Lanzarote looks made for a bicycle. The roads are smooth, the distances are short, it almost never rains, and the landscape changes every few kilometres, from black lava to white villages to vineyards dug into the ash. What stops most visitors is not the island. It is the wind, which comes off the Atlantic most days, and the climbs, because nearly every ride worth doing has one somewhere.
An electric bike takes both out of the equation. You still pedal, but the motor gives you a push into the wind and up the hills, so a ride you would never attempt on holiday becomes an easy morning out. This guide to cycling in Lanzarote is for that kind of rider: someone who wants to see the island at the speed of a bicycle, not someone training for the Ironman. Four rides that suit an e-bike, two that do not, and the practical details people who live here would pass on to a friend before a first ride.
Why an e-bike suits Lanzarote
The wind on Lanzarote usually blows from the north or north-east. On a normal bike, that means half of every ride is easy and the other half is hard work, and you rarely know in advance which half will be which. On an e-bike you turn the assistance up into the wind and down on the flat, and the ride stays enjoyable in both directions.
It also solves the oldest problem of cycling as a couple or a family: two riders of different levels can ride together without one of them waiting at the top of every hill. The motor helps up to 25 km/h and the battery is good for up to about 50 km, which covers each of the four rides below on a single charge.
The simplest way to do it is to have an e-bike delivered to your hotel. The one we would point you to is an electric mountain bike with 29-inch wheels and front suspension, so the same bike rides the seafront paths and the dirt tracks to the Papagayo beaches. Delivery and collection are free anywhere on the island, and a lock and a helmet come with it.
Ride 1: Costa Teguise to Arrecife along the sea
About 18 km return, almost flat, 45 to 60 minutes in the saddle.
This is the ride for a first morning. Since 2022 a promenade with a proper bike path has run along the coast from Costa Teguise to Arrecife, about 9 km each way. You leave the town beaches behind, follow the shore south-west past Los Mármoles, and ride into the capital along its seafront, with the sea on your left the whole way.
Arrecife is the part of the island most visitors skip, which is exactly why it is worth the ride. Lock the bike at the Charco de San Ginés, the seawater lagoon where the town began as a fishing village, and walk out over the Puente de las Bolas to the Castillo de San Gabriel on its islet. The cafés and tapas bars around the lagoon are where islanders actually sit.
Two things to know. Stay on the bike path, not the walkway: in Spain bikes are not allowed in pedestrian areas. And the usual north-east wind is behind you on the way to Arrecife and in your face on the way back, which is the moment the motor earns its place.
If your ship docks in Arrecife for the day, this stretch of seafront is also the easiest way to see the capital from the saddle. A one-day rental can be delivered and collected in Arrecife; choose times that leave a comfortable margin before the all-aboard time. Our locals' guide to a day ashore in Lanzarote covers the rest of that day.
Ride 2: Puerto del Carmen to Arrecife
About 30 km return, almost flat, 1.5 to 2 hours.
The same idea from the south. It is about 15 km each way from Puerto del Carmen to Arrecife, almost all of it flat and close to the sea. You pass the long beaches of Los Pocillos and Matagorda, ride round the end of the airport, and continue through Playa Honda into the capital, arriving at the same lagoon and the same castle.
In Puerto del Carmen, ride on the bike lane along the Avenida de las Playas, where the limit is 10 km/h, not on the promenade itself. In Playa Honda the seafront avenue is closed to bikes, so follow the signed cycle streets through the town. Near the airport, signs may ask you to get off and push for a short stretch.
You can turn round anywhere. Playa Honda, roughly halfway, makes a good shorter ride. With the usual wind, the way to Arrecife is often the harder half and the ride home is the easier one.
Ride 3: La Geria, through the vines
About 31 km return, around 350 m of climbing, 1.5 to 2 hours.
This is the ride people remember. La Geria is the wine country of Lanzarote, a valley where every vine grows in a hollow dug down through the black volcanic ash, each one sheltered by a low curved wall of stone on the windward side. There is nothing else like it, and from a bicycle you see it at exactly the right speed.
Start in Yaiza, the white village at the southern end, and ride to Uga, where the LZ-30 begins. This is the road that crosses La Geria, and you follow it north-east through the vineyards, past Bodega La Geria with its shop and terrace, to Masdache, where El Grifo has been making wine since 1775. Turn round there and ride back the same way. If you want more, ride the whole LZ-30 to the Monumento al Campesino: Yaiza to the monument and back is about 40 km, still well inside one charge.
The 350 m of climbing is spread across the whole ride, and that kind of steady uphill is where the e-bike shines. Two cautions. The LZ-30 is a main road with traffic, so ride in single file and keep to the right. And there is no shade anywhere in the vineyards, so take water and sun cream. The bodegas along the road are the natural stops, but Spain's drink limits apply on a bike too.
If the ride leaves you curious about the wine itself, it is worth tasting it properly, sitting down, on a day when you are not riding home afterwards. Jable de Tao, a young winery that works old vines in plots across the island, from La Geria to Tenesar on the west coast, opens its bodega for a private tasting with the team that farms the vines and makes the wine. And our guide to the bodegas of La Geria explains which of the roadside names are worth stopping for.
Ride 4: the Papagayo beaches on dirt tracks
About 28 km loop, around 600 m of climbing, 2 to 3 hours. The hardest ride in this guide.
The Papagayo beaches are a string of coves east of Playa Blanca, inside the protected area of Los Ajaches. The paved path from Playa Blanca runs past the Marina Rubicón and ends at the Castillo de las Coloradas. From there the only way on is by dirt track. That makes this a mountain bike ride, and it is why the e-bike you choose should be an electric mountain bike rather than a city model.
The track takes you to Playa Mujeres first, then on to Playa del Pozo, Playa de la Cera and the Papagayo cove itself. The full loop comes back through the hills of Los Ajaches; for an easier day, simply ride back the way you came. The tracks are loose and stony in places, and even with a motor you may have to get off and push on the steepest bits.
Go in the morning, before the heat and before the beaches fill up. Take all your water from Playa Blanca, because the tracks are bare and there is no shade. Let a little air out of the tyres for the loose surface, and bring the lock: the swim in the middle of the ride is the whole point.
Two rides an e-bike will not cover in a day
Most guides to cycling in Lanzarote include the north and Famara, and both rides are spectacular. They are also too long for one charge, and it is better to know that before you are on the wrong side of the Tabayesco climb with an empty battery.
- The Famara loop. From Costa Teguise through Teguise, the old capital, down to the surf village of Caleta de Famara under the cliffs, and back through La Santa and Tinajo. About 75 km with around 900 m of climbing.
- The Mirador del Río and the Tabayesco climb. The longest climb on the island, about 10.5 km from Arrieta at an average of around 5.5%, then through the valley of palms at Haría to César Manrique's viewpoint over La Graciosa. About 85 km and 1,200 m of climbing from Costa Teguise; even the shorter loop home through Teguise is about 56 km.
Both are road bike days for riders who are used to the distance. If that is you, the full set of Lanzarote cycling routes, with the climbs, the cafés and the wind for each one, is the place to plan them.
Before you set off
- Plan around the wind. It usually comes from the north or north-east. Ride into it first, while you are fresh, and let it bring you home.
- Daylight only. The e-bike has no lights, so plan to be back well before sunset.
- Delivery times. Bikes arrive at the time you choose between 10:00 and 18:00. For an early start on the Papagayo tracks, have the bike delivered the day before.
- Water and sun. Outside the towns there is very little shade. Carry more water than you think you need.
- Bike lanes, not promenades. Spanish rules keep bikes out of pedestrian areas, and the seafront paths are busy with walkers.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lanzarote good for cycling?
Very. The roads are smooth, rain is rare, and the landscape is unlike anywhere else in Europe. The challenges are the wind, usually from the north or north-east, and the climbs, which is why many visitors who are not regular cyclists choose an e-bike.
How far can you ride on an e-bike in Lanzarote?
Up to about 50 km on one charge, depending on the wind, the climbing and how much assistance you use. That covers the Arrecife seafront rides, La Geria and the Papagayo beaches. The Famara and Mirador del Río loops are longer than that.
Can you cycle to the Papagayo beaches?
Yes, on a mountain bike or an electric mountain bike. The paved path from Playa Blanca ends at the Castillo de las Coloradas, and the beaches are reached on dirt tracks from there. It is not a ride for a city bike or a road bike.
Can you visit the bodegas of La Geria by bike?
Yes. Several bodegas sit right on the LZ-30, the road through the vineyards, and the ride from Yaiza to Masdache and back is about 31 km. Spain's drink limits apply on a bike too, so taste with care, or keep the serious tasting for another day.
Can I ride an e-bike on a cruise stop in Lanzarote?
Yes. A one-day rental can be delivered and collected in Arrecife, and the seafront path to Costa Teguise is about 9 km each way and almost flat. Choose delivery and collection times that leave plenty of margin before your ship sails.
See the island at the speed of a bicycle
From a car, La Geria is a view through a window. From a bicycle, it is the smell of the ash after the sun has been on it, the sound of the wind in the stone walls, and the time to stop where you like. The same is true of the Arrecife seafront and the tracks to Papagayo. An e-bike simply makes that version of the island available to anyone.
A morning on the bike also leaves the afternoon free. Our curated private experiences, created with local people and each reserved for one private group, are a good way to spend it. Choose your experience and request availability.
