Spare days in Lanzarote: how to hop over to the Canaries’ three big parks

Forty-five minutes. That’s how long a plane takes to get you from Arrecife to Las Palmas. Fifty to Tenerife North. Less than most people’s commute.

If you’re in Lanzarote for a week or more, the odds are a couple of days still have nothing pencilled in. Those are exactly the days that let you do something most visitors never consider: catch a morning flight, spend the day on another island, and sleep in your own apartment that night.

The neighbouring islands hold the three best-known parks in the archipelago. One of them has been voted the world’s best water park ten years running.

Here’s what each one is, which suits you, what it actually costs, and how to plan it without losing the day to airports.

First, the numbers, without the sugar-coating

Let’s be straight about it, because plenty of guides aren’t.

None of the three parks are in Lanzarote. Siam Park and Loro Parque are on Tenerife. Poema del Mar is in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Getting there means flying, and inter-island flights aren’t cheap unless you’re a Canary Islands resident.

These are the official reference fares set by Spain’s Ministry of Transport (Order TRM/789/2026, in force since 1 August 2026), per leg and before the resident discount:

• Lanzarote – Tenerife North: €132
• Lanzarote – Gran Canaria: €108

That’s roughly €265 per person return to Tenerife and €216 to Gran Canaria, plus taxes and booking fees. Canary Islands residents pay around a quarter of that thanks to the 75% subsidy.

With those numbers on the table:

It’s worth it if:

• You’re already spending days on Tenerife or Gran Canaria during this trip. The flight is already paid for, so we’re only talking about the ticket price.
• You’re a Canary Islands resident. A weekend on Tenerife with a Twin Ticket costs you a fraction of what a visitor pays.
• You’re travelling as a couple with a day to spare. Two adults at Siam Park comes to around €650 including flights and tickets. Expensive, but it’s a day you’ll remember.

It probably isn’t worth it if:

• You’re a family of four and all you want is the park day. Between flights and tickets you’re past €1,200. That money buys you a long week of things to do on Lanzarote.
• Your trip is three or four days. You haven’t got the time, and Lanzarote has more in it than you think.

If you’re in the second group, skip to the end — we’ve listed what to do without leaving the island.

The three parks, and who each one is for

1. Siam Park (Costa Adeje, Tenerife) — the most decorated

If you’re only doing one, it’s usually this.

TripAdvisor users have voted it the world’s best water park for ten consecutive years in the Travellers’ Choice awards. In 2023 it also took the world’s best amusement park title, up against theme parks of every kind, not just water parks.

It covers 18.5 hectares with around twenty attractions. What separates it from an ordinary water park:

• The Wave Palace, a wave pool of more than 13,500 m²
• Tower of Power, a near-vertical drop slide that passes through a shark aquarium
• Mai Thai River, a kilometre-long lazy river running the length of the park
• Kinnaree, a 200-metre hybrid slide

Who it suits: families with children from around 8, teenagers, groups of friends. How long: a full day. Don’t pair it with anything. Opening hours: summer (1 May – 29 October), 10:00–18:00. Winter (30 October – 30 April), 10:00–17:00. Indicative price: around €44 adult and €32 child (3–11). Confirm the exact price when booking.

The tip that actually matters: arrive at opening and head straight for the big rides. In August and on Saturdays, the queues for Tower of Power and Dragon will swallow your entire morning.

→ Buy Siam Park tickets

2. Loro Parque (Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife) — the one up north

Zoological park with more than 400 animal species. It’s the oldest in the group and the best known outside Spain.

The logistical detail almost nobody checks before booking: it’s in the north of Tenerife, not the touristy south. If you’re sleeping in Costa Adeje or Los Cristianos, there’s a solid stretch of motorway ahead of you.

Who it suits: families with younger children, or a day when you fancy getting out of the south and seeing the green side of Tenerife. How long: a full day if you want to catch the presentations. Indicative price: around €44 adult and €32 child (3–11).

The tip: if you’re staying in the south without a car, add the park’s bus service during checkout. It runs up in the morning and back mid-afternoon. Far better value than a taxi, and it removes the problem of getting home.

→ Buy Loro Parque tickets

3. Poema del Mar (Las Palmas, Gran Canaria) — the half-day one

The group’s aquarium, on the quayside in Las Palmas. More than 350 marine species and around six million litres of water, with one of the largest curved viewing panels in the world.

It’s the easiest of the three to slot in, because it doesn’t eat your whole day. Two to three hours does it, and it sits inside the city, a short walk from Las Canteras beach.

Who it suits: families with young children, days that are too hot or too wet, or anyone wanting aquarium in the morning and Las Palmas in the afternoon. How long: 2 to 3 hours. Opening hours: daily, 9:30–17:30. Price: €29 adult and €19 child (3–11). Canary Islands residents, around €19 and €14. Under-3s free.

→ Buy Poema del Mar tickets

Doing both Tenerife parks? Get the Twin Ticket

Don’t buy two separate tickets.

The Twin Ticket covers Siam Park and Loro Parque for €10 less than buying them individually. It works out around €78 adult and €57 child.

How it works:

• One park per day, no repeat visits.
• You have 15 days from your first visit to use the second ticket.
• Start with whichever you like.

For two parks you’ll need at least one night on Tenerife. Don’t try to squeeze it into a day — there isn’t time, and you’ll spend both visits rushing.

→ Buy the Twin Ticket

Getting there from Lanzarote

The detail that changes your plan: even though Siam Park is in the south of Tenerife, you’re almost always better off flying into Tenerife North. There are very few direct flights to Tenerife South, and being stuck waiting for the single afternoon service will ruin the day. From Tenerife North you’ve got flights nearly every hour, and the south is a straight run down the motorway.

For Poema del Mar there’s no question: fly to Las Palmas and the aquarium is in the city itself.

Flight prices. These routes fall under Public Service Obligation rules, with reference fares set by Spain’s Ministry of Transport. Since 1 August 2026 (Order TRM/789/2026) they are:

Add taxes and booking fees on top. Airlines can sell below the reference fare on quiet dates, so compare Binter and Canaryfly and book ahead, but don’t count on finding bargains.

Watch out for a common trap: the €20 and €30 fares you’ll see on comparison sites are usually Canary Islands resident prices, not what you’ll pay. The 75% subsidy is real, but it only applies with proof of island residency.

One more note on Tenerife South: the Lanzarote–Tenerife South route isn’t among the thirteen regulated ones, which explains why it has so few direct flights. Another reason to fly into Tenerife North.

What about the ferry?

You can, but for this particular plan it doesn’t stack up. The numbers:

• Arrecife → Las Palmas, Gran Canaria: around 6 hours on the direct crossing. The ones that call at Fuerteventura stretch to 10 and a half hours. Naviera Armas, Fred Olsen Express and Baleària all run it, with sailings most days.
• Arrecife → Santa Cruz de Tenerife: there’s no direct route. You go via Las Palmas, and the full journey runs to over 9 and a half hours.

Put plainly: the ferry eats a full day each way. For a park trip that means two nights’ accommodation minimum, and foot-passenger fares don’t drop far enough to cover those extra nights.

When the ferry does make sense:

• If you don’t like flying, or don’t fly at all.
• If you’re on a longer island-hopping trip with bulky luggage.
• If you want to bring a car. Important: most hire companies don’t allow you to take the vehicle off the island without prior authorisation, and doing it unannounced can void your insurance. Check with yours before you buy the ticket.

For getting to Siam Park one day and back the next, the plane wins outright.

Three ways to plan it

Option A — One day, one park, there and back First flight out of Arrecife, last flight home. Works well for Siam Park or Poema del Mar. It’s tight, but it works, and there’s no hotel to pay for.

Option B — Two days, Twin Ticket Fly out in the morning, Siam Park on day one, night on Tenerife, Loro Parque on day two, home in the afternoon. Best return on the money you spend getting there.

Option C — Half day aquarium, half day city Fly to Las Palmas, Poema del Mar in the morning, lunch by the port and an afternoon at Las Canteras or in the old town of Vegueta. The most relaxed of the three.

What it actually costs

Indicative figures, without Canary Islands residency, based on the official reference fares.

As a couple (two adults):

As a family (two adults, two children):

The flight is the big line, not the ticket. Which is why two situations change the maths entirely:

• If you’re already going to be on Tenerife or Gran Canaria during this trip, ignore the flights column. A family of four at Siam Park is around €152, and at that price the day is unbeatable.
• If you’re a Canary Islands resident, the 75% subsidy brings that same family’s flights down to roughly €265 instead of €1,060. The parks have resident rates too.

We’d rather give you these numbers before you book than after.

And if you decide to stay put in Lanzarote

Perfectly reasonable, and probably what most people will do.

Lanzarote does something no other island in the archipelago does: the volcanic landscape, Manrique’s work, that black-and-white contrast you won’t find on Tenerife or Gran Canaria. If you’ve got days going spare, there’s plenty here to fill them: the volcanic north, a full day on La Graciosa, getting out on the water towards Papagayo.

But all of that needs a car. Without one you won’t reach much on Lanzarote, and desk rates are noticeably worse than booking ahead.

→ Book your hire car with 10% off

Not sure how to split the days? → Tell us about your trip and we’ll put an itinerary together

Quick summary

• Want the single best day out → Siam Park, full day, fly into Tenerife North
• Travelling with young children → Loro Parque, and add the park bus if you’re sleeping in the south
• Only half a day free → Poema del Mar in Las Palmas
• Two days spare → Twin Ticket, with a night on Tenerife
• Only one day spare → stay put and make the most of Lanzarote

→ Siam Park · Loro Parque · Twin Ticket · Poema del Mar

Visit Lanzarote is an official affiliate of Loro Parque Group. You buy directly on the park’s own website at the official price; we receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and opening hours are indicative — confirm them when booking.