When to go to Lanzarote: the best time of year for weather and crowds

Going to Lanzarote is always a good idea. Whatever the season, you’ll always get fine weather, really pleasant temperatures and next to no rain or cloud. They say Lanzarote enjoys eternal spring, and it’s true! I was there in January and honestly, the weather was great.

That said, there are other things to weigh up when choosing when to go to Lanzarote. Your budget, of course (I’ll explain how prices change with the seasons), and also how busy it is.

Lanzarote is an island you can visit all year round, and there are a few people around every month of the year. Never too many, but never too few. Luckily, the island doesn’t suffer from overtourism. You can of course visit Lanzarote with your kids during the school holidays: it’s a bit more expensive and a bit busier, but it’s fine!

In short, every month of the year has its advantages and a few rare drawbacks (August is expensive and fairly busy, for example), so here’s my month-by-month recap. Let’s go!

The weather in Lanzarote, for a good dose of sunshine

There are 3 weather factors at play:

• sunshine: how many hours of sun you can expect per day
• rainfall: how much rain there’s going to be
• temperatures: maximum, minimum and average

But first of all, I have to tell you that the huge advantage of Lanzarote is that the weather is good all year round. Never too hot, never cold, never too cloudy, never too much rain. Honestly, it’s ideal!

DECEMBER / JANUARY / FEBRUARY

• These are the months when it’s at its least warm, with the coolest temperatures: around 21-22 degrees during the day and 14-15 degrees at night.
• It can get a little chilly at night
• This is when it rains the most (along with November), but it’s still not much
• It’s pleasantly warm during the day
• Not the best time for swimming: the water drops to 18-19 degrees in February and March (it’s bracing!)
• Better for hiking

JULY / AUGUST / SEPTEMBER

• Lovely sunny weather and fairly hot
• Not a drop of rain or a wisp of cloud
• On the other hand, the trade winds blow harder in July and August (nice in the heat, a bit less so on the beach)

SPRING / AUTUMN

• A lovely shoulder season with little rain
• Pleasantly warm, not really hot
• Plenty of sunshine
• Autumn is warmer than spring: still 26-27 degrees in October, and the sea is at its warmest (22-23 degrees) in September and October
• November stays very mild, around 23-24 degrees during the day, with the return of a few showers

4 recommended places to stay in Lanzarote

Find your dream accommodationin Lanzarote!

Tourist numbers, so you don’t go to Lanzarote at the same time as everyone else

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like going on holiday to the same place at the same time as everyone else.

As I said in the introduction, Lanzarote is an island where tourists come all year round! It’s not seasonal at all, unlike St Tropez, Majorca or wherever. Really, there are 3 million tourists a year, and every month gets between 200,000 and 300,000. So it’s spread out very evenly over the year.

The big advantage is that it never gets overcrowded. So yes, in the touristy months, there are people around. Especially in August and during the school holidays (particularly December and the October half-term, to escape the grey skies). But there’s always room. Lanzarote isn’t an island where you’ll be tripping over each other.

The quieter months still have a few people around, but honestly, I was there in January and I really didn’t see many people at all.

The busiest periods:

• July and especially August
• March
• April, for the Easter holidays
• October, for the autumn half-term
• December, for the Christmas and New Year holidays

The quietest months are:

• January
• November

Good months like May, June or September don’t have too many tourists, so they can be an excellent option.

Your budget, so you don’t go when it’s too expensive

Because budget is also really important when planning your holiday, I looked into which months were the most and least expensive for 3 key items of spending:

• flights
• car hire in Lanzarote varies enormously with the seasons, up to three times the price. But you also have the option of not hiring a car in Lanzarote, in which case you can get around by bus or taxi!
• accommodation

The price of flights

To get the figures below, I used the comparisons on Booking Flights and Transavia, for flights from London to Arrecife, to get the following figures.

Unsurprisingly, the months when flights are most expensive are:

1. August, hands down: it easily goes up to €400
2. July, a bit cheaper than August, but still
3. All the school holidays (special mention for Saturday departures): February half-term, October half-term, Easter, and above aaaall Christmas and New Year
4. June is a bit more expensive than average

If you avoid flying on a Saturday or Sunday, prices are reasonable: you can get away with €100 to €150 a ticket, sometimes less

The cheapest months are the ones when the weather is least favourable (but honestly, it’s still very decent, you just won’t be swimming):

• January
• early December
• March, once the February school holidays are over
• November

When you can find tickets for under €100. Not bad! Special mention for a €65 return at the end of November.
Worth noting, too: off-season, Transavia runs fewer flights, but there are still cheap flights on Sundays (a little more expensive on Saturdays).

The price of car hire

The big advantage of Lanzarote is that car hire is affordable all year round. So yes, August is more expensive. Well, “expensive” is a big word.

Below I’ve put two simulated car hire examples:

• The first is for a week in June. That works out at €10 a day.
• The second is for a week in August, at €20 a day.

The other months fall within this range, between €10 and €20. Only the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is more expensive, at €25 a day.

You do need to be careful with some companies: for example, don’t hire from Gobycar, which is a real rip-off. But I’ll explain all that in an article dedicated to car hire in Lanzarote.

• Tip no. 1: compare prices!
• Tip no. 2: check the companies’ ratings on the comparison sites

That’s why I use several comparison sites. They show reviews of the rental companies and the brands, plus user comments, so you know where to go and where not to.

Personally, as I mentioned above, I mainly use Discover Cars to compare, but also Booking.com.

I juggle between these sites to make sure I don’t get it wrong, and so far it’s worked out pretty well for me.

But above all, really do check the companies’ ratings.

• oh, and by the way, in the following article I give you a lot more information on car hire in Lanzarote

The price of accommodation

OK, I’ll admit that comparing accommodation was much more complicated, because prices depend on lots of factors:

• the type of accommodation
• the hotel’s star rating
• the number of people
• the location, because the beach resorts cost a lot more than the small villages

The periods when accommodation is most expensive are:

• August, hands down
• July, almost as expensive
• the Christmas and New Year school holidays
• February, with the winter school holidays and Carnival (winter is also high season for Northern Europeans coming in search of sun)

So yes, for some places there’s a big price difference between high and low season. However, since Lanzarote is a destination people visit all year round, prices won’t triple the way you can see elsewhere.

From what I’ve seen, it’s around +50% in many cases during the school holidays.

And “normal” prices in January and March, then from September to mid-December, outside the holidays.

But the cheapest months really are April (except Easter), May, June and November. Yes, June! It’s one of the best-value months to stay on the island.

A few quick examples:

• the guesthouse Alma Libre has fixed prices of €45 all year round (except over Christmas and New Year, when it goes up to €54)
• the Radisson Blu in Costa Teguise (a superb hotel, by the way) has prices ranging from €160 to €250, with a base of €210 that changes with the season
• the Hipotels La Geria in Puerto del Carmen has prices ranging from €90 to €160

Finally, if you’d like more inspiration, in the following article I show you hotels and places to stay in Lanzarote, by price and location

Sleep by the beach or at the foot of the volcanoes? You can!Find your dream accommodation!

⭐️ Download your free Lanzarote guide! ⭐️

Lanzarote month by month

With all that in mind, here’s a quick month-by-month recap of Lanzarote. As I don’t like going in July and August with everyone else (because I’m not tied to the school holidays, I have to admit), my favourite times are April, May, June, September and October. Because:

• It’s not particularly expensive
• it doesn’t rain
• lots of sunshine
• not very touristy, except during the October half-term holidays

• Lanzarote in January
  • it’s the month when flights are cheapest (accommodation a bit less so, as it’s high season for Northern Europeans)
  • with the fewest tourists
  • a little bit of rain
  • and a little bit of cloud
  • it’s not particularly hot, but not cold either

• Lanzarote in February
  • prices climb for the school holidays and Carnival, especially for accommodation
  • not too many tourists
  • a little bit of rain
  • and a little bit of cloud
  • decent temperatures, but not hot

• Lanzarote in March
  • prices go up for the school holidays
  • one of the busiest months
  • hardly any rain left
  • more sunshine
  • temperatures rise a little

• Lanzarote in April
  • a cheap month, except during the Easter holidays when flight prices climb
  • few tourists outside those holidays
  • the rain has stopped
  • you see the sun almost all the time
  • it’s starting to get pleasantly warm

• Lanzarote in May
  • prices go up a little around the May bank holidays, and even then
  • still not too many tourists
  • accommodation is among the cheapest of the year
  • it doesn’t rain
  • no clouds
  • Very good temperatures

• Lanzarote in June
  • these aren’t summer prices yet, still quite reasonable (for accommodation, it’s even one of the cheapest months!)
  • very manageable crowds
  • great weather, sunny and hot

• Lanzarote in July
  • one of the busiest months
  • accommodation and flight prices climb quite a bit
  • perfect weather, not a drop of rain or a wisp of cloud

• Lanzarote in August
  • the busiest month
  • flight prices soar, especially at weekends
  • accommodation goes up a lot too
  • perfect weather, not a drop of rain or a wisp of cloud

• Lanzarote in September
  • few tourists
  • even though the weather is perfect, sunny and hot
  • and the sea is at its warmest, around 23 degrees
  • flight and accommodation prices come down quite a bit
  • in fact, for me Lanzarote is one of the best destinations for a trip in September!

• Lanzarote in October
  • it’s busy during the school holidays
  • prices stay reasonable
  • it’s very pleasant, hardly any rain, a touch of cloud
  • the sea is still 22-23 degrees, it’s one of my favourite months!

• Lanzarote in November
  • The very low tourist season, there aren’t many people around
  • Prices are at (or close to) their lowest
  • it cools down a little, with a few clouds and the first showers coming back, but it’s still 23-24 degrees during the day

• Lanzarote in December
  • Before the Christmas holidays, there’s nobody around. During the holidays, though, it really fills up
  • big price swings for the holidays: between Christmas and New Year, flights are among the most expensive of the year
  • it’s not particularly hot, but not cold either. In short, eternal spring!

The best map of Lanzarote

To help you plan your holiday in Lanzarote, I’ve made you a map of Lanzarote and La Graciosa with all the activities, all the most beautiful spots and all the must-sees. But also places to stay and practical info.

In short, your essential travel companion!

⭐️ Open the Lanzarote map! ⭐️

5 places to see in Lanzarote

• the Timanfaya volcano park, an absolute must
• El Golfo, for seafood and the sunset
• the Cueva de los Verdes lava caves
• the superb island of La Graciosa
• the view from the Mirador del Río

5 guided tours to do in Lanzarote

• A guided tour of Timanfaya
• A bodega visit with wine tasting
• The Timanfaya volcanoes, Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua
• A day to discover the must-sees of Lanzarote
• A hike in the heart of Timanfaya

A few essential resources for visiting Lanzarote

• What to do in Lanzarote, to plan your trip
• Where to stay in Lanzarote, hotels and holiday cottages
• Discover the island of La Graciosa
• How to visit the volcanoes of Timanfaya
• The best map of Lanzarote
• Which company to hire a car from in Lanzarote

But I’ve also written about other islands, for example if you want to know the most beautiful places in Gran Canaria!

• in the following article I tell you which are the best car hire companies in Gran Canaria
• and here which is the best town to stay in on Gran Canaria

If you need more information, don't hesitate to ask me by clicking here 🙂How can I help you ?