Exploring Arrecife – Lanzarote´s Capital City

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Exploring Arrecife – Lanzarote´s Capital City

The small Canary Island of Lanzarote is a big favourite with British and Irish tourists. But few of these one million plus visitors per year ever venture into the islands capital city of Arrecife. Despite the fact that this cosmopolitan conurbation offers loads in the way of attractions – such as two historic castles, the island’s Museum of International and Contemporary Art, an inland lagoon and a city centre beach. Plus the best shopping anywhere on Lanzarote.

Arrecife first took on the title of Lanzarote´s capital after inheriting the mantle from the inland town of Teguise in 1852. As trade considerations made a major port presence of paramount importance. Today, Arrecife is home to around half of Lanzarote´s 127,000 inhabitants and also gives its name to the island’s only airport, which lies around 3km away from the city centre.

Despite the fact that over 1.5 million foreign tourists arrive annually at this airport on flights to Lanzarote very few ever set foot in Arrecife. As they are instead whisked off to the main resorts of Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen, which lie someway to the south.

But Arrecife has plenty to offer. And despite the fact that the capital isn’t regarded as a resort per se it is also home to one of the best hotels in Lanzarote. In the formidable form of the Arrecife Gran Hotel. Which is the only high rise building on the island.

When tourism started to take off on Lanzarote in the 1970´s the island authorities placed a ban on all high rise construction. In order to prevent Lanzarote becoming another Benidorm. The Arrecife Gran however slipped through the net – all seventeen storeys of it. And as a result is one of the best known landmarks on the island today. Enjoying a great location right on the city centre beach in Arrecife – Playa El Reducto.

Arrecife is also home to some slightly older examples of fine architecture. Such as the Castillo San Jose – which is located just outside the city centre by the main ferry terminal at Porto Naos.

The Castillo San Jose is known locally as the Fortress of Hunger. As back in the 1800´s the castle was constructed in order to help alleviate poverty and hunger on the island. Today, it houses Lanzarote´s small but impressive Museum of International and Contemporary Art. As well as an upmarket restaurant – which was designed by the ubiquitous island born artist Cesar Manrique.

The Castillo San Gabriel is the second of Arrecife´s historic castles. And is much older than the Castillo San Jose – dating back as far as 1590. When it was built to help protect Arrecife from pirate attacks.

Today the castle is home to a small museum of ethnic artefacts from the pre-Spanish Guanche inhabitants of the island.