Lanzarote shore excursions: what to do on a port day in Arrecife

Lanzarote shore excursions leave from Arrecife port itself and are tailored to a port call: four or five hours, in the morning, with a return to the quay. The island is small: from Arrecife you can drive to the Montañas del Fuego in about 38 minutes and to the Jameos del Agua in half an hour. That means a normal call leaves time for one big thing (Timanfaya or Manrique's north) and little else.

Arrecife cruise terminal: Naos or Los Mármoles

Arrecife has two new cruise terminals, and the difference matters:

• Naos (1,106 m², single storey) is around 1 km from the centre. You can walk to the Charco de San Ginés, passing the tourist office.
• Los Mármoles (556 m², up to three ships at a time, plus a satellite terminal) is in the commercial port, about 3 km from the centre, 30–40 minutes on foot along a promenade with little shade. The distances quoted vary quite a lot, so treat them as a guide.

From Los Mármoles, cruise lines usually lay on a shuttle bus to the centre, sometimes free and often paid. A taxi to the centre is around €10.

Arrecife is also a home port: some cruises start and finish here, and the main season runs from November to April. In summer there are hardly any calls. In November and December there are days with four or five ships in port at once, and then taxis and Timanfaya time slots sell out sooner: book your ticket in advance.

Cruise excursions on GetYourGuide: prices

These are the excursions GetYourGuide sells specifically for cruise passengers, departing from the port. Prices are "from", per adult.

Don't mix up the two Timanfaya tours. The €49 one (Timanfaya, a vineyard and the Charco Verde) has the most reviews; the €61 one is the morning tour, with the village of El Golfo and a La Geria winery, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The boats to Papagayo and La Graciosa have very few reviews, and six hours plus transfers is a lot for a short call: if the sea is what draws you, look at boat trips and the southern beaches.

Before paying, check two things on the listing: whether the €30 Timanfaya ticket is included and exactly where you are picked up.

GetYourGuide4.5 hours

Timanfaya And El Golfo For Cruise Passengers (Mornings)

4.6 (1,076)

from €61Check availability

GetYourGuide4.5 hours

Haría Market: transport for cruise ship passengers

No reviews yet

from €39Check availability

See all on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 5 October 2026

Which to choose for the hours you have ashore

Our pick for a port day

1

Morning call, first time on the island

Timanfaya, El Golfo and a La Geria winery in 4.5 hours, in the morning. Free cancellation up to 24 h before.

GetYourGuide4.5 hours

Timanfaya And El Golfo For Cruise Passengers (Mornings)

4.6 (1,076)

from €61Check availability

2

Tight budget

The cheapest way to the volcano with pick-up at the port, and the most-reviewed of all the cruise options.

GetYourGuide2.5 - 5 hours

Arrecife: Timanfaya and Green Lagoon for Cruise Passengers

4.6 (2,155)

from €49Check availability

3

You already know Timanfaya

Three hours in the north with entry to the Jameos del Agua included and a view over the Famara cliffs.

GetYourGuide3 hours

Lanzarote: Jameos del Agua & North Island for Cruise Guests

4.5 (503)

from €40Check availability

• Under 5 hours ashore: one morning excursion (Timanfaya or Jameos) or Arrecife town centre on foot. Don't try to do both.
• A call of 8 hours or more: there is time for the day tour or a morning excursion plus an afternoon at the Charco.
• Sunday in port: Teguise market (see below).
• Saturday in port: the Haría craft market, 09:00 to 14:30, with the cruise-passenger transfer.

Independently: Timanfaya, taxi and bus

Going on your own is possible, but Timanfaya has a catch. No bus reaches the Montañas del Fuego, El Golfo or the Mirador del Río. And the ticket (€30 adult, €15 child) is sold online only, for a fixed day and time, with no changes or refunds, in the CACT shop: https://ventaonline.cactlanzarote.com/en/tickets/montanas-del-fuego-timanfaya-ticket (full review in CACT). You need to be at the ticket office 15 minutes beforehand; once your slot has passed, entry is not guaranteed. With a ship sailing mid-afternoon, book the 09:30 slot or the first one that fits, never the last (the park is open 09:30 to 15:45). More details in the Timanfaya guide.

Hiring a taxi by the hour is the alternative for groups of three or four. As a rough guide, €130–150 per car has been asked for a 4-hour tour, and around €180 for a loop of the island. Agree the price, route and return time before you get in. The official metered fare in Lanzarote starts at €3.85 plus €1.35 per km on weekdays (€4.25 and €1.55 per km at night, on Sundays and public holidays).

By guagua (bus), everything leaves from Arrecife bus station (arrecifebus.com): line 1 goes to Costa Teguise, the 2 and 60 to Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca, the 7 to Teguise and Haría, and the 9 to the Jameos del Agua and Órzola. The 9 runs only five times a day: the 10:15 takes you north and the 13:10 return from Órzola gets back to Arrecife at around 14:05. Two of the services do not stop at the Jameos, so check the timetable. If you plan to use it, read the without a car guide first.

Arrecife on foot from the quay: the Charco de San Ginés

If you would rather not get on a coach, Arrecife town centre makes for a good morning at almost no cost:

• Charco de San Ginés: the seawater inlet where the fishing village began, remodelled to a design by César Manrique, with moored boats and bars all around. This is the place to eat or have a drink.
• Puente de las Bolas and Castillo de San Gabriel: a 16th-century stone bridge leading to the castle, now Arrecife's History Museum.
• Castillo de San José (MIAC): the CACT's contemporary art museum, on Los Mármoles bay, with a restaurant overlooking the port. Open daily 11:00 to 18:00, €5.40. If you dock at Los Mármoles, it is the closest sight.
• Calle Real for shopping and Playa del Reducto, the Blue Flag town beach. El Reducto has been closed to swimmers several times because of sewage spills; it is currently open (it reopened on 25 September), but check its status on the day.

The cruise-day market at the Charco mentioned in older guides is not running. On Saturdays there is a producers' and craft market in Plaza de Las Palmas, 09:00 to 12:00. Everything about the capital is in the Arrecife guide and on turismolanzarote.com.

Sunday call: Teguise market

Sunday is the best day to stay ashore without a tour: Teguise market, in the old capital, is about 17 minutes' drive from Arrecife, and line 7 leaves the bus station every two hours on Sundays. GetYourGuide has transfers to the market from €20; before booking, confirm they pick up at the port. More on the market in our review of Teguise market. To add the Fundación César Manrique, see the César Manrique guide.

The risk of missing the ship

• An ordinary excursion (not one "for cruise passengers") does not undertake to wait for your ship. Cruise-specific tours are designed for morning calls, but the exact terms of any return guarantee are not published: ask in writing when you book.
• Timanfaya tickets are not refunded if you miss your slot, and mid-morning car queues of up to an hour and a half have been seen at the park entrance.
• On days with four or five ships, the taxis at the quay run out early. Book your return or head back before the rush.
• Plan to be back at the quay at least an hour before all-aboard time, not the ship's departure time.

East coastArrecifefrom €40 Volcano countryTimanfayafrom €49 NorthJameos del Aguafrom €40 Volcano countryEl Golfo & Green Lagoonfrom €22