A laid-back town offering easy access to Lanzarote's incredible volcanic landscapes – an expert guide to Arrecife
Why go?
More a relaxed provincial town than a bustling capital, Arrecife makes for an easy day ashore for cruise ship passengers visiting Lanzarote. Beyond the compact centre, the scenic El Charco de San Gines district and an easily accessible city beach, myriad excursions tempt around this fascinating volcanic island.
Cruise port location
Most cruise ships now dock at La Boca de Puerto Naos, which is closer to town (just over 1km away) compared to the less frequently used berths at Muelle de los Marmoles, which lie 6km away.
Can I walk to any places of interest?
From La Boca de Puerto Naos it’s an easy 10-minute walk into town. En route you will find the charming waterfront El Charco de San Gines district. It’s more of a hike from Muelle de los Marmoles so taxi is recommended.
Getting around
Taxis are available at both cruise ship ports, with shuttle buses often laid on too. There is also an efficient and cheap bus service operating to and around Lanzarote’s small capital city, with a further network snaking out around the island. Car hire is a good option as the island has decent roads and there is much to see within a relatively compact area.
What to see and do
Arrecife is a very walkable city, which doesn’t detain you with too many attractions so it’s ideal for a slower pace for exploration. If you want to push further afield the local bus network or a hire car both work well, though organised excursions are a good option too. A short taxi ride will take you the city’s beach, Playa del Reducto.
What can I do in four hours or less?
Close to the main cruise ship port El Charco de San Gines offers a sprinkling of whitewashed buildings set around a picturesque lagoon. There are little cafes and independent shops to potter about in if you don’t fancy walking into town.
If you do set out, then check out the International Contemporary Art Museum en route. It is housed in Castillo de San Jose, an old fortress with an interior refashioned by the Fundacion Cesar Manrique to house a modern art gallery and a chic waterfront restaurant. Visionary local architect Cesar Manrique led a one-man fight to keep quality integral to the island’s architecture and design, rather than high-rise quantity. You can take a bus or taxi out to Manrique’s old studio-home, which now houses the Cesar Manrique Foundation.
Lovers of all things volcanic can hire a car and explore the Timanfaya National Park, just over 30 minutes' drive from the capital. The visitor centre has a surreal restaurant where you can savour steaks cooked on genuine volcanic stone. The rest of the moonscape in the national park is breathtaking.
A fun excursion is Marella Cruise’s ‘Arrecife by Bike’. Children aged 10 and over are welcome on this two-wheeled adventure. The bike tours take in a swathe of the city, but also expand further to open up the island’s striking volcanic interior and its rugged Atlantic coastline.
What can I do in eight hours or less?
If you cannot get enough of Manrique – understandable as his work is sublime – hire a car and as well as the Art Museum check out Mirador del Rio, perched at an altitude of 400m. It peers out over El Rio channel to the isle of La Graciosa (in 2018 named the 8th Canary Island). In the Jardin Cactus Manrique brought cacti from all over the world to the island, where they still flourish amid the old windmills.
Jameos del Agua meanwhile are natural underground tunnels fashioned by Manrique into a cultural oasis, a sort of James Bond lair crossed with Jurassic Park. The lagoon here is home to a rare species of blind crab.
Royal Caribbean’s ‘Lanzarote Wine Route’ is handy for those looking to avoid having to drive the vineyards. You tour through the blackened volcanic landscape of La Geria valley seeing the unique vines that are protected from the wind and gather water in their own mini craters. The excursion includes visits to a trio of wineries (La Geria, El Grifo and farmhouse producer Bodega Suarez), with the chance to sample their Malvasias and to take home a bottle of this wine that is hard to get outside the Canaries.
Eat and drink
Seafood culled sourced from the Atlantic Ocean is the highlight – try such delights as limpets and parrotfish, served with delicious papas arrugadas (wrinkly potatoes) and mojo sauce. The local white wine, Malvasia, has been hailed since Shakespeare (he called it ‘Malmsey’). The bone-dry wines cultivated here are gaining a serious international recognition and a tour of the vineyards is a great way to spend time on Lanzarote.
Don’t leave without…
If you are in town on a Sunday morning don’t miss a trip to the famous Teguise market. This fun and friendly sprawling market is easily the biggest on the island. There are plenty of little cafes and restaurants where you can refuel, in between bouts of retail therapy, lining the streets of pretty Teguise, the former capital of Lanzarote.
Need to know
Flight time
Ryanair and easyJet fly direct to Arrecife from London with a flight time of around four hours.
Safety
Most visits are trouble free and crime is low in Arrecife. You should still be vigilant in crowded places for pickpockets at all times.
Best time to go
This is the land of eternal spring where there is no bad time to visit. Saying that the biggest crowds descend in European summer and around Christmas, so if you want a more relaxed experience visit outwith these peak periods.
Closures
Shops tend to open at around 9am and then close at either 5pm or 6pm, though many more traditional businesses still observe the afternoon siesta (between around 2pm and 5pm), then stay open later. Malls tend to keep longer hours, while many businesses tend to operate reduced hours or close on Sundays.
