Lanzarote / The verdict
Lanzarote airport to the resorts: which way?
For most arrivals take the official taxi rank outside arrivals: metered, regulated, and the only option that reaches every resort at any hour. If you land before 21:30 bound for Puerto del Carmen or Playa Blanca, line 161 does the same run for less, but expect a rank queue after busy arrivals.
By The Real Traveler Experiences team. We earn a commission if you book through our links. It never changes a verdict.
The Lanzarote story
Lanzarote is the Canary Island that most rewards the curious: Timanfaya's volcanic badlands look like the moon, Cesar Manrique left the island's tourism architecture his signature from Jameos del Agua to the Mirador del Rio and the cactus garden, and the La Geria wine region grows vines inside hollows dug into black ash. No other island mixes raw geology and designed landscapes this tightly.
The verdict in 30 seconds
Our pick: Official airport taxi (runner-up: Intercity Bus (lines 22, 23 and 161))
For most arrivals take the official taxi rank outside arrivals: metered, regulated, and the only option that reaches every resort at any hour. If you land before 21:30 bound for Puerto del Carmen or Playa Blanca, line 161 does the same run for less, but expect a rank queue after busy arrivals.
Go if
- You land at a normal hour and want the zero-planning answer: walk out, join the rank, go
- You land before 21:30 and your hotel sits near a resort bus stop on line 161
- You are heading to Costa Teguise or a villa address, where no airport bus runs direct
Skip if
- You land after 21:30 and do not want to rely on a late bus, so pre-book a car
- You are heading to Costa Teguise by bus: no airport line is listed for it, so you would change in Arrecife
- You are four or more people with bags and do not want to split across two cabs
The options
Official airport taxi Go
Anyone who wants the simplest door-to-door arrival, lands late, or is headed to Costa Teguise or a villa address.
Good
- Ranks sit outside arrivals at both terminals, floor 0, with no booking needed.
- Metered and regulated: the official day tariff is a EUR 3.85 minimum plus EUR 1.35 per km and a EUR 2.10 airport supplement.
- Night, Sunday and holiday rates are published, so late arrivals are covered.
- Reaches every resort and villa directly.
Watch out
- Arrival-time queues are documented: reader reports from June 2025 and July 2026 show long lines at the rank, with waits of half an hour or more.
- Meter plus supplement makes it the priciest everyday option for a couple on a short run.
- Night and Sunday fares are higher than the weekday day tariff.
Intercity Bus (lines 22, 23 and 161) Go
Solo travelers and couples with light bags heading to Arrecife, Puerto del Carmen or Playa Blanca between about 07:30 and 21:30.
Good
- Line 161 connects the airport with Puerto del Carmen, Puerto Calero, Yaiza and Playa Blanca, and the official timetable lists departures from 07:30 to 21:30.
- Line 22 links the airport to Arrecife in about 10 minutes on weekdays; line 23 does the same job in about 15 minutes on weekends.
- The operator's app tracks the next bus, and the Bono General card cuts fares by 10 percent.
- Buses are not caught in the taxi rank queue.
Watch out
- No airport line is listed for Costa Teguise; the route is to Arrecife and then a change.
- The official timetable lists 21:30 as the last line 161 departure from T1, so later flights default to taxi or transfer.
- Stops sit in the resorts, never at the door; uphill apartments mean a walk with luggage.
- Drivers need your destination and ticket count, and every bus has a stepped entrance, which is harder with heavy bags or limited mobility.
Aena airport bus linesLine 161 airport to Playa Blanca timetableBono General discount card
Pre-booked private transfer It depends
Families needing child seats, larger groups, and late arrivals who want a guaranteed car waiting.
Good
- Fixed price agreed before you fly.
- Parents in forum threads book transfers or taxis with child seats in advance.
- Larger vehicles cover groups and luggage that a standard taxi cannot take.
- A car is arranged for your flight rather than hoped for at the rank.
Watch out
- Usually costs more than the rank taxi for a couple on a short run.
- Must be arranged in advance; it cannot rescue an unplanned wait at the rank.
- Shared shuttles trade a lower fare for resort-hopping stops before yours.
See transfer pricespartner site
Airport rental car It depends
Travelers who will drive the island anyway, since Timanfaya, Jameos del Agua and Papagayo all lack resort transport links.
Good
- One blogger collected a hire car at the airport and walked past the taxi queue.
- You leave on your own schedule.
- It is the only option that reaches trailheads, viewpoints and the Papagayo track directly.
Watch out
- A car parked outside a resort all week is money for nothing.
- Rental desks can queue after a busy arrival, so allow time.
- Some hire policies exclude dirt tracks such as the Papagayo road, so check before you book.
Compare rental carspartner site
| Criterion | Official airport taxi | Intercity Bus (lines 22, 23 and 161) | Pre-booked private transfer | Airport rental car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official price | Metered: EUR 3.85 minimum, EUR 1.35 per km, EUR 2.10 airport supplement (weekday day tariff) | Bono General card cuts fares by 10 percent; per-ride fares are set by the operator | Fixed at booking | Set by the rental company |
| Booking needed | No | No | Yes, in advance | Recommended |
| Door to door | Yes | No, resort stops | Yes | Yes |
| Direct to Costa Teguise | Yes | No airport line listed; change in Arrecife | Yes | Yes |
| Runs late at night | Yes, with published night fares | Last line 161 departure from T1 on the timetable is 21:30 | Yes, if pre-booked | Desk hours vary; check your pickup time |
| Child seat | Not guaranteed on the rank | Not required | Bookable with the provider | Hire add-on |
| Wait on arrival | Reader reports show queues of half an hour or more after busy arrivals | Up to the next scheduled run | Driver waits for you | Desk queues possible |
What it costs
- Airport taxi, minimum charge, Fare 1 (weekdays 06:00 to 22:00): €3.85 (Fare 2 nights, Sundays and holidays: minimum EUR 4.25). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Airport taxi, price per km, Fare 1: €1.35 (Fare 2 is EUR 1.55 per km). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Airport supplement per taxi journey: €2.10 (Charged on journeys to or from the airport grounds). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Intercity Bus Bono General card (initial cost): €2 (Issued at the Arrecife Station or Interchange offices; refills of EUR 5 to 50 on board; 10 percent off fares). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
What travelers report
Based on 7 traveler reports (Oct 2024 to Jul 2026) and the official sources linked on this page. 2 were negative.
What people like
- The taxi rank sits directly outside arrivals at both terminals, and the metered tariff is published and regulated.
- Line 161 covers Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca directly, and a guest author found the bus app useful for tracking the next bus.
- Parents in forum threads solve the child-seat gap by booking a car in advance.
- A hire car lets you skip the rank entirely, as one blogger did.
What people complain about
- Taxi rank queues are documented by readers in June 2025 and July 2026, with waits of half an hour or more.
- Passport-control queues at peak times held up coaches in the arrivals area, per a 2026 news report.
- No airport bus line is listed for Costa Teguise.
- The last line 161 departure from T1 on the timetable is 21:30.
- Buses have stepped entrances and need the destination and ticket count told to the driver, which is harder with luggage or limited mobility.
How to do it right
- Walk out of arrivals on floor 0: the official taxi rank is signed outside both T1 and T2; use it and ask for a receipt if anything goes wrong.
- Check your resort before boarding a bus: line 161 serves Puerto del Carmen, Puerto Calero, Yaiza and Playa Blanca, but no airport line is listed for Costa Teguise.
- Watch the clock: the official timetable lists 21:30 as the last line 161 departure from T1; after that, plan on a taxi or a pre-booked transfer.
- Traveling with children or heavy bags: pre-book a transfer with child seats, as parents in forum threads do, or budget for the meter.
- If the rank queue is long, remember that readers have filmed waits of half an hour or more after busy arrivals; a pre-booked car avoids that.
- Pick up a hire car at the airport if you plan to tour the island; the volcanic park, the northern caves and the Papagayo track all lack resort transport.
The trap to avoid
Assuming the island bus covers every resort. Line 161 reaches Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca, but the airport lines listed by the airport go to Arrecife, so Costa Teguise needs a change there or a taxi.
Why this verdict
The airport sits on the coast road between Arrecife and the southern strip, so the real variable is your resort, and the second is your arrival hour. For most arrivals the official rank is the right answer because it is the only option that covers every address at every hour: the tariff is regulated and published, with a EUR 3.85 minimum, EUR 1.35 per km and a EUR 2.10 airport supplement on the weekday day tariff.
The bus earns its place. Line 161 connects the airport with Puerto del Carmen, Puerto Calero, Yaiza and Playa Blanca, and the official timetable lists departures from 07:30 to 21:30. Lines 22 and 23 serve Arrecife. A guest author writing about the island buses recommends the operator’s app for tracking the next bus and notes the Bono General card cuts fares by 10 percent. The gaps are real: no airport line is listed for Costa Teguise, and the last line 161 departure on the timetable is 21:30.
The evidence behind the caution is about the rank. A reader’s photos in June 2025 and a reader’s video in July 2026 both show long taxi queues, with travelers reported waiting half an hour or more. One blogger who collected a hire car walked past the line and recalls an earlier wait of over an hour. A news report on arrivals also describes long passport-control queues at peak times that held up coaches. That is why a pre-booked car is the hedge to consider: parents in forum threads book transfers with child seats in advance, and a booked car skips the rank.
A rental car only makes sense if you will use it past the resort; the headline sights all sit beyond bus range.
Timing and tickets
Line 161 leaves the airport roughly every 30 to 60 minutes, 07:30 to 21:30 on the official timetable. Line 22 runs weekdays only, line 23 weekends. The Bono General card costs EUR 2 at the Arrecife Station or Interchange offices and is refilled on board.
Book or check times
Aena airport bus linesLine 161 airport to Playa Blanca timetableAena airport taxi information and faresBono General discount card
We earn a commission if you book through our links. It never changes a verdict. How this works
See transfer pricespartner siteCompare rental carspartner site
Questions
Is there a direct bus from Lanzarote airport to Costa Teguise?
No airport line is listed for it. The airport lines 22 and 23 go to Arrecife, and the operator's line 1 runs Arrecife to Costa Teguise, so the bus route means a change. A taxi goes direct.
How is a taxi from Lanzarote airport priced?
The meter runs the official tariff: a EUR 3.85 minimum, EUR 1.35 per km and a EUR 2.10 airport supplement on weekdays from 06:00 to 22:00, with higher night, Sunday and holiday rates. The total depends on distance and traffic.
Do buses run from the airport late at night?
The official line 161 timetable lists 21:30 as the last departure from T1. After that, plan on a taxi or a pre-booked transfer.
Where do airport buses and taxis leave from?
Both stop on floor 0 outside arrivals at T1 and T2. Line 161 heads south toward Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca; lines 22 and 23 run to Arrecife.
Is it worth pre-booking a private transfer?
For a couple at a normal hour the rank taxi is simpler. A transfer earns its price for child seats, groups, villa addresses and late arrivals who want a car guaranteed rather than hoped for, and it sidesteps the rank queue that readers have filmed.
Should I rent a car at the airport instead?
If you plan to see the island, yes: Timanfaya, Jameos del Agua and the Papagayo beaches all sit beyond resort bus routes. If you are staying in the resort, the car is money parked.
Pack for it
Gear verdicts from our sister site, Real Buyer Experiences: