Teguise
The town of Teguise was the Capital of Lanzarote until 1852 when
Arrecife took over due to its status as a thriving port.
However, when visiting Teguise one is reminded at every turn of the
historical majesty and reputation of this old capital town.
The main features of the town itself are the historical buildings with the grandest of architecture displayed in the churches and museums.
The
old cobbled streets are lined with beautiful old houses and dotted
amongst them are tiny restaurants and shops.
Teguise is the oldest and largest municipality on Lanzarote and has seafronts on both sides of the island with many small beaches and coves.
Varied landscapes and coastline makes it a hugely interesting destination
any day of the week and of course on Sunday it hosts the large
and famous street market. Castle of Santa Barbara sits high up
on top of the Guanapay mountain overlooking Teguise.
Built as a watch tower in the 16th century by Sancho de Herrera,
it was an ideal location to look out over both east and west coasts
of the island.
This parish church is the oldest one on the island it suffered devastating damage by fire in 1909 and was faithfully rebuilt.
El Convento de San Francisco built in the 16th Century for the Order of Franciscan Monks, it is now a museum and art gallery.
Open Mon- Fri 10.00 – 16.00 Sun 11.00 -15.99
El Palacio de Spinola, 1780 which
is situated in the main square (known popularly as La Plaza
de Los Leones) is now a museum with an exhibition gallery.
Opening hours: Daily 09.30 – 14.30 (Not Weds)
There are various historical customs which are carried
on in Teguise.
The Carnival with the "Danza de los Diabletes" (Dance of the Little Devils) is over 500 years old and
the“Gran Coso de Carnival” in Costa Teguise is a
street
parade with musicians and floats.
These are usually in March.
May 3rd see the Day of the Cross where every cross is decorated with flowers.
May 24th – 30th is Canary week with a Folklore Festival.
June 1st is Corpus Christi which is the procession across the carpets of colored salts which are painted directly on the streets.
July 16th Teguise biggest celebration the Neustria Señora. Folk festival, canary wrestling, street parties and processions, and offerings to the Virgin.
July 25th Tahiche Village sees the San Felipe y Santiago Gran Romero Pilgrimage with offerings to the saint, floats and musicians.
August 5th Festival of the Virgin
of Las Nieves the pilgrimage from Teguise to the Hermitage of Las
Nieves. Parties, floats, folk groups
all accompany the pilgrims............
December 24th Christmas Misa del
Gallo, the midnight service with songs, dances all in front of the
image of the infant Christ in a custom celebrated since 1580.
A celebration every months of the year!
Every Sunday throughout the year the La
Villa de Teguise
holds the main cultural and tourist events, the street market.
The entire village turns into a grand open air market where
shoppers
can browse among the stalls and smell the delicious
aroma of the caramelized nuts sold hot and crunchy from several of
the stalls.
The whole market day is accompanied by animated groups of folk
dancers and singers
in native costume.Lots of photo opportunities! Opening Hours: Sundays
from 9:00 - 14:00
The Famara inlet is
flanked by the most imposing 2000 foot high cliffs. It is a
fabulous spot for sports activities and in particular, surfing and
paragliding and the largest beach of San Juan hosts the international
surfing championships.
We recommend the Costa Nor Oeste Kite
Surfing School (See Attractions & Services)
The surrounding area is a protected zone
with a sprinkling of restaurants, a small supermarket, and no bank
but of course several surf shops.
This is a fabulous location as it is so very
imposing with fantastic views to La Graciosa
and in the late autumn months the sunsets are spectacular.
In 1970 the islands only purpose built resort
was constructed and is currently undergoing a bit
of a face lift as with some other areas of the island.
The weather here is usually very good all year
round but the resort is known for its windy days.
This means that the water sport of windsurfing is
hugely popular here.
The PWA (Professional Windsurfing Association) championships take
place in Costa Teguise.
Obviously surf shops abound and there are plenty
of surf schools with boards for hire and instruction for
even the very inexperienced.
There
are some extremely nice bars and restaurants both along the seafront
and scattered around the town and on a Friday evening there
is an open air craft market held in the main square.
Costa Teguise Golf Course and Paddle Courts. (See Attractions & Services)Aquapark. (See Attractions & Services)
The annual Carnival also tours Costa Teguise
proceeding along the Avenida del Mar, Avenida Jablillo and Avenida
Islas Canarias so if you missit in Puerto del
Carmen you can catch the smaller version here.
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