Things to Do in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote

Quick Answer

Puerto del Carmen sits on the south-west coast of Lanzarote, about 15 minutes from Arrecife Airport. It has roughly 5km of dark volcanic beach, a proper old fishing harbour that most tourists completely ignore, and a nightlife strip that runs until 4am if that’s your thing. Most people use it as a base rather than a destination in itself, which is genuinely the right call. From here you can reach Timanfaya, Papagayo, and pretty much everything else worth seeing in under an hour.

The Beaches in Puerto del Carmen

Playa Grande is the one everyone ends up on. Long, wide, dark volcanic sand — the colour catches people off guard if they’re expecting white Mediterranean beach — and it runs the full length of the resort. Gets packed in July and August but it’s also long enough that a 15-minute walk usually finds you some space. Water sports line the shore the whole way: paddleboards, jet skis, parasailing, banana boats, the lot.

If you want a better Puerto del Carmen beach, walk to Playa de los Pocillos. Northern end of the resort. Same volcanic sand, same calm water, fewer people trying to sell you a cocktail bucket or a boat trip. Families especially — this is the one to go to. Playa Matagorda is further north still and very calm, mostly used by people staying in that area.

Sea temperature is genuinely warm by European standards. Around 20°C in winter, up to 24°C in summer. Even in January you’ll find people swimming. Some are on holiday. Some are just German. Hard to tell the difference sometimes.

Tip: The trade winds come in from the north-east every afternoon and they are not messing around. Bring a light layer for when the sun drops and either bring a windbreak or hire an umbrella on the beach — most have windbreaks attached and they’re about €8-10 for the day.

The Old Town (Please Don’t Skip This)

Right, this is the bit I feel strongly about.

Five minutes’ walk south from the Avenida, the old fishing harbour is a completely different place. Small whitewashed streets, working boats still tied up at the dock, seafront restaurants that serve food Canarian people actually eat. Papas arrugadas with mojo rojo or mojo verde. Fresh fish that was in the water that morning. Gofio. Lapas — limpets grilled with butter and lemon — which you should order immediately and without hesitation.

The Puerto del Carmen old town has been here since well before the hotels arrived and it feels like it. The prices are lower than anything on the strip and the quality is higher. Most visitors never find it because it doesn’t advertise itself with neon signs and pictures of cocktails on A-boards. That’s exactly why it’s good.

At minimum, go once for dinner. You’ll understand immediately why I’m making a big deal of it.

Day Trips and Getting Around

This is where Puerto del Carmen as a base really earns its keep.

Timanfaya National Park is 30 minutes west. Papagayo beach — one of the best beaches in the Canary Islands, full stop — is 40 minutes south. Jameos del Agua cave system is 30 minutes north. César Manrique’s house at Tahíche is 20 minutes. The whole north coast is under an hour. For where things are on Lanzarote, Puerto del Carmen is as central as it gets.

Car hire in Puerto del Carmen is easy and affordable. Companies are all over the strip and a small car for a week tends to come in between £100 and £180 depending on the season. You don’t need anything fancy. Just get air conditioning. Lanzarote’s roads are genuinely easy to drive and the island is small enough that you won’t be spending long hours in the car.

If you don’t want to drive, boats leave from the harbour daily. There’s a submarine tour that goes down to 25 metres — the volcanic sea floor around Lanzarote is all black lava formations with tropical fish sitting on them like they own the place, which is a genuinely strange thing to see — plus dolphin and whale watching cruises, catamaran trips to Papagayo, sunset cruises. Good options all.

Tip: Boat trips in summer sell out fast. Go to the harbour the evening before and book in person rather than leaving it to the day.

Where to Eat in Puerto del Carmen

There’s good food here. You just have to know where not to eat first.

The restaurants on the Avenida are fine, some better than fine, but they’re priced for tourists and the quality is inconsistent. The closer to the seafront, generally the more you’re paying for the view rather than the kitchen. Walk one street back and things get noticeably better and cheaper.

The Puerto del Carmen old town restaurants are the best eating in the whole resort. El Varadero is good. The tapas places near the harbour are cheap and excellent. A plate of mixed tapas and a glass of local Malvasía white wine — grown in volcanic craters in La Geria, very mineral, slightly unusual — comes in around €10-12 per person if you pick the right place.

Nightlife

Puerto del Carmen has a proper resort nightlife and doesn’t pretend otherwise. Clubs, themed cocktail bars, karaoke, late-night everything. The main area is around Cesar Manrique Street and the surrounding blocks. Things start late — most places don’t fill up until midnight — and carry on until sunrise in peak season.

It’s not trying to be sophisticated. It is cheerful and cheap and occasionally excellent in a chaotic sort of way. Go with the right attitude and you’ll be fine.

FAQ

Is Puerto del Carmen worth visiting? Yes, but the resort itself is not really the point. Puerto del Carmen is a good base with a decent beach, a lovely old town that most people miss, and easy access to the rest of Lanzarote. If you’re expecting cultural depth throughout the whole resort, parts of it will disappoint you. If you want somewhere easy to get to, well-equipped, and close to everything on the island, it’s one of the better options going.

How far is Puerto del Carmen from the airport? About 15 minutes by taxi. Costs roughly €15 to €20. It’s the closest major resort to Arrecife Airport, which is the main reason it grew into Lanzarote’s biggest resort in the first place. Arrivals are easy and the transfer is short, which matters more than people give it credit for after a long flight.

Do you need a car in Puerto del Carmen? Not for the resort itself — it’s flat and walkable end to end. But to actually see Lanzarote, yes. Car hire in Puerto del Carmen is cheap, easy to sort on or near the strip, and the island’s roads are genuinely easy to navigate. You can be at Timanfaya in 30 minutes or Papagayo in 40. Not having a car here feels like a waste.

Is Puerto del Carmen good for families? Really good, actually. The beach is wide and calm near the shore, the resort is flat and easy to walk around with kids, there are activities for all ages, and the airport is 15 minutes away. Playa de los Pocillos is the better family beach — calmer and less commercial than Playa Grande. Puerto del Carmen has been built around family tourism since the 1970s and the facilities reflect that.

What’s the best beach in Puerto del Carmen? Playa de los Pocillos. It’s at the northern end of the resort, about a 20-25 minute walk from the centre. Quieter, less commercialised, and generally more pleasant than Playa Grande. Playa Grande is fine and very convenient if you’re staying centrally, but Pocillos is the nicer beach.

When is Puerto del Carmen quietest? January through to early March. The resort stays open but the crowds thin out significantly. Temperatures sit around 18-21°C, the sea is still warm enough for most people to swim in, and the whole island is easier to enjoy. If you’ve been in August and thought it felt too busy, February is genuinely a different experience.

Are the restaurants in Puerto del Carmen any good? The old town restaurants are excellent. The strip is mixed — some good, some not worth it. The rule is walk away from the seafront and things improve quickly. The Canarian places near the harbour are the best eating in the resort and noticeably cheaper than anything on the Avenida.

Can you walk to Papagayo beach from Puerto del Carmen? No. It’s about 20km south and there’s no walking route. You need a car or a taxi — the drive is about 40 minutes. Papagayo is consistently one of the most talked-about beaches in the whole Canary Islands, so it’s absolutely worth the trip. Go early for parking and a good spot.

To Wrap Up

Puerto del Carmen works best when you treat it as a base rather than the destination itself. The beach is good. The old town is genuinely lovely and deserves more time than it usually gets. And the location means you can reach the best parts of Lanzarote without a long drive.

There’s a version of this place that’s just strip, sun, and sangria. That version is well-catered for and some people love it. But the better version is an early breakfast down at the old harbour, a day at Timanfaya or Papagayo, back for fish somewhere that doesn’t have an English menu nailed to the outside.

The island is the main character here. Puerto del Carmen is just a very convenient door to walk through to get to it.

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