20+ things to see Lanzarote

If you've been to Northern Europe (and I will include here Belgium and the North of France) you will know that December is not a pretty month in terms of weather...it's literally crap. Over several years, we had some Decembers with a total of 8h of sunshine, not even to mention that sunrise is around 8:30 and sunset is at 15:30 or so I looked for a workaround. 

Black Sand Beach - El Golfo

Being in Lanzarote for 2 weeks but not with full days, I made sure to make the best out of it. Lets see what's there to do in Lanzarote in December. 

Getting there 

Leaving from Belgium you can get there with a direct Brussels Airlines flight (if I am not mistaken) and maybe even TUI, but when I checked they were super expensive, so I decided to take a flight with Vueling with a short stop in Barcelona. 
Bare in mind that Lanzarote is on GMT time zone, if you would listen to Los Cuarentas Principales they will tell you the time and add, "una menos en Canarias" 

Accommodation 

We had a car, so we decided to stay in the middle of nowhere somewhat in the middle of the island as everything was fairly easy to reach by car.
We stayed at Villa Inuco Experience (Alpha) - internet was great, you had a huge TV and 2 bedrooms and a terrace outside and great 360 views. 

View from our accommodation

What to do and see

There are a lot of things to do and see in Lanzarote and below list (in no particular order) was what we did during our stay, but there are things we did not have the time to include. So, don't worry, you will not get bored

1. San Bartolome Village 

A tiny village more or less in the center of the Island. It's not much to see in the village itself, but it offers a nice view around the area especially at sunset. 

2. Costal Walk: Puerto del Carmen to Puerto Calero 

If you like walking, this is a beautiful one along the coast. It's an easy walk so can be done by everyone. Take a bit of time, and you will be rewarded by beautiful view especially at sunset. 

3. Teguise Market

If you catch a Sunday in Lanzarote, don't miss out on the Market in Teguise. You can buy a lot of local products which can be nice as you will be able to find a lot of hand made product at very good prices. 

4. Haria

The drive to Haria is super gorgeous, take your time to enjoy it. If you have the time, stop also for lunch over here as it has a nice vibe. 

5. Mirador El Risco de Famara

You need to go here. Seriously it's so so so beautiful. I know you have limited sunsets, but this is also a great place to watch a sunset although the sun does not set in the sea. 

6. Ciudad Estratificada (on Avenida El Candil) 

It looks like you are on a different planet. And with the risk of sounding repetitive, if you get to see it at or just after sunset, can get you a nice light for nice pictures. 

7. Famara Beach 

Once you see the beach from the top, you will want to check out this beach also from the sea level. It's mostly appropriate for surfers, but you can get a very nice walk and can end the day with a beer at one of the local bars.  

8. Timanfaya National Park

You don't need me to tell you to visit the Timanfaya National Park, but here are I am telling to make sure you check it out. Bear in mind that you should go early as only a certain numbers of cars can get in at the same time, so long queues form at the entrance. 

Queue to enter Timanfaya

​Although Camel Ride is an option, I strongly recommend against it in order to protect the animal (if there is no request there is no business) 

Camels for the Camel Ride

The only downside of the park, is that you go around with a closed bus, so your pictures of most the park won't be great. 

9. El Golfo Costal Route: Los Volcanes Natural Park 

The El Golfo village, is a great spot as you get to experience some amazing things that nature has to offer and the first one would be the walk through the Volcanos National Park. You don't have to go all the way to the end as it's pretty long, but you can take a bit of time to put your legs to work. Just have sturdy shoes, other than that it's an easy walk. 

10. El Golfo: El Charco Verde

I bet you've seen this picture all over the internet. The sea with the black sand and the green lake make it an great place to check out on the island. 

11. Los Hervideroros

The rock formation give the idea of being in a cooking pot, it's amazing to see the power of the water. We went there at sunset so you could also enjoy the pretty colors 

12. Wine Tasting: La Geria

The Wine in Lanzarote is very special, expensive due to the manual process, but special. Plus visiting one of the vineries is a must as it gives you so much info on why the wine is as it is :)

13 - 15: Cesar Manrique 

There are a lot of places to see related to Cesar Manrique who was one of the most famous architect born in Lanzarote. He created several amazing places on the island which are worth your time. 

Jameos del Agua

 Mirador del Rio

Jardin del Cactus

16. Cueva del los verdes

Although associated with Cesar Manrique, this place has nothing to do with his work. As I found the tour very interesting, I encourage you to go and see the story of the place.

17. Salinas de Janubio

We did not go down next to the salt flats, I personally seen a few  (Uyuni in Bolivia, Malta, Formentera ...) but it's a great view from the top.

18: Monumentos

Each or most of the roundabouts in Lanzarote has a center piece monument. Here some of the ones we came across. 

19. Jabillo Beach

One of the places to go for a day at the beach on Costa Tequise is Jabillo Beach. You are close to a lot of restaurants and you do have beach facilities which is always great.  

20. Graciosa Island 

This is a must must must, if you are lucky enough to get a nice sunny day, spending the day on Graciosa Island is a very beautiful experience. 

Make sure to rent a bike because as there are a lot of km to cover 

21. Playa Blanca - Los Ajaches Natural Monument 

The beaches in this area including the Papagayo Beach offer beautiful views. Bare in mind that the road to access these beaches has a tax (being in the national park) and on top the road (end of 2022) is a disaster. 

Road to the Papagayo beach complex

Papagayo Beach

But here you can really catch a super nice sunset view with Fuerteventura in the background. 

Restaurants/Bars we tried 

Below are the restaurants we tried out, except #1 which was not the best and #3 which we heard is delicious but you really need to book, we can recommend you to stop by the list below. 

1. Pizzeria Napoletana (Puerto del Carmen)

2. Centro Cultural La Tegala (Haria)

3. Casa Rafa Restaurante De Mar (El Golfo) 

4. El Pescador "Casa Barriguita" (El Golfo) 

5. Barbacana Bar & Grill (Arrecife)

6. Peskera (Costa Teguise)

7. Restaurante Casale Franco (​Playa Blanca)

Any other topics 

This section is more to tell you to make sure to eat fruits in Lanzarote, the Mangos were super delicious and the Mercadona smoked cheese was super super good. Also you must try the wrinkled potatoes and the local wine.