Playa Blanca, Lanzarote: what to do, see and book

If you are looking for things to do in Playa Blanca, the short answer is this: a beach day at Papagayo, a stroll to Marina Rubicón (ideally on a Wednesday or Saturday, for the market), a boat or ferry from the harbour and, if you have children, a morning at Aqualava. Playa Blanca is the resort town at the southern tip of Lanzarote, in the municipality of Yaiza, and its great strength is its position: Papagayo is a quarter of an hour away by car and Fuerteventura half an hour by boat.

What it does not have nearby is the north: Timanfaya and El Golfo are close at hand, but Jameos del Agua or the Mirador del Río are more than an hour's drive away.

Papagayo: how to get there, the access fee and which cove to pick

The Papagayo coves lie within the Los Ajaches Natural Monument, home to the oldest lava on the island (up to 15.5 million years old). White sand and calm water, but no facilities and no lifeguards: bring water, food and shade.

By car you enter along a dirt track with a barrier. Yaiza Town Council charges non-residents €3 per vehicle, card only. On foot or by bike entry is free, and you can walk in from the Las Coloradas area. If you are hiring a car, check whether the contract covers unpaved roads.

Which cove to choose, according to Yaiza's official listing:

None of these coves has a Blue Flag. They are beautiful and wild, and they fill up in summer: arrive early or go by boat.

Marina Rubicón and its Wednesday and Saturday market

Marina Rubicón is Playa Blanca's private marina, east of the town. Around the pontoons you will find bars, restaurants, shops, a supermarket, a petrol station and padel and tennis courts. It is also the base for jet skis to Papagayo and for several dive centres.

The Marina Rubicón market is held every Wednesday and Saturday, 09:00 to 14:00, as confirmed by the marina itself and by the Cabildo (the island council). Stalls sell jewellery, souvenirs, wine, clothing and leather. The island's big one is Teguise, on Sundays, with 350–450 stalls: see our Teguise market guide.

On market days the alternative to driving is the Líneas Romero water taxi between Playa Blanca harbour and Marina Rubicón: €11 one way (children €8), €18 return (children €12). It leaves the harbour at 10:00, 11:10 and 13:30, and Marina Rubicón at 10:30, 13:15 and 16:10. Walking along the seafront promenade is free.

Next to the marina stands the Castillo de las Coloradas (Torre del Águila), the only fortification in the south of the island, dating from the 18th century. It is now closed to the public: you can only see it from outside.

Playa Blanca beaches: Flamingo, Dorada and the town beach

The town beaches are the ones for days with children: calm water, facilities and the "guagua" (bus) right outside.

• Playa Dorada: 300 m of fine white sand, calm water, sunbeds and parasols, water-sports hire. Parasailing leaves from here.
• Playa Blanca, the town beach: just 40 m, with showers and a promenade. This is the one with the Blue Flag, not Papagayo.
• Playa Flamingo: 200 m of fine white sand, calm water, showers, sunbeds and a promenade. West of the town, on the Montaña Roja coast.

Bus route 6 stops at all three. Beyond Flamingo, heading west, there are smaller coves: La Mulata (80 m of sand, gravel and pebbles), La Campana and Montaña Roja. To compare with the rest of the island, see the Lanzarote beach guide.

If you fancy a walk, Montaña Roja (196 m) is the climb you can do straight from your hotel: a marked path to the crater rim, about an hour, best late in the afternoon. More routes in hiking in Lanzarote.

Aqualava, Playa Blanca's water park

Aqualava is in Montaña Roja, within Playa Blanca, and it is the water park that opens all year round, with geothermally heated pools. Hours: 10:00–18:00 in summer and 10:00–17:00 in winter. Prices for non-residents: €30 adult (12+) and €20 child (3–11); over-65s €23; under-3s free.

It is a small park (one slide tower with a minimum height of 120 cm, a children's area, a lazy river and a wave pool) and works best for under-12s. Teenagers will be happier at Aquapark Costa Teguise, which is bigger but seasonal and unheated. Outside food is not allowed.

The price is the same at the ticket office, on GetYourGuide and on Tiqets. If you are staying in Playa Blanca you do not need the park's free bus (it does not pick up here: the park is already in town). Full details are in the Aqualava guide and in our review of the park.

Boats from Playa Blanca: Papagayo, Lobos and boat hire

The shortest boat trips to Papagayo and the excursions to Lobos leave from Playa Blanca harbour and from Marina Rubicón.

The boats we would book from Playa Blanca

1

To see Papagayo on a budget

Mini cruise of about 2 hours with a swim stop. The cheapest option, and it leaves from the town itself.

GetYourGuide1.5 - 3 hours

Playa Blanca: Mini Cruise to Papagayo with Swimming Stop

4.7 (415)

from €35Check availability

2

For a day on a boat with lunch

Catamaran to Papagayo with food and drinks included, rated 4.8 from more than 400 reviews.

GetYourGuide4 hours

Lanzarote: Papagayo Catamaran, Lunch & Drinks

4.8 (428)

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3

For those who want to be active

Kayaking and snorkelling at Papagayo with photos, rated 4.8 from more than 500 reviews.

GetYourGuide3.5 hours

Kayaking & Snorkelling Adventure in Papagayo with Photos

4.8 (502)

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4

For couples or groups

Private sailing boat: expensive per head for two, reasonable if there are several of you.

GetYourGuide1.5 - 4.5 hours

Lanzarote Playa Blanca: private sailing cruise

5.0 (45)

from €280Check availability

Lobos also goes from here: Líneas Romero's "Lobos a tu aire" (the 09:30 ferry, a boat to Lobos and free time, about 8 hours) costs €59 (children €38). To land you need a free permit from the Cabildo de Fuerteventura at https://lobospass.com/: two slots of 200 people a day, bookable from 3 days ahead, maximum 3 people per application.

For sunsets, Playa Blanca has the edge: it faces south with open sea to the south-west, and in winter the sun sets over the water. From Puerto del Carmen, by contrast, it drops behind Los Ajaches. More options in boat trips in Lanzarote and sunset cruises.

Ferry from Playa Blanca to Fuerteventura (Corralejo)

Three operators sail from Playa Blanca harbour to Corralejo (compared in Fred. Olsen and Baleària: review). The famous 25 minutes apply only to Fred. Olsen's Bocayna Express (with cars); the Buganvilla Express and Baleària Canarias (formerly Naviera Armas) take about 35, and Líneas Romero about 30. Romero, foot passengers only, is the cheapest on foot: €20.50 single and €39 return (children €11 / €21), with departures from Playa Blanca at 09:30, 11:15, 12:45, 16:30 and 18:30.

Note: a Romero return ties you to its five sailings, and the last one leaves Corralejo at 19:30. With a hire car, Fred. Olsen asks for the registration number before departure and Baleària only accepts it if the hire company allows it.

Would you rather have it organised for you? The guided Charms of Fuerteventura excursion (€62, no lunch) includes pick-up, the 09:30 ferry, El Cotillo and the Corralejo dunes; the Fuerteventura at your own pace version (€45) leaves you more beach time. Everything is in the Fuerteventura day trip guide.

Jet skis, parasailing and diving at the Museo Atlántico

Jet ski to Papagayo. To reach Papagayo by jet ski, start from Marina Rubicón: Paracraft's 40-minute route passes the Papagayo beaches and the Pechiguera lighthouse, for €130 for a single jet ski or €160 for a double (worth it if there are two of you). You need no qualification on a guided trip; the driver must be 18 (16–17 with signed parental consent and a copy of the parent's ID). Paracraft does not accept cancellations. More in jet skiing in Lanzarote and in our review of the jet ski operators.

Parasailing at Playa Dorada: 10 minutes at 80–100 m, about €57 per person with Paracraft, from age 8 with an adult.

Diving. Off Las Coloradas, 12–14 m down, lie the Museo Atlántico sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor. Note: since June 2020 it has not operated as a museum, and the Cabildo has announced a plan to reopen it, still with no date. Dive centres still take divers and snorkellers there: Rubicón Diving (Marina Rubicón) offers an afternoon dive from €65 for certified divers, and a full day for non-divers from €175. The museum's beginner programmes have a minimum age of 10. Details in diving in Lanzarote.

GetYourGuide40 minutes

Playa Blanca: 40-Minute Jet Ski Excursion in Marina Rubicón

4.5 (117)

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GetYourGuide3.5 hours

Kayak and snorkelling tour at Papagayo Beach

4.7 (152)

from €45Check availability

GetYourGuide2 hours

Lanzarote: Electric Paddle Boarding and Snorkelling Trip at Papagayo Beach

5.0 (84)

from €55Check availability

GetYourGuide1 - 6 hours

Papagayo Beaches: Boat Rental with Basic Licence

4.8 (65)

from €90Check availability

See all on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 5 October 2026

Excursions from Playa Blanca with pick-up

For the places further away, the practical answer is an excursion with hotel pick-up:

• Timanfaya: entry to the Montañas del Fuego costs €30 (children €15) and is sold only online in time slots, non-refundable. It includes the Ruta de los Volcanes (the volcano route) by coach; inside the park you cannot walk or drive freely. The Arrecife/Playa Blanca: Timanfaya excursion (from €65, 7 hours) picks up in the south. See the Timanfaya guide.
• El Golfo, Los Hervideros and the Salinas de Janubio: 10–20 minutes away by car. With your own car an excursion is not worth it: go independently (El Golfo guide).
• Camels: the Echadero de los Camellos, on the LZ-67, charges €11 per person for a 20–25-minute ride (camels in Timanfaya).
• Submarine at Puerto Calero: free bus from Playa Blanca; €61.75 on its website (€65 at the ticket office), from age 2 (submarine guide and Submarine Safaris review).
• Rancho Texas (Puerto del Carmen): its shuttle from Playa Blanca costs €7 per person; for a family of four, €28 on top.

Driving times from Playa Blanca and the other three resorts:

Getting around: bus, taxi and car

Bus. Route 60 links Arrecife and Playa Blanca with 20 departures a day in each direction, Sundays included, and stops at the harbour. Route 161 goes to the airport via Puerto del Carmen (about 55 minutes), route 30 is the local service and route 13 runs to Teguise market on Sundays. Timetables at https://arrecifebus.com/lineas/; the Bono General card (€2) saves you 10 %.

Taxi. There is no published fixed fare between the airport and Playa Blanca. The official weekday rate is €1.35 per km, with a €2.10 airport supplement; at night and on public holidays, €1.55 per km. Bus 161 costs just a few euros.

Car. Without a car, Playa Blanca works for beaches and boats, not for the north. For a single volcano day, an excursion with pick-up beats hiring a car. More in Lanzarote without a car.

Playa Blanca at night

Playa Blanca's nightlife centres on the seafront promenade: live music, pubs, chill-out terraces and the odd nightclub. Under Canary law, under-18s are generally not admitted to nightclubs, and ID is checked at the door: bring yours. For dinners and evenings for two, see Lanzarote for couples.

The tourist office is at Varadero 3 and opens daily from 09:00 to 19:00.