CanaryIslands
3
Day Itinerary •
Spain
The Canary Islands are one of Europe's greatest travel secrets. An archipelago of seven volcanic islands off the African coast, each dramatically different from the next, with landscapes ranging from lunar lava fields to ancient laurel forests, Saharan sand dunes to cloud-piercing volcanic peaks. Most visitors see only the resort beaches and miss the extraordinary hidden interior. This 3-day route focuses on Lanzarote, the most architecturally extraordinary of the Canaries. An island shaped by a volcanic eruption that lasted six years, then transformed by visionary artist Cesar Manrique into the most design-conscious island in Spain. Plus a day trip to La Graciosa, the smallest inhabited island in the Canaries, still completely car-free and breathtakingly beautiful.
Best Time To Visit
Year-round (spring and autumn ideal)
Getting There
Fly into Lanzarote Airport (ACE)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 70 to 110 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
LANZAROTE NORTH
MORNING
JAMEOS DEL AGUA, THE UNDERGROUND VOLCANIC LAKE
Jameos del Agua is one of the most extraordinary natural and artistic spaces in the Canaries. A lava tube from the Timanfaya eruption runs beneath the island and into the sea, forming an underground lagoon of brackish water. Inside the cave lives the jameito, a blind albino crab found nowhere else on earth, adapted over thousands of years in complete darkness. Cesar Manrique transformed the cave into an extraordinary exhibition space with concerts, gardens and an auditorium inside the volcanic rock. Entry approx 12 euros. Drive: 15 min drive to Manrique Foundation
MIDDAY
CESAR MANRIQUE FOUNDATION, THE VOLCANO HOUSE
The Cesar Manrique Foundation is the most extraordinary house in the Canary Islands. Built directly inside five volcanic bubbles from the 1730s eruption, Manrique designed a series of interconnected living spaces within the natural lava caves, each painted a different colour and opening onto lush gardens. The contrast between the brutal black lava exterior and the extraordinary interior spaces is breathtaking. Entry approx 10 euros. Drive: 20 min drive to Orzola
AFTERNOON
ORZOLA, THE NORTHERNMOST VILLAGE AND HIDDEN BEACHES
Orzola is the northernmost village in Lanzarote and the departure point for La Graciosa. But the village itself and the surrounding coastline are extraordinary. The Playa de la Canteria just north of the village is a completely undeveloped beach of golden sand framed by dramatic black lava cliffs, almost entirely visited by locals only. The fish restaurants in Orzola harbour serve the freshest seafood on the island.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Jardin de Cactus in northern Lanzarote is the finest cactus garden in Europe, designed by Cesar Manrique in 1990 in a disused volcanic quarry. Over 4,500 cacti from 450 species fill the circular terraced garden. Entry approx 7 euros and completely unlike anything else on the island. The windmill above the garden is one of Manrique's finest restorations.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Arrecife old town Start in the island capital. Cafe Bar La Lonja near the harbour serves excellent coffee and local pastries. | Lunch: Restaurante Isla de La Graciosa, Orzola Outstanding fresh fish restaurant in the harbour. Order the vieja (parrotfish), the most local Canarian fish. | Dinner: El Diablo, Timanfaya area The most extraordinary restaurant location in Spain. Meat and fish grilled over a volcanic vent where the ground temperature reaches 400 degrees. Booking essential.
DAY 2
LA GRACIOSA ISLAND
MORNING
FERRY TO LA GRACIOSA, THE CAR-FREE ISLAND
crossing La Graciosa is the smallest inhabited island in Spain and one of the most extraordinary. The 20-minute ferry from Orzola arrives at Caleta del Sebo, a village of sand streets and white-painted houses with not a single car or motorbike. The entire island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Hire a bicycle or walk everywhere. The island has 700 permanent residents and an atmosphere of absolute peace that is entirely unlike anywhere else in the Canaries. Drive: 30 min cycle to Playa de las Conchas
MIDDAY
PLAYA DE LAS CONCHAS, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACH IN THE CANARIES
The Playa de las Conchas is considered the finest beach in all of the Canary Islands. A perfect arc of golden sand in the shadow of the Montana Amarilla volcanic cone, with the turquoise Atlantic on three sides and the volcanic mountains of Lanzarote visible on the horizon. Accessible only by bicycle or on foot from Caleta del Sebo, a 30-minute ride across the volcanic landscape. No facilities, no development, no crowds. Drive: 30 min cycle back to Caleta del Sebo
AFTERNOON
CALETA DEL SEBO, THE FISHING VILLAGE FROZEN IN TIME
Return to Caleta del Sebo and spend the afternoon exploring the island's only real settlement. The village has been a working fishing community for centuries and the harbour is still the centre of island life. Walk the sand streets between the white houses. Visit the small fish market. Eat at one of the harbour restaurants where the catch was in the water that morning. Take the late afternoon ferry back to Orzola.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Montana Amarilla on La Graciosa can be climbed in 30 minutes from the beach. The summit gives the finest 360-degree view in the Canaries, with La Graciosa, Lanzarote, the Atlantic and on clear days the island of Alegranza visible to the north. A completely free and utterly extraordinary experience.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar in Caleta del Sebo The village has two cafes. Simple coffee and local bread before cycling to the beach. | Lunch: Restaurante Girasol, La Graciosa Best restaurant on the island. Incredibly fresh fish, local vieja and the finest view of the harbour. | Dinner: Restaurante Taberna El Potro, Orzola Back on Lanzarote, excellent seafood restaurant in Orzola village after the ferry.
DAY 3
TIMANFAYA AND WINE COUNTRY
MORNING
TIMANFAYA NATIONAL PARK, THE VOLCANO LANDSCAPE
Timanfaya National Park covers a quarter of Lanzarote with a landscape of solidified lava flows, volcanic cones and craters from an eruption that lasted from 1730 to 1736, destroying 11 villages and covering a third of the island. The Ruta de los Volcanes bus route through the park is extraordinary. Park rangers demonstrate the heat still emanating from the ground by pouring water into cracks and producing instant geysers. Entry approx 12 euros. Drive: 20 min drive to La Geria
MIDDAY
LA GERIA, THE VOLCANIC WINE COUNTRY
La Geria is one of the most extraordinary wine landscapes in the world. Lanzarote's winemakers solved the problem of growing vines on volcanic ash by digging individual crescent-shaped pits in the lava and planting a single vine in each, protected from the wind by a low lava wall. The result is a landscape of thousands of black volcanic craters each containing a green vine, stretching across an entirely black lava plain. The Malvasia wine produced here is outstanding. Visit Bodegas El Grifo, Spain's oldest wine bodega, for a tasting. Drive: 25 min drive to Los Hervideros
AFTERNOON
LOS HERVIDEROS AND THE WILD SOUTHWEST COAST
The southwest coast of Lanzarote is its wildest and most dramatic. Los Hervideros are a series of sea caves in the black lava coastline where Atlantic waves crash through underground tunnels and shoot skyward through blowholes with a sound like boiling water. Walk the coastal path past El Golfo, the extraordinary green lagoon formed inside a collapsed volcanic crater, and the Playa de Janubio with its black sand beach.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Mirador del Rio, designed by Cesar Manrique and built into a cliff at the northernmost tip of Lanzarote, gives the most extraordinary view in the Canaries. A glass-fronted observation room 479 metres above the sea looks directly over the channel to La Graciosa and the smaller uninhabited islands beyond. Entry approx 5 euros and one of the finest designed viewpoints in Spain.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe near Timanfaya entrance Several cafes in Mancha Blanca village just outside the park entrance. Fuel up before the volcano route. | Lunch: Bodega El Grifo restaurant Lunch in the garden of Spain's oldest wine bodega. Local cheese, cured meats and the finest Malvasia on the island. | Dinner: Restaurante El Lago, El Golfo Outstanding seafood restaurant at El Golfo overlooking the green volcanic lagoon. The most dramatic dinner setting in Lanzarote.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Lanzarote, all nights Finca de Arrieta, stunning eco-resort in the north. Approx 100 to 160 euros per night. Alternative Hotel La Isla y el Mar, Playa Honda. Excellent location between the airport and the north. Approx 80 to 130 euros. Budget Option Hotel Lancelot, Arrecife. Clean and central in the island capital from approx 50 euros per night.
Top Tips
1. Book the La Graciosa ferry online at least a day ahead in summer as it sells out fast.
2. Timanfaya opens at 9am. Arrive at opening to avoid the coach tour queues that build by 10am.
3. El Diablo restaurant cooks over volcanic heat. Book weeks ahead as it has only 40 covers.
4. The Mirador del Rio closes at 5:45pm. Arrive 1 hour before closing for the best afternoon light.
5. Lanzarote has a building height law. No building can be taller than a palm tree. Look for it.
6. Malvasia wine from La Geria is unique to Lanzarote. Buy bottles directly from the bodega to take home.
Total Budget
80 to 130 euros/day