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Voykit pocket guide · Spain
Puerto del Carmen
Stay 4–7 nights if you want a beach-and-sun base with easy airport access; skip it if you came for quiet villages or hiking.
Puerto del Carmen is Lanzarote's main resort strip: 6 km of sheltered sandy beach east from the old harbour, backed by hotels, bars and restaurants along Avenida de las Playas. It is a base, not a sight in itself — the island's volcanic interior, Timanfaya and the wine country are all day trips from here. Most visitors come for a week of sun, diving and easy eating, and the airport is 10 minutes away.
- Country
- Spain
- Best months
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (peak crowds and prices), school holidays
- Stay
- 4–7 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including tapas bars and taxis in the cities.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EU and EEA plans roam at home prices; UK and other plans may charge — check before you land.
- Emergency
- Emergency (police, fire, ambulance) 112 · Local police 092 · Guardia Civil 062
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Bar or café: Leave small change or nothing.; Restaurant: Round up or 5–10% for good service; service is not usually added.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter: €1–2 a bag.; Guide on a free walking tour: €10–15 a person is the expected payment.
- Water
- Tap water is safe across the mainland; it tastes of chlorine in some coastal areas. Ask for 'agua del grifo' in restaurants — by law since 2025 they must offer it free (check local application).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars and cafés (buy a coffee). Stations and shopping centres have free or cheap toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €1.50–2.50 |
| Beer, draught on the strip | €2–3.50 |
| Menu del día, weekday lunch | €10–15 |
| Paella or seafood main | €14–22 |
| Taxi across the resort | €6–10 |
| Scuba dive, guided with kit | €45–60 |
| Car hire, one day | €30–60 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ACE · Lanzarote (Arrecife)
- About 10 min by taxi or bus 161 along the hotel strip; taxi roughly €20
Typical fares
- ACE airport → Puerto del Carmen, taxi
- about €20, 10 min
- Bus 161 airport → hotel strip
- every 30 min, continues to Puerto Calero, Yaiza and Playa Blanca
- Bus 6 Arrecife → strip
- every 20 min
Get around
The resort is a single 6 km strip: buses 3 and 161 run its length, and most people walk the promenade. Rent a car for the interior, Timanfaya and the wine country — parking at the old harbour is the easiest anchor. E-scooters cover Puerto del Carmen, Playa Honda, Arrecife and Costa Teguise on one app (unlock fee plus per-minute rate).The resort is a single 3.7 mi strip: buses 3 and 161 run its length, and most people walk the promenade. Rent a car for the interior, Timanfaya and the wine country — parking at the old harbour is the easiest anchor. E-scooters cover Puerto del Carmen, Playa Honda, Arrecife and Costa Teguise on one app (unlock fee plus per-minute rate).
See and do
Known for
- Playa Blanca and Playa Chica beaches
- Year-round scuba diving
- Old Town harbour
- Resort strip along Avenida de las Playas
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Timanfaya National Park | Car via LZ-2 and LZ-67, or an organised coach tour | About 1 h each way |
| Arrecife | Bus 6 every 20 min, or 15 min by car | About 30–40 min |
| Teguise Sunday market | Bus 12 on Sunday morning, returning early afternoon | About 40 min |
| Playa Blanca | Bus 161 via Puerto Calero and Yaiza, or 30 min by car | About 1 h by bus |
| Costa Teguise | Bus 3 via Arrecife, or 30 min by car | About 1 h by bus |
| La Geria wine country | Car via LZ-30, about 20 min inland | About 30 min |
Sleep
- Old Town / harbour
- Whitewashed low-rise, restaurants and the harbour; quieter, hillier, best for couples and divers.
- Playa Blanca strip (Av de las Playas)
- Beachfront hotels and apartments mid-strip; walk to everything, but busy and noisier at night.
- Playa de los Pocillos / Matagorda
- East end near the airport; broader beach, family hotels, cheaper beds, 10 min drive from the old town.
- Tías hillside
- Inland above the resort; cheaper and quieter but you need a car or taxi for every beach trip.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HolaOH-lah |
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-syas |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favorla KWEN-tah por fah-VOR |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-toh KWES-tah |
| Can I pay by card? | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?PWEH-doh pah-GAR kon tar-HEH-tah |
| Where is the toilet? | ¿Dónde está el baño?DON-deh es-TAH el BAH-nyoh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Two kisses on the cheek (right then left) between friends and when introduced socially; handshake in business; avoid: Being stiff — Spaniards stand close and touch arms
- Meal times: Late lunch and dinner; long sobremesa (chat after eating); avoid: Rushing to leave or asking for the bill with the last bite
- Noise: Join in the lively conversation; avoid: Reading loud voices as anger
- Siesta hours: Keep noise down in residential buildings 15:00–17:00 and after 23:00; avoid: Phone calls to people at lunch time
- Dress: Smart casual in cities; locals rarely wear shorts in Madrid in town; avoid: Swimwear or bare torsos away from the beach
- Regional pride: Ask about local dishes and festivals; avoid: Assuming Catalan or Basque are dialects of Spanish
Scams and watch-outs
- The strip climbs steeply inland — check the gradient to your hotel if you have mobility limits.
- Small electronics and camera shops on the strip have a poor reputation; beach hawkers are pushy.
- Tap water is safe but desalinated and brackish; most people drink bottled.
- Sun and wind burn fast here even when it is cloudy — the trade winds hide the heat.
Very safe for a resort of this size; the real risks are sunburn, the sea when the wind is up, and bar tabs with no posted prices — ask the total before you sit.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Puerto del Carmen yet. Suggested stay: 4–7 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Playa Blanca and Playa Chica beaches
- Year-round scuba diving
- Old Town harbour
- Resort strip along Avenida de las Playas
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Turismo Lanzarote — official island tourism site: www.turismolanzarote.com/en/
- Aena — Lanzarote airport (ACE): www.aena.es/en/lanzarote.html
- Wikivoyage: Puerto del Carmen, revision 5019848 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5019848
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Puerto del Carmen
A esta dirección, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Puerto del Carmen; the US, UK and most others are in Madrid, with consulates in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Tap water is safe but desalinated and brackish; bottled water is the norm.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/puerto-del-carmen). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.