Lanzarote in 5 days

Volcanic moonscapes, black-sand beaches, and Cesar Manrique's art built into lava. Best time to visit: March-May and September-November. Average daily budget: $100 to $170 USD.

Day 1, Get oriented

Base: Puerto del Carmen, The main resort strip: beachfront promenade, restaurants, dive centres and nightlife.

Morning: Timanfaya National Park. Drive the Ruta de los Volcanes through 1730s lava fields and geothermal demonstrations.

Afternoon: Explore Puerto del Carmen, The main resort strip: beachfront promenade, restaurants, dive centres and nightlife.

Evening: Jameos del Agua. Manrique's cave-auditorium and lagoon inside a collapsed volcanic tube.

Eat: Papas arrugadas with mojo rojo and mojo verde

Day 2, Iconic sights

Base: Costa Teguise, Family-friendly and windy, with the island's best kitesurf and windsurf schools.

Morning: Papagayo beaches. A string of sheltered golden coves on the protected southern tip.

Afternoon: Explore Costa Teguise, Family-friendly and windy, with the island's best kitesurf and windsurf schools.

Evening: La Geria wine tasting. Sample volcanic malvasia among the island's surreal pit-grown vineyards.

Eat: Fresh vieja or cherne grilled at an El Golfo seafront restaurant

Day 3, Local neighbourhoods

Base: Playa Blanca, The calm south, with Papagayo's golden coves and the ferry to Fuerteventura.

Morning: Caleta de Famara, a wild surf beach under 600m cliffs where Manrique grew up.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Playa Blanca, The calm south, with Papagayo's golden coves and the ferry to Fuerteventura.

Evening: El Golfo's Charco Verde, a bright-green crater lagoon beside black sand.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Volcanic malvasia wine from a La Geria bodega

Day 4, Day trip or nature

Base: Teguise, The old inland capital: cobbled lanes, colonial buildings, and a huge Sunday market.

Morning: Mirador del Rio, a cliff-top viewpoint carved into rock looking over La Graciosa.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Teguise, The old inland capital: cobbled lanes, colonial buildings, and a huge Sunday market.

Evening: The Sunday market and quiet weekday streets of Teguise, the old capital.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Queso majorero and local goat cheese with fig jam

Day 5, Slow finish

Base: La Geria, The wine region, where vines grow in black ash hollows behind stone crescents.

Morning: Slow start: coffee in La Geria, then an unhurried walk before the heat or the crowds.

Afternoon: Explore La Geria, The wine region, where vines grow in black ash hollows behind stone crescents.

Evening: Dinner at Papas arrugadas with mojo rojo and mojo verde, then a quiet drink wherever the locals are in La Geria.

Eat: Papas arrugadas with mojo rojo and mojo verde

Hidden gems

Caleta de Famara, a wild surf beach under 600m cliffs where Manrique grew up.
El Golfo's Charco Verde, a bright-green crater lagoon beside black sand.
Mirador del Rio, a cliff-top viewpoint carved into rock looking over La Graciosa.
The Sunday market and quiet weekday streets of Teguise, the old capital.

Getting around

Arrecife's Cesar Manrique Airport receives direct flights from across Europe and sits ten minutes from Puerto del Carmen. Public buses (guaguas) link the main resorts reliably but reach almost none of the viewpoints, wineries or northern sights. A rental car is the sensible choice and cheap by European standards; roads are excellent and distances short, though Timanfaya's car park fills by mid-morning. Ferries run from Playa Blanca to Fuerteventura and from Orzola to La Graciosa.

Safety

Lanzarote is very safe, with petty theft from parked hire cars at trailheads the main risk, so leave nothing visible. The trade winds mask a strong sun, so sunscreen and water matter more than the temperature suggests. North and west coast beaches such as Famara have powerful currents and are for experienced swimmers only; stick to Papagayo or Puerto del Carmen for calm water. Volcanic terrain is sharp, so wear proper shoes when hiking.

Lanzarote in 3 days | Lanzarote in 7 days | Full Lanzarote guide