Quick Answer
South of the island: calm, clear, easy swimming. Papagayo if you want the best of it. Puerto del Carmen if you want everything on hand. The north is dramatic, cold and often windy — completely worth it for a morning but not a swimming holiday. Families: Matagorda. Surfers or people who just want to feel something: Famara.
Papagayo Beaches
Five or six small coves at the very southern tip. The photos are real — the water is that colour. You pay about three euros to get in by car at a barrier on the road, which feels irritating until you see the alternative is a car park full of coaches.
The main beach, Playa del Papagayo, is the one everyone goes to, which tells you everything. Walk another five minutes along the cliff path and the crowds drop off fast. Playa Mujeres is just around the headland and most days feels like a different place entirely.
Go before 10am. After midday in July you are fighting for sand.
Puerto del Carmen
Two kilometres of beach running through the main resort. Sun loungers, beach bars, watersports, a long promenade. Busy pretty much year-round.
Not the most beautiful beach on the island. Also the most practical — everything is already sorted and you do not need a car. If you are staying in Puerto del Carmen, you will end up here anyway.
Matagorda, at the quieter south end of the resort, is better for young children. Calmer water, less going on, easier to keep track of small people.
Famara Beach
On the northwest coast. Backed by cliffs that drop nearly 500 metres straight down to the sand. The Atlantic comes in properly here — waves, current, cold water. Not a swimming beach.
What it is: one of the most striking places on the island. The kind of beach that makes you feel like you have actually been somewhere rather than just lain horizontal for a week. Surfers have been coming here for years. At low tide the beach stretches on longer than seems possible.
Go once. Do not swim unless you know what you are doing.
Caletón Blanco
North of the island, between Arrieta and Orzola, and most people drive straight past it. Small volcanic beach with lava rock pools that trap seawater and warm up in the sun until they are almost bath temperature. Kids love it. Adults who find it tend to stay longer than they planned.
No facilities. Bring water and shade.
Arrieta
Small fishing village on the northeast coast with a short calm beach and a few restaurants that charge what fish restaurants used to charge before everywhere got expensive. Worth a stop on a north coast day. The beach is not really the point — the lunch is.
FAQ
What is the best beach in Lanzarote for swimming?
Papagayo, specifically the coves a short walk from the main beach. Clear water, no waves, sheltered.
Are there any quiet beaches in Lanzarote?
The whole north coast. Beaches around Arrieta and Orzola see almost no tourists even in August. No facilities either, so plan for it.
Is Famara safe for swimming?
Generally no. The current is serious and the waves are not forgiving. Go for the view, swim somewhere else.
How warm is the sea in Lanzarote?
About 18°C in winter, up to 23°C in summer. Refreshing is the polite word. You get used to it quickly enough.
Do you have to pay to get into Papagayo?
About three euros per car at the barrier on the access road. Free on foot or by bike, though it is a long walk from Playa Blanca.
When are the beaches least crowded?
May, June, October, November. Good weather, manageable crowds. August is peak chaos. January is the quietest month and still warm enough to swim in the south.
Are there nudist beaches in Lanzarote?
Some of the further Papagayo coves are used as naturist beaches — Playa Mujeres especially. Unofficial but long-established.
To Wrap Up
The south is the easy choice and often the right one. Papagayo is genuinely as good as it looks in photos. But Famara is the beach that stays with you — the one you mention when someone asks what Lanzarote was actually like.
Hire a car. Most of the places worth finding are not on a bus route.
Use VidodoGuide to explore Lanzarote with GPS audio routes, local stories and what is happening on the island — and spend less of your holiday figuring out where to go next.
