In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Spain
Yaiza
Base in Yaiza only if you have a car: 1 night for Timanfaya at opening, otherwise sleep in Playa Blanca and drive up.
Yaiza is a small white village of about 1,200 people in southern Lanzarote, 24 km west of Arrecife on the LZ-2. It is the administrative centre for the south of the island and the closest village to Timanfaya National Park, but it has few beds and almost nothing to do after dark. Most travellers use it as a one-night stop for the volcano, or skip it and stay in Playa Blanca, 15 minutes further south.
- Country
- Spain
- Best months
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and wind), Christmas and Easter weeks
- Stay
- 1 night
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 €55–80 excl. bed · Mid €90–140 excl. bed · High €160+ 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
- All services 112 · National police 091 · 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 |
| Tapas plate | €4–9 |
| Menu del día at lunch | €12–18 |
| Glass of Malvasía wine | €3–5 |
| Beer, draught / supermarket can | €2.50–4 / €1–2 |
| Bus 60 Arrecife–Yaiza | €2–4 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ACE · Lanzarote Airport (Arrecife)
- Bus 161 runs to Yaiza and Playa Blanca; about 30–40 min by car on the LZ-2
Typical fares
- Bus 161, airport → Yaiza
- about €3–5, 40 min (check)
- Taxi, airport → Yaiza
- €35–45 (check)
- Timanfaya entry, adult
- €22 (check)
Get around
You need wheels. Yaiza has no taxi rank worth relying on and the park road LZ-67 has no pavement. A hired car covers Timanfaya, El Golfo, Los Hervideros and La Geria in one day; a bike works only if you accept wind and sun. Bus 60 links Arrecife, Yaiza and Playa Blanca roughly every 30 min on weekdays, hourly at weekends.
See and do
Known for
- Timanfaya National Park access
- Montañas del Fuego and El Diablo
- La Geria vineyards
- El Golfo and Los Hervideros
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Timanfaya National Park (Montañas del Fuego) | Drive LZ-67 from Yaiza, about 10 min to the gate, then 2 km to the Islote de Hilario visitor centreDrive LZ-67 from Yaiza, about 10 min to the gate, then 1.2 mi to the Islote de Hilario visitor centre | About 30 min plus queue |
| El Golfo and Los Hervideros | Drive LZ-703 west from Yaiza, about 20 min | About 25 min |
| La Geria vineyards | Drive LZ-30 north-east, about 15 min | About 20 min |
| Playa Blanca | Bus 60 or drive the LZ-2 south, about 15 min | About 20 min |
| Arrecife | Bus 60 or drive the LZ-2 east, about 25 min | About 35 min |
Sleep
- Yaiza village centre
- A handful of small guesthouses within 500 m of the bus stop and supermarket; quiet, no nightlife.
- Playa Blanca
- 15 min south on the LZ-2; resort hotels, restaurants and the Fuerteventura ferry. Better for a beach-based stay.
- Uga
- 2 km east; rural guesthouses and a weekend market, still car-dependent.1.2 mi east; rural guesthouses and a weekend market, still car-dependent.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HolaOH-lah |
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-syahs |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favorlah 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
- Timanfaya's Montañas del Fuego gate trickle-feeds private cars: waits of over an hour are common, and the queue backs onto the through-road.
- Park entry is by timed ticket and the last admission is well before closing; check the CACT site before you drive up.
- Car break-ins are reported at the LZ-56 trailhead car parks; leave nothing visible.
- The LZ-703 coast road between Los Hervideros and Janubio has been closed by landslide: check before routing that way.
- Charco Verde and some coastal tracks have been fenced off; parking fines are issued.
Yaiza is a quiet village and violent crime is rare. The real risks are the sun and wind on exposed lava trails, unlit roads at night, and car break-ins at trailhead car parks: take everything with you.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Yaiza yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Timanfaya National Park access
- Montañas del Fuego and El Diablo
- La Geria vineyards
- El Golfo and Los Hervideros
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 de Lanzarote — official island tourism site: www.turismolanzarote.com/en/
- Centres of Art, Culture and Tourism (CACT) — Montañas del Fuego, Timanfaya: cactlanzarote.com/en/centre/montanas-del-fuego-timanfaya/
- Timanfaya National Park — visitor guide (MITECO): www.miteco.gob.es/es/parques-nacionales-oapn/red-parques-nacionales/parques-nacionales/timanfaya/guia-visitante/mancha-blanca.html
- Wikivoyage: Yaiza, revision 5150053 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5150053
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Yaiza
A esta dirección, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassy in Lanzarote; the US has a consular agency in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and an embassy in Madrid. UK, Irish, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand embassies are in Madrid.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/yaiza). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.