Order cocktails at Carousel Bar

Part drinking establishment, part fairground ride, the legendary Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone has been a New Orleans staple since 1949, and it’s just as enchanting today. After grabbing a spot at the revolving 25-seat bar, the traditional order is a Vieux Carré whiskey cocktail. The real trick? Making each drink last a full 15-minute turn and recognizing when your head starts spinning faster than the bar.

Taste volcanic terroir

Lanzarote’s vineyards are as distinctive as the island itself. In El Geria, Malvasía vines are planted in hand-dug hollows, each blanketed with volcanic ash to retain moisture and protect roots from the volcanic heat. Curved stone walls, known as zocos, guard against the strong Atlantic winds, creating a striking, dimpled landscape. As for the wine, like that of Sicily, the volcanic terroir ensures crisp, aromatic notes — perfect for pairing with the island’s seafood.

Walk through architecture as art

Few figures have shaped modern Lanzarote like artist, sculptor and architect César Manrique, whose passion for low-impact tourism — no hotel higher than a palm tree — made this island the poster child for sustainable travel back in the 1970s. His influence can be felt across the island, nowhere more so than at his former home, now the César Manrique Foundation, where living spaces are ingeniously carved into volcanic bubbles.

Indulge your senses

La Tegala is Lanzarote's first Michelin-recommended restaurant. Run by chef Daniel Jiménez, it tells a story about the island — one dish at a time. Settle in for a tasting menu that showcases local ingredients, swinging from playful bites like traveling scarlet prawn to genuinely moving plates — some diners still talk about the sea bass months later. It's not cheap, and it's not quick, but it's the kind of meal that is helping to define modern Canarian cuisine.

Enter a retro marvel

With its space-age-white interiors, this volcanic cavern complex of Jameos del Agua is part design statement and part theatrical experience. This was César Manrique’s show-stopping first project, which opened in 1968 and is a time capsule of mid-century design. Make a date for Friday, when dinner — crispy octopus with sweet potato, perhaps — segues into a cave-side concert.

Tee off at Golf Lanzarote

Compared to the island’s volcanic landscapes, the emerald fairways of this 18-hole course appear like oases in a monochrome desert. Designed by Ron Kirby to follow the terrain’s natural contours, it integrates existing rocky features into the course — the 17th hole is the trickiest to navigate, with stone walls and a lake encircling the green. Try not to be distracted by the grand views over the Atlantic and the neighboring island of Fuerteventura.

Experience Spanish café culture

While exploring the former capital of Teguise (Sunday is the big market day here, when stalls line the cobbled streets), make a pitstop at Mura — a hole-in-the-wall café — for a cold-brew coffee, an iced matcha latte or a grilled pesto sandwich. It’s run by two sisters who bake their signature orange and almond cakes and also curate a small collection of island crafts, from baskets to ceramics.

Explore Timanfaya National Park

This national park has an unforgettable cinematic landscape. The Fire Mountains that sparked the island’s volcanic identity are here — erupting for six years in the 18th century and, while now dormant, are still simmering beneath. Guides will demonstrate the intense heat below the surface by dropping straw or water into holes in the ground and stepping back from the plumes of fire that emerge.

Wander through the Cactus Garden

The ever-versatile César Manrique spent 20 years creating his homage to the beauty and diversity of cacti, turning an old landfill into an amphitheatre-style botanical showcase. Surrounding a working windmill are around 500 species, from the alien-like golden cushion cacti to the incredible dragon bone variety. You can even try (unprickly) cactus burgers and croquettes at the beautiful onsite restaurant, with its centerpiece spiral staircase.

See the view from Orzola

There are two reasons to head to this pretty fishing village on the northern coast. The first is to catch the boat across to the tiny island of La Graciosa, which only joined the Canaries in 2018. The second is to drive or hike up to Mirador del Río — a former fort reimagined as a viewpoint for epic vistas of the archipelago — then return for the seafood platter at Mirador El Roque.

Discover local crafts at
Emporia Canario

It’s no wonder that Lanzarote has become a creative hub for artists drawn to working with the island’s raw materials. Ceramicists Carlos Martínez Arrocha takes inspiration from lava formations, fruit and indigenous symbols to create colorful plates, vases and figurative designs that you can find alongside locally made soap, candles, fashion and art in this lovely concept store in La Santa.

Taste volcanic terroir

Lanzarote’s vineyards are as distinctive as the island itself. In El Geria, Malvasía vines are planted in hand-dug hollows, each blanketed with volcanic ash to retain moisture and protect roots from the volcanic heat. Curved stone walls, known as zocos, guard against the strong Atlantic winds, creating a striking, dimpled landscape. As for the wine, like that of Sicily, the volcanic terroir ensures crisp, aromatic notes — perfect for pairing with the island’s seafood.

Experience Spanish café culture

While exploring the former capital of Teguise (Sunday is the big market day here, when stalls line the cobbled streets), make a pitstop at Mura — a hole-in-the-wall café — for a cold-brew coffee, an iced matcha latte or a grilled pesto sandwich. It’s run by two sisters who bake their signature orange and almond cakes and also curate a small collection of island crafts, from baskets to ceramics.

Wander through the Cactus Garden

The ever-versatile César Manrique spent 20 years creating his homage to the beauty and diversity of cacti, turning an old landfill into an amphitheatre-style botanical showcase. Surrounding a working windmill are around 500 species, from the alien-like golden cushion cacti to the incredible dragon bone variety. You can even try (unprickly) cactus burgers and croquettes at the beautiful onsite restaurant, with its centerpiece spiral staircase.

See the view from Orzola

There are two reasons to head to this pretty fishing village on the northern coast. The first is to catch the boat across to the tiny island of La Graciosa, which only joined the Canaries in 2018. The second is to drive or hike up to Mirador del Río — a former fort reimagined as a viewpoint for epic vistas of the archipelago — then return for the seafood platter at Mirador El Roque.