What to see in Arrecife

When your are planning a trip to Lanzarote, the first zones in which you usually  think are Costa Teguise, Playa Blanca, Puerto del Carmen or Puerto Calero. Most of the times Arrecife, the capital of the island, is not considered. Today as  Canarian Transfer we will explain what to see in Arrecife.

Where is Arrecife?

Arrecife  is a municipality of Lanzarote, ubicated on the east coast of the island, very close to the international airport , with its same name. Remember that as  Canarian Transfer we organize your transfer from the airport to your hotel in Lanzarote.  

It is the capital of Lanzarote since the XIX century. Since then, most of the administrative and commercial activities of the island are concentrated in this town.Of course  Arrecife is much more and it worths to visit it.  

What to see in Arrecife

First of all we inform you that Arrecife it is not the typical huge capital but a small town. This make it suitable for a visit by walk.  

It curious that  Arrecife is considered as the smallest municipality of Lanzarote, with just 22 km2. On the other side it’s the most populated town of the island, with more than 55.000 inhabitants.

Charco de San Ginés

In the neighborhood of San Ginés, we can find the Charco de San Ginés such as incoming sea water in the heart of  Arrecife. It’s important because here the first  group of fishermen in  Lanzarote was born.

In the past it was known as Venic of the Atlantic vs the italian city. After the reforms apported by  César Manrique, today it’s charactherized by small boats and fishing boats.

The view is really nice: the lagoon with its boats, surrounded by white houses, bars, restaurants and a special environment. It worths the visit.

Church of San Ginés

The Church of San Ginés was  a small hermitage than it has been transformed in the actual temple. Actually it counts with typical elements of the canary architecture, mixed with  Baroque and Mudejar tints. Just beside there is the ancient Market Square.

Puente de las Bolas

This bridge, was built in  XVI century, it has a longitude of 175 meters, that were the access to San Gabriel Castel from the mainland.

San Gabriel Castle

It is a fortress built on an islet, opposite the port of Arrecife. Its function was to protect the port and the city from the attacks. Nowadays, inside the castle there is the Museum of history of Lanzarote.

Castillo de San José

San Jose Castle is known also as  Fortaleza del Hambre and it has been built as defense, aprox. between 1776 y 1779. Later on, in 1975 has been built the actual  headquarter of the Internationl Museum of Contemporary Art (MIAC).

La Casa Amarilla

It was the ancient headquarter of the Cabildo of Lanzarote. It has been declared as place of cultural interest in 2002. In its bottom floor there are several expositions about the history and the life in Lanzarote.