In today's vlog we are taking you to the most surprising Canary Island, Lanzarote. An island of cacti, white houses, lunar landscapes, azure oceans, vineyards with exquisite wine and fantastic architecture. This is the fourth of the Canary Islands we visited and it exceeded our wildest expectations.
From the plane it initially looked somewhat similar to Fuerteventura Which wasn't a good sign because Fuerteventura was our least favorite of all the islands However, Lanzarote didn't disappoint us. Despite being a small island it offers so much many incredible attractions that kept us busy for the entire seven days as we will show you in this video as always we have plenty of useful tips and fantastic places to recommend lanzarote wasn't as otherworldly as it might seem and while tenerife held the top spot on our list until now lanzarote has quickly climbed to the same heights and won our hearts be sure to subscribe to catch our vlogs from the other three canary islands but for now let's dive right into lanzarote Lanzarote. Hey there and welcome to our channel. We are currently in Lanzarote which is already the fourth of the Canary Islands we had a chance to explore.
Although Tenerife has been our favorite island so far, our perception may change after our experience here in Lanzarote. This island has exceeded our expectations and we can't wait to show you why. We always receive a lot of questions about our accommodations so let's invite you to a 30-second house tour.
This was an apartment for two people and for seven days we paid 550 euros for it. We booked it through booking.com and as always you can find the link to it in the video description. At this moment it's also worth mentioning the weather. We chose to visit Lanzarote in early March and we were fortunate to experience beautiful weather.
Each day temperatures reach around 25 to 27 degrees Celsius with full sunshine. However it's important to note that the evenings could get quite chilly so it's definitely worth packing a light jacket or a warmer sweater. After our arrival on the first day we didn't have much time, but of course we couldn't skip dinner. We dined at the Strava restaurant, which we can recommend because the food was truly delicious.
Plus it's open during siesta time, which is an important detail to note. After checking in we decided to catch the sunset on one of the most spectacular beaches on the island. It's Famara beach stretching for over 5 kilometers. The views are absolutely incredible but you should know that this is also a very windy beach with massive waves very popular among surfers. If you are not a fan of wind and surfing later in the video we will show you beautiful beaches that are definitely better for relaxation and swimming.
On the following day we visited the Cesar Manrique Foundation, dedicated to the architects, sculptor and designer who played a significant role on Lanzarote. Thanks to him you won't find enormous multi-story hotels on the island, as it is common in the south of Fuerteventura, Tenerife or Gran Canaria. Lanzarote can boast truly beautiful and cohesive architecture that pleases the eye. Most of the buildings are white houses with blue or green shutters.
Manrique was a true visionary who aimed to preserve the traditional low-rise architecture and the unique character of Lanzarote. His mission was to seamlessly integrate art into the landscape and as you can see he succeeded. He is an architect who essentially designed Lanzarote and later in the video we will explore many attractions that are a part of his vision. It is also worth mentioning a bit about the foundation itself.
It's the former home of Cezar and now it houses a foundation with the aim of preserving and promoting the work of Cezar Manrique while simultaneously promoting environmental conservation. The entrance ticket costs 10 euros and it's advisable to visit in the afternoon as it can get quite crowded in the morning. After this sightseeing we headed to the quite pleasant town of Puerto del Carmen.
In our opinion this could also be a good base due to its fairly central location. Although it was a bit touristy we still enjoyed the atmosphere of this town. We are often asked about car rentals. As always when we're on the Canary Islands we use the local company Sikar because in our opinion they offer the best rates and the price already includes full insurance and a second driver which is not often the case with other rental companies. This was our fourth time with Sikar and we paid 180 euros for seven days for a 2022 Seat Ateca.
Of course you can rent smaller cars at lower price even around 100 euros per week. In the afternoon we planned to visit the volcanic vineyards in the La Helia region, but my husband spontaneously decided to make a stop on the way to see the Las Grietas rock formation, which we happened to pass by. Originally we only intended to have a look, but I'm not sure why we started to climb. Please don't take us as an example, because a long white dress isn't necessarily the best outfit for a steep rock climb.
We ended up with a few scratches and damages so make sure to bring appropriate footwear and ideally thick long pants. On our way to the vineyards we couldn't help but be amazed at how green Lanzarote is. We were worried that it would be all desert, lava and lunar landscapes but as you can see it's not necessarily the case. Next we reach the La Heria region, an area of the island utilized for vine cultivation. Here you can truly feel like you're on a different planet.
The green vines contrasting with the black volcanic soil create truly extraordinary views. Be sure to stop by Bodega La Heria for a wine tasting and I can promise you that you'll want to come back here again. The wine from the volcanic vineyards of Lanzarote was probably the best white wine we've ever had.
Smooth, low in acidity, lightly fruity and delicate. We highly recommend coming here. A glass of wine costs around 3 to 4 euros depending on the specific wine you choose. You can also opt for a guided vineyard tour package that includes a wine tasting.
Now we will tell you a bit about the attractions you shouldn't miss. On Lanzarote you can purchase a combined ticket for several attractions managed by the CAC de Lanzarote organization, which can help you save some money. You can buy a ticket for free for or six different attractions and save up to 30% compared to buying individual tickets.
We bought a combined ticket for four of them for 29 euros and purchased one more separately. We'll start with Jameos del Acqua, which in our opinion is the most spectacular attraction. This is another work of Cezar Manrique, situated in a cave formed as a result of the eruption of the La Corona volcano. Lava created one of the longest volcanic tunnels in the world measuring up to 7 km and part of it is now Jameos del Acqua. It currently serves as a center for culture, art and tourism, including concert hall located inside the cave mentioned earlier.
You can also find endemic species of blind albino crabs here, which are a symbol of Chameos del Acqua. Normally they only live at the ocean floor. The next The next attraction is the Cueva de los Verdes and you can enter it on the same ticket.
Cueva de los Verdes is located just a 2 minute drive from Jameos del Acqua because it's a part of the same 7 kilometer tunnel system through which lava once flowed. The guided tour of the cave lasts about 50 minutes and you'll be in a fairly large groups of around 50 people. Inside you can admire rock formations created during a volcanic eruption and at the end of the tour there's a surprise waiting for you.
Interestingly no animal species have established themselves inside the cave. While in this part of the island it's worth fitting in one more attraction on the same day. Mirador del Rio. It's a beautiful viewpoint with a panoramic view of the Cincio archipelago and the island of La Graziosa. This is another work by Cesar Manrique, there is a cafe here and through wide panoramic windows you can admire the stunning views.
The entrance to Mirador del Rio costs 5 euros and you can also purchase it as a part of a combined ticket. We bought this ticket for four attractions and a separate entrance to Mirador del Rio because it was the most cost-effective option for us. Next we visited the town of Thousand Palms, Hadia, when we had a truly delicious meal at La Puerta Verde and we can again recommend this restaurant to you.
The lentil stew left a lasting impression on me and I still make it at home. Haria is the town where Cezar Manrique lived and you can also visit his former home here. We really wanted to but unfortunately we ran out of time. Another place worth visiting on Lanzarote is the Schardin de Cactus or the Cactus Garden, which is also accessible with a combined ticket.
You can see up to 1400 species of various succulents here, not only those native to Lanzarote, but plants from all over the world. Some of them are truly impressive in terms of size. Overseeing the Terraced Garden you will find a 17th century windmill and right next to it there is a cafe and a restaurant. It's definitely worth coming here to see how diverse these plants can be. At the end of the day we stopped by the small town of Punta Mujeres, where it's clear that cactus enthusiasts are not in short supply.
It was a bit quiet but they have natural pools here if someone would like to take a dip. The next day we visited the popular tourist resort of Playa Blanca. It was a nice compact town with plenty of restaurants and a small beach. Playa Blanca can be a good place to stay although it's a bit far from some of the attractions on the opposite end of the island. We spent some time by the beach and had lunch at a random restaurant but the food didn't leave a lasting impression on us.
While in the area we decided to visit the famous Playa del Papagayo which is considered the most beautiful beach on the island. The only downside is that access to this beach is quite poor. It's a rather bumpy gravel road where we were glad we had opted for a slightly larger car.
The beach itself enchanted us with its turquoise waters. In early March the water was also quite warm and we even did some swimming. Next day we visited Tagis, the former capital of the island. And it's also a very charming and atmospheric town.
It became one of our favorite places on Lanzarote. Every corner is beautiful. We highly recommend a great place to eat called Cantina.
On Lanzarote fried goat cheese is quite popular in various forms. So we had to order it. And of course Spanish croquettes are a must try. Every Sunday in Tagis there is a huge market and people from all over the island gather here. We also experienced to come across a carnival parade.
The market itself didn't fully meet our expectations as it had many counterfeit items and the rest wasn't really interesting either. We definitely enjoyed the town more on other days when it wasn't as crowded. In the afternoon we went to visit the most beautiful house on Lanzarote. Lagomar. If I had to choose one attraction that I liked the most on Lanzarote it would be visiting this residence.
It's a property that the famous actor Omar Sharif lost in a card game. It's also known as the house of thousand stars. This time we arrived in the late afternoon about an hour before closing and finally we managed to take our first photos without people so we recommend this tactic to you.
Especially it got quite empty just before closing. The entrance fee is 8 euros but in my opinion it's worth it. La Gomar was built in the 1970s and was intended to be a showcase residence for a British developer to attract potential property buyers on Lanzarote. Shortly thereafter the beautiful house carved in the caves on the slope of an extinct volcano was purchased by the famous actor Omar Shadif. However, he didn't enjoy his residence for long.
Within few days the actor lost it in a game of bridge. The winner in turn was the developer himself, Sam Benady, who at the time was the European bridge champion. At 6 pm a bar opens here and you can have a drink, however at the same time the museum also closes, so you can no longer tour the house. The project of the property was led by Jesus Soto, a close collaborator of Cezar Manrique and renowned architect on Lanzarote. We also visited the capital of the island, Arecife.
We had been here on a Sunday before and the city was completely empty but this time we liked it much more. You will find a promenade here and even a quite nice beach. Right next to it we recommend another place for good food, a restaurant called Nino Salvaje. They serve quite an interesting fusion cuisine here. Everything was very delicious.
Their signature truffle patatas bravas, Iberian pork croquettes and a soft shell crab hot dog. On the other side of the city there is another promenade by the water. We will find plenty of restaurants with a view here. A few days later we tried one of them, Cala by Luis Leon and it was perhaps the best culinary experience on the island and it was also very reasonably priced.
For the starter as usual we had the amazing croquettes and grilled cheese from Lanzarote. Then we ordered paella which This to us was more like a rice with seafood, certainly not an authentic paella but we have to admit it was very delicious. It's rare to find such fresh and good seafood. The next day we visited the Dimanfaya National Park which is one of the most popular attractions on Lanzarote. We saved it for the end of our trip.
In the park you will encounter a moon-like landscape as if from another planet. There are over 300 craters and this entire area was formed through the eruptions of many volcanoes. There is no fauna or flora in the park.
The entrance fee to the park is 12 euros but we recommend purchasing a combined ticket for several attractions as we mentioned earlier in the video. The ticket includes about a 40-minute bus tour through the park. Unfortunately, you cannot explore on your own.
Here is a little tip. It's worth sitting on the right side of the bus because that's where you will have the best views. After the tour you can also witness how hot the ground in this area is. Despite the last eruption occurring in 1824 there is still so much heat beneath the surface that hay placed in a hole in the ground begins to burn after a while.
Another experiment involves pouring a bucket of water into a hole dug into the ground. You can see the effect of this in the video. There is also a restaurant here that serves dishes cooked on a unique grill powered by volcanic heat.
We didn't try it because it had rather poor reviews and apparently the food isn't very tasty but you can go in and take a look. Here's another tip from us. Arrive here in the early morning as early as possible to avoid waiting in line at the entrance.
The number of guests allowed in the national park is limited. When we were returning around 11.40 there was already a huge line of cars waiting to enter. An hour earlier it wasn't as crowded yet.
Then we went to see the small charming seaside town of El Golfo. Just the kind of place you can explore in about 5 minutes. The scent of fried fish from the restaurants wafts everywhere and the very laid back atmosphere is perfect for people seeking tranquility. However the main attraction in this part of the island is not the town of El Golfo. We came here mainly to see the famous Chaco de los Tricos lake.
Its intensely green color is caused by the marine algae inhabiting it. Unfortunately you can no longer access the nearby beach to get a close look at the lake. The only option is to view it from an observation deck. But don't worry, from here you'll have a beautiful view not only of Charco de los Clicos, but also of the nearby volcanic beaches. While in the area you can also visit Los Helvideros where you can admire interesting rock formations that formed when flowing lava met the ocean.
The power of the waves entering the sea caves is truly impressive. On the way back we stopped at the El Chupadelo restaurant located among the vineyards for a barraquito and something sweet. For those who don't know barraquito is the most delicious coffee drink that you must try when on the Canary Islands.
It consists of condensed milk, liquor 43, espresso, frothed milk, cinnamon and lemon zest. The views at this restaurant were great but the food was average and quite overpriced. In the afternoon we headed to another interesting place. Casa Museo del Campesino, an extraordinary museum also designed by Cesar Manrique.
Here you can learn about local architecture, craftsmanship and gastronomy. Those interested can also participate in culinary, ceramics or wickerwork workshops. A tapas bar and a restaurant where you can taste typical dishes from Lanzarote are also part of the museum itself. We would love to know if you enjoyed Lanzarote as much as we did.
Please let us know in the comments below. We hope you liked our vlog and if so make sure to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel to see our videos from the other three Canary Islands and other exciting places. We can reveal that we are starting an interesting series from Japan very soon.
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