Collection: La Graciosa

La Graciosa is the smallest inhabited island of Spain’s Canary Islands - just 8 kilometres long and 4 kilometres wide - lying off the northern coast of Lanzarote across the narrow El Río Strait.

It belongs to the Chinijo Archipelago, a marine reserve that protects one of the richest underwater ecosystems in the Atlantic. With no asphalt roads and only sand tracks leading through its two tiny villages, Caleta de Sebos and Pedro Barba, La Graciosa is officially the only island in Europe without paved roads. Cars are rare; most people move on foot, by bicycle, or with small 4×4 jeeps that crawl along the sand like crabs on shore.

Life here is ruled by the ocean. Every morning, fishermen set out in wooden boats toward the reefs of Montaña Clara and Alegranza, bringing back the day’s catch to be grilled on the beach as the sun sinks into the Atlantic. For sailors, La Graciosa has long been a quiet refuge. Its calm anchorage in Playa Francesa offers safe shelter from the prevailing northeast trade winds - a welcome pause for yachts sailing between Europe and the Caribbean.

Sailor’s note: The island’s name, La Graciosa, means “The Graceful One” in Spanish.