By Gemma Tedaldi | Published: 1st June 2024 | Updated: 29th November 2024
Thinking about taking a trip to the Canary Islands for the sunshine filled days, vast golden beaches and delicious food, but not sure which island to visit? With so many options it can be hard to decide, from mountainous Gran Canaria, volcanic Lanzarote and lively Fuerteventura and all the others in between.
So is Lanzarote worth visiting? We think so, and here is why:
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Is Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting?
With over 300 days of sunshine a year, and each of them with between 6 and 11 hrs of sun a day, the tropical climates of Lanzarote are a draw for many, (us included!), but with all that incredible weather when is the best time to visit Lanzarote? Put it this way, Lanzarote is worth visiting whenever you get a chance to, but there may be certain months that sway you to visit due to the weather and the tourists alike.
Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting In January
Weather: Average 2 days of rain – High of 20°C / 68°F and a low of 13°C / 55.4°F
Festivals: Día de Reyes (King’s Day) – 6th January – The Epiphany is celebrated across Lanzarote as it is in most Christian countries, with bonfires lit and gifts given to mark the end of Christmas.
Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting In February
Weather: Average 2 days of rain – High of 20°C / 68°F and a low of 13°C / 55.4°F
Festivals: Carnival – This can change depending on the calendar but held either late February or early March – Carnival is the biggest even on the island, with parades of floats, carnival queen contests as well as traditional performances from Murgas, (groups who dress up and perform songs substituting lyrics for their own to make political statements), Comparsas, (who bring samba to the parade), Parranda de los Buches, (mainly around Arrecife, who with seafaring origins hit spectators with dried fish bladders filled with air), and Parranda de los Diabletes, (mainly around Teguise, who wear devil masks and ‘terrorise’ spectators in the streets. It ends on or just after Ash Wednesday with the ‘Burial of the Sardine’, where men dressed as women pretend they are at a funeral for the sardine, (yes really!), before it gets thrown onto a huge bonfire, marking the end of Carnival celebrations for the year.
Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting In March
Weather: Average 2 days of rain – High of 22°C / 71.6°F and a low of 14°C / 57.2°F
Festivals: Semana Santa (Holy Week) – (this falls the week before Easter so can be March or April depending on the year). This festival is all about pre-Easter traditions, where sacred and religious statues are carried through villages and towns alongside a solemn procession.
Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting In April
We visited Lanzarote in April, and it was perfect with beautiful warm weather, cloudless days and fewer tourists that the summer months.
Weather: Average 1 day of rain – High of 22°C / 71.6°F and a low of 14°C / 57.2°F
Festivals: Semana Santa (Holy Week) – this falls the week before Easter so can be March or April depending on the year
Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting In May
Weather: Average no days of rain – High of 24°C / 75.2°F and a low of 16°C / 60.8°F
Festivals: Día de la Cruz (Day of the Cross) – 3rd May – This festival is a bit more local to just Teguise and Tias, where front doors of buildings are decorated with crosses made of flowers. Romería de San Isidro – 15th May – This festival is all about the camels in southern Lanzarote, with processions and performances all accompanied by beautiful decorated camels!
Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting In June
Weather: Average no days of rain – High of 25°C / 77°F and a low of 18°C / 64.4°F
Festivals: Corpus Christi – Early June – Corpus Christi is celebrated across the island, although the biggest festivities are in Arrecife, with giant salt carpets created out of locally dyed salt filling the streets and squares to celebrate the Eucharist. San Juan (Saint John) – 23rd to the 24th – This festival marks the beginning of the summer in Lanzarote, with a night of music, dance and massive bonfires!
Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting In July
Weather: Average no days of rain – High of 27°C / 80.6°F and a low of 19°C / 66.2°F
Festivals: San Marcial del Rubicón – San Marcial del Rubicón is the patron saint of Lanzarote, so he is rightfully celebrated with festival across the south of the island during the first week of July, in particular in Femes where a church holds his name. Nuestra Señora del Carmen –
The second fortnight of July is when the celebrations of Nuestra Señora del Carmen happen pretty much everywhere in Lanzarote, although Teguise, Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca and Caleta del Sebo have particularly good processions. These include decorated fishing boats set out to see, Canarian wrestling, street parties and the image of the Nuestra Señora del Carmen carried along the coast in a boat.
Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting In August
Weather: Average no days of rain – High of 28°C / 82.4°F and a low of 20°C / 68°F
Festivals: San Ginés – Held in honour of the patron saint of Arrecife, parades and processions fill the streets of the islands capital for a week from mid August, with the big finale full of dancing and music on the 25th August.
Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting In September
Weather: Average no days of rain – High of 27°C / 80.6°F and a low of 20°C / 68°F
Festivals: Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores – Every year residents of Mancha Blanca take a pilgrimage to the nearby church to give thanks to the Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, also known as the Virgin of the Volcanoes. It is believed that she is responsible for saving the village when a nearby volcano erupted and came to no harm.
Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting In October
Weather: Average 1 day of rain – High of 26°C / 78.8°F and a low of 18°C / 64.4°F
Festivals: Visual Music Festival – The Visual Music Festival of Lanzarote is a contemporary music event held at both the volcanic caves of Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes, which are incredible attractions in the own right so this is one festival you should try and get involved in.
Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting In November
Weather: Average 2 days of rain – High of 23°C / 73.4°F and a low of 16°C / 60.8°F
Festivals: Atlantic Odyssey – This annual boat race has participants sailing from Lanzarote to Martinique in the Caribbean, and with 60 boats allowed to enter, it is a spectacle to see.
Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting In December
Weather: Average 3 days of rain – High of 21°C / 69.8°F and a low of 14°C / 57.2°F
Festivals: Navidad – Christmas Day – Christmas, and Christmas Eve, are celebrated across Lanzarote with Misa del Gallo (midnight mass) on the 24th and large family feasts on the 25th. Santos Inocentes – Somewhat surprisingly for most countries, the 28th is day of the Santos Inocentes which is the Spanish equivalent of April Fools’ Day, so expect tricks a plenty if you visit around then! New Year’s Celebrations – New Years Eve is more celebrated than Christmas Day itself, with Lanzaroteños counting down to midnight while drinking cava, and then eating 12 grapes (one for each stroke of midnight).
Best things to do in Lanzarote
There are of course numerous things to do in Lanzarote, but these are out top things you simply can’t miss:
1. Visit El Golfo and El Lago Verde – not only are the views from this northern coast of Lanzarote incredible, but you can see a bright lake alongside the bright blue sea, all in the midst of a blackened volcanic landscape.
2. Experience Timanfaya National Park – If there is one thing you have to do in Lanzarote it is visit Timanfaya National Park, (either by yourself or with a tour like this one). The National Park is full of incredible volcano cones, lava fields and a camel or two, as well as a well-known viewpoint and restaurant, El Diablo, where you can look out over the park whilst sampling some fresh food cooked in the volcanic heat. If you get the chance be sure to drive the Camino Pista Rural Ruta de los Volcanoes, which gives you the opportunity to learn about and see the volcanoes and the surrounding landscape up close.
3. Go Wine Tasting In La Geria – Who doesn’t like a bit of wine tasting? At La Geria you can sample both the white and red wine that is cultivated in the volcanic soil vineyard, and with one of the earliest harvests in the world due to the weather in Lanzarote, there are only a few months when you don’t get to see the vines growing first hand.
4. Drive Through Teguise and Haría – Known as the Valley of 1000 palms, this beautiful drive from the south to the north of the island is a great way to see the traditional villages of Lanzarote as well as visit the only naturally palm tree filled landscapes on the island.
5. Visit Jameos del Agua – This incredible cave and volcanic tunnels system, with a natural lagoon filled with albino crabs and surrounded by beautiful gardens, may sound like we are making it up, but it is very much real and of course created by the well known Lanzarote artist and architect Cesar Manrique. It also houses a concert hall and restaurant so why not book in to see a concert like no other? Tickets can be purchased here.
Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting Map
Where to stay in Lanzarote
We stayed in Puerto del Carmen, specifically along the Calle Alegranza during our trip to Lanzarote and would highly recommend it. It is a great location for easy access to two nearby beaches as well as bars and restaurants, but still quiet at night. We stayed at Playa Chica Place and it was perfect.
If you would rather stay in a hotel, then you simply have to stay at Hotel Fariones. We visited the hotel so we could look around the stunning grounds and for dinner and instantly wished we’d booked for a night or two there as well.
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Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting FAQs
How to get to Lanzarote
There are two ways to get to Lanzarote, by air or by boat from a neighbouring island. Arrecife Airport (ACE) is the international airport for the island, connecting to destinations throughout Europe. You can also get to Lanzarote by boat, either from other Canary Islands, (it is only 30 minutes from Fuerteventura), or from mainland Spain at Cadiz.
How to get around Lanzarote
The easiest way to get around Lanzarote is either via bus or by hiring a car. We chose to utilise the bus network rather than hiring a car as we were only on the island for 4 days and the bus lines go directly to and from the airport all along the southern coast of the island. You can check the bus lines information here.
If you do want to hire a car you can either do it through Lanzarote CiCar Rental or Rentalcars.com, (we’ve used Rentalcars.com numerous times across Europe, including in Gran Canaria and they are always great!).
You can also explore the island via tours, we took this one-day island tour and it was a great way to see the island without having to drive it ourselves.
How long to stay in Lanzarote / How many days should I spend in Lanzarote?
We spent a total of 4 days in Lanzarote, and although you could spend longer, with the island tour that we did we thought it was a great amount of time. You can see a lot of the island in one day, (if you do a tour here), but you do need more than one day in Lanzarote to see more of the island, such as the area around Puerto del Carmen.
When is the best time to visit Lanzarote?
The best time to visit Lanzarote is in the shoulder seasons of the spring and autumn, not only because the weather is much nicer, (warm but not too hot, it can reach up to 31 degrees C / 87.8 degrees F), but also because there are less tourists on the island then in comparison to the summer months. We visited in April, and even then it was verging on too hot during the middle of the day, but it was the perfect temperature in the evening / night.
What is Lanzarote best known for?
Lanzarote is famous for its volcano filled Timanfaya National Park, the works of Cesar Manrique, (a Lanzarote born artist with his works found across the island), and of course the beautiful sandy beaches!
What is the nicest town in Lanzarote?
This is slightly dependant on what you want from your trip, i.e. quiet and away from the crowds, or more touristy with lots of bars, but we really liked staying in Puerto del Carmen. With beautiful beaches, plenty of accommodation options, various restaurants with both local and foreign cuisine and being along a main bus route to the airport, it was a great location to be. It can get much busier and more touristy in the summer season though, so that is something to bear in mind.
Is Lanzarote a good place to go?
Lanzarote is a great place to visit with lots to do if you want explore the island or even if you just want relax – there is nothing wrong with having a beach day!
Best beaches in Lanzarote?
We didn’t visit a tonne of beaches as that wasn’t our priority on this trip, but the beaches around Puerto del Carmen, in particular, Playa Chica and Playa Blanca, were both beautiful and perfect for some beach games as well as getting in the sea.
Is Lanzarote safe?
Lanzarote is a very safe destination to visit. We spent 4 days on the island and never had any problems or felt unsafe.
Is Lanzarote very touristy?
Lanzarote is quite touristy, and this is especially apparent during the summer months or over Christmas, when tourists flock to the islands for the summer school holidays or for some winter sun.
Places to avoid in Lanzarote?
We didn’t come across any places that we would say to avoid in Lanzarote, but if you want to avoid most of the tourists then we would suggest avoiding visiting the island during the peak seasons.
How do people spend a week in Lanzarote?
If you were looking to spend a week in Lanzarote, we would recommend not necessarily staying in one place, or at least taking a few day trips out across the island, as there is so much to see. You can easily do a day tour like this one, have a couple of days relaxing in your local area, and still have plenty of time for a day trip to hike one of the many old volcanoes on the island as well as across to Fuerteventura as well.
Conclusion: Is Lanzarote Worth Visiting?
So there you have our guide on whether Lanzarote is worth visiting, even with only a few days, we think a trip to Lanzarote is great, if not for the sunshine and beaches, but for the volcanic National Park and numerous Manrique designed locations you can visit.
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Here are a few other articles you may find useful for planning your trip:
📍 The Best One Day Lanzarote Island Tour
📍 The Best 4 Day Lanzarote Itinerary
📍 Top Places To Visit In Seville
Gemma Tedaldi
Gemma is the owner and author of The Travelling Tedaldi, a travel blog helping travellers to discover the best road trips and travel itineraries throughout the UK and Europe. When she isn’t writing about her favourite travel destinations, she can often be found out exploring local hikes or planning future trips.