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Arrecife is known to be one of the oldest of towns in Lanzarote. Arrecife is the capital of Lanzarote and also the administrative and commercial centre of Lanzarote. The word Arrecife is Spanish and means reef. The name comes from all the reefs that surround the town along its coastlines. These coastlines too are very popular and you will find a number of tourists taking enjoyable walk along the seaside. While planning your trip during the peak season, make sure you book your flights to Arrecife well in advance.

Castillo de San Jose is the towns prominent landmark; however it is located atop a high cliff that overlooks the sea. It has a commanding position and was aimed at defending the Island from any invasion and raids from the pirates that the Island was exposed to at that time.

The Castillo was constructed using black colored basalt from 1776 to 1779. The Castillo was built in order to offer work and consequently money for the people of the Island, apart from the point of view of the defense of the island. The Spanish King named Carlos III had ordered the construction of the fortress because of the devastation caused by the volcanic eruption in the early years of the 18th century. The fortress is semi circular structure and came to be known as the Hunger Fortress as most of the people were starving because of lack of food and other amenities.

During the 20th century Cesar Manrique, Lanzarotes most popular architect, observed that the pirate raids had almost diminished and the fortress was just being used for storage of ammunition and was deteriorating literally. So he put forth the point of converting the fortress into an art gallery. Cesar ensured that the castle was restored to a large extent with his guidance and supervision and then handed over to the state authorities to make it a Contemporary Art Museum. This finally took place in 1976.

The elegant interiors of the castle were now open for the public to see. The black stones complimented the beauty of the white walls of the castle. The castle also has huge spaces within and spiraling staircases. The ceilings were black and barrel vaulted. The floors too have the influence of the volcanic eruptions in form of slabs and pebbles. The fortress has some excellent but abstract paintings collected by Cesar. The collection has some memorable paintings by Millares, Picasso and Tapies. Other artists works include paintings by Miro, Mompo as well as by Cesar himself. Other rooms worth exploring include the concert hall and the lavishly done up restaurant contributed by Cesar.