Let's get this out of the way first: Lanzarote is not Ibiza. If you're after superclubs, celebrity DJs and all-night beach parties, you've booked the wrong island. Lanzarote's nightlife is quieter, more grown-up and — in my opinion after twenty-plus years here — much more pleasant for it. What you get instead is relaxed bars, sea-view terraces, friendly Irish pubs, proper Canarian tapas-and-wine evenings, and enough live music to keep a night interesting without deafening you. It's an island where you can still hear yourself think at midnight, and that's a feature, not a bug.
That said, there is genuinely fun nightlife here. You just have to know where to look — and that's what this guide is for. I'll walk you through each resort, the best bars by category, the (very few) clubs, the casino, and the local drinks you absolutely should try before you fly home.
Puerto del Carmen: The Strip and Everything Off It
The centre of Lanzarote's nightlife is the Avenida de las Playas — the long seafront road everyone calls "the Strip". It runs for about six kilometres along Playa Grande, lined on the land side with bars, pubs, restaurants and the occasional disco. This is where most visitors end up, and for good reason: it's walkable, busy without being overwhelming, and there's something for every budget and every age group.
The lower end of the Strip (closer to the old town and the harbour) tends to be the more relaxed, slightly older crowd. The middle section is where you'll find the liveliest pubs — karaoke bars, tribute acts, sports bars showing Premier League and La Liga, and the kind of places where someone will hand you a cocktail menu the moment you sit down. Towards the far end near the Biosfera shopping centre it gets a bit quieter again, with a mix of restaurants and hotel bars.
Honest tip: a fair number of bars along the middle of the Strip are tourist traps. If the touts outside are louder than the music inside, if the cocktail list is two pages of fluorescent-blue shots, and if there's a man with a microphone offering "free shots" — keep walking. The good bars are the ones that don't need to shout. Look for places with locals sitting at the bar, a sensible wine list, and staff who aren't wearing branded t-shirts.
What's genuinely good in Puerto del Carmen: the long-standing Irish and British pubs that have been here for decades and actually know their regulars by name; the small cocktail bars tucked into the side streets off the Avenida; and the seafront chiringuito-style bars where you can watch the lights of fishing boats bobbing offshore. For live music, the smaller venues in the old town end are more reliable than the loud bars in the middle.
Most bars on the Strip open by early evening and stay open until at least midnight year-round, with the livelier ones going until 2am or 3am in summer. Nothing here feels dangerous or aggressive — it's mostly families, couples and groups of friends having a gentle night out.
Playa Blanca: Marina Rubicón and Sunset Cocktails
Playa Blanca is the most relaxed of the three main resorts, and its nightlife reflects that. This is where you come for a slow evening — a good dinner, a proper cocktail, a walk along the promenade — rather than a big night out. The resort has grown enormously over the last decade, but it's kept its calmer character.
The heart of Playa Blanca's evening scene is Marina Rubicón. The marina is lined with bars and restaurants overlooking the boats, and it's at its best around sunset, when the sky turns orange behind the yachts and the lights of Fuerteventura flicker on across the water. A handful of bars here do proper cocktails — not the fluorescent variety — and the wine lists are better than you'd expect. There's a small craft market along the marina on Wednesdays and Saturdays which adds a bit of life earlier in the evening.
Back in the town centre, around the Calle Real and the plaza by the beach, there are a few lively pubs and the occasional live music night, but nothing on the scale of Puerto del Carmen. If you want a late one, you can find it, but most people in Playa Blanca are in bed by one. That's not a criticism — it's exactly the point of the place.
Sunset cocktails are the signature Playa Blanca experience. Anywhere along the marina or the western end of the main beach will give you a view west, and the sunsets here are genuinely spectacular for most of the year. Go early, get a terrace table, order something with rum in it, and let the evening arrive at its own pace.
Costa Teguise: Laid-Back, Sports Bars and Hotel Entertainment
Costa Teguise is the most underrated of the three resorts for nightlife, mainly because so much of it happens inside the hotels. The town itself has a compact centre around the Pueblo Marinero and the Las Cucharas beach area, with a reasonable spread of bars and pubs — but the bigger hotels here put on evening entertainment that, frankly, suits a lot of visitors perfectly well. Tribute bands, flamenco nights, magic shows, karaoke: if that's your holiday speed, Costa Teguise delivers it without you ever leaving the grounds.
Out in the town, the bars tend towards the sports-pub and karaoke-pub end of the spectrum. There's a loyal British expat following, so the football schedules on the walls are well organised and the pint pours are generous. It's not sophisticated, and it doesn't pretend to be. What it is, is friendly, and on a Thursday night in February when you fancy a pint and a chat, that's worth more than a fancy cocktail.
The Pueblo Marinero is the nicest spot for an evening drink in Costa Teguise — a small square with a few bars and restaurants, occasionally with live music or a market. It's modest but genuine, and a good place to start a night before deciding whether you fancy something louder.
Costa Teguise isn't the place to come for a wild night out, but if you want a relaxed pint, a decent meal and possibly a singalong, you'll be perfectly happy.
Arrecife: Where the Locals Actually Go
If you want to see how Lanzarote does nightlife when it's not aimed at tourists, go to Arrecife. The capital is where the island's own residents spend their evenings, and the difference is striking. No touts, no fluorescent cocktails, no tribute acts singing Abba medleys at you — just real bars, real tapas and real Canarians having a normal night out.
The heart of Arrecife's evening life is the Charco de San Ginés — the small inlet of water that runs into the city centre, lined with low white houses, palm trees and a string of bars and restaurants. On a warm evening there's nowhere better on the island for a slow drink and a plate of papas arrugadas. The bars here open later than in the resorts (locals don't eat or drink early) and stay busy until well past midnight on weekends.
Wander the streets around Calle León y Castillo and the Plaza de la Constitución and you'll find small bars that have been there for decades — the kind where the bartender knows everyone's order, the wine comes from a barrel, and the tapas appear free with your round. These are not the bars your transfer driver will recommend. They should be.
Arrecife is also where you'll find the more interesting wine bars and the handful of places doing modern Canarian cooking and cocktails together. If you've had your fill of resort food and resort bars, an evening in Arrecife will reset your opinion of what Lanzarote's nightlife can be.
One practical note: Arrecife is about twenty minutes by car from Puerto del Carmen and thirty from Costa Teguise. Taxis are easy to find back to the resorts from the rank near the Charco — don't try to drive if you're planning more than a couple of drinks.
Best Bars by Category
Sunset bars
The pick of the sunset bars are along Marina Rubicón in Playa Blanca and the western end of the Puerto del Carmen strip. Look for any rooftop or beachfront terrace with a clear view west — the sun sets into the Atlantic year-round here, and anywhere with an unobstructed horizon will give you a memorable evening. A few of the bars at the top of the cliff near the Faro Pechiguera lighthouse have spectacular views; they're a short drive out of Playa Blanca but worth the effort.
Cocktail bars
The best cocktail bars in Lanzarote are the quiet ones, not the loud ones. In Puerto del Carmen, look for the smaller bars off the main Avenida — the ones with proper gin menus and bartenders who actually know how to balance a drink. In Playa Blanca, the marina has a couple of genuinely good cocktail bars. In Arrecife, a few of the newer bars around the Charco are doing interesting things with local ingredients (mojo-flavoured cocktails, banana liqueur, volcanic salt rims). Avoid any bar whose cocktail menu is mostly pictures of blue liquid.
Craft beer
Lanzarote isn't a craft-beer powerhouse, but things have improved enormously in recent years. The island now has a small but serious brewing scene — look out for local beers like NAO and Volcán, which appear in an increasing number of bars. The best places to find proper craft beer are a couple of specialist beer bars in Arrecife and a handful of gastropubs in Puerto del Carmen. If you've been drinking Estrella Galicia all week and fancy something with actual hops, ask a bartender where the nearest craft tap is — they'll know.
Live music
Live music in Lanzarote tends to be cover bands, acoustic duos and the occasional solo guitarist, rather than anything experimental. The quality varies wildly, but the best nights are the small acoustic sets in the Puerto del Carmen old-town bars and the occasional flamenco or Canarian folk performance in Arrecife. Hotel entertainment in Costa Teguise is the most reliable source if you just want something to watch with a drink. Check local listings or ask at your hotel reception for what's on during your week.
Wine bars
Canarian wine is genuinely good and almost completely unknown outside the islands, so a wine bar evening is one of the best nights you can have here. The volcanic soils produce distinctive whites (Malvasía is the grape to look for) and increasingly respectable reds. The best wine bars are in Arrecife, where you'll find proper local lists alongside the more familiar Spanish bottles. In the resorts, look for bars that advertise "vinos canarios" rather than just "wine" — those are the ones that take it seriously. Order a glass of Malvasía and a plate of queso fresco and you'll understand why the locals are quietly proud of what they grow.
Late Night Clubs — The Few Options, Honestly
Here's the honest version: Lanzarote is not a clubbing destination, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something. There are a handful of late-night venues, but they are small, sporadic and heavily dependent on the season.
In Puerto del Carmen, the two names you'll hear are Varadero and Millenium. Varadero, near the harbour end of the Strip, is the closest thing the island has to a proper club — a late-night venue with a dancefloor, a resident DJ and a crowd that tends to be a mix of locals and younger tourists. It's not a superclub and it doesn't pretend to be, but on a Saturday night in summer it can be genuinely fun. Millenium, further along the Strip, is a long-running disco that opens late and plays the kind of music you'd expect from a resort-town late bar. Neither will change your life, but if you genuinely want to dance past 2am, they're where you'll end up.
Outside summer, the late-night scene is much quieter. Clubs open at weekends, sometimes only Friday and Saturday, and they're rarely busy before 1am. If you're here in January and hoping for a big club night, adjust your expectations downwards — or book a weekend trip to Gran Canaria instead.
The broader point: if nightlife to you means clubs, Lanzarote will disappoint you. If nightlife means good bars, good company and a gentle, late evening, you'll love it. Choose accordingly.
Casino Lanzarote (L'Antigua Casino)
If you fancy a different kind of evening out, there's a casino in Puerto del Carmen — the Casino Lanzarote, sometimes called L'Antigua Casino after the historic building it's housed in. It sits just off the Strip, near the old town end, and offers the usual mix of roulette, blackjack, poker and slot machines.
It's a small casino by mainland standards, but it's well run and makes for a nice change of pace if you've had a few too many evenings of karaoke and tribute bands. There's a bar and restaurant inside, and they sometimes run poker tournaments that draw a reasonable crowd. The dress code is smart-casual — no shorts, no sportswear, no flip-flops in the evening. Bring ID; they're strict about it.
Opening hours are typically early evening until the small hours, but check their website or call ahead, as hours can shift with the season. It's not Monte Carlo, but for a low-key night with a bit of gambling and a drink, it does the job.
Local Drinks You Should Try
No guide to Lanzarote's bars would be complete without telling you what to actually drink. The island has a small but distinctive drinking culture, and the more of it you try, the more you'll feel like you've actually been to Lanzarote rather than just to a resort.
Barraquito
The barraquito is the canonical Canarian coffee, and you'll see it on bar menus across the island. It's a layered drink — espresso, condensed milk, a shot of liqueur (usually Licor 43 or rum), a little milk, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and lemon zest. It arrives in a glass so you can see the layers, and it's sweet, strong and faintly bizarre in the best way. Order one mid-afternoon at a café bar and you'll understand why Canarians don't bother with plain espresso.
Mojo-flavoured cocktails
A few of the more inventive bars in Arrecife and Playa Blanca have started playing with the island's famous mojo sauces as cocktail ingredients. The green mojo (mojo verde, made with coriander) works surprisingly well in a savoury-style cocktail with gin or vodka, and a couple of bars do a "volcanic" cocktail with smoked salt, a hint of red mojo and local rum. It's niche, but worth seeking out if you like your drinks interesting rather than just strong.
Local wines
Lanzarote's wine region — La Geria — is one of the most extraordinary vineyards in the world, with vines grown in pits dug into the volcanic ash. The wines are correspondingly distinctive. The whites, particularly those made from Malvasía Volcánica, are crisp, mineral and slightly saline, with a smoky edge that comes from the soil. The reds are lighter than you might expect but genuinely food-friendly. Any decent wine bar or restaurant will have local bottles; order one alongside a plate of papas arrugadas with mojo and you've got a perfect Canarian evening.
Arehucas rum
Arehucas is the best-known rum from the Canary Islands — produced in Gran Canaria, but drunk all over the archipelago. It's a molasses rum, smooth and sweet, and it forms the base of most rum-based cocktails on Lanzarote. The aged versions (the 7-year and the 12-year) are genuinely good sipping rums and well worth ordering neat at the end of a meal. If you've been drinking generic international rums all week, an evening spent on Arehucas will be a pleasant surprise — and a bottle of the 12-year makes an excellent souvenir.
Other local bottles
Worth a quick mention: the island's banana liqueur (sweet, surprisingly good in coffee), the locally-produced honey rum (ron miel, often served over ice as a digestif), and the small range of craft spirits now appearing from island distilleries. Ask a bartender what's local this month — the scene is small enough that new things appear regularly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lanzarote good for nightlife?
Lanzarote has pleasant, low-key nightlife rather than a big clubbing scene. Puerto del Carmen has the busiest bars along the Avenida de las Playas, while Arrecife is where locals go for authentic Canarian evenings. It is not Ibiza — but for relaxed drinks, sunset cocktails and friendly pubs it is excellent. If you want superclubs, you'll be disappointed; if you want a genuinely nice evening out, you'll be very happy.
What time do bars close in Lanzarote?
Most bars in Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca close around 2am to 3am, with some late-night venues staying open until 4am in the height of summer. Earlier in the week or out of season, plenty of bars shut by midnight. Arrecife tends to wind down a bit earlier, around 1am, though weekends can run later.
What is the best sunset bar in Lanzarote?
The best sunset bars are around Playa Blanca's Marina Rubicón and the western end of Puerto del Carmen's strip. Look for rooftop or beachfront spots with a clear view west toward Fuerteventura. The sun sets into the sea year-round here, so anywhere with an unobstructed western horizon works. A short drive out to the Faro Pechiguera lighthouse area gives the most dramatic views.
Can you drink on the beach in Lanzarote?
Drinking alcohol on public beaches is technically against local bylaws, though small, discreet quantities are generally tolerated. Glass bottles are discouraged for safety reasons, and littering will get you fined. For a proper drink with a sea view, use one of the many beachfront bars instead — there are plenty, and you won't risk a fine or a cut foot.
What is the dress code for bars in Lanzarote?
Dress code is casual almost everywhere. Shorts, t-shirts and sandals are perfectly fine for the vast majority of bars and pubs, including in the evening. A handful of cocktail bars and the casino prefer smart-casual after dark. You will never need a jacket or a collared shirt unless you want one. Pack light — Lanzarote nightlife does not demand a wardrobe change.