Lanzarote
Playa Honda is a good base for the whole island. Timanfaya is 35 minutes. Papagayo beaches are 45. A hire car makes everything accessible — book CICAR early, they sell out.
Our picks
All within reasonable reach from Playa Honda, all worth the trip.
The volcanic heartland of Lanzarote — a vast moonscape of lava fields, cinder cones, and geothermal vents still hot enough to ignite dried grass. A mandatory guided bus tour takes you through the Fire Mountains. One of the most dramatic landscapes in Europe.
Book tickets in advance. Sell out fast in high season. Go early to beat coach tours.
A volcanic cave running down to a saltwater lagoon inside a lava tube. Home to the jameíto — a blind, albino freshwater crab found nowhere else on earth. César Manrique turned the cave into an extraordinary cultural space with a concert hall and garden.
Combine with Cueva de los Verdes — they're adjacent.
A 2km guided walk through a dramatic lava tube formed by the Volcán de la Corona eruption 3,000 years ago. The tour ends with a famous optical illusion — we won't spoil it.
Book the guided tour — self-entry is not possible.
The former home and studio of Lanzarote's most important artist, built into five interconnected volcanic lava bubbles. Now a museum showing his paintings, sculptures, and installations. The architecture alone is worth the visit.
Near Tahíche. Easy half-day from Playa Honda.
A series of sheltered golden-sand coves in the south of the island within the Monumento Natural de Los Ajaches. No commercial development, no hotels. Some of the best natural beaches in the Canary Islands.
Hire car essential — no public transport. Pay the small access fee at the barrier.
Catamaran day trips, glass-bottom boat tours, and dedicated whale and dolphin watching excursions run daily from Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca. Bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales are commonly sighted in the waters off Lanzarote.
Morning departures have calmer seas and better light for photos.
A small, low-key naturist village on the north coast with a natural rock pool open to the Atlantic. Not fancy — but the snorkelling is excellent and the rocky shoreline is dramatic.
Good for snorkelling, less good for swimming. Bring shoes for the rocks.
The Jameos del Agua concert hall hosts classical music and cultural events inside the lava tube. Tickets sell fast. Check the programme well in advance.
Check the schedule before arriving — not every evening has an event.
You don't need a car for daily life at Playa Honda, but one opens up the whole island. We recommend CICAR — the reliable local company with pick-up at Lanzarote Airport. Book well in advance: they sell out in high season.
