Lanzarote with Kids: 10 Family Days Out

Lanzarote looks like an island for adults: volcanoes, art, wine, silence. Then you turn up with kids and discover it's actually a natural theme park.

There's a place here where they toss scrub into a hole and it bursts into flames on its own. A cave with a blind white crab that exists nowhere else on the planet. Seawater pools set among black lava where the water sits still and warm. And a volcano you can actually walk into.

Here are the 10 plans with kids that genuinely work, plus the tips you'll be grateful for once you've got three days' worth of sand in the car.

1. Timanfaya: the volcano that does tricks

The island's best show, except it isn't a show at all. The park rangers drop dry scrub into a hole in the ground and it catches fire on its own, with nothing lit near it. They pour water down a pipe and a jet of steam shoots straight up. It's the kind of jaw-dropping look on kids' faces that no screen manages to produce any more.

2. Caletón Blanco: the best beach for little ones

In Órzola, up north. Tongues of brilliant white sand running between black lava flows form shallow natural pools of clear, warm water. No waves, no currents, no scares.

It's the spot on the island for small children. They'll happily spend hours there. The best beaches in Lanzarote

3. Jameos del Agua: the blind crab

A huge cave with a turquoise lake inside, home to a tiny creature, white and blind, that lives nowhere else on Earth. Kids press themselves against the railing trying to spot it. It's science and magic rolled into one.

4. Cueva de los Verdes: real pirates

A kilometre of underground galleries where people used to hide from pirates — that story alone will win over any kid completely. It's a guided visit with a lighting display and a surprise at the end that can't be given away.

5. Animals: the ranch and the aquarium

The two classic kid-friendly spots on the island: the animal park in Puerto del Carmen (with a pool, zip lines and shows) and the aquarium in Costa Teguise, one of the largest in the Canaries.

These are the plans that save a windy or hazy afternoon, and kids love them.

We'll give you the facts, not the lecture: the park puts on animal shows, and some families prefer to skip it for that reason. The aquarium is the alternative if that doesn't sit right with you. Your call.

6. El Cuervo volcano: walking into a crater

5 km, flat, an hour and a half, free. You circle the volcano and go into the crater through a gap in the wall. It's the perfect walk with kids: easy, short and with a spectacular finale. "We've been inside a volcano" is a line they'll repeat all school year.

7. Calm beaches in the south

If you're staying down south: Playa Dorada and Playa Flamingo (Playa Blanca) are sheltered, with water as calm as a millpond. El Jablillo (Costa Teguise) is protected by a breakwater and it's where locals learn to swim.

And Papagayo for the big day out, bearing in mind there's a dirt track, an access fee and zero facilities: bring water, food and a sunshade, because there's nothing there otherwise.

8. A boat (or a submarine)

Getting out on the water changes the whole trip. There are catamaran trips to Papagayo with a swim stop and food included, and a genuine submarine sets off from Puerto Calero to take you down to see the seabed. It's pricey, but it's one of those things you'll still remember in twenty years.

9. La Graciosa: the island with no roads

A ferry from Órzola, 25 minutes, and you land somewhere with no cars, sandy streets, where everyone gets around by bike. For a kid, that's basically another planet.

10. The two free wildcards

1. Mancha Blanca Visitor Centre: free, with models and an eruption simulator. Half an hour of hands-on science and the best plan for a hazy day.
2. Jardín de Cactus: quick, with 4,500 cacti, a windmill and fish in the pond. You can see it in 40 minutes and it's better than you'd expect. Golden rule: don't stack two Manrique sites in the same day, or you'll get burnt out on them.

The tips that actually matter

Sun and wind. The trade wind (alisio) is deceptive: it blows cool, so you don't notice you're burning. High-factor sunscreen, a lycra rash vest on the beach, and a hat. There's shade practically nowhere here.

Car seats. Rental companies hire these separately and don't always have stock: request them when you book, not when you get to the desk. Getting around Lanzarote

Leave the pushchair in the suitcase. Lava, sand and cobbles. A pushchair is next to useless almost everywhere here: bring a baby carrier instead.

Meal times. Lunch here is at 2pm and dinner at 9pm. If your kids eat at 7pm, you'll have restaurants entirely to yourselves: make the most of it.

Food. It's not a problem: papas arrugadas (basically wrinkly little potatoes), grilled cheese, chargrilled fish, pizza. Try the mojo picón (spicy sauce) yourself first before handing it over. Traditional dishes of Lanzarote

Distances. Nothing is more than an hour away, but with kids, one hour becomes two. Pick a base and don't cross the island every single day. Where to stay in Lanzarote

Timing. May, June, September and October: the sea's warm and there's no crush of crowds. In August it's windier and everywhere's packed. Best time to travel to Lanzarote

How to plan it over 3 days

Day Plan

1Timanfaya first thing → lunch → afternoon at a calm beach2North: Jameos → lunch in Arrieta → Caletón Blanco all afternoon3El Cuervo in the morning → beach → or La Graciosa for the whole day

Frequently asked questions