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Best time to go to Lanzarote

The best time to visit Lanzarote tends to be spring (from late February through to April) or autumn (September to November) for gorgeous warm weather without the crowds of summer and the school holidays. Really though, considering Lanzarote weather by month is an easy task: always pack your shorts, t-shirts and swimsuit. While you’ll need a jacket in the evening, Lanzarote is a wonderful place to holiday all year round.

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Best time to visit Lanzarote

The best time to visit Lanzarote is spring (late February to April) or autumn (September to November), when you can bask in gloriously warm weather but without the crowded beaches.

Lanzarote is reliably hot all year round, with temperatures starting off the year around 20°C in January and February, rising beautifully to the high 20s in spring, and reaching around 30°C in June and July. Although you get a soothing coastal breeze, it remains in the high 20s throughout the autumn, with the sea staying warm enough for swimming too. Although you will want a jacket for the evenings in winter. With a very arid climate, you are rarely bothered by rain in Lanzarote. The sea does get chilly in winter, though, so pack a wetsuit if you’re a water lover. Learn more about when to go to Lanzarote, and why, as well as festivals and events to look out for, by reading on.

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What is the hottest month in Lanzarote?

The hottest month of the year in Lanzarote is August, when temperatures usually top 30°C – although the wind can make it feel cooler. So make sure you bring (eco-friendly) sunscreen and seek shade around midday, especially if bringing the kids for a family holiday, as it’s easy to burn without realising it. The coasts tend to be warmer than inland, so it’s lucky then that you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches in Lanzarote – you’re rarely more than a short stroll down to the water’s edge.

A month by month guide on when to go to Lanzarote

January in Lanzarote

Día de los Reyes

Cool and wet (ish!)

Winter sun holidays

Winter sun aficionados dot the beaches in January in Lanzarote. Even though this is the coldest, and technically one of the wettest, months of the year, that usually means just a few light showers and chilly evenings. Bringing Christmas festivities to an end, 5-6 January is the Día de los Reyes or Day of the Kings, when the ‘kings’ or Wise Men ride around on camels handing out sweet treats to children.

February in Lanzarote

Watch out for wildflowers

Mild but sunny weather

Winter sun holidays

Lanzarote in February continues to be an enticing winter sun destination – even the mild weather is warm and sunny. Layer clothing for the evenings though. Wildflowers aren’t prolific in this barren landscape, but when they do appear they look all the more stunning nestled among black, volcanic or dusty red landscapes. February, after a little rain, brings out daisies, poppies, lilac stock and eichium.

March in Lanzarote

Carnival festivities

Mild but sunny weather

Ideal hiking weather

With pleasant weather for walking, the sea just about warm enough for a dip, and sunny skies, March in Lanzarote is a perfect time to enjoy a Canary getaway. Carnival, weeks of festivities through February and March leading up to Lent, is a fantastic period on the island, with costumed parades, marching bands, colourful dance routines and satirical plays, all capped with the ritual ‘Burial of the Sardine’.

April in Lanzarote

Perfect ‘outdoorsy’ weather

Temperatures climbing

Easter week gets very busy

The temperature in Lanzarote in April is around 23°C – the warm, sunny weather is ideal for outdoorsy activities from hiking to mountain biking and watersports. Wildflowers spring up all over the landscape. And when Easter falls in April there’s an air of excitement across the whole island, the highlight being Semana Santa – huge processions of Catholic faithful bear floats laden with religious statues to church.

May in Lanzarote

Warm temperatures

Beat the summer crowds

Nights still cool

May is a popular time for travel to Lanzarote – you’ve got exquisite weather: sunny, warm, with a little breeze (though it does get cold at night) – that is perfect for exploring the island in many different ways. The crowds of summer and the school holidays are still some way off, meaning you can find good prices, but Lanzarote in May needn’t be all about the beach. Get out there and explore!

June in Lanzarote

Hot desert-like conditions

Sea temperatures ideal for watersports

Still time to beat the school holidays

You can still find deals on flights and accommodation for Lanzarote in June – the big school holidays rush has yet to get underway, and it’s still possible to find a free sun lounger mid-morning on even the most popular beaches. So close to the Sahara Desert, Lanzarote experiences similar weather. You can expect temperatures in the high 20°Cs, while the sea is lovely for swimming.

July in Lanzarote

Peak summer season

High daytime temperatures

Grape harvest begins in La Geria

Lanzarote in July starts to get seriously hot, and the coastal wind can be deceptive. So if you are going hiking or cycling, stay hydrated and head out early in the morning (although the sun rises around 7am here in summer so don’t worry about too early starts). Late-July sees the official beginning of the wine harvest, with many events in the La Geria grape-growing region around that time.

August in Lanzarote

Peak season

Very hot and sunny weather

Cooler inland, and north

The weather in Lanzarote in August will suit sun-lovers down to the ground, though some may find it uncomfortably hot. It’s a little milder inland, and on the north of the island, but hiking Timanfaya National Park and the Volcanoes Natural Park you’ll definitely want plenty of water and shade at midday. August in Lanzarote can get windy too, ideal for windsurfing and kitesurfing off Costa Teguise.

September in Lanzarote

School holiday crowds disappear

Lanzarote – La Graciosa swim

Temperatures drop slightly

September can be the best time to go to Lanzarote. The beaches are much quieter now the school holidays are over, and the temperatures have dropped a little from high summer. The 2.6km swim to La Graciosa makes for a fun challenge, while surfers start to trickle in – the beaches of Lanzarote in September can see some big waves.

October in Lanzarote

Autumn school holiday can be busy

Pleasant, balmy temperatures

Warm water for swimming

The temperature in Lanzarote in October is a balmy 27°C or so, making this a very popular time of year to visit the island – anticipate higher prices and busier hotels over the school autumn holiday though. The sea is perfect for swimming, while hiking Lanzarote’s distinctive volcanic terrain is also very pleasant. You’ll want a few warm layers for the evenings, and you can expect the occasional shower.

November in Lanzarote

Temperatures cooling off

Expect a few showers

Big waves for surfing

Despite falling temperatures, Lanzarote in November remains significantly sunnier and warmer than most parts of Europe, making it an ever-popular winter sun destination. You can expect the odd overcast day, and short, light showers do occur now and again, but overall Lanzarote is still a reliable option for a beach holiday. Surfers particularly are in their element, with big waves off the coast.

December in Lanzarote

Start of winter in Lanzarote

Mild, occasionally wet weather

Nativity displays in villages

Visit Lanzarote in December and you can expect mild weather that remains pleasantly sunny for the most part, though a few days of rain are not unlikely, as this is the start of the winter season. The lead-up to Christmas is a lovely time to be on the island, with religious parades in some towns, and charming nativity scenes in small villages that you’ll pass while driving around.

Lanzarote Weather Chart

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Best times to visit Lanzarote for festivals & events

Dia de los Reyes (5 & 6 January)

On Lanzarote, children usually open their Christmas gifts on 6 January, which according to the Bible is when the Three Kings brought their gifts to the baby Jesus. Parades around the island see the ‘Kings’, often borne on camels, distributing sweets to children, while the Roscon de Reyes, or ‘Ring of Kings’ is a sweet cake stuffed with cream – every cake has a tiny model of a king inside, and every cake box has a paper crown. You find the king, you get to wear the crown.

Carnival (usually from late February)

Carnival in Lanzarote takes place across the 40 days leading up to Lent. Wherever you are on the island you’re never far from the sounds of a marching band, salsa and drums accompanying the dance moves of compasaras in revealing costumes similar to those you’d expect in Rio de Janeiro. Masked balls are common, as are plays that gently poke fun at local politicians. Signifiying the end of the festivities comes the symbolic ‘Burial of the Sardine’ – although actually this large papier-mâché fish is burnt on a bonfire.

Dia de Canaria (30 May)

Marking the anniversary of the first session of the autonomous Canarian government, Canarian Day sees many cultural events taking place across the island group. Boules competitions, wrestling tournaments, swimming and sailing races, and dance events with traditional Canarian costume – men in elaborately brocaded waistcoats, women in voluminous petticoats, make for an exuberant time to be on Lanzarote.

Corpus Christi (mid-June)

The feast of Corpus Christi, a significant date in the Catholic calendar, celebrates the Eucharist. In Lanzarote hundreds of local people will spend days creating colourful murals on the ground from sea salt – a handy byproduct of the desalination process whereby the island gets most of its water. As part of the religious services, processions will walk over these carpets of salt to reach the churches.

Nuestra Senora del Carmen (mid-July)

This lovely, ancient fiesta pays tribute to the Virgin of Carmen, the ‘star of the seas’ and patron saint of Spanish fishermen. In the hopes of safe sailings and good catches throughout the season, an effigy of the saint is carried down to the sea then escorted out at the head of a flotilla of fishing boats, before a priest performs a blessing on the water. And then the street parties begin...

Nuestra Senora de los Dolores (September)

One of the most important dates in Lanzarote, this fiesta celebrates Lanzarote’s patron saint and dates back to 1736, when prayers to the Virgin of Dolores were said to have stopped a volcanic lava flow from destroying the village of Mancha Blanca. The feat was repeated in 1824. Normally held on the Saturday closest to 15 September, the fiesta sees thousands of local people making the romeria (pilgrimage) to the village laden with food and drink to honour the ‘Lady of the Volcanoes’.

Our travellers also ask...

What is the rainiest month in Lanzarote?

December is the wettest month in Lanzarote, but even then you can expect just the odd, short shower, far from enough to keep anyone from the beaches. Outside December, January and February, in fact, rain is practically unknown. The island’s parched landscapes see fewer than 20 days of rainfall every year, on average. Travellers need to stay well-hydrated, and because most of the water used for washing, cooking and cleaning on the island is desalinated sea water, it’s a big help if you can reduce your own water use as much as possible.

Which part of Lanzarote has the best weather?

The south of Lanzarote, where many of the biggest resort towns are clustered, tends to be the hottest part of the island. In the north, you can expect a little more cloud, wind and rain, but it’s still absolutely gorgeous weather most of the year-round. One of the reasons we suggest exploring central Lanzarote is that the climate there is mild – not too windy, not too hot, just right.

What is low season in Lanzarote?

Low season in Lanzarote is any time outside the summer months, so mid-September through to mid-June. But the island is very much a year-round destination, and you can expect lovely, warm weather whenever you go. July and August, and Easter (most residents are Roman Catholic) get very busy, and you’ll find that beaches are crowded while flight and accommodation costs rocket.

What are the windiest months in Lanzarote?

The Lanzarote windy season is during the summer months, so June through to August, however the island enjoys a pleasant breeze throughout the year. That can make it feel deceptively cool, so be sure and remember the (eco-friendly) sunscreen. Costa Teguise, on the east of Lanzarote, tends to see more blustery weather than anywhere else, so you’ll find some of the best windsurfing and kitesurfing beaches in Lanzarote around here.

What is the coldest month in Lanzarote?

January is the coldest month of the year in Lanzarote, with the cool season running from December through to March. Even then, however, you can expect daytime temperatures around 20°C. It does get decidedly chilly in the evenings however, so pack a light jacket and a few jumpers if travelling to Lanzarote in winter.

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Written by Rob Perkins

Best time to go to Lanzarote