Arrecife
Discover Arrecife
Arrecife is the capital city of Lanzarote, with the island's airport and sea port, and a population in 2022 of 63,750. It's a workaday commercial and administrative hub with limited tourist sights, and most visitors are bussed straight from the airport to their beach resorts further along the coast. "Arrecife" means reef, the line of coastal volcanic rock that acts a breakwater, a barrier to larger ships but one that small craft could shelter behind when pirates hove into view. Those pirates would loot or burn whatever they could and take prisoners to be sold as slaves. There was a small fishing settlement here from the 15th century, and the Castillo de San Gabriel was built on an islet at the end of the 16th century. There was always trade with mainland Spain but more lucrative were the routes to Spanish colonies in the Americas. The church of San Ginés was built around 1630 and the fortress of San José was built around 1770. Arrecife gained the status of a city in 1812, and in 1852 it became the island's capital, replacing Teguise.
Taste of Arrecife...
As of Oct 2023, Arrecife and its approach roads have 5G from all Spanish carriers.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple Options28.9507-13.60581 Arrecife Airport (ACE ), Apartado de Correos 86 (5 km west of city), ☏ +34 913 21 1000. The island's only airport has budget flights year-round, especially from the UK, Ireland and Germany. Domestic flights are from Barcelona, Madrid and Santiago de Compostela. These all use Terminal 2, while inter-island flights by Binter Canarias link Las Palmas, Santa Cruz and Tenerife several times a day, using Terminal 1. The terminals have the usual facilities including car hire. (updated Oct 2023) Naviera Armas sail to Arrecife from Cádiz once a week (31 hr 30 min) and from Huelva once a week (26 hr 30 min). They also sail from these ports to other Canary Islands. They sail daily to Arrecife from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, taking 6-7 hours. From Santa Cruz on Tenerife a daily ferry takes 10 hours. From Fuertaventura a frequent ferry plies from Corralejo to Playa Blanca, taking 30 min. There are no ferries from Morocco, you have to back-track via mainland Spain. 28.9715-13....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
There isn't a separate city bus system. For the art museum in Castillo de San José, take any bus towards Costa Teguise along C Los Marmoles. In 2023, a single ride within Arrecife costs €1.40. Taxis are plentiful, and greet the cruise ships in hungry swarms, but there's no e-hailing system on Lanzarote. Arrecife, Puerto del Carmen, Playa Honda and Costa Teguise are covered by Superpedestrian Link Scooters, which can be used with their app. You can take and leave an e-scooter at any point shown on the app. In 2023, one ride costs €1 to unlock and €0.30 per minute. Two clubs play soccer away down in the minor leagues: The nearest golf courses are Costa Teguise GC and Lanzarote Golf in Puerto del Carmen. As of Oct 2023, Arrecife and its approach roads have 5G from all Spanish carriers.
Where to Stay
As of Oct 2023, Arrecife and its approach roads have 5G from all Spanish carriers.
Money & Budget
As of Oct 2023, Arrecife and its approach roads have 5G from all Spanish carriers.