How to get around Lanzarote?

You’ve started planning your trip to Lanzarote and you’ve reached the part about getting around the island. Well, you’re in the right place because I explain everything in this article about how to get around Lanzarote. And you’re right to plan ahead because even if the island is small, organization can make all the difference to your trip once you’re there. Between volcanic landscapes, secluded beaches, white villages and slightly hidden viewpoints, there are plenty of things to see in Lanzarote… but it all depends on the means of transport you choose.

As for me, I spent a week in Lanzarote and was able to discover it from every angle. Let me reassure you right away, the island is easy to explore, the distances are fairly short and you have several options available to you (I’ll talk more about them below). In this article, I’m sharing everything you need to know about transportation in Lanzarote. Of course, I’m drawing on my experience there to give you the best tips. If you’re still unsure about the dates of your stay, I invite you to take a look at our guide on the best times to visit Lanzarote. You can use it to help you decide!

Even though I’ve already mentioned it a bit, Lanzarote is one of the smallest Canary Islands. The advantage is that journeys are easy and quick. I’d say that between the northern tip and the southern tip, it takes just a little over an hour at most. That already gives you an idea. And I was pleasantly surprised, because the roads are very well maintained and there’s enough space to pass each other. So no worries on that front! Whatever mode of transport you choose, in my opinion you’ll easily be able to string together several spots.

I’d say that renting a car in Lanzarote is the simplest and most practical option for discovering Lanzarote. The must-see places are fairly close to one another, the roads are perfect and easy to drive on and above all: the most beautiful viewpoints are often the most isolated and therefore quite far from the areas served by buses. With a car, you’re free to stop wherever you want and, above all, to go at your own pace. Honestly, on vacation I don’t think there’s anything better. All the island’s wonders are within reach: volcanoes, wild beaches, viewpoints, small fishing villages, wineries with vineyards, etc.

For my part, I rented my car through Discover Cars. Everything went smoothly, I got the vehicle I wanted for a good price. For more info, I recommend reading our guide to renting a car in Lanzarote.

Other little tips for the road:

• I recommend going for a small or medium-sized car: the roads are great but in some parking lots and villages there are narrower sections. No need to go for a 4×4, haha.
• In general, you can almost always find somewhere to park in Lanzarote, except in high season.
• And good news for your wallet: fuel in the Canary Islands is often cheaper than in mainland Spain, not to mention France.

Honestly, if you want to explore the island in complete peace while getting off the beaten track, renting a car is the best solution. That’s what I did and it allowed me to take my time and sometimes leave room for the unexpected. It feels good to follow a plan while also listening to what you feel like doing in the moment. And really, driving in Lanzarote is stress-free: no traffic jams, drivers are relaxed and so on…

If you don’t feel like renting a car, don’t worry: you can visit Lanzarote by bus, especially if you’re planning a trip around the main towns, the beaches and a few must-see places. The Intercity Bus network is quite well designed, budget-friendly, and serves tourist areas such as Arrecife, Costa Teguise, Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca. As for fares, they’re very affordable, with journeys usually costing between 1,50 € and 5 € depending on the distance you travel. Put simply, to get between the main villages and the main beaches, buses can do the job.

On the other hand, some must-sees such as Timanfaya National Park, La Geria, Famara, viewpoints and some hiking trailheads aren’t accessible by bus. In those specific cases, I recommend opting for organized excursions. That will give you a combination of buses and guided excursions for your stay. That’s why, if you want to use public transportation, you really need to plan ahead.

To give you a few ideas of routes that are easy to do by bus:

• Arrecife – Costa Teguise: it’s ideal for enjoying the beaches, the seaside scenery and spending a great day between the two towns.
• Arrecife – Puerto del Carmen: I’d say it’s a big classic for strolling along the seafront and having a beach day with snorkeling.
• Puerto del Carmen – Playa Blanca: to discover many beaches or even take the ferry to Fuerteventura.
• Playa Blanca – Papagayo: even though buses don’t go all the way to Playa de Papagayo, you can get to Playa Blanca by bus and then take a taxi.

To go further, know that we’ve written a page about itineraries in Lanzarote. We also have one about 3-day itineraries in Lanzarote. There you’ll find versions adapted for a trip without a car, with ideas for easy-to-reach visits, bus + excursion combos and tips (always based on my experience) to avoid hassles.

Without renting a car and to keep a bit of flexibility, you can consider taking taxis in Lanzarote. They’re very easy to find, especially in tourist spots like Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise, Playa Blanca or Arrecife, and I find that prices remain reasonable for short or occasional trips.

What’s more, taxis are properly equipped with official meters, which avoids nasty surprises at the end of the ride. In any case, I recommend taking a taxi if you’re staying in a tourist area and want to go to a specific place that isn’t served by bus. Not to mention the Papagayo beaches, which you can reach by bus from Playa Blanca.

On the other hand, in more remote areas it will be harder to find taxis, especially in the north or near the volcanoes. No worries, you can always book one by phone or through your hotel. What’s convenient with taxis is that you can take one to complete your itinerary. In a nutshell, it’s a good way to avoid driving without any hassle in Lanzarote.

So, even if it’s often a reflex to check apps like Uber and Bolt to get around, in Lanzarote it’s still very limited. Depending on where you are and where you want to go, you can always try to see if a ride-hailing car is available. But in my opinion, you’ll struggle to find one. Local taxi companies are very well known and well established; that’s what works best.

Honestly, for short or occasional trips, I recommend favoring traditional taxis. They’re much easier to find even if, as I was saying, nothing stops you from doing a little test with ride-hailing services.

If you like slower-paced travel and are looking for a more active way to explore the island, know that bikes, e-bikes and electric scooters are good options for visiting Lanzarote. And good news for you: there isn’t too much elevation on the island, with nice paths along the coasts. It’s super pleasant, especially in seaside resorts like Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca, Costa Teguise or even La Geria.

To gain a bit of elevation and deal with the wind (which you’ll definitely feel at some point during your stay), it’s best to take an e-bike. You’ll be able to cover more distance while enjoying the scenery, hair in the wind haha, and above all without too much effort.

As for electric scooters, they’re handy in tourist areas and towns. You can easily rent them for an hour or even for a whole day. I just recommend avoiding the hottest hours in summer, because the sun beats down quite a bit without you realizing it. And also, use them mainly on bike paths or seaside promenades: you’ll feel more comfortable there and it’s more suitable. In short, even if bikes and electric transport aren’t the first things you think of, they’re still fun options to choose for a day, for example.

Now that we’ve seen how to get around the island of Lanzarote itself, I’d like to show you how to move around the Canary archipelago from this island. If you have time ahead of you or want to take a more complete trip, know that it’s quite easy to discover another island by ferry or by plane. What’s great is that Lanzarote is close to several Canary Islands such as Fuerteventura and La Graciosa. In fact, many travelers often combine them in a single trip, as it’s so simple and quick.

So it’s no coincidence that I’m starting with Fuerteventura. It’s often the most popular excursion or inter-island trip from Lanzarote. The two islands are so close that from Playa Blanca you can clearly see the shores of Fuerteventura, even the dunes of Corralejo, which are just opposite. So you can imagine that the journey is very quick.

To get there, you just need to take a ferry from Playa Blanca (in the south of Lanzarote) to Corralejo (in the north of Fuerteventura). To give you more info:

• The crossing takes on average 25 to 35 minutes.
• Several companies operate the crossing (Fred Olsen, Líneas Romero, Naviera Armas).
• Prices are around 20 to 30 € one way.

We can agree: it’s simple and convenient, you can even do it in a single day to get a small taste of Fuerteventura. It’s a very different island from Lanzarote: it’s wilder and more desert-like, with huge beaches for surfing or even swimming.

To be honest, it’s an island I didn’t know about before going to Lanzarote. And in the end, if there’s one island I really recommend visiting from Lanzarote, it’s La Graciosa. It’s the smallest inhabited island in the Canaries, and above all one of the most authentic: no paved roads, no cars (apart from a few authorized 4x4s), sandy-colored houses set in the sand… It was an amazing discovery for me. I really felt like I was in another world, with natural, raw and well-preserved landscapes.

If you feel like it, it’s very easy to get there from Lanzarote: you just need to reach the port of Órzola, at the very north of the island, then take a ferry to La Graciosa, heading to Caleta del Sebo, the small main village. For your information, the crossing takes about 25 minutes and several companies operate the route (Líneas Romero and Biosfera Express). Plus, it’s not very expensive: about 15 € one way.

Once there, you can explore the island on foot, by bike or by 4×4 taxi to see the must-sees such as Playa de las Conchas, Playa Francesa, Pedro Barba and Playa Amarilla. I can assure you it’s worth the trip.

To prepare your visit, I recommend taking a look at our complete guide to La Graciosa.

If you’re planning to visit Lanzarote and Tenerife on the same trip, it’s a very good idea. That’s what I did and even though they’re not the two closest islands, they’re well connected by plane and by ferry. What I really liked is that they’re two very different islands; there’s practically a gap between them. That’s what gave me two exotic trips in one! I’ll let you imagine that I’d do it again without hesitation. Logistically, you have two options that I’ve already mentioned briefly:

• By plane: it’s the simplest and especially the fastest. It’s about a 50-minute flight, takeoff and landing included. Plus, there are at least 6 flights a day between the two islands, operated by two airlines: Binter Canarias and Canafly. I chose the second airline because there was a real price difference between the two (100 € difference for a one-way ticket). I paid 150 €, but from what I saw, depending on your dates, you might find it a bit cheaper. In any case, by plane I saved time and it was more convenient than the ferry. One little anecdote: the plane was really small, so you feel turbulence or air pockets more if there are any. But I was expecting worse; it was totally manageable.
• By ferry: you can take it from Arrecife to Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Needless to say the travel time is much longer: it’s between 10 and 12 hours, sometimes overnight (so you don’t lose too much time from your trip). I’d say it’s a good solution for anyone traveling with their own car and who prefers to avoid flying for various reasons.

In short, I’d favor the plane as I’ve already done, but it all depends on how much time you have to travel and what you feel like. You always have the trick of taking the night ferry so you don’t lose sightseeing time. Always good to know!

There you go, you now know everything about getting around Lanzarote. I want to say: all that’s left is to choose the mode or modes of transport that best fit your trip. Once again, it’s all about organization and planning ahead; it will make your trip more relaxed and peaceful.

In the same vein, feel free to check out our article on how to get around Tenerife. It’s a more developed island and more open to tourism compared to Lanzarote; you’ll see there are more transport options there. In any case, it’s also a wonderful island that I recommend visiting! I almost forgot, another one of our articles could be useful to you: the one about the budget to plan for visiting Lanzarote.

See you very soon for more articles on planning a trip to Lanzarote!

Written by Laura CALLES

Thanks to Mélanie and Sylvain, I had the chance to discover the Canary Islands, specifically Tenerife and Lanzarote, so that I could share these island paradises with you. Two real favorites of mine!

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