If you only have time for one "Manrique" visit that isn't a tourist centre, make it this one. The Fundación César Manrique shows how the artist behind Jameos and the Mirador del Río actually lived: his house on the lava at Tahíche and the house in Haría where he spent his final years. It costs less than Timanfaya, Jameos or the Cueva de los Verdes and you go round at a different pace. The catch is a small one: tickets are non-refundable.
Who they are
The Fundación César Manrique is a private cultural foundation based at the Taro de Tahíche (C/ Jorge Luis Borges 16, Tahíche, in the municipality of Teguise). As well as opening the two houses, it publishes books and organises talks and exhibitions. Its website is fcmanrique.org.
It has nothing to do with ticket sales for CACT, the island council's public company that runs Jameos del Agua, the Mirador del Río and Timanfaya. A Foundation ticket is not valid at CACT centres, nor the other way round. That said, the Manrique room at the Casa de los Volcanes, in Jameos, was created in collaboration with the Foundation.
César Manrique was born in Arrecife on 24 April 1919 and died on 25 September 1992, aged 73, in a road accident as he was leaving the Foundation.
The two houses: Tahíche and Haría
Taro de Tahíche. This was his home from 1968 to 1988. It covers 3,000 m² of building on a 30,000 m² plot, set on a lava flow from the 1730–1736 eruption. The lower floor makes use of five natural volcanic bubbles linked by tunnels: it is the part everyone remembers. Access for people with reduced mobility is only partial.
Casa-Museo de Haría. A country house he rebuilt from 1986 onwards and lived in until 1992. It opened to the public in 2013 and keeps his studio just as he left it. It is more intimate and lies in the north of the island.
| Foundation (Tahíche) | Casa-Museo (Haría) | |
|---|---|---|
| Opening times | 10:00–17:30 daily, including public holidays | 10:30–17:30 daily |
| Last tickets | 17:00 (visitors asked to leave from 17:20) | 17:00 |
| Adult | €10 | €10 |
| Child 7–12 | €3 | €3 |
| Closed | 1 January | 1 January |
The joint ticket for both houses costs €17 (children aged 7 to 12, €4). It cannot be changed or refunded. So you don't arrive to a closed ticket office, bear in mind that both stop selling at 17:00.
Tickets: where to buy them
Prices and opening times are on the Foundation's website. Whether you can book online in advance is unclear: before you go, check fcmanrique.org to see whether it is offered that day, or buy at the ticket office. Rates for Canary Islands residents and the rules on photography aren't clearly published either; if they matter to you, ask at the ticket office.
The "Manrique" day trips sold on booking platforms don't always go into the houses: check the listing to see which visits are included before you assume they stop at Tahíche.
Getting there. Bus route 9 (Arrecife–Órzola) stops in Tahíche; check arrecifebus.com for the stop closest to the Foundation. For Haría, a car is the practical option.
How it differs from CACT
| Fundación César Manrique | CACT centres | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | private foundation | island council's public company |
| What you see | his two houses | public works: Jameos, Mirador, Jardín de Cactus, Timanfaya… |
| Price | €10 per house, €17 for both | from free to €30 per centre, no combined pass |
| Tickets | ticket office; check its website for online sales | CACT online shop; two centres timed entry only |
| Refunds | no | no |
At the CACT centres you see the Manrique who reshaped the landscape for visitors; at the Foundation, the Manrique who lived inside those ideas. If you do the full César Manrique route, the two complement each other: for two adults, both houses (€34) plus Jameos, Cueva de los Verdes, Mirador and Jardín de Cactus (€104) come to €138 before Timanfaya. All the detail on the public centres is in our CACT review.
LagOmar, in Nazaret, belongs neither to the Foundation nor to CACT: it is a private museum with its own €10 ticket. The story that it once belonged to Omar Sharif gets repeated a lot, but no document backs it up: treat it as legend.
Is it worth it?
Yes, Tahíche above all. For €10 you see Manrique's most personal work and understand where Jameos and the Mirador came from. Haría is worth it if you are heading north anyway or if the artist interests you more than the architecture; with the joint ticket, the second house works out at €7.
Score
- Interest
- 5/5The house on lava bubbles at Tahíche is one of a kind.
- Price
- 4.5/5€10 per house and €17 for both; less than Timanfaya, Jameos or the Cueva.
- Information and buying
- 3/5Clear prices; online sales and photo rules unclear.
- Accessibility
- 2.5/5Tahíche is only partly accessible.
- Flexibility
- 2/5No changes or refunds.
The good
- Both houses the artist lived in, with the Haría studio left intact.
- Affordable entry, with a €17 joint ticket.
- Open every day except 1 January.
- Complements the CACT route without repeating it.
The not so good
- Non-refundable tickets.
- Limited accessibility at Tahíche.
- Ticket office closed from 17:00.
- Haría is a long way if you are staying in the south.
More visits in the Lanzarote guide, the Timanfaya guide to round off the day and other reviews in operators and platforms. If you would rather be driven, these trips cover Manrique's work:
GetYourGuide8 - 9 hours
Lanzarote: César Manrique Full-Day Tour
4.6 (458 reviews)
from €85Check availability
GetYourGuide8 hours
Lanzarote: Legacy of César Manrique Guided Tour
4.6 (223 reviews)
from €83Check availability
GetYourGuide8 hours
North Lanzarote: The Work of César Manrique
4.4 (74 reviews)
from €86Check availability
See all options on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 2 October 2026
FAQ
How much are Fundación César Manrique tickets?
€10 for the Tahíche house, €10 for the Casa-Museo de Haría and €17 for the joint ticket. Children aged 7 to 12 pay €3 per house or €4 for the joint ticket.
What are the Fundación César Manrique opening times?
Tahíche opens daily from 10:00 to 17:30 and Haría from 10:30 to 17:30. Both stop selling tickets at 17:00 and close on 1 January.
Is the Fundación César Manrique included in CACT passes?
No. It is a private foundation with its own tickets, and CACT no longer sells combined passes anyway.
What is the Fundación César Manrique?
A private cultural foundation that preserves and opens to the public the two houses the artist lived in, at Tahíche and Haría, and organises exhibitions, talks and publications.
Can tickets be refunded?
No. Foundation tickets cannot be changed or refunded.
