€1.40 from ACE to Arrecife makes Bus Line 22 the rock-bottom option
Bus Line 22 is the weekday airport shuttle between César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport (T1/T2 area) and Arrecife, costing about €1.40–1.60 for a one-way ride. It runs roughly every 20–30 minutes from around 07:00 to 22:00, so it fits most daytime arrivals and early evening returns. Figure on 10–20 minutes of travel time, with real-world traffic usually pushing it closer to 15–20 minutes than the 10–15 minutes shown on timetables.
This route is weekday-only; on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays you switch to other lines such as 23 to reach Arrecife. Buses run both directions between the airport and Arrecife bus stops, which connect on to resorts like Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca. A regular on Tripadvisor sums it up as “regular and cheap”, and that lines up with the posted 20–30 minute headways and sub-€2 fare.
The stop for Line 22 sits on the roadway outside arrivals, not right at the terminal doors of T1 or T2, which throws some first-timers hunting for a big “bus station” sign. Look for the Intercity Bus Lanzarote pole and route board on the curb rather than wandering inside the terminal. If in doubt, ask staff at arrivals; they see this question 10 times a day and will point you straight to the stop number for 22.
How to ride Bus Line 22 step by step
- 1. Land and exit arrivals in T1 or T2. After baggage claim, walk out to the public curb area; you want the road-side bus stop, not the taxi rank, and it should be within a 2–3 minute walk of the doors.
- 2. Find the Intercity bus stop sign showing “Línea 22”. Check the timetable board for “Aeropuerto – Arrecife” and confirm you are within the 07:00–22:00 weekday operating window before you commit.
- 3. Board the next 22 or 23 towards Arrecife. Regulars say they just take whichever of 22 or 23 comes first, then change in Arrecife; both have posted headways of around 20–30 minutes.
- 4. Pay the driver on entry. Have at least €2 in coins or small notes ready; a single should run €1.40–1.60 depending on the exact section. Locals often tap a ten-trip or contactless card, which also works on this airport run.
- 5. Watch the screens or use maps for your Arrecife stop. Drivers are not known for announcing each stop, and reviews mention visitors sailing past their stop when they were not watching the onboard display or a phone map.
- 6. Get off in Arrecife for connections. In Arrecife, you can transfer to buses for Costa Teguise, Playa Blanca or Puerto del Carmen, usually with 10–30 minute waits depending on line and time of day.
- 7. For the return, reverse the route on a weekday. From central Arrecife, catch 22 back toward the airport during 07:00–22:00 Monday–Friday; on weekends or holidays, use line 23 or another listed airport service instead.
What regulars do
Locals and repeat visitors often buy ten-trip or contactless tickets and treat the airport–Arrecife run as just another leg of their commute, then change there rather than paying for two taxis. One Lanzarote Facebook user even mentions always “hopping the local bus into Arrecife and changing” instead of taking a direct cab to Costa Teguise, which can easily top €20 compared with a combined bus cost of under €5.
Watch out for
Two pain points come up a lot: standees and missed stops. At commuter times, especially early weekday mornings and late afternoons, the short hop between Arrecife and Playa Honda can be standing-room-only as locals head to work. On top of that, Tripadvisor users flag that drivers rarely call out stops; if you are heading to a specific Arrecife stop, keep your phone map open and hit the stop button a block early rather than waiting. One last tip: take a screenshot of the Line 22 and 23 timetables before you fly so you are not wrestling with mobile data outside T1.