César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport to Puerto Calero (marina)

A marina village, not a resort strip

Puerto Calero is small: a yacht harbour with restaurants around the quay, a few low-rise hotels and villas on the slopes behind. It sits just west of Puerto del Carmen, separated from it by a headland and a stretch of cliff path. People come for the boats (excursions from the pontoons, sailing charters, the waterbus) or for a quieter base than the big resorts. From the airport it is about 15 km and a little over 20 minutes by car. Bus line 161 has a Puerto Calero stop of its own.

Taking the 161

Intercity Bus line 161 runs from Terminal 1 (then Terminal 2) to Playa Blanca, and Puerto Calero is a regular stop on the way. Airport departures are at 07:30 and 08:30, every half hour from 09:00 to 16:30, then hourly from 17:30 to 21:30. That timetable was the same on the weekday and weekend dates we checked in late October. The bus first goes along the whole Puerto del Carmen seafront, which is why it takes about 25 minutes to the Puerto Calero stop, against about 22 by car.

The last option is line 61 at 22:30. It follows the same route, reaches Puerto Calero at about 22:59 and then continues inland via Uga to Playa Blanca.

The operator's stop list shows two Puerto Calero stops, one for each direction. Arriving from the airport you will be dropped at stop 123. On departure day, wait at the stop on the opposite side of the road for buses back towards the airport.

The semi-direct 162-D is not useful here. It skips the coast road on its way to Playa Blanca, so check the line number before you get on.

About the fare

Intercity Bus does not publish its fare table. Guides put airport to Puerto del Carmen at about €1.40 and airport to Playa Blanca at about €3.30, so Puerto Calero should cost somewhere in between, towards the lower end. Ask the driver as you board and have coins ready. The operator asks for exact money or a note of no more than €10. On-board card readers cannot be relied on.

Arriving by taxi

From the rank outside Terminal 1 arrivals, a taxi to the marina takes 20–25 minutes. The approved rates are on Aena's website. There is a daytime weekday rate, and a dearer one (€1.55 a kilometre instead of €1.35) for nights, Sundays and holidays, plus a €2.10 airport pickup charge either way. Over 15 km that is roughly €26 by day and €29–30 on the higher tariff. The villas higher up the hill are a short climb beyond the quay, and the meter will run a little further for them. Take the next car in the queue at the official rank, and ask for a printed receipt at the end if you want a record of the fare. Aena tells passengers not to use drivers who approach them elsewhere in the terminal.

Transfers for the villa crowd

Many Puerto Calero visitors rent villas, often in groups, and that changes the comparison. A taxi takes four people with modest luggage. Six adults with a week's bags need two cars, or one pre-booked minivan. Booking ahead means a vehicle of the right size is waiting at the time you chose, and the price does not change if the flight is late. Suntransfers lists private cars of up to four from about €45, with larger vehicles costing more. Shared shuttles start at around €8.70 per person, with drops at other hotels on the way.

Four ways to arrive, in short

• Light luggage, daytime: line 161 to the Puerto Calero stop, about 25 minutes.
• Couple or family with suitcases: taxi from the rank, around €26–30.
• Villa group of five or more: pre-book a minivan, sized for your luggage.
• After 22:30: taxi. There are no more buses.

Life on the quay

Once you are there, you may not need much transport. Líneas Romero runs a waterbus between Puerto Calero and Puerto del Carmen. A coastal footpath also links the two. Boat trips leave from the pontoons. For the airport on the way home, the northbound 161 calls at Puerto Calero about half an hour after leaving Playa Blanca and reaches the terminals about 25 minutes later, so the stop timetable shows when to be at the roadside.