Family Holidays in Fuerteventura
Discover Fuerteventura with your family - tranquillity, beautiful beaches and water sports. Here are some tips for an unforgettable holiday.
Why visit Fuerteventura?
"We visited the island for the first time in 2019. Three weeks on the island captivated us so much that we have returned many times since our first visit."
Fuerteventura is an island with the most beautiful beaches easily accessible from Europe, providing a stable, pleasant climate all year round.
Moreover, the island is not nearly as touristy as neighbouring Tenerife or Gran Canaria, making it an ideal destination for a quiet family holiday.
Playa de La Concha
White sand and turquoise sea. Such are the bays in the fishing village of El Cotillo. Thanks to the horseshoe-shaped reef, there are only small waves.
La Concha is a great place for small children, but also for the bigger ones who can enjoy safe snorkelling.
Sotavento
One of the largest and most beautiful beaches in the world.
The beach is best visited at low tide, which creates large natural lagoons with low depths and warm water. Ideal for holidays with children as well as for water sports.
Oasis Wildlife Fuerteventura
A beautiful and diverse zoo that you cannot skip with your children. You will see sea lions, hippos, giraffes, elephants and many other animals.
Don't miss the show times - they are free and really worth it.
Dunas de Corralejo
For families with small children, these never-ending sandy beaches with a gently descending seabed are ideal.
The dunes are a truly impressive place and you'll leave with sand blown absolutely everywhere, but that's simply part of a holiday here.
Renting a car
To get around Fuerteventura and explore the entire island, you'll want to rent a car. Renting a car is simple, inexpensive, and makes traveling, especially with small children, much easier.
Although you can reach your destination by bus or taxi, most of the interesting places are best reached by car. Even if you're not an experienced driver, don't be afraid - driving in Fuerteventura is super easy.
Here are some of the best car rental companies on Fuerteventura:
Cicar: The best and most popular local car rental company (Cicar stands for "Canary Islands Car").
Cabrera Medina: The same company as Cicar, but operated under a different brand. Everything is the same, but pricing may differ.
AutoReisen: Another well-rated car rental company with a smaller selection of cars, especially if you're looking for one with automatic transmission.
Payless: Similar to AutoReisen, with fewer cars than Cicar, but reviews are favorable. One advantage of these smaller companies is significantly shorter queues at the airport.
Traditional car rental companies such as TopCar or Budget: While you'll find these traditional car rental chains at the airport as well, we don't recommend using them on the Canary Islands as there are better providers available. However, if you still want to use one of them, be aware of extra costs for car seats or roof racks, which can substantially increase the final bill (Cicar offers all that for free).
Our preferred car rental company is Cicar - and that's no surprise. It's the most widely used and best-reviewed car hire on Fuerteventura, and probably in all of the Canary Islands. Cicar offers full insurance without excess, unlimited mileage, and free child seats.
We recommend checking prices on Cicar and Cabrera Medina and going with whichever is cheaper (since it's the same company with the same cars). You can also check out AutoReisen and Payless, but I'd only choose them if the price is significantly cheaper. Otherwise, it's safer to go with Cicar.
Before you travel, it's best to book your car in advance. There have been periods when it was nearly impossible to rent a car in Fuerteventura due to limited inventory, especially after the pandemic (across all companies, not just Cicar). Booking in advance will likely get you a cheaper price. Cancellation is free, so make your reservation as soon as possible.
Cicar offers free basic baby/child car seats and boosters included in the price. However, the offered car seats are very basic and the way they're fastened in the car doesn't convey a strong sense of safety. Car seats for older children should be fine, but when traveling with a baby, I'd consider bringing my own car seat (airlines such as Ryanair let you bring a car seat with you for free).
Another thing to consider before booking is that the full comprehensive insurance only covers you on paved roads. Many interesting sights are off the paved roads, such as Cofete Beach, Popcorn Beach, Mojanicho, Barranco Encantado, and many more. We asked Cicar, and they confirmed that they don't have any cars that are officially allowed on dirt roads.
You can take the risk (you won't be alone and will see many rental cars in these places) or plan accordingly. For example, you can use the bus to go to Cofete Beach. In any case, it's good to be aware of this in advance.
As for the car, for our family, we usually pick the Opel Mokka, Seat Arona, or Peugeot 2008 with an automatic transmission. These cars are still very affordable, offer enough space for a family of four, are well-equipped (typically with parking sensors, CarPlay, etc.), and have higher ground clearance, which comes in handy on some of the unpaved roads you're not supposed to go on π.
When you arrive, all the car rental companies have their offices in the Arrivals hall.
When renting from Cicar, be aware of long queues that tend to get longer every time a new plane lands. Upon arrival, it's best not to hesitate and quickly find the right queue. In the meantime, kids can look for the massive aquarium that's between Arrivals and Departures π
The rental process itself is easy, and no deposit is required. They will typically ask for the address of your accommodation, so have that ready as well. They will give you the car keys along with the number of a parking spot where you'll find your car. The parking lot is right in front of the airport, so it's very easy to find (when you're standing at the Cicar counter, it's behind you across the street).
On the parking lot, there is a smaller Cicar office where you can pick up car seats for the children. And off you go! If you need to buy some gas, there's a gas station right next to the roundabout on your way out of the airport.
While driving around Fuerteventura, you'll find that the island has a well-developed road network with good infrastructure.
Driving is easy, and you don't need to be an experienced driver. It's usually easy to find free parking close to your destination.
Be extra careful near the most popular tourist spots, as drivers might stop suddenly while looking for a parking spot (for example, near the Dunas).
Also, be cautious when parking next to a road to avoid getting stuck in the sand.
When it's time to return the car, make sure to return it with the same amount of petrol. There is a Cepsa gas station right before you reach the airport that you can use.
Then, head over to the parking lot and find an empty space assigned to your car rental company. If you're renting with Cicar, you'll leave the car seats in the car and go to the small office on the parking lot to return the keys.
The returning process couldn't be simpler - sometimes they just take the keys and say goodbye. Sometimes they may want to know the parking spot number and the fuel level, so it's a good idea to take some pictures just to be sure.
Enjoy your time driving around Fuerteventura and exploring all the beautiful sights the island has to offer!
Family Holidays in Pictures
