Tour 03 - The Stopps
Fuerteventura East Coast by Car Entallada Lighthouse & Las Playitas
Half day · rental car · approx. 80 km · finale: evening light + dinner
The Fuerteventura east coast between Costa Calma and Las Playitas is the Fuerteventura that most holidaymakers never see. No hotel pool, no surf package, no dunes from the holiday brochure. Instead: a small village that still looks like a village, a real Canarian town with a promenade, and at the very end a cliff 200 metres high from which you look 100 kilometres across to the African coast. Then the evening down in Las Playitas – fish, sea view, and a calm that makes you forget Jandía.
This tour starts in the afternoon – the evening light on the FV-511 up to the lighthouse is extraordinary, and the evening afterwards in Las Playitas is the perfect finale.
Start — Costa Calma heading north
You leave Costa Calma on the FV-2 heading north. But before that, a short stop in the CC El Palmeral is always worth it. 1STone Art & Design in Local 8 – individual gemstone jewellery since 1997, one-of-a-kind pieces you do not order online. Next door Gio-Leo Boutique (Local 10-12) for fashion and accessories. And at Noel’s Bar a coffee, a bocadillo or tapas before you set off.
Tarajalejo - Small village, real beach
A little further north on the FV-2 Tarajalejo appears – a small coastal village that hardly any guidebook mentions. That is exactly why it is worth it. Dark volcanic sand, a promenade that makes no attempt to be touristy, little going on apart from the locals. Park at the edge of the village and take a short walk. The beach has a completely different mood from Costa Calma – rougher, more real, quieter. Nobody buys fridge magnets here.
Adeyu – for lunch: local cooking right by the beach, authentic, not a tourist restaurant. One of the most honest lunch tables on this stretch.
Tarajalejo – Town description in detail (German)
Restaurante Adeju
Tapas & Meeresfrüchte mit Meerblick
Erfahre Mehr
Gran Tarajal The real town
We drive back onto the FV-2 and continue north. Gran Tarajal is one of the biggest towns in the south of the island – and one of the few that was not built for tourists. No hotel complexes, no wellness resorts, no entertainment teams. Instead: a long beach promenade that belongs to the locals, a light sandy beach right in the town centre, fishing boats in the small harbour, and cafés where nobody speaks English as a first language. Gran Tarajal is real Canarian town life – and once you have been here you understand the difference between a tourist strip and a place that simply lives.
The promenade is long enough for a relaxed walk. The beach lies right next to it – without sunloungers for rent. In the town behind it a detour is worth it: Gran Tarajal has a lively street art scene, with works on house walls and gable ends, without signposts, without a map. Just walk through the lanes and look.
Gran Café on the market square – the special spot that outsiders completely overlook. Right on the central square, Italian in character, a mix of café and bakery. Good cornetti, sweet pastries, coffee at a solid level. Busy with locals in the morning – not an Instagram café, but a place that works because it is good and needed.
Gran Tarajal – Town description in detail (German)
FV-511 - Faro de la Entallada, the cliff
From Gran Tarajal you drive up the FV-511 – a winding, narrow road that climbs a 200-metre cliff over six kilometres. In places the road is very narrow. Drive slowly. It is worth it.
The Faro de la Entallada was completed in 1954 – Moorish in style, red-and-white architecture of dark basalt and red porphyry volcanic rock. It stands on the point of the Canary Islands closest to the African mainland: about a hundred kilometres to Morocco. Park right at the lighthouse – free of charge. The viewing platform hangs literally over the abyss: below you 200 metres of cliff, in front of you the open Atlantic, left and right the Cuchillos de Vigán natural monument – jagged volcanic ridges and deep ravines. The lighthouse itself is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, admission free.
Insider tip: The evening light here is extraordinary. The moment when the sun is low and the walls of the ravines turn orange-red – that is the photo of the day. Then downhill to Las Playitas.
Hidden gem: Faro de la Entallada (German)
Las Playitas - Evening light & dinner
Las Playitas lies at the foot of the cliff – a few minutes‘ drive downhill. The village is small, quiet and has kept the character of a fishing village. Dark sandy beach, a small harbour, a handful of restaurants that all specialise in fish. The place is also known for the Playitas Resort – a large sports hotel that brings triathletes and cyclists from all over Europe here. The village itself notices little of it.
The evening light here is different from La Pared – not dramatic, but warm. The light from the lighthouse above is still in your head, down at the harbour everything is quiet.
Casa Victor – one of the best-rated spots in the village, fresh fish, Canarian cuisine, family-run and relaxed. Not smart, but really good.
La Bahía Gastro Bar – smaller, more modern, creative cooking, often described as a hidden gem.
When the Playitas Resort releases its guests, both restaurants fill up. Be there early enough or book.
Las Playitas – Town description in detail (German)
The way back - Las Playitas to Costa Calma
The drive back from Las Playitas to Costa Calma goes via Gran Tarajal and the FV-2 – approx. 45 minutes. Hardly any traffic at night, and the Fuerteventura east coast looks different in the dark than by day: the lights of the villages, the sea that you hear more than see.
At a glance
Route: approx. 80 km round trip, approx. 2-2.5 hours driving time without stops
Rental car: A must – the FV-511 to the lighthouse cannot be reached without a car
FV-511: Narrow and winding – drive slowly, especially uphill
Lighthouse: Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, admission free
Dinner: Casa Victor or La Bahía – book when the Playitas Resort is busy
Budget: approx. 40-70 EUR per person (food and coffee) plus rental car
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