Believe it or not, there are very few cruise ports around the world where you can just roll off the ship and walk directly to the beach in mere minutes. (Trust me pals, I’ve been sailing for a while.) Fuerteventura cruise port is one of the few, and combined with its year-round lovely temperatures, this makes it one of the most convenient of all the Canary Islands terminals that you could possibly hop off at.
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Where is Fuerteventura Cruise Port?
Ships dock in the island’s capital city, Puerto del Rosario. This is no cosmopolitan location, although that doesn’t mean it’s not worth exploring. There are plenty of things to do in Puerto del Rosario, and the beauty of it is that they’re all within extremely easy reach of the cruise terminal.
So where is Fuerteventura cruise terminal, exactly? Right here, pals!
The port has space for either one large, or two small, cruise ships, and from the pier it takes about 10-15 minutes on foot to reach the centre of town. In fact, you’ll be able to see the beach from the ship itself. The facilities at the cruise port are minimal- don’t expect wifi and toilets- but it’s worth noting that there’s a car rental office just outside the port gate.
Check car rental availability from Fuerteventura cruise port.
Before you dock in Puerto del Rosario
- Currency is the Euro, and cards are widely accepted.
- Don’t scrimp on sun protection, even in winter.
- It’s worth getting an eSIM so that you can stay connected. I’ve found that the most reliable are from Airalo and Sim Local. (Get my Sim Local discount code here.)
- Siesta is very much a thing in Fuerteventura! Although the bigger shops and restaurants stay open all day, smaller stores tend to close for siesta between around 1.30-2pm and 5pm.
A very brief introduction to Fuerteventura
The Canary Islands are located just off of the north-west coast of Africa, and their aboriginal inhabitants were the Guanches, who are thought to have been originally from those African shores. During the 15th century, Fuerteventura and its neighbouring islands were conquered by the Spanish, and the Canaries remain a firmly Spanish location to this day.
Each of the islands are geographically quite different from the next, and Fuerteventura is by far the sandiest of them all. In fact, the climate here is officially a ‘hot desert climate,’ and although this makes it a great year-round getaway for holiday-hungry Europeans, it’s also a fairly arid environment to live in.
There may well be a scientific explanation for this, but I personally prefer the ‘legendary’ one. What can I say, pals? I love a good story, I do.
The Legend of Laurinaga
Back in Fuerteventura’s early colonial days, the Spanish governor Don Pedro seduced a Guanche girl named Laurinaga, but abandoned her when she fell pregnant with his child, marrying another woman instead. (The sly devil. Classic.) Years later, one of Don Pedro’s legitimate sons forced himself onto a local girl during a hunt. Hearing her screams, a local farmer attempted to defend her attacker, but Don Pedro intervened in the whole shebang and killed the young farmer.
In a truly tragic turn of events, the young farmer was in fact, Laurinaga’s son. Completely distraught, she declared that Don Pedro had just murdered his own son, and called on the Guanche gods to curse the island forever as punishment to Don Pedro and all his descendants. Since then, the winds regularly blow Saharan sand across the island, and while neighbouring islands like La Palma, Gran Canaria and Tenerife remain arid and fertile, Fuerteventura is as dry as a bone.
The Best Things to Do in Puerto del Rosario
Docking at Fuerteventura cruise port tends to be a very quiet affair, as long as you don’t take into consideration the man who sits by the beach playing a full drum kit along to midi-backing tracks whenever a ship comes to call. (True story. The drummer-man hasn’t missed a port day once in all my years of sailing.)
Aside from this chaotic but somehow heartwarming cacophony, the rest of Puerto Del Rosario is altogether rather more relaxed, with a picture-perfect sandy beach and a selection of local bars and ice cream shops to sit outside and watch the day go by. This may not be an action-packed destination, but there are still plenty of things to do in Puerto del Rosario- that are very much worth venturing off of the ship for!
Head to the beach
Without a shadow of a doubt, the absolute best thing to do in Puerto del Rosario is head to the beach. It couldn’t be more convenient, pals!
Playa Chica is the smaller beach that you can see from the ship when you’re docked in Fuerteventura cruise port. The white crescent of sand and stunning turquoise sea is picture-perfect, and the water tends to be consistently calm. This is a very family-friendly place for a swim and a sunbathe, and it’s also adjacent to several small cafes and restaurants.
Playa Blanca is about 2km away from the heart of Puerto del Rosario, so around 30-40 minutes from Fuerteventura cruise port on foot. (Or of course, you could take a taxi.) This is a much bigger beach, which is known as a great place for water sports as well as swimming.
Eat some classic Canarian food
The Canary Islands have some truly scrumptious cuisine that you have to try, and I urge anyone visiting Puerto del Rosario by cruise ship not to limit themselves to the buffets on board: get out and try something new. Don’t leave without ordering a leche leche or a barraquito. These are both classic Canarian coffees, made using espresso, milk, and condensed milk, and the barraquito also includes a shot of Licor 43.
The Canary Islands are famous for their papas arrugadas– wrinkled potatoes- served with mojo rojo or mojo verde, as well as their plethora of extremely fresh seafood. (That’s what you get from being an island in the Atlantic Ocean, after all.)
And in Fuerteventura, the speciality is goat. As a very dry island, goats are one of the few animals that thrive, and the Fuerteventurans were once so dependent on goats that back in the day, Puerto del Rosario was actually called Puerto de Cabras, or ‘Port of the Goats.’ Goat stew is a very popular traditional dish, but my favourite Fuerteventuran product is the local goats cheese, known as majorero. One of my favourite tapas dishes that I’ve ever tried on the island was baked aubergines with goats cheese and honey, and it was frankly a 10/10 culinary experience.
Meet the squirrels
Keep your eyes peeled for these extremely cute little critters on the beach in Puerto del Rosario. Although they look more like chipmunks, these are Barbary ground squirrels, which were introduced onto the island from the Barbary Coast of Africa in 1965. However cute they may well be, Barbary ground squirrels are actually considered an invasive species as they’re not endemic to the island.
A hypocritical word of advice for you pals: it’s now prohibited to feed the squirrels in Fuerteventura. On that note: here’s a photo of me feeding a squirrel in Fuerteventura.
In my defence, at the time I took the below photo, there was no signage declaring that this isn’t allowed, and since then a few signs have appeared along the beach. I promise I shall not be doing it again! Because, pals, these little guys aren’t just technically invasive, they’re also officially declared as pests. Ouch.
Check out the mall
I’m truly not normally an advocate of heading to a mall full of chain stores when visiting a new destination- or even when sticking to a destination that you know- but this mall is definitely worth mentioning, particularly for any crew members who might be reading. I see you, crew.
Las Rotondas shopping mall is only about ten minutes walk from Fuerteventura cruise port, and as well as all the usual high street stores and fast food restaurants, there’s also a big old supermarket to stock up at.
Stroll along the seafront
The coastal pathway between Playa Chica towards Playa Blanca makes for a downright wonderful stroll, or alternatively a nice jog, if that floats your boat. There are sculptures dotted at intervals along the seafront- although keep your eyes peeled around town as well- as well as several old lime kilns which are now home to Barbary squirrels galore.
My favourite restaurant in Puerto del Rosario
Last but not least, a personal recommendation for you! La Jaira de Demian is definitely one of my favourite restaurants in all the Canary Islands, let alone in Puerto del Rosario. This is a really fantastic locally-owned restaurant which serves delicious, good quality food made with delectable ingredients. You’ll find Fuerteventuran dishes on the menu, some with an international twist (trust me, it works), the staff are super-hospitable, and their outdoor terrace is especially lovely on a sunshiney day.
La Jaira de Demian, Calle La Cruz 26, Puerto del Rosario
Puerto del Rosario’s charm lies in its relaxed atmosphere and quiet refusal to pander to the tourists who arrive by cruise ship at Fuerteventura cruise port. This is a town to wander gently, watch the world go by with a leche leche and swim in the cool, clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Get off of the ship and explore outside; this town is very much worthy of a visit.
More from the Canaries:
A Boutique Hotel Getaway in Tenerife
The Complete Guide to Lanzarote Cruise Port
What to Do in Funchal, Madeira
The Best Guide to Santa Cruz de La Palma