Puerto del Carmen is the largest resort in Lanzarote and one of the most popular beach destinations in the Canary Islands.
Unlike Costa Teguise or Playa Blanca, you won't just find hotel resorts here, but also a fairly large typical Lanzarote town with small white houses, a romantic fishing harbour and, above all, endless beaches.
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In town you'll enjoy all the amenities from dozens of restaurants and bars, to pharmacies, banks and post offices, to supermarkets and luxury shops on the beach promenade.
Beaches and swimming
The main thing that attracts tourists to Puerto del Carmen is its beautiful and spacious beaches with fine grey-golden sand.
Playa Grande
Right in the centre of town, you'll come across the main Playa Grande, a half-kilometre long beach lined with a lively promenade with shops, restaurants and everything from showers to sunbed hire and water attraction offerings.
Playa del Carmen is the only resort on the island with a wide range of water activities such as inflatable banana rides, jet skis and parasailing.
Playa Grande is more open, so expect gentle waves ideal for bodysurfing. The entrance to the sea is relatively gradual and safe with no rocks or significant undercurrents.
Playa de los Pocillos
On the eastern edge of the resort, which flows loosely into the neighbouring small town of Los Pocillos, you can enjoy a great day out on one of Lanzarote's largest beaches , Playa de los Pocillos, which flows loosely into a 6km-long stretch of beaches all the way to the airport.
Playa de los Pocillos boasts a length of over a kilometre and an impressive width of up to 250 metres in places. You really won't be short of space here. The beach promenade is dominated by the modern Plaza de Las Naciones, with its public toilets and showers. Restaurants and bars can be found on the eastern edge of the beach, as well as a Spar supermarket.
Accommodation
Puerto del Carmen is also friendly to individual tourists with its very wide range of cheap apartments with prices starting from 44 eur per night for two and smaller boutique hotels with prices around 73 eur.
Below we recommend the best accommodation near the beach or the centre with good value for money:
- Apartments - Rosamar Apartamentos, Apartamento Playa Pocillos, Habitaciones Doña Cris
- Hotels - Hipotels La Geria ****, Casas Heddy ***, Hotel Floresta ***
How to get there
By car
Puerto del Carmen is located on the four-lane road LZ-40, which separates from the main island highway at several points about 3 km away. The airport is just 8 km from the resort and the capital Arrecife is 14 km away.
Parking in Puerto del Carmen is free, but you can stop on the main beach promenade, where there are limited spaces. Larger car parks can be found, for example, at the old port.
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By bus
If you want to spend your time mainly in the resort, you won't need a car at all. There are many bus routes to Puerto del Carmen, below are the main routes, click on the line number for the timetable:
For tickets to the airport visit 1,40 eur, to Arrecife 1,70 eur and to Playa Blanca 2,75 eur.
All lines stop at the port ( Costa Volcán stop), lines 2, 24 also run along the whole coast and all the beaches.
What to see around
Discover all the places to see in Lanzarote.
