Puerto del Carmen, on the south-east side of Lanzarote, is among the most important tourist spots on the island. There are more than 6 km of beaches protected from the trade winds (Grande Beach, Los Pocillos and Matagorda being the most extensive), and a wide variety of hotels.
Puerto del Carmen has a full range of services and numerous entertainment centres along the expansive Las Playas Avenue: stores, shopping centres, restaurants and bars, recreational centres, pubs, discos and in general a vibrant nightlife.
Anyone expecting a quiet place and beautiful nature surrounding will be disappointed: In addition to various bars and restaurants in the area of the harbor and kitschy tourist shops along the beach promenade, there are mainly barren "lunar landscapes" to visit. The streets often have a steep incline, which is why less sporty people and especially wheelchair users should expect problems here.
Puerto del Carmen is well signposted from the airports, and most areas of the Island. There is a direct bus service (#161) from the airport. Buses from the capital Arrecife run every 20 minutes. A taxi from the airport is about €15–20 (2018).
Hire cars, electrobikes, mopeds and buses are all plentiful here. Plenty of rent-a-cars at reasonable prices.
Puerto del Carmen, Playa Honda, Arrecife and Costa Teguise are covered by one connected e-scooter sharing system. You can take one anywhere and leave it in the designated area. The service is provided by Superpedestrian Link Scooters and can be used with the according app. It costs €1 to unlock and €0.30 per minute (February 2023).
The bus lines 3 and 161 operate around the town. Timetables are covered in Google Maps.
Stroll along the main avenue. It is possible to walk all the way to the neighbouring resort along the coastline. Visit the Old Town and Port.
Go to the beaches. Don't forget to take a tour of the island's main sights (Jameos del agua, Cueva de los Verdes, Mirador del Río, Jardin de Cactus, El Golfo, Fundación César Manrique).
Puerto del Carmen is host to many dive centres. Scuba diving is one of the most popular sports there with very favourable conditions. Water temperatures vary from 19°C in the winter to 23°C in the summer, and visibility averages over 25 metres to 30 metres.
Plenty of gift shops full of souvenirs and the like. Avoid, at all cost, the Indian electronic shops. With a few exceptions (ask a local or a guide), they are all very shady "businesses", experts in the bait-and-switch practice and other even less decent tactics or just plain fraud. If you need to buy a camera or something, always ask first, as there are only 2 or 3 out of the more than 20 shops that are not like that. Other than the Indian electronic shops, all the others are decent business that you can safely buy anything from. Many of the smaller supermarkets have prices highly inflated for tourists, so it would be to your advantage to buy from larger supermarket chains. The international press is available in several newstands and supermarkets. There are plenty of floating toys, snorkelling gear, towels and stuff for the kids on the beach.
The entire front-water strip is packed neck-to-neck with bars and restaurants. There is a McDonald's and a Burger King in the Old Town. The main strip has a cosmopolitan range of restaurants mostly catering for the tourist trade and of a reasonable standard and price.
The entire front-water strip is packed neck-to-neck with bars and restaurants.
Plenty of 3- and 4-star hotels and apartments available for rent.
Puerto del Carmen lays claim to being the most popular tourist destination on the island, and has a diversity that will suit most tastes. The Old Town has managed to retain its traditional Canarian atmosphere. Most nights you can see the locals playing boules in the streets, sample seafood, or simply enjoy a glass of the local wine as you gaze across the harbour. The New Town (or "strip" as it's more commonly known) is bustling with activity. Again, this has a wide range of bars and restaurants available, as well as discotheques for working off some of those excess calories. The Biosfera is certainly worth a visit, with 4 floors of shops and bars, an area which really comes to life when the sun sets. There's even a kiddies' play area to keep them occupied whilst you haggle with the shopkeepers.
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