Playa Blanca, Lanzarote

The resort town of Playa Blanca is located at the southern tip of the island, around a 50 minute drive from the airport on the main LZ-2 road.

Attracting a high proportion of British tourists (mainly families, couples and retirees), this former fishing village offers a selection of golden beaches, two small water parks, seafront restaurants galore, a marina and a port (with ferry connection to the nearby island of Fuerteventura). With a large amount of 4 and 5 star Hotels, Playa Blanca attracts a slightly more upmarket clientele than some of the other major resort towns in Lanzarote.

Restaurants and Nightlife

While not known for its nightlife, there are still plenty of Disco Bars, Sports Bars and Irish Pubs in Centro Comercial Papagayo where you can party well into the early hours. Bars can be quiet during the off-peak winter months, though locals and ex-Pats will still be out at Weekends and Wednesday night (a long-standing party night in Playa Blanca). The Marina Rubicon offers some more sophisticated Jazz and Cocktail bars if Karaoke or Dance music aren’t your thing.

The highest concentration of restaurants is along the seafront near the centre of town. There are of course others, mainly along the coastal promenade, marina and in the town centre. Faro Park, a residential enclave at the far west of the resort, also has a good selection of restaurants.

Beaches

Some of the best beaches on the island are located in and around Playa Blanca. The Papagayo Natural park is located just to the west of the resort and can be accessed either by car on a dirt track (there is a small fee for non-residents) or on foot via a coastal path (free). This series of unspoilt picture-postcard beaches are the best on Lanzarote and often feature in tourist board advertising. In the centre of town is a small beach that gives the town its name (Playa Blanca means White Beach) – this beach is best enjoyed in the summer months, since it can be quite rocky in winter.

There are two man-made beaches sheltered by breakwaters; Playa Flamingo to the west of the town centre and Playa Dorada to the east. Both of these beaches offer good snorkelling, safe bathing and plenty of restaurants and shops.

Getting there and around

For details on how to get to Playa Blanca from the airport, please click here.

Playa Blanca is spread along some 9 kilometres of coast, from Faro Park in the west to Las Coloradas in the east. If you choose not to hire a car, there is a local bus;number 30 (timetable) that runs from one end of the resort to the other every 30 minutes (from 06.30 to 22.00 every day). The bus station (Estacion de Guaguas) is located close to the centre of town at the corner of Avenida de las Canarias and Calle los Calamares. A pedestrianised promenade, a haven for runners and walkers alike, runs along the entire coast of Playa Blanca.

Taxis take usually no more than 10 minutes from the time of call (tel: 928 524 222). Within the ‘urban’ area of Playa Blanca, taxis are a reasonable price (just over €5 from the centre of Playa Blanca to Faro Park), it becomes much more expensive if you want to take a taxi outside of Playa Blanca, say to/from the airport.

Accommodation

Playa Blanca offers a variety of accommodation for holiday makers, from luxury hotels, to apartments to private villas. If you prefer to be in the thick of the action, there are a number of tourist rental apartments and small bungalows close to the centre of town, a short strolling distance to bars, restaurants and shops. For a quieter, more retreat-like break, perfect for those with young children or larger groups wanting their own space, there are private rental villas with private pools located throughout the resort. Playa Blanca is not the type of place where you can find accommodation on arrival (unless you want to pay the published rack rate hotel prices), so pre-booking is recommended.

Related Pages

How to get to Playa Blanca from the Airport
Playa Blanca Excursions & Activities