13 Best Things to Do in Lanzarote With Kids

I’ve traveled to Lanzarote a couple of times with my daughters and this is my guide to the best things to do in Lanzarote with kids!

Lanzarote attracts around 3 million tourists every year many of whom are families. So, it’s safe to say it’s one of the most popular family destinations in Europe and that’s because the weather is consistently great, it’s easy to get around and there are loads of cool things to do here. I mean, there are not many places in the world where you can hike through a volcanic national park on a camel in the morning and then visit a giant cactus garden in the afternoon.

As I said, I’ve been to this stunning island three times now, the first time I spent 5 days in Lanzarote. But I think two weeks is the ideal amount of time when traveling here with kids as you’ll be able to tick off most of the kid-friendly attractions I’ve listed below!

In this blog post, I will share with you all the best things to do in Lanzarote with kids as well as the best hotels for children on the island. This guide is all you’ll need if you’re visiting Lanzarote as a family at any time of year!

Is Lanzarote nice for kids?

Lanzarote is one of the most family-friendly destinations in Europe thanks to its wide variety of kid-friendly attractions like the Lanzarote Aquarium, Rancho Texas Theme Park, and the Aquapark in Costa Teguise. It’s also very easy to enjoy yourself on a family holiday here as it’s relaxed, easy to get around and has lots of family-oriented hotels. Plus, if you stay close to the coast the weather here never feels too hot thanks to a consistent breeze.

BEST Things to Do in Lanzarote With Kids!

1. Rancho Texas Lanzarote Park

One of the best things to do in Lanzarote with kids is to spend a day at the Rancho Texas Park outside of Puerto del Carmen. This massive Western-themed park is home to a zoo and water park. You can also catch several educational presentations throughout the day here. These include a dolphin show, a birds of prey demonstration, a macaw and cockatoo show, and a sea lion show. We saw all of the presentations when we visited and honestly, they’re all worth seeing. Each show lasts around 20 minutes. The dolphin show was our favorite!

In the zoo section, you can see lots of different animals from white tigers to penguins and crocodiles and there’s even a petting zoo section where you can pet goats and donkeys. What I loved about the zoo section is how spread out it is and there’s lots of shade too. Ideal for escaping the intense Lanzarote heat.

We had lunch at the on-site Wild West-themed restaurant (The Wildhorse Saloon) and the food was good and reasonably priced. There’s also a pool bar in the splash park section but this was very busy when we visited.

After lunch, we hit the waterpark which has a couple of slides and two splash zones – one for older kids and one for younger kids.

Tickets for Rancho Texas Lanzarote Park cost €42 per adult and €28 for kids aged between 3 and 12. Kids under 3 are free!

2. Cactus Garden

The Jardin de Cactus is exactly what it says on the tin – a garden filled with cactus. Would you believe, there are around 4,500 cactus here? And they’re all different shapes and sizes. Even though my daughters were only 3 and 2 when we visited, they loved it here and my 3-year-old still talks about the huge cactus. There’s a massive 8-meter cactus at the entrance that’s so cool to see!

The on-site restaurant serves up a variety of cactus-themed food. We loved the cactus croquettes and my daughters loved the prickly pear juice. If you’re a coffee drinker like us, the coffee here is good and strong!

I recommend spending around two hours here, an adult ticket costs €8, and children aged between 7-12 cost €4. Children under 6 are free! We rented a car to get here – it’s located in the small town of Guatiza around a 30-minute drive from Puerto del Carmen.

3. Jameos del Agua

Another one of the most popular attractions on Lanzarote is Jameos del Agua. This super-unique lagoon is 7 meters deep and is located inside a cave. The deep blue lagoon is home to the famed blind crab. These teeny-tiny white crabs are unique to the cave (they’re not found anywhere else in the world!).

The cave was formed due to the collapse of the volcanic tube of La Corona and it’s such a photogenic and unusual place. We took lots of photos. There’s also a museum on-site called the Casa de los Volcanos, which you pay a little extra for but here you can do a virtual reality experience in the museum that explores the inside of the cave- my daughters loved it.

Me and my husband loved the natural auditorium here, it’s an event space within a cave that seats up to 550 people. And I can imagine that getting to see a concert here would be a bucket-list-worthy experience!

We recommend spending around 2.5 hours here exploring the cave and the museum. There’s also a restaurant and Cafe on-site. We got some snacks at the Cafe and were surprised by how reasonably priced it was. An adult ticket for Jameos del Agua costs €15 and children aged from 7-12 are €7.50. Kids under 6 are free.

4. Lanzarote Aquarium

One of the biggest aquariums in the Canary Islands is located in Costa Teguise. The Lanzarote Aquarium is home to various species of tropical and local Canarian fish as well as ocean predators like sharks. You can also see eels, hermit crabs and more here!

There’s a tactile (touching) aquarium here where visitors can touch sea urchins and sea cucumbers.

For older kids, a dive with sharks in the aquarium is sure to be an experience they’ll remember forever. It’s completely safe and is run by a diving center with years of experience. Not to worry if you’ve never dived before as it’s suitable for beginners.

Entrance costs from €15 per adult and €10 for children aged from 4-12. Kids under 3 are free!

5. Aquapark Costa Teguise

The biggest waterpark on the island is located in Costa Teguise, Aquapark Costa Teguise has something for all ages and it’s the perfect place to spend a full day! There are 3 different sections for different age groups. For small kids, there are soft slides a game castle, and a lagoon. While older kids can have fun on the Kamikaze slide, Whirlwind slide, and adrenalin-pumping rapids.

For non-water-related fun, you can test your skills on the obstacle course, go paintballing (for an extra fee), or check out the 10D cinema.

Tickets for the Aquapark in Costa Teguise cost from €28!

6. Go windsurfing

Older kids may enjoy trying their hand at windsurfing in the unique beach-side town of Caleta de Famara. The drive there is more than enough reason to visit it – long winding roads through the volcanic landscape. Caleta de Famara 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.

7. Teguise Sunday Market

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.

8. Go shopping!

If you’re traveling with older kids it’s likely they’ll want to do some shopping while in Lanzarote. We visited the Biosfera Shopping Center in Puerto del Carmen a few times during our visits to the island and although small it has everything you need for a great day of shopping. For example, Zara, Stradivarius Levis, Footlocker, and more are located here. For young kids, you could bribe them with a visit to the soft play area on the top floor if they let you shop in peace for an hour. On the top floor there’s a great covered soft play area as well as crazy golf and a cinema.

The biggest shopping center on the island is located in Arrecife – it’s called Lanzarote Open Mall and it only opened in 2022. It’s got 3 floors and lots of shops, restaurants (there’s a McDonald’s here), as well as a children’s playground on the terrace level. We spent a few hours here on our last visit to Lanzarote and I shopped in Pull & Bear, Zara, Primark, Bimba y Lola, and Stradivarius. We had a rental car to get here and there’s plenty of parking – around 1,000 car spaces.

9. Check out the Pirate Museum

For any pirate lovers, you’ll be delighted to know that there’s a Pirate Museum in Teguise which tells the history of pirates in the area. The museum is located within the Castle of Santa Bárbara, which sits at the peak of Guanapay Volcano. The castle was built at such a height so that they could see any pirates approaching in the sea.

Please note: the Pirate Museum is currently closed for renovations, check their website for their re-opening!

10. El Golfo

If your kids are fascinated by space then they might be keen to see El Golfo. Or more specifically Charco de los Clicos, a viewpoint over a bright green lake that’s surrounded by volcanic Mars-like scenery. It’s a short walk from the car park to the viewpoint where you’ll see not only the green lake, which gets its color from the type of algae that grows in it but also a black sand beach. You can follow a different, longer path to the beach if you wish.

There’s also a large Cafe near the car park which has a lovely outdoor area that looks over the beach. And in the small fishing village below the car park (it’s called El Golfo) there are several excellent seafood restaurants.

11. Ride a camel!

Definitely a unique experience, on this tour you’ll ride a camel through some of Timanfaya National Park. It’s a great way to take in the mindblowing scenery on the back of a camel! And it’s suitable for the whole family!

Camels are calm creatures so no need to be worried. Along the ride, your guide will point out the beautiful scenery and tell you all about the history of the area.

If you have a car you can drive to the starting point yourself, in that case the camel ride will cost just €11 per person. But, if you require return transfers to/from your accommodation you can book this camel tour which costs €45.

12. Go on a submarine!

Ever wanted to see the inside of a submarine well you can do just that on this submarine safari tour which leaves from Puerto Calero. The submarine descends to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, it’s around 30 meters to the bottom. And from inside you’ll be able to spot marine life like rays, eels, barracuda, and even shipwrecks. Things that you’d otherwise be only able to see on a scuba dive!

Tickets cost around €64 per person and you can BOOK IT HERE!

13. Dolphin watching cruise

Do your kids love dolphins? I know my two do and this eco-friendly electric catamaran cruise is one of the best-rated tours in Lanzarote. It’s around 2.5 hours long and is limited to just 12 people – meaning a more personalized experience for you! Although you’re not guaranteed to see whales and dolphins there’s a very high possibility you will. And what’s really cool is that you’ll be able to listen to the sounds of the whales and dolphins via the boat’s hydrophone.

This tour leaves from Puerto Calero and tickets cost from €75 per person. Because it’s a boat-based activity it’s most suited for kids aged 6 and over!

Tips to Have the Best Time in Lanzarote With Kids

Rent a car

For our last two days in Lanzarote, we rented a car so that we could easily explore Jameos del Agua, the Cactus Garden, and El Golfo from where we were staying in Playa Blanca. It worked out cheap and it actually only ended up costing a fraction more than a private taxi from our accommodation to the airport. FYI, we were able to pick up our rental car in Playa Blanca and return it to the airport.

Driving in Lanzarote is easy as long as you follow the main roads and don’t go onto any narrow dirt roads – there are a couple of these near Timanfaya National Park and Caleta de Famara.

We tend to always book our rental car through Discover Cars. This is a search engine for rental cars and allows you to filter by price if you’re on a budget or by vehicle type if there’s a specific car you’re after.

Visit off-peak

If you’re traveling with younger kids (i.e. not of school age) your best bet is to visit Lanzarote off-peak. Ideally in the months of May, June, and September as the weather will still be warm but all of the attractions will be much less crowded

Get out and about early in the day

Probably an obvious one for families, but getting out to explore Lanzarote early in the day i.e. from around 9 am means that you will beat the crowds and the intense mid-day heat. By doing this you’ll also be back to the pool for the hottest part of the day, so, the little ones can cool down.

Where to Stay in Lanzarote with Kids

Sol Lanzarote by Melia, Puerto del Carmen

In Puerto del Carmen, we stayed at the well-rated Sol Lanzarote by Melia which is a beach-front all-inclusive hotel. It’s located in the quieter part of Puerto del Carmen (Matagorda) and has a children’s pool and two larger pools. There’s also a playground, kids club, and plenty of kids activities during the day and at night. We had so much fun at their daytime foam party. The buffet restaurant also had lots of options. Rooms here start from around €200 per night all-inclusive.

Caybeach Sun, Playa Blanca

In Playa Blanca, we stayed at Caybeach Sun – which is around a 10-minute walk into town. Playa Blanca is our favorite area to stay in Lanzarote as it’s so pretty and the restaurants here are the best on the island. At Caybeach Sun, there’s a decent-sized kids pool, two bigger pools, a kid’s playground and, a kids club. You can book all-inclusive as an option here but we chose self-catering and were really happy with our large one-bedroom apartment with a balcony. It had a hob, microwave, fridge, etc. so we could make breakfast and lunch if we wanted. Rooms here start from around €100 per night.

Sands Beach Resort, Costa Teguise

In Costa Teguise, we stayed at the Sands Beach Resort which is a short walk from the beach and around 250 meters to the restaurants in Costa Teguise. The kid’s pool here is large and there are two bigger pools. Plus, there’s a man-made lagoon where you can hire kayaks and paddle boards. There’s also a tennis court, bar restaurant, beach bar, and supermarket on-site. Our apartment was spacious and it had a lovely sunny terrace. Rooms here start from around €100 per night.

Thanks for Reading!

Tell me – what did you think of our guide to things to do in Lanzarote with kids? 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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Last Updated on July 4, 2024 by snaphappytravel