Half Term in Lanzarote with Kids: 7-Day Costa Teguise Plan
Half term is a tight window: seven nights, one or two of them lost to travel, and kids who need pacing or the whole week falls apart by Wednesday. Lanzarote works because the island is small (60 km top to bottom), the airport is 15 minutes from Costa Teguise, and the headline sights are all within a 30 minute drive of each other.
This is the plan we send guests at Casa Los Alisios when they ask what to do for half term with kids. We live in Costa Teguise and host the villa, and we have walked every distance and driven every road in this guide. The pacing matters: an itinerary that puts Timanfaya on Day 2 wastes the kids before the week has started.
Why Costa Teguise works for half term with kids
Costa Teguise is flat, walkable, and has a buggy-friendly promenade that runs the full length of the resort. The villa is a 3 minute walk from a Spar (nappies, milk, ham-and-cheese sandwiches at 8am for a beach day), 10 minutes from a Lidl, and 10 minutes on foot from Playa El Ancla, the rocky cove with the calmest morning water.
The kid-specific places, the Lanzarote Aquarium, Aquapark Costa Teguise and the Pueblo Marinero craft market square, are all 15 to 30 minutes on foot from the villa. Two of the four big island sights (Jameos del Agua and the Jardín de Cactus) are inside the same municipality (Teguise). The longest drive of the week, to Timanfaya, is 30 minutes each way.
For a deeper comparison with the south of the island, see our Costa Teguise vs Playa Blanca for families guide.
Half term timing: October vs February
The two UK school half term windows behave very differently on Lanzarote.
October half term (last week of October, first week of November) is the better window for swimming and water-park days. Air temperature averages 21 to 24 °C, sea temperature around 22 °C, and Aquapark Costa Teguise stays open until 8 November. Crowds are quieter than peak summer but the resort is still lively.
February half term (third week of February in most UK regions) is cooler: 18 to 21 °C air, sea around 18 °C, sun strong enough for sunscreen by 11am. Aquapark is closed for the season. The trade-off is space: every beach is empty, the Timanfaya bus tour has no queue, and the Sunday market in Teguise feels like a local market again.
Both windows have minimal rain. February gets the occasional grey morning that clears by lunch. Pack layers for evenings (a fleece or hoodie) in either window.
Day 1 (Saturday): Arrival, El Ancla beach, sunset
Most half term flights from the UK land at Lanzarote Airport (ACE) in the early afternoon. Pick up the hire car, drive the 15 minutes to Costa Teguise, and unload. With small kids the right move is to do nothing else organised on Day 1.
The walk we recommend for arrival afternoon is to Playa El Ancla, 10 minutes on foot from the villa. Cross Av. de las Palmeras, follow the dirt path between the two main roads, cross Av. del Mar, and you are at the beach. El Ancla is sheltered from the wind even when Costa Teguise is gusty, the entry is rocky (water shoes help small feet), and it has the best snorkelling on the resort side.
Eat at the villa or at one of the restaurants on Av. Islas Canarias. Sunset over the bay is around 18:30 in late October and 19:00 in late February.
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Day 2 (Sunday): Teguise Sunday market, lunch in the old town
If a Sunday falls anywhere in the week, this is the day. The Teguise Sunday market runs from 09:00 to 14:00 in the historic centre of Villa de Teguise, a 10 minute drive inland from the villa. It is the largest open-air market in the Canaries: roughly 400 stalls, around 10,000 visitors on a typical Sunday, free to walk around.
The market works for kids because the town centre is paved, mostly pedestrianised, and full of side streets to lose them in safely. There is a small playground next to the Convento de Santo Domingo, live music in the Plaza de la Constitución from late morning, and ice cream stalls scattered through the market. The folk-dance display in the main plaza usually starts around 11:00.
Lunch in Teguise: book ahead at Patio del Vino if you want a table after the market, or grab a tapas plate at one of the bars on the plaza without a booking. Drive back to Costa Teguise by 14:30 and the kids will sleep in the car.
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Day 3 (Monday): A buggy day in Costa Teguise
A short, slow Monday is what kids need before the two driving days. The plan we send guests:
- Morning at Playa de Las Cucharas (40 minutes on foot, or 5 minutes by car with parking next to the beach). The bay is wide, the sand is golden grey, and there is a kiosk for snacks. Wind picks up in the afternoon, so go early.
- Lunch back at the villa or at one of the cafés on the promenade.
- Afternoon at Aquapark Costa Teguise if you are here in October half term: 25 slides, 11 pools, a dedicated toddler section, open 10:00 to 17:00 until 8 November. In February, Aquapark is closed; swap in the Lanzarote Aquarium (see Day 6) or a slow afternoon at Playa del Jablillo.
- Early dinner at the Pueblo Marinero craft market (Wednesday and Friday evenings only) or any of the restaurants on the square. The plaza is pedestrianised, kids can run, and there is live music most evenings in October.
Distances from the villa: Las Cucharas 40 minutes on foot, Aquapark 25 minutes, Pueblo Marinero 30 minutes. None of the three needs the car.
For a longer list of options on the same day, our things to do in Costa Teguise with kids guide covers nine more.
Day 4 (Tuesday): Timanfaya, camels and lunch in Yaiza
The first long driving day. Parque Nacional de Timanfaya is 30 minutes from Costa Teguise, and the only way to see the volcanic centre is on the included bus tour from the visitor centre at Islote de Hilario.
Two practical points:
- Book the 09:30 entry online before you fly. Adult tickets are 30 EUR, children aged 7 to 12 are 15 EUR, under 7s free. The 09:30 slot has the shortest waits and the bus runs in cooler air.
- The bus tour is around 35 minutes, fully seated, and stops for the geothermal demonstrations (the dry-grass fire trick, the geyser, the chicken grill). Toddlers usually love it. Strollers do not fit on the bus.
On the way in, stop at the Echadero de los Camellos, 5 minutes before the park entrance. A 20 minute camel ride along the lower slopes of Timanfaya is 11 EUR per person, with under-3s free on a parent’s lap. Operating hours are 09:30 to 15:00, last ride 14:30. It is the single thing kids talk about on the drive home.
Lunch in Yaiza on the way back: the village is whitewashed, quiet, and has three or four restaurants on the main square. Back at the villa by 15:30 with time for a swim.
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Day 5 (Wednesday): Jameos del Agua and Cueva de los Verdes
The second driving day, this one north. Both sites are inside the same lava tube system and 5 minutes apart by car, 25 minutes from Costa Teguise.
Jameos del Agua is the showpiece: a César Manrique conversion of a collapsed lava tube into a restaurant, garden and concert hall around an underground saltwater lagoon. The tiny white albino crabs (Munidopsis polymorpha) live nowhere else on Earth. Kids stand on the bridge for half an hour watching them. Adult ticket 17 EUR, children aged 7 to 12 are 8.50 EUR, under 7s free.
Cueva de los Verdes is the deeper end of the same tube: a 50 minute guided walk through 1 km of the cave, with low ceilings, lighting installations and one optical illusion that we will not spoil. Walking shoes only, no buggies inside, and small toddlers may struggle with the dim sections. Adult ticket 17 EUR, children aged 7 to 12 are 8.50 EUR, under 7s free. Tours run roughly hourly from 10:00.
Order: Cueva first (longer, more demanding), Jameos second (lunch on site, swim in the open-air Manrique pool, slow afternoon). Back at the villa by 17:00.
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Day 6 (Thursday): Lanzarote Aquarium and a Jablillo afternoon
After two driving days the kids need a quiet day. The plan:
Morning at the Lanzarote Aquarium on Avenida del Jablillo, a 20 minute walk from the villa. 33 tanks, over a million litres of water, a shark tunnel through a 500,000 litre tank. Open 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:15). Adult ticket 16 EUR, children aged 4 to 12 are 11 EUR, under 4s free. Plan 90 minutes inside.
Lunch at one of the cafés along the promenade walking back, then an afternoon at Playa del Jablillo, the rock-pool beach 5 minutes from the aquarium. The natural reef wraps the bay so the water stays calm and waist-deep, even when Las Cucharas is windy a few hundred metres away. Toddlers can splash safely; older kids can snorkel out to the reef edge.
If you have not seen sunset from the villa balcony yet, this is the evening. The pool is communal so it is never empty in October, but evenings stay quiet.
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Day 7 (Friday): Jardín de Cactus and a slow last evening
The last full day. The Jardín de Cactus at Guatiza is a 15 minute drive from Costa Teguise, in the middle of the prickly-pear plantations on the LZ-1 north road. It was the last major project César Manrique completed on the island, opened in 1990: a former quarry converted into a terraced cactus garden with around 4,500 specimens from roughly 500 species, and a restored 19th-century gofio windmill at the top.
It works for kids because the paths are wide, the railings are low enough to see over, and 45 to 60 minutes is enough time inside before anyone gets bored. Adult ticket 9 EUR, children aged 7 to 12 are 4.50 EUR, under 7s free, and the windmill is open to climb.
If there is energy left, drive 10 minutes south to the Fundación César Manrique at Tahíche on the way back: the architect’s old house, built into five lava bubbles, free for under-12s and around 10 EUR for adults. It is a 20 minute visit, not a 2 hour one.
Last evening at the villa. Pack the cases tonight, leave only the bathroom and the kitchen for the morning. For the broader island context, see our top things to see in Lanzarote.
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Day 8 (Saturday): Departure
Morning swim at El Ancla if the flight is afternoon. Coffee and a pastry from the Spar 3 minutes away. The airport is 15 minutes by car: leave the villa 2 hours before the flight and you will be at the gate with time to spare.
What to pack for half term with kids
The villa supplies cot, high chair, beach towels, full kitchen and a buggy on request, so you do not need to bring much. The short list:
- October half term: swimwear, rash vests, water shoes (El Ancla is rocky), a fleece for evenings, suncream factor 50.
- February half term: the same plus a hoodie, long trousers for the volcanic walks, a beanie for evenings on the balcony.
- A small daypack for snacks and water.
- A child seat or booster if your hire car does not include one (most major rental companies charge around 7 EUR per day).
- Reef-friendly sun cream if you plan to snorkel (Jablillo and El Ancla both have reef life).
If you are coming for a longer stretch and one of the parents is working remotely, see our Costa Teguise digital nomad guide for what the villa’s home office setup looks like.
For more island-wide planning, the broader 7-day Lanzarote itinerary covers the full adult-paced version of the same week.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is half term in Lanzarote best with kids — October or February?
- Both work, for different reasons. October half term is warmer (21 to 24 °C, sea around 22 °C, Aquapark still open until 8 November) and feels like a late-summer week. February is cooler (18 to 21 °C, sea around 18 °C) but quieter on every beach and at every attraction, with shorter queues at Timanfaya and the Manrique sites.
- Can you swim in Lanzarote in February half term?
- Yes, in sheltered spots. Sea temperature in February is around 18 °C, which is bracing but swimmable for 10 to 20 minutes. Playa del Jablillo in Costa Teguise stays calm because of its rock pool, and the villa's communal pool is unheated. For longer swims, a 2 mm wetsuit helps. Aquapark Costa Teguise is closed in February.
- Do you need a hire car for half term in Lanzarote with kids?
- Yes, for at least three of the seven days. Costa Teguise itself is walkable and has a buggy-friendly promenade, but Timanfaya, Jameos del Agua, the Cueva de los Verdes, the Jardín de Cactus and the Sunday market in Teguise are not on a useful bus route. Pick up the car at Lanzarote Airport (ACE), 15 minutes from the villa.
- Is Costa Teguise good for half term with toddlers?
- Yes. The resort is flat, walkable, and has a natural rock pool beach (Playa del Jablillo) that is safe at any tide. The Pueblo Marinero square is car-free and works as an informal playground. Spar is 3 minutes on foot from the villa for nappies, milk and snacks, and the airport is 15 minutes by car for a short transfer with a tired toddler.
- Are there any rainy day plans for half term in Lanzarote with kids?
- Yes. The Lanzarote Aquarium in Costa Teguise is open from 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:15) and works on a wet day. The Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua are partly underground. Teguise's old town has covered cafés around the Plaza de la Constitución if a market Sunday turns wet. Rain on the island is rare even in February: long wet spells are unusual.
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