Getting around Lanzarote: do you need a car?

The short answer is that for most visitors, a hire car makes Lanzarote a much better holiday. The island is small but its best bits are spread out, from the volcanoes in the west to the caves in the north to the golden coves in the south, and the freedom to chase the sun and the calm coast around is worth a lot. You can absolutely have a good week without one if you stay put in a resort, but you will see far more of the island with a set of keys.

Here is what to know before you decide.

Why a car makes sense here

Lanzarote is only about sixty kilometres from end to end, and the roads are good and quiet, so nowhere is really far. That is exactly why a car is so useful: with one, the whole island is within an hour, and you can wake up, look at the sky, and decide to drive to the sheltered coast, the wine country or the north on a whim. Fuel is also relatively cheap in the Canaries compared with mainland Europe, so the running costs are modest.

For a family or a couple planning to explore, do the sums and a small hire car usually works out both cheaper and far more flexible than taxis for the same trips.

Driving on the island

Driving in Lanzarote is easy and relaxed, and a good deal calmer than most of mainland Spain. A few things worth knowing:

• You drive on the right. If you are used to driving on the left, take it gently for the first hour, especially at roundabouts, which are common and where the traffic flows anticlockwise.
• The main roads, the LZ routes, are well surfaced and well signed, and the island is small enough that you rarely need more than a phone map to find your way.
• Parking is generally easy and often free outside the busiest resort centres. The main exceptions are popular spots like the Papagayo beaches, where there is a small charge to drive in on the dirt track.
• Bring your driving licence, and if you are hiring, check what the company needs, as some ask for an additional form of ID or a specific card for the deposit.
• Distances are short, so you will use less fuel than you expect. Fill up before heading to the quieter corners of the north or the west, where petrol stations thin out.

If you would rather not drive

You do not have to hire a car, and plenty of people do not. The alternatives:

• Buses, known locally as guaguas, connect the main towns and resorts and are cheap. They are perfectly good for getting between resort centres and into the capital, but the timetables are built around residents, not sightseers, so they are limited and infrequent for touring the out-of-the-way sights. Great for a trip into town, less so for reaching Timanfaya on a whim.
• Taxis are widely available, metered and reliable, and are the easy choice for airport transfers, nights out and the occasional day trip. For a one-off excursion they are fine; for daily exploring the cost adds up quickly.
• Organised excursions will take you to the big sights, Timanfaya, the north, La Graciosa, without you having to drive or plan, which suits some people perfectly.
• Bikes and e-bikes are popular for shorter distances and quiet lanes, though the wind and the hills make longer island-wide cycling a serious undertaking rather than a casual one.

A sensible middle path

Many visitors land on a happy compromise: base yourself somewhere walkable with a good beach, use your feet and the odd taxi for the easy days, and hire a car for two or three days in the middle of the trip to do the big touring, the volcanoes, the north, the wine country, and the far-flung beaches. You get the freedom without paying for a car to sit outside your apartment while you are on the beach.

Getting to us, and getting picked up

However you choose to travel, reaching a morning’s activity is rarely a problem on an island this compact. If you are planning to come out on a ride with us, you can drive yourself, and we will send exact directions and tell you where to park when we confirm your booking. If you would rather not drive that day, tell us where you are staying and we will let you know whether we can arrange pick-up and what it costs, confirmed before you commit, not after. You can see how it all works on the rides page.

Whatever you decide, do not let the question put you off exploring. Lanzarote is small, easy to drive and quiet on the roads, and the island really opens up the moment you are free to follow the good weather wherever it goes.