Puerto del Carmen

Puerto del Carmen is a large tourist resort on the south coast of Lanzarote, a few km west of Arrecife the capital and airport. It has long sandy beaches (unusual on this island) which are more sheltered than the exposed north and west-facing coasts. It's part of the municipality of Tías but has far outgrown that small town, and in 2022 it had a population of 11,319.

Understand
This settlement first appears on maps as Tiñosa in the 16th century. It had the best natural harbour on this craggy coast, and became a port trading with mainland Spain and inter-island. When the Spanish ports were systematised in 1900 it was declared a "Puerto de Interés General", meaning it had international shipping and strategic value beyond the oversight of a single autonomous community. But modern shipping outgrew it and better docks were built at Arrecife, so from 1928 that became the island's chief port. In 1957 Tiñosa was re-named Puerto del Carmen in honour of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, the Virgin Mary in her role as patron of the Carmelite monks. The place was clearly destined to remain a quiet fishing village where everyone went to church on Sunday and crossed themselves rather than yield to temptation.

Then from the 1970s mass tourism grew as Lanzarote came within easy flying range of north Europe. The town acquired a 6 km resort strip east from the harbour along sandy beaches to the airport perimeter fence, with Av de las Playas lined by hotels, bars and restaurants. It doesn't stretch inland very far as the land rises steeply - anyone with restricted mobility needs to check the gradient to their intended accommodation. Within 1 km the buildings give way to the arid black hills of the interior.

Get in
From Arrecife or the airport follow LZ-2 west and branch onto LZ-40. In 2023 a taxi from either is about €20.

Bus 161 runs from the airport T1 and T2 every 30 min along Puerto del Carmen hotel strip, and continues to Puerto Calero, Yaiza and Playa Blanca (for Fuerteventura ferry). Bus 6 runs from Arrecife every 20 min, along the hotel strip to the harbour then ascending C Reina Sofia to its turnaround.

Bus 3 runs from Costa Teguise every 20 min via Arrecife then the same route through town.

Bus 12 runs every 30 min Sunday morning from Puerto del Carmen to Teguise for the Sunday market and returns early afternoon.

Get around

 * Plenty of rental outlets for cars, electro-bikes and mopeds.
 * E-scooter: Puerto del Carmen, Playa Honda, Arrecife and Costa Teguise are covered by a single system. You can take a scooter anywhere and leave it in any designated area. The service is provided by Superpedestrian Link Scooters and can be used with their app. In 2023 it costs €1 to unlock then €0.30 per minute.
 * Buses 3 and 161 run the length of town.

See

 * is the historic core of town, with whitewashed low-rise and a large parking lot.
 * Playa Chica is a small sandy beach 500 m east of the harbour, sheltered by two arms of rock.
 * Playa Blanca / Playa Grande is the main beach, stretching east for 800 m from Hotel Fariones. Playa Vulcano is its east extension.
 * Playa de los Pocillos is broad and one km long at the east edge of town. Playa Matagordo is its east extension.

Do

 * Scuba diving is year-round, with water temperatures always close to 20°C and visibility 25+ m. Over a dozen dive shacks in town offer training, kit hire and guided dives.
 * Lanzarote Golf is 3 km inland off LZ-505. White tees 5762 m, par 72, visitor round €110.
 * Hike along the coast 4 km west to the next small town, Puerto Calero. Wear stout shoes and sun protection. You can come back on the bus.
 * Hike along the coast 4 km west to the next small town, Puerto Calero. Wear stout shoes and sun protection. You can come back on the bus.

Buy

 * Lidl is north edge of town on C Juan Carlos I, open daily 09:30-22:00.
 * Small electronic stores and camera shops have a bad reputation for dodgy merchandise and underhand dealings. Beach hawkers are likewise shady.
 * Puerto Calero market is held Tu and F 09:00-13:00.
 * Puerto Calero market is held Tu and F 09:00-13:00.

Eat

 * The entire front-water strip is lined with bars and restaurants.

Drink

 * Tap water is safe to drink but it's desalinated and brackish. Choose bottled water or beer.
 * Cerveceria San Miguel Varadero is a beer hall by the harbour.
 * The Dog and Duck is a trad place by the harbour.
 * Bar Craic n' Ceól next to Biosfera has live music.
 * Tavern on the Seafront is midway along Playa Blanca.
 * The Irish Viking is a block inland at C Doromas 8.
 * The Snug Bar is a sports bar at C Doromas 19.
 * O'Connell's Dug-out is east end of the beach on C Nicaragua.
 * The Galleon 2 is at C Palangre 2.
 * The Upper Deck at Av de las Playas 43 is conveniently sited within a pharmacy.
 * The White Lion is a sports bar at Av de las Playas 67.
 * The Limerick Phoenix is west end of Playa de los Pocillos.
 * Vineyards are nearby, clustered around La Geria.

Sleep

 * Plus Fariones Suite is an unrelated hotel almost next door at C Acatife 2. They also have apartments 100 m inland.
 * Plus Fariones Suite is an unrelated hotel almost next door at C Acatife 2. They also have apartments 100 m inland.
 * Plus Fariones Suite is an unrelated hotel almost next door at C Acatife 2. They also have apartments 100 m inland.
 * Plus Fariones Suite is an unrelated hotel almost next door at C Acatife 2. They also have apartments 100 m inland.
 * Plus Fariones Suite is an unrelated hotel almost next door at C Acatife 2. They also have apartments 100 m inland.
 * Plus Fariones Suite is an unrelated hotel almost next door at C Acatife 2. They also have apartments 100 m inland.
 * Plus Fariones Suite is an unrelated hotel almost next door at C Acatife 2. They also have apartments 100 m inland.

Connect
As of Oct 2023, Puerto del Carmen and its approach highways have 4G from Vodafone, and 5G from MasMovil, Movistar and Orange.

Go next

 * Arrecife the capital has two islets just offshore, one a museum the other a modern art gallery.
 * Timanfaya National Park can be accessed from Yaiza on its south side or Mancha Blanca to the east.