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0871 423-5051
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Lanzarote, of all the Canary Islands, has some of the best selection of excursions and tours. You can see why - Timanfaya National Park still has a little volcanic action bubbling away underground and a trip here is a must for any visitor. A pleasure to drive around, Lanzarote's road's are excellent so car hire to fully explore the island is highly recommended. Excellent Lanzarote beaches can be found at the main resorts of Costa Teguise, Playa Blanca and the biggest and oldest Puerto del Carmen which is popular with the British. Watersports abound, particularly windsurfing and surfing to the north on the stunning white sandy beach at Famara (one of the best in the Canaries). With it's crystal clear waters diving is a favourite on Lanzarote, especially around the resorts of Puerto del Carmen and neighbouring Puerto Calero.
The influence of the artist Cesar Manrique, a resident in the island for many years (he tragically died here in a car crash in the early 1990s) can be seen everywhere from his one time home the Manrique Foundation near Costa Teguise which displays many of his artworks, to various public art sculptures scattered around Lanzarote and other attractions such as the Manrique Cactus Garden and the sublime Jameos del Agua converted Cave. It's all here in Lanzarote - history, culture and art, a stunning volcanically influenced national park, a choice of bodegas and a celebrated wine region in the interior, an off-shot island La Graciosa with deserted beautiful sandy beaches again and some informative and revealing museums on the history of immigration and emigration, agriculture and more. Lanzarote has it all, superb resorts, a buzzing art scene thanks to Manrique and a choice of pretty villages with great markets - check out Teguise's market.
Lanzarote certainly isn't short on fabulous beaches with plenty of opportunity for watersports, and you can expect a choice of blue flag beaches here, nicely presented with plenty of sunbeds and crystal clear tranquil waters. Hit the resort of Costa Teguise on the east side of the island (they get the winds here!) for excellent family windsurfing and some diving opportunities. Costa Teguise's selection of beaches are of golden sands, and nicely sheltered for families and gentle swimming. This Lanzarote resort offers a choice of 4 delgihtful sandy beaches, Las Cucharas beach, Los Charcos beach, El Jablillo beach and Bastian beach. the largest tis Las Cucharas with 640m of pretty beige brown sands and it's nicely sheltered by breakwaters. Ample facilities such as restaurants, windsurfing hire and schools, surf clothing shops, bars, some low key kids rides and an attractive and accessible promenade running along all the beaches (watch out for the joggers early morning along here!).
Puerto del Carmen's beaches don't get the wind quite as much as Costa Teguise, but there's some offering gentler windsurfing opportunities here. The 6 km long beaches with beautiful golden sands are what draws many, especially British holidaymakers, to this established Lanzarote resort (the oldest on the island). Some of the best opportunities for watersports are here in this busy Lanzarote resort and it's beaches, including sailing, windsurfing, diving excursions, waterskiing and perfect conditions for family swimming.
Calling all surfing fans, have you discovered the beach at Famara to the north west of Lanzarote. A gem of a beach for surfers, this low key resort has a bohemian air, and it's popular with the young surfing fans and families too. A definite hotspot for surfing across the Canary islands.
Heading far south, Playa Blanca is a pretty Lanzarote resort indeed with a choice of quieter excellent family beaches. You can head off from here on a day trip to Fuerteventura to explore the stunning sandy beaches of Corralejo too on the Fred Olsen Express which runs regularly through the day and only takes 12 minutes! Playa Blanca is popular with Spanish holidaymakers and families, as well as British and German holidaymakers and has a nice friendly vibe with family bars and restaurants along the beach, and pretty smaller beaches, If you've a hire car on Lanzarote then consider pushing out to some of the lesser known beaches such as the lovely black sand beach at Arrieta - a surprise nice beach, and of course there's the world renowned Punta del Papagayo, one of the most stunning beaches on Lanzarote and a watersports hotspot for windsurfing especially.
Lanzarote, of all the Canary Islands, has the highest take up of excursions - it's one of the best of the Canary Islands for heading out on excursions, either by organised coach tour or in your Lanzarote hire car. What a choice of trips - hook into a Grand Tour of the Island and visit the majestic Timanfaya National Park, Jameos del Agua, Fundacion Manrique, Castillo de Santa Barbara with it's fascinating museum on emigration from the Canary Islands, Famara Surfing Beach, Castillo de San Jose just outside the capital Arrecife for superb Contemporary Art, the Manrique designed Cactus Garden, Isla Graciosa day trips just north of Lanzarote, El Golfo Views from the Miradors and popular Teguise Sunday Market. Why not take a day trip to Fuerteventura too - it's an easy 12 minute boat trip from Playa Blanca.
There's a nice family waterpark in Costa Teguise, albeit smaller compared to the mammoth waterparks on Tenerife and Gran Canaria. A guaranteed fun family day out here. As well as it's excellent choice of family holiday beaches, Lanzarote offers a good choice of family attractions including the Guinate Tropical Park to the north at the base of the Corona Volcano, the highest on Lanzarote. The park is renowned for it's parrot show, and buses run regularly to this Lanzarote attraction from all the main resorts. For a touch of the rip roaring wild west right here in Lanzarote, head to the riot that is Rancho Texas Park just outside Puerto del Carmen. Animals, fun rides, more parrot shos, crocodiles eek and birds of prey shows are all to be found here.
Puerto del Carmen is also the home of Lanzarote's popular yellow submarine excursion. Down you go into the crystal clear waters around this resort to get a taste of Lanzarote's underwater world - a great family attraction!
Lanzarote's top attraction, much like Teide's national park in Tenerife, has to be the Timanfaya National Park. The result of fairly recent and violent volcanic activity on Lanzarote which lasted several years from 1730 to 1736, Timanfaya contains some of the most fascinating 'badlands' or Malpais and now relatively dormant volcanoes in the whole of the Canaries. If you thought only the Teide National Park on Tenerife was your only port of call for viewing the results of volcanic activity on the Canaries then think again! Both La Palma and Lanzarote offer plenty of opportunity to explore the Canaries volcanic history, past and present (the most recent eruption on the Canaries wasn't that long ago - 1971 on La Palma!). Timanfaya is Lanzarote's most popular attractions, so it's well worth hooking into an organised tour to see it so you don't have to join the long queues of hire cars waiting to access the park!
Watersports fanatics, Lanzarote certainly won't disappoint. For diving excursion centres head to Puerto del Carmen or indeed the lesser known Puerto Calero which has a chic and rather posh marina offer numerous diving excursion opportunities and a marine museum on it's waterfront. Surfers will most certainly feel at home and challenged on Famara's beach to the north west of Lanzarote. Kite surfing is also taking off here, the latest in extreme watersports - your surfing body board is propelled along at great speed by a mini parashute or kite like structure. It's an amazing sport to observe if you don't fancy trying it! Plenty of opportunities for good kite surfing around Famara's beach!
Windsurfing is popular and easily accessed at Costa Teguise, La Santa sports centre on the north west coast, and glorious Papagayo beach to the south. Best diving - Puerto Calero. For the best beach fun rides aka banana boat rides and all the rest head to the bustling beaches of Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca. For the easiest access to family windsurfing Costa Teguise is best with numerous windsurfing schools and windsurfing equipment outlets based here lining the beach promenade. The winds on the east side of the island are excellent news for windsurfers.
Lanzarote, a model for sustainable development, and a Reserve of the Biosphere as designated by UNESCO from 1993, is a Canary Island which has taken considerable care to preserve it's history, culture, art and there's a superb choice of cultural attractions and museums here. The artist, Cesar Manrique, certainly had a strong influence, instigating the banning of new builds over a certain height, calling for the islanders to paint their houses white and green (you note this was taken up with enthusiasm by the islanders as you travel about), plus there are numerous Manrique sites and centres in Lanzarote.
Some of the best cultural and historical attractions on Lanzarote include the Fundacion Manrique, Castillo de San Jose and it's contemporary art gallery on the northern edge of Arrecife the capital, the excellent Castillo de Santa Barbara Museum of Emigration in Teguise, the Manrique designed Jameos del Agua Caves with underground classical music centre, the Manrique designed Cactus Garden.
Lanzarote Airport, Terminal de Llegadas (Arrival Lounge) Ð Aeropuerto de Lanzarote. Tel: +34 928 820 704.
Arrecife - Patronato de Turismo de Lanzarote, Avda. Blas Cabrera Felipe Ð Edificio del Parador Ð Arrecife. Tel: +34 928 811 762.
Main Lanzarote Resorts: Costa Teguise Tourist Information Centre, Shopping Centre Los Charcos, Local 13 Ð Avenida Islas Canarias. Costa Teguise. Tel: +34 928 827 292. Playa Blanca Tourist Information, Estaci—n Mar’tima de Playa Blanca Ð Muelle de Playa Blanca. Tel: +34 928 517 794. Puerto del Carmen Tourist Information, Avenida de Las Playas, Tel: +34 928 515 337.
Puerto los M‡rmoles, Muelle de Los M‡rmoles, Tel: +34 928 801 326. There's also excellent tourist information available at most of the museums and cultural centres in Lanzarote, for example at the Manrique Foundation and Jameos del Agua have excellent shops with postcards and tourist information.
Lanzarote is particularly acclaimed for it's markets - one of the most popular and best being Teguise Market which runs every Sunday. Markets in Lanzarote are generally big affairs, with accompanying folk music, entertainment, and more. Playa Blanca also has an excellent market every Wednesday and Saturday from 9.00am until 14.00pm. Expect to hear some great folklore music at this Playa Blanca Market. In Costa Teguise every Friday night in Pueblo Marinero there's a great little craft market which is well worth a look - especially for jewellery.
Shopping centres abound in all of Lanzarote's main resorts - Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise - so plenty of opportunity to purchase discount perfumes and electricals here. In Playa Honda there is a particularly large shopping centre with a choice of shops offering everything from sports wear to perfumes, and with cafes on-site.
Lanzarote's capital, Arrecife is a most pleasant and genuine Canarian small city/town offering very pleasant shopping - great for an evening trip. Many of Arrecife's streets are pedestrianised too. Stroll down the main pedestrianised shopping street in Arrecife - Calle Leon y Castillo and you'll find a number of chic clothes shops, accessories, electricals and food outlets. There is much to like in Arrecife, combing laid back shopping with a stroll along it's pretty waterfront and perfectly pleasant beach. Well worth a look, especially if you're staying locally in the resort of Costa Teguise - Arrecife is easily reached by bus or tax if you don't have a hire car.
As well as Teguise's Sunday market, there are a number of sublime craft shops here, alongside some delectable Bodegas, cafes and other shops. For unusual Canarian gifts, Teguise tops the shopping charts.
If you're looking for the most choice of bars, pubs, discos/clubs and live music then Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote's largest resort will do nicely. Less pumping perhaps than the nightlife hotspots of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, but with a friendly feel and English widely spoken Puerto del Carmen guarantees fun nights out and lots of choice, particularly on bars which line the main beach promenade.
Costa Teguise, Lanzarote's second largest resort, also has an enormous choice of bars, restaurants, and pubs, as does smaller Playa Blanca. Bars are usually open all day too, with night clubs and discos opening from 11pm until the early hours - all night partying you can certainly find on Lanzarote.
Discos (with a family approach) on Lanzarote include: King Arthur DiscoPub.C.C. Punta Jablillo, local 4 - Costa Teguise. Tel: +34.647.835.509. Cerveceria la Tropical, Avda. de las playas, 19 - Puerto del Carmen, Tel: +34.928.510.959. Disco Pub La Panaderia, Jose Antonio 69-71 Arrecife +34.609.417.213. For adult clubs head for Curva Night Club, Puerto del Carmen - C/. Juan Carlos I., 29. Tel: +34.928.511.513 y +34.608.929.448. Club Venus, Puerto del Carmen - C.C. Costa Luz, Local 5. +34.928.512.851. Lucky Luck, Puerto del Carmen - C.C. Mar’timo, Local 18. +34.928.512.851. Barbarella Play Girls, Costa Teguise - C.C. Toca Centrum. +34.928.590.696. Night Club Top CatÕs, C.C Tabaybas, avda de las Playas, Puerto del Carmen. +34.928.510.969 / +34.628.107.227.
Puerto del Carmen also has it's own casino - Casino de Lanzarote, Avda. de las Playas, 12. Puerto del Carmen. Tel: +34.928.515.000.
In Lanzarote's main resorts there are numerous restaurants, where you can get everything from Text Mex to familiar fast food outlets - you'll be a bit hard pushed to sample any traditional Canarian food within the resorts though. To sample some traditional Canarian delights put out to the many Bodegas around the island, often with adjacent wine cellars. Some of the grand tours of Lanzarote visit these. Teguise, the old capital of Lanzarote has numerous superb Bodegas.
Official Public Holidays on Lanzarote are on the following days - 1st January - A–o Nuevo (New YearÕs Day), 6th January - D’a de los Reyes (Epiphany), March/April - Jueves Santo (Maundy Thursday), March/April - Viernes Santo (Good Friday), March/April - D’a de Pascua (Easter), 1st May - Fiesta de Trabajo (Labour Day), 30th May - D’a de las Islas Canarias (Canary IslandsÕ Day), Late May/Early June - Corpus Christi, 15th August - Assunci—n (Assumption of the Virgin Mary), 12th October - D’a de la Hispanidad (National Day), 1st November -Todos los Santos (All SaintÕs Days), 6th December - D’a de la Constituici—n (Day of the Constitution), 8th December - Inmaculada Concepci—n (Immaculate Conception), 25th December - Navidad (Christmas).
Renowned events on Lanzarote include: 6th January - D’a de los Reyes, Epiphany with celebrations held in several town/bonfires and munching on the Kings Cake which contains lemon and orange juice, brandy, almonds and crystallized fruits. Lanzarote's big Carnaval date is during February and March (prohibited during the Franco regime!). Semana Sant (Holy week) is during March. !5th May is the Romeria de San Isidro festivity with processions around Uga in the south. Also in May is the famous Ironman Triathlon competition on Lanzarote based at La Santa Sports centre. Late May and early June is Corpus Christi with many villages and towns celebrating this religious event. Sea salt from Janubio is used to construct sea salt carpets! Moving into June, San Juan or Saint John festivities celebrate the beginning of summer - usually 23/24th June. Bonfires are lit, with food, folk music and dance. July celebrates San Marcial del Rubicon during it's first week. The central focus is in the village of Femes in the south.
July is Nuestra Senora del Carmen - commencing the second fornight of July - Teguise is a central focal point for this celebration. In August San Gines weeks starts around 25th - Arrecife is the main focus on this one, with parades and so forth. Nuestra Senora de Los Remedios in September is a pilgrimate to the Los Remedios church is Yaiza. The big celebration is Nuestra Senora de los Dolores - Virgin of the Volcanoes - the village of Mancha Blanca was saved, so locals believe, after prayer to the Virgin made the lava flow stop short of the village - saving it. Finally, in October the Visual Music Festival centres around Jameos del Agua and other cultural centres, and in December Santos Inocentes (28th) - or innocent saints - a kind of April fools day if you like. New year celebrations on Lanzarote are also a great occasion, with plenty of Cava and grapes flying about.
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