La Graciosa day trip from Lanzarote: ferry, island cruise, beaches and a day plan

There are two good ways to spend a day on La Graciosa, the small island across the strait from Lanzarote’s northern tip, and the choice comes down to whether you have a car.

With a car, buy the ferry. The express ferry from Órzola costs €29 return, takes about half an hour and lets you pick your own sailings both ways, so you can walk to La Francesa, hire a bike to Las Conchas or simply have lunch by the harbour in Caleta de Sebo. On GetYourGuide it is rated 4.7 from 1,177 reviews, with free parking beside the Líneas Romero terminal and an open return the same day or the next. Our La Graciosa ferry page has the full detail.

Without a car, or for a day where everything is arranged, book the island cruise. From €66 a head it includes pick-up from the main resorts, the ferry, about 45 minutes in Caleta de Sebo, then a catamaran along the coast to anchor off La Francesa for swimming, snorkelling and kayaks, with paella, fruit and unlimited beer and sangria on board. It is the most reviewed La Graciosa trip on GetYourGuide: 4.6 from 2,168 reviews. It is a day at sea: you swim from the boat off the beaches rather than walking to them.

Two companies sail between Órzola and Caleta de Sebo: Líneas Romero, whose crossing is the one sold on GetYourGuide, and Biosfera Express. Both publish the same non-resident fares: €29 for an adult return and €16 one way. Children under 12 pay €16 return with Líneas Romero, and children aged 3 to 11 pay €15 return with Biosfera Express. Líneas Romero carries babies up to 2 free. Each company’s tickets are for its own boats, so come back with the company you went out with.

The crossing is about 7 km and takes 25 to 30 minutes. Between them the two companies run 16 sailings a day from Órzola on the timetables published on 15 November 2026. Líneas Romero’s winter timetable has its last boat back from La Graciosa at 17:00; Biosfera Express’s is at 17:30. In summer both add evening sailings: this year Líneas Romero added a 19:00 from Órzola from 27 March to 25 October and a 20:00 from 1 July to 24 October, and Biosfera Express published a 19:30 in July. Treat those as last year’s pattern for 2027 until the companies publish new dates.

Both companies let you change the date and time of a ticket and cancel up to 24 hours before. Biosfera Express says its 10:30 from Órzola is its busiest sailing, and recommends booking ahead for weekends, summer and holidays. Bring your passport or ID card. There are no cars on La Graciosa: hire cars stay in Órzola.

Órzola is a fishing village at the very top of Lanzarote, and the drive is the longest part of the day from the south. These are routed drive times on OpenStreetMap roads from hotels we list to Órzola harbour, without traffic. Allow ten minutes more to park and walk to the boat; boarding closes ten minutes before departure.

Without a car, Arrecife Bus line 9 runs from Arrecife bus station up the east coast through Tahiche, Guatiza, Mala, Arrieta and Punta Mujeres to the Órzola quay in about 55 minutes. On the timetable read on 15 November 2026 it leaves Arrecife at 07:30, 10:15, 15:30 and 17:00 and leaves Órzola at 08:40, 11:40, 16:40 and 18:10. The 10:15 bus reaches the quay at 11:09, in time for the 11:30 or 12:00 ferry, and a 15:30 boat back makes the 16:40 bus. From Costa Teguise or Puerto del Carmen you first need a bus into Arrecife, which makes the cruise with pick-up the easier choice for most people without a car.

La Graciosa has no asphalt roads, only sandy tracks, which is much of its charm. Cars are not allowed on the ferry, so there are three ways to get about.

On foot. Caleta de Sebo and its town beach, La Laja, are right by the harbour. Montaña Amarilla, the yellow volcano at the island’s south-west corner, is about 5.3 km from the harbour on the coastal track, with La Francesa on the way; on OpenStreetMap paths the full walk takes about an hour and a quarter. Las Conchas in the north is about 6.3 km and roughly an hour and a half each way, and Pedro Barba, the tiny hamlet on the east coast, about 4.8 km. Walking to Las Conchas and back fills most of a day; La Francesa and Montaña Amarilla make a more relaxed one.

By bike. Bike shops in Caleta de Sebo rent mountain bikes and e-bikes and help with punctures, and Turismo Lanzarote notes you can also bring your own bike on the ferry with your luggage; Biosfera Express carries sports equipment at no extra charge. The tracks are sandy, so an e-bike makes the longer rides easy, and Biosfera Express advises checking the wind forecast before a long ride.

By 4x4 taxi. Licensed four-wheel-drive taxis wait at the harbour and run to the northern beaches and Pedro Barba, which saves the long walk if you want to see Las Conchas and still have time for a swim in the south. Fares are not published, so agree the price and the pick-up time before you set off. Taxis cannot reach Playa de la Cocina under Montaña Amarilla; the last 10 to 15 minutes from La Francesa are on foot.

Playa de la Francesa, south-west of Caleta de Sebo, is the beach for a first visit and for swimming. White sand, clear turquoise water and small waves, split in two by a low rocky spit; at high tide the water behind it becomes a lagoon that suits snorkelling. It is popular but rarely crowded, and it is the beach the catamaran anchors off. There are no facilities, so bring what you need.

Playa de la Cocina sits under Montaña Amarilla, 10 to 15 minutes' walk on from La Francesa. Golden sand, very clear water for snorkelling between volcanic rocks, the yellow crater above, and usually far fewer people. There is no shade, bar or toilet.

Playa de las Conchas, on the north coast, is the view on the postcards: long, pale golden sand, a deep blue sea and the islets of Montaña Clara and Roque del Oeste offshore. It is for walking, sunbathing and photographs rather than swimming: Biosfera Express, which sails to the island every day, warns of strong waves and dangerous currents there. Go for the scenery, then swim back in the south.

La Laja, beside the harbour, is the easy option with children: calm water, a sandy bottom, and the village’s restaurants and shops a few steps away. It is also where to watch the sunset if you are staying the night.

All of these lie inside the Chinijo Archipelago marine reserve, which at 70,700 hectares Turismo Lanzarote calls the largest marine reserve in Europe; that protection is why the water is so rich for snorkelling. Stay on the marked tracks and take your rubbish back with you.

The cruise is a six-hour day run by Líneas Romero. A coach collects from meeting points in Playa Blanca, Puerto del Carmen, Puerto Calero, Costa Teguise and Arrecife, or you can join the group at Órzola harbour if you drive. The express ferry takes you to Caleta de Sebo for about 45 minutes ashore, time for a coffee and a walk through the sandy streets.

Then you board the catamaran with a welcome mojito. It cruises the south coast and anchors off La Francesa, where you swim, snorkel and paddle the boat’s kayaks in the marine reserve. Lunch is paella and fresh fruit, with unlimited draught beer, sangria, soft drinks and water, and a guide gives commentary in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Reviewers praise the crew, the food and the views. After a short second stop on La Graciosa, the ferry takes you back to Órzola and your coach.

Bring swimwear, a towel, sun cream, a hat and a jacket; vegetarian and coeliac diets can be catered for with notice. Staying in Playa Blanca, book a Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday, as the listing has no Playa Blanca pick-up on Sundays, Mondays or Wednesdays. Our island cruise page has the full detail.

This plan uses the winter timetables read on 15 November 2026 and starts from Costa Teguise, 33 to 35 minutes from the harbour; from Haría leave 15 minutes later, from Puerto del Carmen 15 minutes earlier.

09:10 Leave Costa Teguise and drive north via Arrieta. Park free at the Líneas Romero terminal in Órzola.

10:00 Ferry to Caleta de Sebo (Líneas Romero; Biosfera Express sails at 10:30), arriving about 10:30. Pick up a bike, or agree a 4x4 taxi at the harbour.

11:00 North by 4x4 taxi or bike to Playa de las Conchas for the view and a walk on the sand.

13:00 Back in Caleta de Sebo for lunch by the harbour.

14:30 Walk or ride south along the coast track to La Francesa for a swim, and on to Playa de la Cocina under Montaña Amarilla if you have the legs.

16:30 Back at the harbour for the 17:00 Líneas Romero ferry, the last of the day in winter (Biosfera Express’s last is 17:30). You are in Órzola by about 17:30 and at your hotel in Costa Teguise around 18:10.

With only half a day, skip Las Conchas: take the 10:00 or 11:00 boat, walk to La Francesa, swim, have lunch in the village and come back on the 15:00 or 16:00.

The ferry day costs €58 for two adults, return, at the same price whether you buy from either company or through GetYourGuide. Add your fuel, lunch in Caleta de Sebo and a bike or 4x4 taxi on the island. The cruise costs more but is the whole day in one price, with transport, lunch and drinks. These are the sellers' own prices read on 15 November 2026; the calendar on each card shows the price for your date.

For an early boat and an unhurried day, sleep in the north. The closest hotel we list is La Casa de los Naranjos in Haría, 20 minutes from the ferry: eight rooms in a restored 19th-century mansion in the Valley of a Thousand Palms. Hotel Palacio Ico, nine rooms in a palace from 1690 in Teguise, is 31 minutes away, and El Grifo Hotel, beside the historic winery at Mozaga, 38. All three are in our Rural and boutique hotels guide, the list this article’s main button opens, because the small hotels inland are the ones nearest Órzola.

For a beach base with the shortest drive, choose the north end of Costa Teguise, 33 to 35 minutes from the harbour; our Best hotels in Costa Teguise guide has the full list. The Haría and the north resort page covers Órzola, Arrieta and Punta Mujeres. Prices on the cards are Expedia’s average per night for two, for seven nights from 11 May 2027, read on 15 November 2026.