Lanzarote Airport: Duty-Free Shopping Experience

Lanzarote Airport (ACE) in Arrecife, Spain, offers a variety of duty-free shopping options for travellers. The airport features a large duty-free shopping centre with various items, including perfumery, beverages, food, accessories, and leather goods. Travellers can also find exclusive perfumes and colognes, cigarettes, alcohol, souvenirs, and more in the nine shops available for duty-free shopping. The Canary Islands, including Lanzarote, are outside of the EU for customs allowance, making duty-free shopping a popular choice for visitors.

The range of duty-free products

Lanzarote Duty Free is a large shopping centre within the airport, offering a wide range of duty-free products. The shopping centre is easily navigable, with clear sections, product signage, and promotions.

Food items, confectionery, and accessories are also on offer at the duty-free shops. If you're looking for a last-minute gift or a souvenir from Spain, you can find leather goods and other souvenirs at the airport. The shops often have online promotions where you can shop before your flight and collect and pay for your purchases at the airport, with discounts of up to 40%.

Price comparisons

Lanzarote Duty Free is a large shopping centre located within the airport, offering a range of duty-free items. The shopping centre is well-organised, with clear sections, product displays, and promotions. Prices at the airport's duty-free shops are generally lower than in the UK, but how favourable they are compared to other shops on the island varies.

For perfume, some travellers have reported finding better deals at shops outside the airport, such as the perfume shop in the Biosfera shopping centre. Online prices for perfume are also mentioned as being cheaper. However, the airport's duty-free shop may still offer competitive prices, especially with their online discounts of up to 40% for shopping before arriving at the airport.

For cigarettes, resorts and local shops on the island offer more competitive prices than the airport. For example, a traveller noted that cigarettes were 16 euros for 200 in resorts. It's important to be mindful of the allowance limits when bringing cigarettes back to the UK from the Canary Islands, which is 200 per person.

When it comes to alcohol, resorts may offer slightly better prices than the airport, but the airport still provides a convenient option for last-minute purchases. Keep in mind that alcohol bought at the airport will need to be placed in checked luggage due to liquid restrictions. Some popular brands offer plastic bottles, which can be more convenient for travel.

In summary, while the Lanzarote airport duty-free shops offer a convenient one-stop option for travellers, it's worth comparing prices with shops outside the airport, especially for specific items like perfume and cigarettes. Resorts and local shops on the island may offer more competitive prices for certain items, but the airport's duty-free shops still provide a wide range of products with potential discounts and deals.

Where to buy duty-free

Lanzarote Duty-Free is a large shopping centre located within the airport, offering a range of duty-free items. The shopping centre is situated on the first floor of the departures area, in a passenger-only zone. Here, you can find various duty-free products, including perfumes, beverages, food, accessories, leather goods, cigarettes, alcohol, confectionery, and souvenirs from Spain.

While the airport's duty-free shops provide a convenient option for last-minute purchases, some travellers suggest that prices for certain items, such as perfume and cigarettes, may be more competitive in local shops and resorts across the island. For example, the perfume shop in the Biosfera shopping centre is noted for its cheaper prices compared to the airport. Additionally, cigarettes are significantly cheaper in the resorts, with 200 cigarettes available for 16 euros.

However, it is important to consider the customs allowance when purchasing duty-free items. The Canary Islands, including Lanzarote, are outside of the EU in terms of customs allowance, which means that certain items, like tobacco, alcohol, and perfume, may be cheaper than in other parts of the EU. The VAT in the Canary Islands is also lower, at 7% compared to 21% on the mainland, contributing to more affordable prices.

When flying from Lanzarote, it is worth checking if your airline offers any duty-free deals. For instance, Thomson Airlines previously offered a deal that included two bottles of Bacardi, gin, or vodka for £22. Additionally, the Lanzarote Airport website may have online offers where you can shop before you fly and collect and pay for your duty-free items at the airport, potentially saving you time and money.

Rules on liquids and security

Lanzarote Duty Free is a large shopping centre located within the airport, offering a wide range of duty-free items, including perfumes, beverages, food, accessories, and leather goods.

When it comes to the rules on liquids and security, there are a few important points to keep in mind:

• Liquids, gels, and aerosols purchased at duty-free shops are subject to restrictions if they are in containers larger than 100ml (3.4 fluid ounces). This includes items such as liquor, perfume, and cosmetics.
• To comply with security restrictions, duty-free liquids purchased before security checkpoints will be placed in special sealed, tamper-evident bags. These bags are accepted in most countries, including the US, but not in Japan.
• When travelling to the US, duty-free liquids purchased on nonstop flights are permitted through checkpoints if they meet the requirements for tamper-evident bags. However, for connecting flights, these liquids must be placed in checked baggage after clearing customs.
• In the EU and other countries that use tamper-evident bags, passengers should not open the sealed bag before reaching their final destination, as the contents may be seized at security checkpoints.
• For international flights with connections, it is recommended to purchase duty-free liquids on the last leg of the trip to avoid issues with security checkpoints.
• Some countries have specific regulations. For example, China allows up to one litre of non-alcoholic liquids on domestic flights, while the Maldives prohibits alcohol, including duty-free purchases.
• To protect expensive liquid items, consider wrapping them in a thick layer, placing them in a box, taping it shut, bagging it, and putting it in the centre of your largest suitcase.

Other airport facilities

Lanzarote Airport has a large duty-free shopping centre with various items, including perfumery, beverages, food, accessories, leather goods, cigarettes, alcohol, confectionery, and souvenirs from Spain. The airport also has restaurants, cafes, and bars, with one source mentioning a sun terrace to enjoy the sun and a lounge.

In addition to the duty-free shopping and dining options, Lanzarote Airport offers external parking and various public transportation alternatives for travellers to and from the airport.

While duty-free shopping at the airport can be convenient, some travellers suggest that certain items, such as perfume, cigarettes, and alcohol, may be cheaper in the resorts or even online. Therefore, it is worth considering your options and comparing prices before making purchases at the airport.

It is also important to be mindful of customs allowance restrictions when bringing items back to your home country. For example, the allowance for cigarettes from the Canary Islands to the UK is limited to 200 per person.

Frequently asked questions