Lanzarote can be read as an island of transitions: dark lava beneath white architecture, vines in hollows of black volcanic ash, art venues extending into caves and rock chambers. César Manrique made this connection the guiding theme of his work. A cultural trip here can sharpen your perspective on landscape and tourism. That alone does not make it sustainable.
The journey carries weight
For travellers from Germany, the calculation usually begins with the flight. According to Aena, César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport recorded around 8.9 million passengers in 2025, 2.4 per cent more than in 2024. This figure covers all passenger traffic, not just holidaymakers. Nevertheless, it shows how central air travel is to the island. A cultural trip that keeps distances short at the destination cannot undo the emissions from travelling there and back.
One effective choice individuals can make is how long to stay: those who remain for several days or weeks spread the impact of the return flight over more holiday days than on a short break. Choosing a direct flight can also avoid detours, but it does not make flying itself carbon-neutral. A reliable, up-to-date calculation of an individual trip’s overall impact depends, among other things, on the departure airport, flight connection and type of stay.
Manrique as a starting point, not a seal of approval
Manrique returned to Lanzarote permanently in 1966, as tourism was beginning to develop. His designs combined art with volcanic topography, and he championed the preservation of the landscape and cultural heritage. His well-known works include Jameos del Agua, the Mirador del Río and the Jardín de Cactus. The island’s tourism organisation describes the cultural centres as integrated into the volcanic landscape; this is an important design principle, but not evidence that visiting them today has a low carbon footprint.
Lanzarote has been part of UNESCO’s network of biosphere reserves since 1993. This status represents a commitment to considering nature conservation and human activity together. It does not mean that every tourist activity is automatically sustainable. UNESCO also notes that tourism has grown in importance relative to the primary sector. The island’s culture is therefore also reflected in questions that a purely art-focused tour can easily overlook: how is water used in a dry subtropical climate? How much land is taken up by roads, accommodation and visitor facilities? And how are revenues and burdens shared?
On the island, distance matters
Arrecife makes a good base if museums, city life and bus connections are priorities. Intercity Lanzarote runs routes from the capital towards Órzola, for example; the Jardín de Cactus and Jameos del Agua are among the sites along this route. This makes a cultural trip without a hire car possible to some extent, but does not remove the need to check the specific timetable: services, operating days and connections vary. More remote destinations may involve waiting times or an additional form of transport.
Grouping several cultural sites together rather than driving back and forth across the island every day reduces travel. Staying in locally run accommodation, eating at independent establishments and buying regional products complement this approach — choices that can help keep money in the island’s economy. The scale of this effect in any individual case cannot be quantified without information about the business, supply chain and ownership.
When the trip makes more sense
For culturally curious travellers who take time to explore Manrique’s work, Arrecife and the shaped cultural landscape, Lanzarote is an appealing destination, particularly in winter. A longer trip with few changes of accommodation, visits grouped together and bus journeys where practical is a more coherent option than a short flight for a handful of photo stops. However, anyone wishing to travel with the lowest possible emissions faces structural limits on an island that requires a flight or ferry journey to reach.
The crucial question, then, is not whether Lanzarote as a whole is sustainable. It is which way of travelling genuinely lives up to your own principles: staying longer, reducing journeys, respecting rules in protected areas and using local services. Manrique’s work offers a reason to look more closely — not absolution for the flight.
Original reviewed by the editors · 11 November 2026
