3 days itinerary with a car, to discover Lanzarote

One of the 7 main Canary islands, Lanzarote is a beautiful place where we have spent extraordinary summer holidays…. In April. Yes, the weather is good almost the whole year and you can be sure to have some rest, to discover a new place if it is your first time and to enjoy the sun.

The Lanzarote Island is quite small, comparing to the others islands of the archipelago. The distance from North to South is around 25 km (around 1h10 with a car) and the distance between the West and the East is around 25 km (30 minutes with a car).

We have spent 7 days, at the Melia Salinas resort with a half board offer. You can read more about our stay in my article. The 2 first days were dedicated to the pool and to some readings. Then, for the next 3 days, we rent a car in order to discover the beautiful Lanzarote Island. And the last 2 days, recovering and again rest.

So, here is my advice to discover the best of the place, for 3 days. These are itineraries with a car, full of beautiful landscapes and magical places. As we were staying at Costa Teguise, we decided to divide the itinerary into 3 parts: the first day dedicated to the North of the Island, the second one, to the South and the last one, to the Timanfaya National Park.

Day 1

For the 1st day, we left the hotel quite early, at around 10 am and we took the direction to the Jardin de Cactus. Here, you have more than 4500 cacti (from 450 different species) and this place should be on your to-do list when in Lanzarote. Our visite lasted for around 1h 15. You can buy the ticket once you are there. You can also buy a pass for several sightseeings (from 3 to 6 places) and it could be advantageous if only you don’t lose it like I did. But anyway.

The second place on our list was Jameos del Agua. This is my favorite one, with the Valley of the thousand palm trees which I will introduce later on. Jameos del Agua is a mix of oasis, gardens and a natural lake with a turquoise water and the blind crabs (a local species you can see only on the Lanzarote Island).

It is useful to know that you have the aloe museum, on the road between these two sightseeings (Jardin de Cactus and Jameos del Agus). We haven’t visite dit because wasn’t on our list, we just discovered it when traveling. When on the road for the Orzola village, we made a stop on the Caleton Blanco beach, which is one of the most beautiful beaches on the Island.

After all these visits, we took the road to the Orzola village, which is a small fisherman village, all in the North of the Island. It was a great opportunity to eat some fresh fish and squids, in a small restaurant with a view on the sea. It is useful to know that if you are interested in spending a day on the La Graciosa Island, you can take the ferry from Orzola. Cars and other motor vehicles are not allowed there, so you can choose between a bicycle or a walk (from 4 to 50 minutes you chose a bicycle and from 10 minutes to 2 hours if you prefer walking).

As we haven’t preview another day for that, we only have had the beautiful view on this small Island from the Mirador del Rio place. Parking is not free there but you can also park your car for free, just before the parking and enjoy the breathtaking view.

On the road to the hotel, we made a quick stop in Haria and then continued to Teguise. The beautiful Valley of the thousand palm trees is situated between these 2 villages. It is difficult to find some information about this place on the internet or in the book guides. We knew about it, thanks to a local person who advised us to come by if we have the possibility. Then we went to Teguise village which is very beautiful, with its large square where you have the local bar but also the Nuestra Senora de Guadeloupe Church.

So, we have done a lot of things during this first day with a car on the Lanzarote Island. That is the reason why the planning for the next 2 days was a little bit lighter.

Day 2

During the 2nd day on the Island, we have visited fewer places because we did some shopping.

Our first stop was Arrecife. If you are Zara’s fan, here you will find one of the 2 Zara’s shops on the Island. The second one is in Puerto del Carmen. This one is bigger and with more choices. Arrecife is a small city. The Harbour is one of the places you have to visit when there. Here you have the famous Castillo de San José which was transformed into the International Museum of the contemporary art.

The second destination for the second day of our road trip was Puerto del Carmen. If you would like to do some shopping, this is the best place on the Lanzarote Island for this. In the shopping center, you will find the Zara shop but also some other brands. After that, you can have a walk on the seaside and discover the white beautiful houses.

Next destination, Puerto Calero or also known as the Lanzarote’s Saint-Tropez. This is the perfect place for a drink or for a lunch/dinner, in one of the restaurants, with a beautiful view on the Harbour. One of the streets is dedicated to the shopping, with all the luxury brands. Well, here you have all that will make you feel like being in Saint-Tropez.

Day 3

For the 3rd and last day of our visit with a car, we decided to go to 2 places.

The first one was the Timanfaya National Park which is one of the things you really have to do when in Lanzarote. One there, car-queuing is quite long, between 1h and 2h (depends also on which moment of the day you will go there). Once on the parking, you will have to leave the car and take the bus, for the circuit which will last for around 45 minutes. The history of the volcano will be told in English, Spanish and German.

After that, we went to the Papagayo Beach. I highly recommend this place. Nevertheless, you need to pay attention, because the road is really bad and your car is not insured for this type of roads. But once there, the 30 minutes (on a bad road) will be justified by the beauty of the place.

I hope that these suggestions will help you to weel organize your trip to Lanzarote, so you will be able to find the best places on the Lanzarote Island.

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