There are plenty of unusual buildings on Lanzarote, but LagOmar is in a category of its own. Tucked into a hillside near the small village of Nazaret, just a few kilometres from Costa Teguise, this extraordinary complex of caves, terraces, water features and tropical gardens was carved directly into the volcanic rock. It operates today as a museum, restaurant and cocktail bar, and it is one of those places that genuinely surprises people who stumble upon it without much prior knowledge.
If you are already working through everything you need to know before you visit Lanzarote using our complete Lanzarote travel guide, LagOmar is one of those off-the-main-circuit stops that rewards the curious traveller. It does not get the footfall of Timanfaya or Jameos del Agua, and that relative quietness is part of its appeal.
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The Omar Sharif Connection
LagOmar’s backstory is the kind that makes for good dinner conversation, and locals will tell it with a certain relish. The legend goes that the Egyptian-born actor Omar Sharif — famous for Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago — purchased the property in the early 1970s, only to lose it shortly afterwards in a backgammon game. Whether the story is entirely accurate or has grown in the telling over the decades is debatable, but the connection stuck. The building became known informally as Casa Omar, and even now, guides and locals use the name interchangeably with LagOmar.
What is less disputed is that the property sat largely unused for a period before being transformed into the extraordinary space visitors can explore today. The development drew heavily on the design philosophy that César Manrique had established across the island: work with the geology, not against it. The volcanic caves and tunnels that run beneath the building were incorporated as rooms, passages and dramatic spatial features rather than being filled in or worked around.
What Makes the Architecture So Striking
LagOmar does not announce itself from the road. The entrance is modest, and you could easily drive past without realising what lies beyond the gate. That understatement is part of the design language. Once you are inside, the scale of what has been built — or rather, excavated — into the hillside becomes clear gradually, which makes the experience all the more satisfying.
The Caves and Interior Spaces
The volcanic caves form the core of the building. Natural lava tubes and chambers have been opened up, smoothed where necessary, and fitted with lighting, furniture and art. The effect is somewhere between a home, a gallery and a geological curiosity. Ceilings are uneven volcanic rock. Walls curve and dip. Light enters through skylights and open sections that connect the underground spaces to the terraces above.
The interplay between interior and exterior is handled with real confidence. You move from a cool, dimly lit cave passage directly onto a sun-drenched terrace with wide views over the surrounding landscape, then back down again through a different route. The transitions are abrupt in the best possible way.
Gardens, Water Features and Terraces
The gardens at LagOmar are carefully planted and beautifully maintained. Tropical and subtropical plants fill the terraced areas, softening the hard geometry of the rock. Water features — channels, pools and small cascades — run through the lower sections of the complex. The sound of water in the cave sections adds to the slightly otherworldly atmosphere.
The upper terraces offer good views over the surrounding countryside toward the coast. On a clear day, the blue of the Atlantic is visible in the distance. These are also the best spots for photography, particularly in the morning light when shadows are long and contrast is high.
The Restaurant and Bar
LagOmar functions as more than a museum. The restaurant and cocktail bar are housed within the cave spaces and terraces, and they are worth visiting independently of any particular interest in architecture or history.
The bar is one of the more atmospheric places on the island to have a drink. Cocktails are the main draw, served in cave-carved surroundings with ambient lighting and occasional live music. The restaurant offers a menu that leans toward international and Canarian dishes. Food quality is solid rather than exceptional, but the setting does a great deal of the work.
It is worth noting that some visitors come specifically for the bar experience in the evening, when the lighting in the caves creates an especially dramatic atmosphere. If you are travelling as a couple and want something genuinely different for an evening out, LagOmar’s bar ticks a box that no resort hotel can match.
Reservations for the restaurant are advisable in high season. The bar tends to operate on a walk-in basis, but checking ahead during busy periods is sensible.
Practical Information for Visiting LagOmar
Location
LagOmar is located in Nazaret, a small village in the municipality of Teguise. It sits roughly 10 minutes by car from Costa Teguise and around 20 minutes from Puerto del Carmen. The address is Calle Los Loros 2, Nazaret. It is not well-signposted from the main roads, so use a GPS or mapping app rather than relying on roadside directions.
Getting There
A hire car is the most practical way to reach LagOmar. There is parking available near the entrance. Public transport connections to Nazaret are limited, so driving is strongly recommended. If you are not driving, a taxi from Costa Teguise is a straightforward option.
Opening Hours and Entry
Opening hours at LagOmar can vary seasonally and have changed in recent years, so it is worth checking the current schedule directly on the LagOmar official website before you go. Arriving to find the museum section closed while the bar is open is a scenario that catches some visitors off guard — confirming in advance takes ten seconds and saves the disappointment.
Entry to the museum section typically involves a small admission fee. The bar and restaurant can usually be accessed without paying for museum entry.
How Long to Allow
Allow one to one and a half hours for a relaxed exploration of the museum, gardens and cave spaces. If you plan to eat or have drinks, add time accordingly. The site is not large, but the layout encourages you to linger rather than move briskly from room to room.
Accessibility
LagOmar involves uneven surfaces, steps, cave passages and sloped terraces. It is not well-suited to pushchairs, wheelchairs or visitors with significant mobility limitations. The cave sections in particular require a degree of physical ease with steps and slightly low ceilings in places.
Who Will Get the Most From LagOmar?
LagOmar suits architecture enthusiasts, design-curious travellers, Manrique followers and photographers particularly well. The space rewards people who are genuinely interested in how a building relates to its environment, and who are happy to wander without a strictly structured route.
Couples tend to respond well to LagOmar, especially those visiting the bar in the evening. The atmosphere is intimate and the setting is genuinely romantic in a way that feels earned rather than manufactured.
Solo travellers with an interest in art, architecture or volcanic geology will find plenty to engage with. The museum section includes information about the history of the site and its cultural context within Lanzarote’s broader artistic heritage.
Families with older children can enjoy LagOmar, particularly if the children have any interest in geology or unusual spaces. The cave sections tend to fascinate younger visitors who are old enough to navigate the steps safely. However, as noted above, the site is not well-suited to very young children or pushchairs.
Those with only a passing interest in architecture may find that the experience is shorter than expected, but the bar and gardens provide enough of an alternative draw to justify the visit regardless.
Combining LagOmar With Nearby Attractions
LagOmar sits in a part of the island that rewards a full day of exploration. The northern and central areas of Lanzarote contain some of the island’s most distinctive sights, and LagOmar connects naturally with several of them.
Jameos del Agua
Perhaps the most obvious pairing. Jameos del Agua is around 15 minutes by car from LagOmar, and shares a similar design philosophy — volcanic geology used as the foundation for a dramatic cultural space. It was conceived and developed by César Manrique himself and features an underground lake, concert hall and gardens. The two sites complement each other well, and visiting both in a single day gives a strong sense of the creative vision that shaped so much of Lanzarote’s cultural infrastructure.
Cueva de los Verdes
Close to Jameos del Agua, the Cueva de los Verdes is a guided tour through a remarkable lava tube system. It provides geological context that enriches a visit to LagOmar, where similar rock formations have been repurposed architecturally. Allow around an hour for the tour.
Teguise
The historic inland town of Teguise is around 10 minutes from LagOmar and well worth a stop, particularly on a Sunday when the weekly market takes over the town centre. Teguise has a well-preserved colonial character that is quite different from the resort areas and gives a sense of the island’s older architectural identity. A late lunch in Teguise followed by an afternoon at LagOmar makes for a well-paced day.
Costa Teguise
If you want to finish the day at a beach, Costa Teguise is the nearest resort, with several pleasant beaches and a relaxed promenade. Playa de las Cucharas is the most popular and the best for water sports.
Taken together, these stops represent some of what the island has to offer in its most compelling form — landscapes and architecture that are unlike anywhere else in Europe.
Final Thoughts on LagOmar
LagOmar is the kind of place that Lanzarote does particularly well: something that looks modest from the outside and reveals itself slowly to visitors who take the time to engage with it. It is not a major set-piece attraction in the way that Timanfaya National Park or the César Manrique Foundation are. It does not need to be. It occupies a different register — quieter, more intimate, and with a slightly eccentric history that makes it more memorable than its size might suggest.
The combination of volcanic architecture, well-maintained gardens, a genuinely atmospheric bar and the lingering mythology of Omar Sharif’s backgammon game gives it a personality that is entirely its own. If you have a free morning or afternoon and you are staying anywhere in the north or central part of the island, it is comfortably worth the detour.
Frequently Asked Questions About LagOmar Museum
What is the LagOmar Museum in Lanzarote?
LagOmar is a unique architectural complex built into volcanic rock near the village of Nazaret in central Lanzarote. It combines natural lava caves, sculpted gardens, water features and open terraces to create a space that functions as a museum, restaurant and cocktail bar. The design follows the same philosophy associated with César Manrique — integrating human-made structures into the island’s volcanic geology rather than imposing on it.
Did Omar Sharif really lose LagOmar in a backgammon game?
The story is widely repeated and has become part of the site’s identity, but its factual accuracy is difficult to verify. What is broadly accepted is that Omar Sharif had a connection to the property in the 1970s and that the building became known as Casa Omar as a result. Whether the backgammon element is literally true or a colourful embellishment is left largely to the visitor’s own judgement. It is, either way, a good story.
Is LagOmar worth visiting if you are not an architecture fan?
Yes, for most visitors. The bar and restaurant operate independently of the museum section and are worth visiting purely for the atmosphere. The gardens and water features are pleasant to explore without any particular interest in architecture. That said, visitors who engage with the building as a piece of design will get significantly more from the experience.
Can you eat or drink at LagOmar?
Yes. LagOmar has both a restaurant and a cocktail bar set within the cave spaces and terraces. The bar is particularly atmospheric in the evening when the cave lighting creates a dramatic effect. The restaurant serves Canarian and international dishes. Reservations for the restaurant are advisable during peak season.
How do you get to LagOmar from the main resorts?
The most practical option is a hire car. LagOmar is around 10 minutes from Costa Teguise, 20 minutes from Puerto del Carmen and approximately 25 minutes from Playa Blanca. The village of Nazaret is not well served by public transport, so a taxi or hire car is strongly recommended. Use a GPS or mapping app, as roadside signage in the area is limited.
How long should you allow for a visit to LagOmar?
Allow one to one and a half hours for a relaxed visit to the museum, caves and gardens. If you plan to eat or spend time at the bar, add extra time accordingly. The site is not large, but the layout is designed for lingering rather than moving quickly, and most visitors find that time passes faster than expected once they are inside.
Always check current opening hours and admission prices directly with LagOmar before visiting, as these can change seasonally.
