A unique 5 day Lanzarote itinerary

The ultimate Lanzarote itinerary featuring old town Puerto del Carmen, the beaches of Costa Teguise and unique Caleta de Famara.

Lanzarote is an island where life is simple and slow-paced and the sun always shines (well, most of the time anyway). We stayed in Costa Teguise, which is on the South Eastern coast of the island. Costa Teguise is the third largest resort behind the more familiar Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen. I visited here with my family including my niece and nephew, so, I will be listing lots of kid-friendly options in this post. But, I also did a lot of solo travel around the island. So, not to worry there is lots of juicy information for you solo travelers too.

If you’re looking for the best time to visit, I think off-peak in Lanzarote is a great time to explore the island. Namely the months of June and September when it’s still warm.

Whether you are lucky enough to be spending two weeks, or just a short holiday in Lanzarote (like we did). Here, are my best suggestions for the most amazing things to do in Lanzarote.

Day 1 of your Lanzarote itinerary – relax in Costa Teguise

We were lucky enough to be staying at the Sands Beach Resort, which has everything you could possibly think of. Seven swimming pools, a poolside bar, a supermarket, an on-site restaurant free water sports including kayaking and stand-up paddle-boarding. If you have your own inflatable SUP you can try it out at the sheltered Cucharas beach. If not, you can rent one from the Surf School near Cucharas beach.

It’s easy to spend a full day here and not get bored. We sampled everything on our first day, and there is an excellent kids club too for your little ones. We started every day with a coffee at their poolside bar, while the kids played in the pool. Easy-peasy. If you get tired of all the swimming pools, there’s a beautiful beach just around the corner. Here we witnessed lots of people snorkelling amongst its rocky coves.

Costa Teguise is a very family-friendly area

The resort of Costa Teguise itself is full to the brim with family-friendly restaurants and live-music bars. Most of them are hidden from the street, our personal favourite was Pueblo Marinero or ‘main square’. We recommend walking the coastal route here, instead of along the main road. It’s much more scenic and you may even spot a buff surfer or three.

On a side note, it’s never too hot on this coast, in fact it can be quite windy. The locals even call it ‘Breezy Teguise’. Sounds like an ideal placefor your Lanzarote itinerary, am I right?!

Day 2 of your Lanzarote itinerary – join the other tourists in Puerto del Carmen

Puerto del Carmen, is a package-holidayer’s dream. A bustling and vibrant resort with an abundance of restaurants, bars and nightclubs. It is definitely geared towards the younger tourist. In the new town Puerto del Carmen, the beach is its beating heart, its core, it runs pretty much the entire length of the resort. You can do every type of water-sport imaginable from jet skiing to surfing. We went on the Marine Water Park, which was way more challenging than it looks but what a laugh we had. My belly was sore from laughing the entire time. My nephew who’s seven went on this but my niece who’s not yet two was too young. I definitely recommend your little one be over seven for this activity. It cost €5 per person.

Make sure to spend an hour or two in the old town of Puerto del Carmen

My personal favourite in this area, is ‘old town’ Puerto del Carmen which has more of a local feel to it. There are lots of restaurants along the cliff walk to Puerto Calero many serving fish caught that day. I definitely recommend walking this route too for some great photograph opportunities.

Day 3 of your Lanzarote itinerary – try some windsurfing in Caleta de Famara

Next on your Lanzarote itinerary should be the unique beach-side town of Caleta de Famara. The drive there is more than enough reason to visit it – long winding roads through volcanic landscape. Caleta de Famara or more commonly known as Famara is my top pick for your 5 days in Lanzarote. Charming, quiet and rustic and a short 30 minute bus ride from Costa Teguise. The bus ticket is €2.50 each way.

If you’ve had your fill of the typical tourist beaches that the island offers, then head over to Famara for a completely unique experience. This part of Lanzarote is famous for its incredible surfing and watersports facilities. You can try your luck at surfing, kitesurfing, or windsurfing – basically any kind of surfing you can think of! Lessons are easy to come by and there are more than enough places to rent equipment in the small village. We counted five on our short walk.

Whether you just want to laze on the sand surrounded by rugged cliffs that would look more in place in South Africa, or get involved in the watersports yourself, Famara makes for a great day out on the island.

Day 4 of your Lanzarote itinerary – step back in time in Teguise town

The old capital of Lanzarote on the island’s east coast is awash with colonial charm and architecture. The town’s lovely cobbled streets and white-wash buildings make it a joy to stroll through. It’s pretty small too so you can definitely walk it on foot with your little ones in tow. I took the bus here myself, simply because I went mid-week so there’s not much to entertain the kids. I took the Lanzarote bus from Costa Teguise, which took little over 10 minutes and is €1.40 each way.

Visit the famous Teguise market on a Sunday

Teguise is known for its busy market that takes over the gorgeous Plaza de San Miguel every Sunday morning. You can buy everything from beer to fine artisan crafts to cheap watches here. The vibrant atmosphere alone makes it worth the trip. The market is very obviously targeting tourists so you’ll also see a number of street musicians and artists plying their trade around the hustle and bustle of the market.

As well as the market, Teguise boasts a number of fine churches and religious icons. Must-sees include the Ntra. Sra. de Guadalupe church, the convents of St. Domingo and San Francisco, and the castle of Santa Bárbara which stands atop the Guanapay volcano, overlooking the city.

Day 5 of your Lanzarote itinerary – get lost in the island’s capital Arrecife

Arrecife is a small, manageable city with a pleasant Mediterranean-style promenade, an inviting sandy beach and – it has to be said – a disarming backstreet hotchpotch of sun-bleached, peeling buildings, elegant boutiques, unpretentious bars and good (and bad) restaurants. The sights are scarce, yet interesting, and include a couple of castles, a pretty lagoon and a vibey marina. If anything, Arrecife’s most notable quality is that it’s a no-nonsense working town that earns its living from something other than tourism.

This piece by Lonely Planet perfectly sums up the island’s capital. It doesn’t have a massive amount in terms of tourist sights but you can easily spend a few hours getting lost in its white-washed maze. Considering Arrecife is the capital of Lanzarote, it’s a must-see on your Lanzarote itinerary.

Highlights include the charming Charco de San Ginés boat lake and the Castillo de San Gabriel. Again, I took Lanzarote Bus here from Costa Teguise, which takes about 20 minutes and cost €1.40.

While I took the trip to Arrecife solo, the kids visited the Aquarium in Costa Teguise and loved it. More information here.

How much do things cost for a short holiday to Lanzarote:

• Average cost of a local beer: €3 for a pint of Tropical, or €2 during Happy Hour

• Average cost of a main course in a restaurant: €10-15, we ate at ‘kid-friendly’ restaurants which notoriously charge more but if you’re a solo traveller there are lots of smaller local-friendly restaurants where you can get a meal for under €10

• Getting there: cheap flights from Ireland Ryanair, cheap flights from UK EasyJet.

Do-not-miss restaurants for your short holiday in Lanzarote:

• Portobello a family-friendly Italian restaurant in Costa Teguise. Their pasta is freshly-made, and the owner is is so friendly or in my nephew’s words “so cute”.

• Grill la Vaca Loca in Costa Teguise

• Cafe La Ola in Puerto del Carmen, for drinks and an excellent view of the beach

• Mulligans Old Town Irish Bar in Puerto del Carmen

• La Hacienda, a large kid-friendly Mexican Restaurant in Costa Teguise

Hopefully, this post provides you with some inspiration for your next trip to Lanzarote. Whether you’re on the island for a few days or for two weeks, I am certain you won’t run out of things to do. Indeed, a short holiday to Lanzarote may just be what the doctor ordered.

Tell me – what did you think of our itinerary for Lanzarote? Is there anywhere on the island we have missed? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

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