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Go to SiteCruises to Lanzarote bring you to what feels like another world; an island of black volcanic rock, rippling red and ocher dunes, whitewashed houses, and long, golden beaches. The savage beauty of nature aside, the island’s entire image has been shaped by visionary architect César Manrique, who resisted mass development and constructed his trademark curvy, whitewashed buildings around the lava, resulting in an extraordinary sense of harmony.
Everything is different here. Wine is grown in pits in the volcanic soil. In the Fire Mountains, steaks are grilled in a flash using geothermal heat that reaches 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. There’s even a concert hall inside a subterranean volcanic tube. Lanzarote may be part of the Canary Islands chain, but it stands apart. You’ll never see anywhere like it.
The starkly beautiful Parque Nacional de Timanfaya was formed by volcanic eruptions that rocked the island in the 18th century, resulting in a landscape of rust, gray, and black sand, volcanic cones, and otherworldly lava flows. Ride a camel alongside the shifting dunes, and stop at El Diablo restaurant for steak sizzled directly over geothermal heat. Magma bubbles just beneath the surface here, as you’ll see when park guides pour water into a hole. Seconds later, it erupts in a steaming jet.
Architect César Manrique is Lanzarote’s most famous son. A committed conservationist, he worked with the government in the 1960s and 70s to mandate architectural styles and color palettes. This is why you’ll see so many whitewashed buildings with details in deep blue and forest green. He created venues from the volcanic landscape, including the Jameos del Agua, the Cueva de los Verdes, and his extraordinary home, Taro de Tahiche, built in a series of volcanic bubbles and now a cultural center.
Despite its lunar-like interior, Lanzarote has some gorgeous beaches. Playa Dorada, a stretch of golden sand fronting the town of Playa Blanca, is one of the most popular, while the sweeping Playa Grande at Puerto del Carmen is ideal for watersports, shopping, and dining. One of the most dazzling beaches is the pristine Playa del Papagayo, a horseshoe of pale golden sand hemmed in by cliffs. The clear water is an astonishing shade of aquamarine, and there’s great snorkeling over the rocks.
Vines in Lanzarote are grown in individual mini-craters hollowed out of the black volcanic soil, the funnel-shaped holes protecting them from the wind. Each crater gathers its own water to sustain the vine. Taste the island’s best in the striking, black La Geria Valley, where you’ll learn about this unique cultivation technique and sample the aromatic, dry Malvasia wine, made from one of the oldest white grapes in the world.
The astonishing Jameos del Agua is a series of caves that are the remnant of a vast, collapsed lava tube. César Manrique developed the cave system—which includes a subterranean lake inhabited by rare white, sightless crabs—into a cultural center with a café, blue pool, and palm garden. Most impressively, he built an auditorium inside the cave, which hosts spectacular concerts that make the most of the extraordinary acoustics.
While it’s tempting to head out into the volcanic wilderness, Arrecife, the island’s whitewashed capital, deserves a look. The old quarter, San Ginés, is a former fishing neighborhood beside a shimmering lagoon, the colors of which are reflected in the aquamarine doors and window frames of the houses. Don’t miss the market held on Wednesdays and Thursdays around the 17th-century church. It’s a great spot to pick up local art, jewelry, and leather goods.
Like the rest of the Canary Islands, Lanzarote’s cuisine has influences from nearby North Africa, as well as Latin America and the Spanish mainland. Everywhere you go, you’ll find papas arrugadas with a mojo sauce. Tiny potatoes, or papas, are boiled in salty water with their skins on, giving them a wrinkled appearance once they’re cooked. The spicy mojo sauce is the perfect accompaniment; take note that the red version is fierier than the green.
Islanders love their stews, so look out for estofado, which contains beef, goat, or another meat cooked slowly with garbanzo beans and seasonal vegetables. You’ll see fish on plenty of menus; it’s abundant in the deep waters surrounding the island. Sea bream is popular, steamed or grilled, as is parrotfish cooked in oil and vinegar.
For dessert, local goat cheese, fried and topped with honey, is a tasty treat, as is bienmesabe, a sugary almond cream made with eggs. Make sure to try the island wines, too, which have an earthy flavor that comes from the unusual volcanic terroir.
Lanzarote is one of the oldest of the Canary Islands, formed by volcanic activity some 15 to 20 million years ago. It was originally inhabited by the Majos, a Berber tribe from North Africa who arrived around 1,000 BC. In the 14th century, Genoese navigator Lancelotto Malocello stopped by, naming the island after himself.
The Spanish conquered the island in the early 15th century, and Lanzarote became part of the Kingdom of Castile. The island wasn’t an easy place to live; there were constant water shortages and raids by pirates. Between 1730 and 1736, volcanic eruptions changed the face of the landscape.
Lanzarote’s success as a tourism destination is partly due to artist and architect César Manrique, an early champion of sustainable development and architecture that’s in harmony with nature. You can see his work all over the island today.
Cruise ships dock at the Muelle de Cruceros Pier, a 15- to 20-minute walk to the city center of Arrecife. Along the way, you’ll pass souvenir shops, a supermarket, restaurants, a tourist information desk, and car rental facilities. Shuttle buses are also available, which take about five minutes and drop passengers next to the Charco de San Ginés, which is close to the shopping area of Calle Real, with plenty of places to eat and drink.
Lanzarote has an efficient bus network, but the best way to explore the island, if you’re not on a shore excursion, is to rent a car. The island is only 37 miles long by 16 miles wide, so you can cover a lot of ground in a day. Taxis are also plentiful, but there are no ride-hailing apps here. If you ask a taxi driver to drop you at a beach, it’s a good idea to have a plan to get back to the port, too.
Souvenirs to look out for in Lanzarote include mojo picón, the famous spicy sauce that accompanies papas arrugadas, Majorero cheese, typically made from goat’s milk, and wines from La Geria region.
For beauty products, don’t miss items made from aloe vera, which grows all over the island. Aloe vera gel makes for an especially soothing after-sun product if you’ve overdone your exposure. You’ll find ceramics, basketry, woven hats, and jewelry made from lava stones and olivine, too. There are souvenir shops and artisan stores in all the main tourist areas, including Arrecife, Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca, and Costa Tegu\se.
The currency in Lanzarote, which is part of Spain, is the euro. Most establishments on Lanzarote take cards, but if you want cash for very small purchases like ice creams and fruit from markets, there are plentiful ATMs in Arrecife and in the coastal towns. This is not a big tipping culture; round up the bill in a taxi, and for good service in a restaurant, leave 10 percent. If the bill says that service is included, there is no need to tip any extra.
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