Fuerteventura Beaches and Things to Do, Area by Area

If you only have a fortnight, start with the beaches. Ask locals for the nicest beach in Fuerteventura and you will hear Cofete, a wild beach and tiny settlement on the Jandía peninsula, inside Jandía Natural Park. Closer to the resorts of Costa Calma and Jandía, Playa del Matorral is the easier everyday choice, with the Morro Jable Lighthouse at its end.

In the north, Corralejo Natural Park protects the dunes south of town, and Lobos Island sits across the strait, an uninhabited volcanic island with its own lighthouse at Punta Martiño. Inland, Betancuria is the village that appears on every list of the island's prettiest places, set within the Parque Rural de Betancuria.

Corralejo and the north: the protected dunes of Corralejo Natural Park, boat trips across to Lobos Island, and the lava landscape of Malpaís de la Arena near La Oliva, which is about 16 minutes from the airport. A short drive west, El Cotillo has the Torre del Tostón watchtower and the Tostón Lighthouse, a good pairing for a late-afternoon outing.

The centre and east: Puerto del Rosario, the capital, is only five minutes from the airport. Down the coast near Caleta de Fuste, the Castillo de Fuste is a listed cultural property in the municipality of Antigua, one of the better answers to what to do in Antigua. Betancuria, around 17 minutes from the airport, and the archaeological site of Poblado de La Atalayita near Tuineje bring the island's past into view, while Punta La Entallada Lighthouse looks out from the Tuineje coast.

Costa Calma, Jandía and the south: this is where many of the top beaches of Fuerteventura are found. Playa del Matorral and the Morro Jable Lighthouse are close to the resorts, and further out in Jandía Natural Park lie Cofete and the remote Punta Jandía Lighthouse at the island's tip.

For families, the easy wins are the resort beaches: Playa del Matorral near Costa Calma and Jandía, and the beaches by Corralejo, where the dunes of the natural park make a natural playground. A boat to Lobos Island feels like an adventure without a long journey, as Corralejo's ferry port sits right by the town.

Castles and lighthouses tend to hold young attention better than museums, so the Castillo de Fuste near Caleta de Fuste or the Torre del Tostón at El Cotillo fit neatly into a beach day. Cofete and Punta Jandía are a long way out on rough roads, so they suit older children better than toddlers.

Fuerteventura beach holidays usually start with a package from the UK: direct flights land at Fuerteventura airport (FUE), which is five minutes from Puerto del Rosario and handy for Caleta de Fuste, with longer transfers north to Corralejo and south to Costa Calma and Jandía. You can compare package deals from several providers on this page, and prices rise in school holidays, so book early if you are tied to them.

For the sights, tours and tickets for the Lobos Island crossing and other excursions can be booked from this page. To reach Betancuria, El Cotillo or the southern beaches at your own pace, car hire is the practical answer, and you can compare car hire, including pick-up at the airport, here too.