Playa Blanca
The Papagayo beaches
Land in the morning, pick up the car and drive to the south of the island. First swim at the Papagayo beaches.
Destinations / Spain /
ItineraryLanzarote in 7 days: volcanoes, Manrique and an underwater museum
- 7 days
- 14 stops
- Apr 2018
Before we start · intro, costs & tips
A week on Lanzarote in spring, with a rental car: the beaches of Playa Blanca, my first dive in the underwater Museo Atlántico, César Manrique's houses and viewpoints, the vineyards of La Geria, the Timanfaya volcanoes, and a day across the water in Fuerteventura.
Getting around: rent a car for the whole week. Distances are short and the island roads are easy. The ferry to Fuerteventura leaves from Playa Blanca and takes half an hour.
1 stop · swipe or tap a card
1 stop · swipe or tap a card
Diving at the Museo Atlántico
A museum under the sea
My first dive, and an unforgettable one: Europe's first underwater museum, with Jason deCaires Taylor's sculptures on the seabed off Playa Blanca. A morning and an afternoon of diving with the course.
Read the story of my first dive →
3 stops · swipe or tap a card
Mirador del Río
A window on the ocean
Manrique's lookout built into the cliff at the northern tip, with its huge window over the strait and La Graciosa.
Salinas del Río
Fish lunch at the Mirador de las Salinas, above the old salt pans.
La Graciosa
The little island in front, with sand roads and no cars.
3 stops · swipe or tap a card
Jardín de Cactus
Manrique's garden of thousands of cacti in an old quarry, with a windmill on top.
Casa de Manrique & Cueva de los Verdes
The artist's house built into lava bubbles, and the lava tube of the Cueva de los Verdes.
Dinner at the Jameos del Agua
Dinner in a volcano
Dinner inside the volcanic cave turned by Manrique into a garden, pool and concert hall.
2 stops · swipe or tap a card
Ferry to Fuerteventura
The 8am ferry from Playa Blanca with the car, for a day on the next island and the Sunday craft market at El Campanario.
Rooftop cinema
Back on Lanzarote for an open-air film on a rooftop in Puerto del Carmen.
3 stops · swipe or tap a card
Timanfaya
The Fire Mountains
The Fire Mountains: the volcanic national park, where the ground is still hot enough to cook on.
La Geria
Wine from the ashes
Vines planted in black volcanic ash, each in its own hollow behind a little stone wall, and a wine tasting at El Grifo, the oldest winery in the Canaries.
Arrecife
The capital, with its castle museum, and a last evening at the bars of the marina.
1 stop · swipe or tap a card
Flight home
A morning flight home.
Good to know
One ticket covers several of the island's art and nature centres (CACT): the Jameos del Agua, Cueva de los Verdes, Jardín de Cactus, Mirador del Río and Timanfaya, so buy the combined pass.
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