Arrecife - The capital

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Since 1852 Arrecife is the capital of Lanzarote and accommodates with 56,940 inhabitants (January 2015) almost half of all Lanzaroteños. The old capital was previously Teguise in the interior pf the island. Arrecife is dominated by its inhabitants, tourists play a subordinate role. The city center with the town hall and the pedestrianized “Calle de Leon y Castillo” is adjacent to the boardwalk on the Atlantic.

On Calle de Leon y Castillo César Manrique inaugurated in 1974 the multi-purpose cultural center “Almacén” to promote culture in the island's capital. It should become a meeting place for artists of all nationalities. It is worth visiting the historic department store “Mercandillo” on Calle Leon y Castillo. Also well it is worth the walk across the drawbridge on an island fortress “Castillo de San Gabriel”, originating in the 16th century.

On the coast to the south there is the tallest building of the island, the “Gran Hotel”, built in the 1970s, with a nice restaurant on the top floor, a good landmark. Farther south follows the city-beach Playa del Reducto, the bus station and the Cabildo Insular de Lanzarote, the building of the Island Council. North of the city center is the “Charco de San Ginés”, the tidal lagoon, which dates back to the urban area. It is a very beautiful old fishing district of Arrecife where you can escape the city noise in small cozy bars and pubs.

Every Wednesday and Friday mornings there is a flea markt at the Lagoon. Arrecife has an important seaport for Lanzarote, Los Mármoles. It is hub of important goods of the island. Moreover from there are starting a few ferries to the neighboring islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura, and to Cadiz on the Spanish mainland. Furthermore, there is the pier for cruise ships.

North of the seaport is the seawater desalination plant built in 1964, which delivers sweet water for the entire island until today. About five kilometers south of Arrecife, in San Bartolomé, there is the international airport of Lanzarote where all international flights and regional flights to the other Canary Islands are handled. Public buses, called guaguas, hit by a bus station south of the boardwalk to several places on the island. From Costa Teguise Arrecife is easily reached by bus no. 3, one way ticket costs € 1.40 p. P.