Fuerteventura · North-west Fuerteventura
El Cotillo
Surf on one side, lagoons on the other
El Cotillo is still a fishing village, with two very different shores: surf schools on the open Atlantic side, and to the north a chain of white-sand coves with calm turquoise water, La Concha the best known. Lines 7 and 8 bring you in; the coves, the surf and the harbour restaurants are all on foot.
Photo: Mauroonline, CC BY 3.0, cropped
- Come for
- Surf culture, lagoon swims and sunsets
- Make time for
- Half a day to a full day
- By bus
- Reached by a published TIADHE line
- Open in Maps
- Open in Maps ( (opens in a new tab))
The journey is part of the day
Getting to El Cotillo
From Corralejo, use TIADHE line 8. From Puerto del Rosario bus station, line 7 runs direct to El Cotillo, and from the airport you reach that station on line 3. TIADHE posts service notices from time to time, so look for a notice at the stop. Arrival in the village does not imply a bus to each lagoon, surf beach or the lighthouse; expect to continue on foot.
Checked – 2026 Sources: TIADHE, Aena
Bus guides
- Corralejo to El Cotillo Line 8 Direct
- Airport to El Cotillo Line 3, Line 7 One change
- Puerto del Rosario to El Cotillo Line 7 Direct
- Airport to Corralejo Line 3, Line 6 One change
- Tickets
Lines from this site’s guides. Times are in this page’s timetable.
Before you settle in
Keep the way home in mind.
Select a Corralejo-bound line 8 departure and confirm its current boarding point before walking away from the village. Leave enough time to return from the lighthouse or northern lagoons, and recheck any operator stop notice rather than relying on where you arrived earlier in the day.
See the next busesA little introduction
Get to know El Cotillo.
El Cotillo keeps the scale and texture of a fishing village while opening onto two very different pieces of coast. Surf schools and Atlantic breaks draw attention to the exposed shore, while reef-protected lagoons offer another landscape to the north. Add the dock and Tostón Lighthouse and there is enough variety for a deliberate day trip rather than a quick beach stop.
Why go
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La Concha and the northern coves
North of the village, white-sand coves with calm turquoise water, La Concha among the most famous on the island. They are close enough to the village to finish on a terrace, where the sunset turns the sky from ochre to violet in a matter of minutes.
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A fishing village that took to the board
Surf, kite and windsurf schools work the exposed shore, and the seafood restaurants by the dock are where the day ends.
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Tostón lighthouse at the end
At the island's north-west tip, Tostón keeps three towers built over ninety years, and with Lobos's Martiño light and Lanzarote's Pechiguera it guards the Bocayna strait.
Checked – Oct 2026 Sources: Visit Fuerteventura
Make a day of it
What to do in El Cotillo
- Sight Don’t miss
The fishing village and its dock
Begin in the historic fishing village, where the dock and the Los Pescadores pier give context before you head to the beaches. It is the most compact part of the visit and a sensible place to decide how much walking time you have before the bus back.
- Beach Don’t miss
Two moods of Atlantic water
El Cotillo is known both for water-sport and surf activity and for lagoons sheltered by reef formations. Conditions still vary, so choose the part of the coast that suits the day and your ability; the presence of a lagoon or surf school is not a safety guarantee.
- Sight Don’t miss
Tostón Lighthouse
The Tostón Lighthouse gives the northern end of the visit a clear landmark and a broader view of the coast. It lies beyond the compact village core, so include the outward and return walk in your timing rather than assuming line 8 serves the exact sight.
- Beach
Five board sports, three ways into the water
Surf, kitesurf, paddle surf, windsurf and the newcomer, wing foiling, all have schools here. You go in south of the village, on the north coast past the Tostón lighthouse, or in the calm of a lagoon.
Show all 6 Show fewer
- Walk
Three lighthouses in one at Tostón
The first tower went up in 1897, a thirteen-metre second in 1955 and a thirty-seven-metre third in 1986, one of three lights on the Bocayna strait with Pechiguera and Martiño. The fishing museum inside opens only intermittently, so walk for the sunset and the reef lagoons, not the exhibition.
- Food & drink
Seafood by the dock, then the sunset
Seafood restaurants have multiplied around the El Cotillo dock and the Los Pescadores pier in recent years, serving traditional and modern dishes at reasonable prices. Go at sunset, after the surf.
Checked – 2026 Sources: Visit Fuerteventura
A day here
How a day in El Cotillo feels
A plan built on the buses this guide already names. The departure times are in the board on this page; choose your bus back before you set out.
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Morning
Arrive on line 8 or 7
From Corralejo line 8 runs to El Cotillo; from Puerto del Rosario bus station line 7 comes direct through Tindaya, La Oliva and Lajares. Both sheets name Plaza de la Ermita as a boarding stop for the way back.
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Middle of the day
The far sight first
If the lighthouse matters, walk to it before lunch, then come back through the village to the lagoons for the afternoon.
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Evening
Sunset, then the stop
Services from El Cotillo leave the stop Plaza de la Ermita five minutes before the printed time, the sheets say: be there early for the last line 8 or 7.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about El Cotillo
Is there a bus from Corralejo to El Cotillo?
Yes, line 8 runs every day between Corralejo and El Cotillo; trips keyed direct skip La Oliva. The timetable on the Corralejo-to-El Cotillo guide shows the dated departures.
Can you walk from El Cotillo to the Tostón lighthouse?
The lighthouse lies beyond the village and has no bus stop; Visit Fuerteventura describes it as the northern landmark. This site has not measured the walk, so allow time both ways before the last bus.
Good to know
Small details. Better days.
Show 4 local tips Show fewer
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Put the farthest sight first
If the lighthouse matters most, visit it before lingering around the harbour. That makes the remaining walk back toward the village and your return bus easier to judge as the afternoon progresses.
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Choose water plans on the day
Surf and swimming conditions are local and changeable. Use current beach flags, lifeguard information and qualified instruction; a destination guide cannot establish whether the exposed coast or lagoons are suitable at a particular hour.
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Come direct from the capital
Line 7 runs from Puerto del Rosario bus station through Tetir, Tindaya, La Oliva and Lajares to El Cotillo, so you do not have to go round by Corralejo. Its route map names “Parada Preferente El Cotillo” and “Hotel Cotillo” as the village stops. Line 7 is not on TIADHE’s reduced-mobility timetable; line 8 is.
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Leave from Plaza de la Ermita
Both the line 7 and the line 8 sheets say services from El Cotillo leave the stop Plaza de la Ermita five minutes before the printed time; the route maps name Parada Preferente El Cotillo and Hotel Cotillo as the village stops.
Checked – 2026 Sources: Visit Fuerteventura, Ayuntamiento de La Oliva, Gobierno de Canarias, Servicio Canario de la Salud +4
Photos and film
El Cotillo in pictures
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Watch before you go
Travel Turtles Plays through YouTube’s privacy-enhanced player; nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. -
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Line 8 from Corralejo and line 7 from the capital reach the village; the lighthouse and the lagoons are on foot. Photo: lucico, CC BY 2.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons -
Line 8 from Corralejo and line 7 from the capital reach the village; the lighthouse and the lagoons are on foot. Photo: Peter, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons -
Line 8 from Corralejo and line 7 from the capital reach the village; the lighthouse and the lagoons are on foot. Photo: Cayambe, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
Make room for something memorable
Book something around El Cotillo
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. Selected activity links open GetYourGuide; destination photos are illustrative. Check the date, current price, meeting point and what is included before booking.
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Norbert Nagel / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 Corralejo
Fuerteventura: Surf Lesson for All Levels and Ages
A group surf lesson checked in through a Corralejo surf school, with the day’s beach and conditions set by the provider.
Why consider it A guided introduction for visitors who want instruction instead of choosing equipment and conditions alone.
View experience: Fuerteventura: Surf Lesson for All Levels and Ages on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Meeting point & getting there: Fuerteventura: Surf Lesson for All Levels and Ages
Check in at Boards Connections Surf School in Corralejo. Do not assume a beach, transfer or surf conditions beyond the selected booking instructions.
Current experiences on GetYourGuide
Tours and activities on Fuerteventura as GetYourGuide lists them today, with current prices and reviews.
There’s more around the corner
Where next?
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Norbert Nagel / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 -
Holger Uwe Schmitt / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Guide checked · How we check · Suggest a correction
Sources for this page
The sources this page cites, each with the date we checked it. Two dates mean the facts that cite it were checked on different days.
TIADHE
- TIADHE line 8 Checked – 2026
- TIADHE line 7 Checked – 2026
- TIADHE timetable sheets, read 12 October 2026 (ledger) Checked
- TIADHE service for people with reduced mobility Checked
Aena
Visit Fuerteventura
- Corralejo, La Oliva and El Cotillo Checked – 2026
- Surfing in El Cotillo Checked – 2026
- Tostón Lighthouse Checked – 2026
- The best beaches of Fuerteventura Checked
- Islote de Lobos walking route Checked
Ayuntamiento de La Oliva
Gobierno de Canarias, Servicio Canario de la Salud
Gobierno de Canarias, 1-1-2 Canarias
Gobierno de Canarias, Dirección General de Emergencias
Cabildo de Fuerteventura
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