Lanzarote is the most easterly of the seven main Canary Islands, located around 80 km off the coast of West Africa and four hours flying time from the UK and Eire. Enjoying average year round temperatures of 21°C and very low rainfall, Lanzarote is an ideal year round sunshine holiday destination.

Key Attractions

Despite the island’s popularity as a holiday destination it remains relatively unspoilt.  This is thanks to the work and influence of César Manrique, a locally born artist who campaigned for the controlled development of tourism on Lanzarote. Having seen large swathes of the Spanish Costas submerged beneath a sea of high rise hotels and apartment blocks, Manrique was determined to preserve the raw volcanic beauty of Lanzarote. He successfully campaigned for an outright ban on high rise construction and created a series of unique tourist attractions that work with, rather than against, the island’s natural terrain.

The most obvious expression of this philosophy is the Timanfaya National Park, the most popular tourist attraction on the island. Here, Manrique created a route through the lava fields and volcanic peaks enabling visitors to view up close this incredible scenery which is often likened to the surface of the moon.

Elsewhere, Manrique converted a collapsed lava tube into a subterranean concert hall and grotto at the Jameos del Agua, and constructed a home and studio out of five volcanic bubbles in the lava flow which is now open to the public as the César Manrique Foundation.

Lanzarote boasts over ninety beautiful beaches and is very much an island of contrasts.  The north offers a verdant, green relief from the arid, barren, volcanic terrain prevalent in the south.  Sightseeing is easy thanks to the fact that the island only measures 58km by 38km and both car hire and petrol are much cheaper than in the UK.

Places To Stay

There are plenty of accommodation options for visitors to the island.  Playa Blanca offers the larget selection of new four and five star hotels in Lanzarote, along with a wide selection of privately owned villa accommodation.

Puerto del Carmen – Lanzarote´s oldest resort – boasts the best selection of apartments on the island.

Rural tourism is also growing in popularity as an increasing number of visitors seek to connect with the ´real Lanzarote`.  There are a number of excellent rural hotels and fincas catering to this market.

More Information

View more in depth information about Lanzarote online and download a free Guidebook to the island at www.lanzaroteguidebook.com.