Exploring Arrecife – Lanzarote’s Capital

Arrecife – which means actually ‘reef’, holding its name from the many volcanic rock reefs lying offshore and protecting the harbour – has not always been Lanzarote’s capital – until 1852 it was the town of Teguise. Located further inland, it offered a better protection from raids by North African Berbers during Guanche times or, after the Spanish conquest, from pirate assaults by Spain’s seafaring enemies. Before it became capital, Arrecife was not more than a small port and still today, it is simply known as ‘El Puerto’ to the locals.

Having expanded well before César Manrique’s time, Arrecife is about the only place on the island that does not conform to his aesthetic architectonic guidelines. Which explains the fact that the Arrecife of today is – in strong contrast to the peculiar picturesque of the rest of the island – a typical Spanish working town and port with about half of the islanders (around 50,000) living here, many of them working in the major tourist resorts further north or south of the town.

Although this is not a particularly attractive capital, it is well worth a visit, with some interesting places and historic sites to see. It is not littered with high-rise apartment blocks like many other Spanish cities and its suburbs consist mostly of single-storey houses built in the traditional style, mainly Canary or Andalucían.

Arrecife is also the island’s main seaport and commercial centre boasting a busy shopping centre – with shops selling goods at much cheaper prices than those in the major tourist resorts – bazaars, sales stands and the attractive Calle Léon y Castillo, the main pedestrian shopping street. The seafront boasts a few pretty gardens and a pleasant promenade running all along.

Coming from the airport by car and taking the direction towards the sea, you will reach Arrecife at its western border, where you come past the new building of the island government – the Cabildo Insular. Continuing towards the old centre on Calle José Antonio Primo de Rivera, César Manrique enthusiasts might want to visit El Almacén (Island Culture Centre) in the José Betancourt street, a side street to the right. César Manrique converted this building, which used to be an old storehouse, into an art gallery comprising a bar, restaurant and bookshop.

As Arrecife is the only place on the island with a traffic and parking problem, we advise you to leave the car at a free parking on the seafront, right next to the Castillo de San Gabriel, where nearby you’ll also find a tourist information centre providing useful city maps.

Dominating the sandy urban beach Playa del Reducto, which starts right in front of the car park and boasts the European ‘Blue Flag’ for good bathing infrastructures and clean waters, you cannot miss the sight of the recently reopened Gran Hotel Arrecife, the island’s tallest structure, originally built in the early 1960’s, at a time when César Manrique was still overseas.