Lanzarote's capital since 1852 takes its name from the black volcanic reef that lines its town beach: arrecife is Spanish for reef. It is a port and administrative city first. Ferries and cruise ships work the harbour, and most visitors pass straight through to the resorts. For those who stop, there is the Castillo de San Gabriel on its islet, the 18th-century Castillo de San José with its modern art collection, the fishermen's lagoon of the Charco de San Ginés and Playa del Reducto.
Arrecife
- Currency
- Euro (EUR)
- Language
- Spanish; English gets you by
- Power plug
- Type C/F, 230 V
- Visa
- Schengen
- Time zone
- UTC+0 / UTC+1 (WET/WEST)
- Tap water
- Safe; desalinated seawater
- Tipping
- Not expected; 5–10% for great service
- Emergency
- 112
Things to do
All tours in Arrecife on GetYourGuide
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When to go
High season
Nov – Mar
The winter-sun months bring the island its busiest season, and the little rain Arrecife gets falls in this stretch.
Shoulder
Apr – Jun
Dry, bright days with the winter crowds gone and the summer holidays still to come.
High season
Jul – Aug
Summer holiday peak: Playa del Reducto fills, and the midday sun on the bare streets of the centre is fierce.
Shoulder
Sep – Oct
The heat eases and the summer crowds thin out before the winter season starts.
How long to stay
One day covers Arrecife. Most of the city is walkable from the centre: the Castillo de San Gabriel across its bridge, the boats on the Charco de San Ginés, the shops of Calle León y Castillo and the bars along Playa del Reducto. The Castillo de San José is a bus ride out along the road to Costa Teguise. A Saturday visit adds the morning market in the square outside the San Ginés church.
Getting around
Walking gets you to most places in Arrecife. There is no separate city bus network; the island buses do the job, and for the Castillo de San José you take any bus heading towards Costa Teguise along Calle Los Mármoles. Taxis are plentiful and gather on the quay whenever a cruise ship docks, but Lanzarote has no ride-hailing app, so plan on ordinary taxis.
Arrecife Airport lies 5 km west of the city, with car hire in the terminals. Arriving by ferry, note that the ferry port on the city's eastern edge has car hire and no bus: the nearest buses run on the main highway 1 km north, with frequent services between town and Costa Teguise.
What to see
Destinations in Arrecife
Frequently asked questions
Is Arrecife worth a visit?
For a day, yes. It is a workaday commercial and administrative hub with a short list of sights: two castles, the fishermen's lagoon of the Charco de San Ginés and a town beach. Most visitors base themselves in the resorts along the coast and come in for an afternoon.How far is the airport from Arrecife?
Arrecife Airport is 5 km west of the city. Taxis run into town, and there is car hire in the terminals. Lanzarote has no ride-hailing app.Does Arrecife have a beach?
Playa del Reducto is the town beach, with the black volcanic reef that gave the city its name lying off it and a strip of bars behind the sand.Where do ferries from Arrecife go?
Ferries sail from Arrecife to Gran Canaria and Tenerife, and to Cádiz and Huelva on the Spanish mainland. For Fuerteventura, the crossing leaves from Playa Blanca in the south of Lanzarote and takes 30 minutes to Corralejo. There are no ferries to Morocco.