Shopping probably isn’t why you booked Lanzarote, but it’s established itself as a genuinely good day out, and a handy one when the wind’s up or you fancy a break from the sun. The island has come a long way from the days when it was all souvenir shops and one busy street in Arrecife. Now you’ve got sleek air-conditioned modern malls, breezy open-air centres, smart marina boutiques and some wonderful weekly markets, and the prices are kind, thanks to the low local tax.
Whether you’re after high-street fashion, a bargain bottle of perfume, a well-stocked supermarket for the apartment or a proper local keepsake, here’s where to find it.
Open Mall Arrecife, the newest and the biggest
The island’s smartest shopping destination is Open Mall, just off the main road between Arrecife and Puerto del Carmen and only a short hop from the airport. It’s an open-air centre that makes the most of the Lanzarote sunshine, with wide pedestrian streets, shaded walkways and greenery linking the shops, and it’s got the best line-up of high-street names on the island: Zara, Mango, H&M, Pull&Bear, Adidas and Nike among them, plus homeware and electronics shops and a good choice of places to eat. It’s easy to get around, there’s plenty to sit and rest, and, best of all, parking is free and plentiful, which is a real relief after the usual scramble for a space in the capital.
It’s open every day, roughly 10am to 10pm, with some restaurants running later. If you’re visiting from the UK or northern Europe, keep an eye on the Spanish high-street prices here, clothes and shoes in particular are often well below what you’d pay at home.
Deiland Plaza, shopping with a cinema and bowling
Over in Playa Honda, near the airport road, Deiland Plaza has been a favourite for years, and it’s as much a place to spend an afternoon as a place to shop. Alongside the fashion, homeware and electronics shops there’s a big supermarket, a lively food court, a multi-screen cinema showing films in both Spanish and original English, a bowling alley and play areas for the children, so it’s an easy one for a rainy or windy day.
It has a genuine local feel, with residents and visitors mixing, the prices are sensible, and the big supermarket is a boon if you’re self-catering and want to stock up at local rates. Parking’s free, and it’s an easy drive from anywhere, around ten minutes from Puerto del Carmen and twenty-five or so from Playa Blanca.
Biosfera in Puerto del Carmen
If you’re staying in Puerto del Carmen, the Biosfera Shopping Centre is the handiest option by far. It sits at the eastern end of Playa Grande beach, right on the seafront, so you can pair a browse with a morning on the sand or a stroll along the Avenida. Spread over several floors, it has fashion and accessory shops, souvenir stores, a pharmacy, phone shops, a big supermarket and plenty of cafés and restaurants, plus an indoor bowling alley and a cinema for the odd wet evening. The rooftop terrace is a lovely spot for lunch overlooking the beach and the sea.
It’s more traditional in feel than Open Mall or Deiland, but its location and the sheer range of services make it a genuine part of daily life in the resort. The supermarket is well stocked for everyday shopping, the pharmacy is handy since many common medicines are available without a prescription, and there are excursion desks if you fancy booking a day trip.
Marina Rubicón, for a browse rather than a spree
Marina Rubicón in Playa Blanca is a different sort of shopping altogether, and a real pleasure. Set along the waterfront among the yachts, it’s a handpicked collection of independent shops, galleries and designer stores, all quality over quantity, with handmade jewellery, designer clothing, artisan homeware, nautical gifts, premium cosmetics and Canarian treasures like volcanic skincare, aloe vera products, La Geria wines and local delicacies.
The art galleries are well worth a wander even if you’re only looking, with paintings, sculpture, ceramics and photography inspired by the island’s volcanic scenery. On Wednesday and Saturday mornings the Rubicón Market brings a lovely buzz to the marina, with stalls of leather goods, silver jewellery, textiles, candles, soaps, local cheeses, honey, cactus jam and wine. Coffee in hand from one of the marina cafés, it’s one of the nicest, most relaxed markets on the island, a world away from the crowds of Teguise.
Arrecife, where the locals shop
For proper shopping and the most authentic experience, head to the capital. Arrecife has the widest choice on the island, centred on Calle León y Castillo, the main pedestrian street that everyone calls Calle Real. Here you’ll find the Spanish high-street names, Zara, Mango, Massimo Dutti and Desigual, alongside department stores, independent boutiques, shoe shops, perfumeries and electronics.
The big reason to shop here rather than in the resorts is choice and value: many of these shops simply aren’t in the tourist areas, and because the customers are mostly locals, prices tend to be lower. It’s well worth exploring the side streets off Calle Real too, where you’ll come across traditional shops that have served the community for generations, selling everything from fabric and haberdashery to kitchenware and tools. And if you’re self-catering, the HiperDino and Lidl in Arrecife are the biggest supermarkets on the island. Do bear in mind the traditional hours: many Arrecife shops close for a few hours around lunch and reopen in the evening, and most shut on Sundays.
The smaller resort centres
Away from the big malls, each resort has its own scattering of smaller commercial centres, the centros comerciales. Puerto del Carmen has the likes of Atlántico, Olivin and San Antonio along the Avenida de las Playas, Costa Teguise has its centres along Avenida de las Islas Canarias, and Playa Blanca has Papagayo and Rubicón.
They’re home to souvenir shops, beachwear, jewellers, tobacconists, excursion desks, bars and restaurants, and they’re handy for the everyday holiday bits, a bottle of sunscreen, a pair of flip-flops, a SIM card, a little gift. They’re not the place for a big spree, though, and prices are set with visitors in mind, so for a wider choice or something special you’re better off at Open Mall, Deiland or in Arrecife.
Supermarkets for self-caterers
If you’re in self-catering, a good supermarket makes all the difference. HiperDino, and its smaller sibling SuperDino, is the main local chain, with branches in every resort and several in Arrecife. Even the smaller stores carry fresh fruit and veg, meat, fish, dairy, bakery, a decent wine and beer selection and household basics, while the bigger Arrecife and edge-of-resort branches add deli counters and international favourites. Lidl has a store in Arrecife and another towards the airport, with the same good value and familiar layout as back home but a Spanish and Canarian slant to the fresh produce and bakery.
Spar convenience stores are dotted through the resorts for a quick top-up, though they’re a little pricier. And Mercadona, Spain’s biggest chain, has a large store in Arrecife and another near Playa Honda, both worth the short drive for the excellent bakery, deli and the reliably good-value Hacendado own brand.
A local tip worth passing on: wine, beer and spirits are far cheaper in the supermarkets here than in most of northern Europe, thanks to the low Canary tax. A lovely bottle of La Geria wine runs about €5 to €8, decent Rioja or Ribera del Duero is often under €5, and beer is very reasonable. Stock up at HiperDino or Lidl for the apartment rather than buying every drink out, and you’ll really notice the difference by the end of the week.
The legendary Lanzarote Markets
The markets are a treat even if you don’t buy a thing. The Teguise Sunday Market is the biggest and best known, taking over the historic old capital every Sunday morning, hundreds of colourful stalls of crafts, jewellery, local food, ceramics and curiosities filling the cobbled streets, with music in the air and a proper island-wide buzz. Arrive early, before the heat and the crowds build.
The Rubicón Market at Marina Rubicón in Playa Blanca (Wednesday and Saturday mornings) is the more upmarket, boutique alternative in its lovely marina setting. Over in Costa Teguise, the Pueblo Marinero market runs on Friday evenings, with craft stalls and live music in the whitewashed square. For something smaller and truly local, the Haría market on Saturday mornings, set among the palms in the Valley of a Thousand Palms, is a gem for crafts and organic produce. And the farmers’ market by the Charco de San Ginés in Arrecife, also Saturday mornings, is the place for fresh local produce, cheeses, wines, honey and gofio straight from the people who make it.
Gifts and local treasures to take home
For something genuinely of the island, you’re spoilt for choice. Aloe vera grows beautifully here, and the skincare, creams and gels are excellent, look for products made with Lanzarote-grown aloe. The volcanic Malvasía whites from La Geria, grown in ash hollows behind their little stone walls, make a lovely gift, and a tasting at one of the bodegas is a memorable outing in itself.
No trip is complete without a jar or two of the red and green mojo sauces that come with every Canarian meal, and gofio, the toasted grain flour that’s a staple in local kitchens, is another authentic taste to take home. The semi-cured local goat’s cheese is well worth seeking out at the markets and supermarkets, and for something different, look for olivine gemstone jewellery, volcanic rock ornaments and handmade ceramics inspired by the island’s landscapes.
Prices, tax and a few practical tips
The Canary Islands are part of Spain and the EU but have their own tax status, and the local sales tax, IGIC, is just 7 per cent, against 21 per cent on the Spanish mainland and much of northern Europe.
It’s already included in the price on the label, so there are no surprises at the till. There’s no traditional duty-free allowance for EU visitors, but the lower tax means perfumes, cosmetics, sunglasses, electronics and branded clothing are often noticeably cheaper than at home, especially in the big centres and in Arrecife. One honest word of caution: take a little care with cheap electronics, as some of the budget outlets may not offer genuine products or proper warranties, so stick to reputable shops for anything pricey.
On opening hours, resort shops and centres generally run 10am to 10pm daily, sometimes later in high summer, while Arrecife keeps more traditional hours, often 9.30 or 10am to lunchtime, then closed for the siesta before reopening in the late afternoon until around 8.30pm. Sunday trading is normal in the resorts and malls, but most Arrecife shops close.
Card payments are welcome almost everywhere, though it’s worth carrying a little cash for the smaller shops, market stalls and traditional businesses, and ATMs are easy to find across the resorts and the capital. Haggling isn’t really the done thing here, but a gentle bit of negotiation is sometimes appreciated if you’re buying a few things from the same market stall.
