Lanzarote Holidays Guide

I’ve talked elsewhere about how much it costs for car rental in Lanzarote. I haven’t talked about one of my favorite reasons to rent a car, at least for a few days. Why bother with a rental? I’ll give you two good reasons: The vineyards and the restaurants! If you want to experience the wine  and food of Lanzarote, it is best to go right to the source.

They have been making wine on Lanzarote for hundreds of years. Shakespeare even mentions this in one of his plays. Admittedly only in a passing way — a character says he’s drunk too much “of the Canaries.” He was talking about Malmsey. It’s a sweet wine that is often fortified.

In the early 1700s a series of volcanic eruptions covered the central area of Lanzarote. The volcanic region, which is mostly on the western side of the island, began a spectacular and persistent pattern of eruptions. The vineyards were covered with black ash. Instead of spelling the end of viticulture on the island, it signaled a new era of wine making on the island.

The wine region, called La Geria (a geria is the name of the little hollow where each vine is planted), is just west of the capital. You can certainly join a tour bus and spend the day sipping wine at bodegas like Palacio del Marques. If you can keep from over indulging in the lovely white varieties of Malvasia, you’ll want the car to continue exploring Lanzarote. Car rental, as I say elsewhere, is expensive, but it can be seriously worth the money to have the freedom to go where you want and when.

The important things to remember about renting a car in Lanzarote are: 1. Get the car hire insurance. There are tons of little fender-bender accidents and the insurance will give you peace of mind. Don’t balk at the price. 2. Driving here is no different than driving in Europe. The traffic laws, the street signs, all of it will remind you of driving in Spain or Germany, etc. If you have questions or worries about driving in Europe (and you are an American), check in with Triple A — they can set your mind at ease and get you the paperwork you need to have a temporary international drivers license. Get the most out of your Lanzarote holidays by renting a car.

Something we enjoy is the Sunday market in Teguise. You can catch one of several buses from the capital that go to the market, but why bother? Going with a company like Cicar car hire gives you more freedom.You go to the market early on Sunday. Then drive south to the wine region. If you have not indulged too much, continue south to Yazia  and have dinner at La Ea, which is the finest in true Canarian cuisine. They also have their own vineyards so you can compliment the dinner with more wine…… And at this point, I would be handing the keys to Kyle so that he could drive me home! If you do plan on drinking, be sure to have a designated driver, or just fore go the car hire and take a taxi.