be found here, such as lace, handmade pottery and unique local handicrafts that you won't find anywhere else on your travels.

5. Puerto Calero

Puerto Calero is a relaxed and refined 450-berth yachting harbour adjacent to two of Lanzarote's best luxury hotels - the Costa Calero Hotel* and The Hesperia Lanzarote*. With a smattering of upmarket restaurants and bars, this mini-resort provides the perfect venue for a sophisticated night out, where you can mix with locals and seafaring visitors alike.

Puerto Calero, Lanzarote
Puerto Calero, Lanzarote © Kevin Eaves - Dreamstime.com

It's also close enough to Puerto Del Carmen for you to travel quickly between the two by car or taxi (and there's a bus too if you prefer to use public transport) so if you tire of the relaxed vibe here, you can easily head back to party at Puerto Del Carmen instead.

There is something for everyone on Lanzarote, away from the beach and holiday resort. If you have more ideas about places to visit in Lanzarote, tell us about them and join the conversation.

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Jaillan Yehia

Jaillan Yehia

Posted on Friday 16th August 2013 in: Adventure Culture Europe Nature

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