Around Lanzarote
Of course, Arrecife, Yaiza, Tinajo, Teguise and Haría are home to many of the attractions of the island of the volcanoes. However, the traveller who really wants to get to know Lanzarote should not miss a trip to San Bartolomé and Tías, two small municipalities located just a short distance from the capital.
San Bartolomé lies at the centre of the island, so it’s worth stopping off as you drive through it. Its main claim to fame is the pair of works by Lanzarote’s most famous artist César Manrique (without question, the person who has contributed most to its development as a tourist destination): the Monumento al Campesino [Monument to the Farm Worker] and the sculpture to Fecundidad [Fertility]. The Monumento al Campesino consists of a series of buildings inspired by traditional Lanzarote architecture, which house museums showing the traditional way of life of the island’s inhabitants.
The sculpture to Fecundidad is an avant-garde work that surprises visitors by its height—15 metres—and by the materials from which it is made: water tanks from boats and pieces of iron. In addition, the centre has a restaurant where visitors can sample typical Canarian cuisine, such as black pig or stewed goat meat.
Museo Etnográfico Tanit [Tanit Ethnographic Museum], located in the centre of San Bartolomé, has a very similar aim: to teach visitors about the customs and traditions of the island’s inhabitants, from the times of the first settlers up to the middle of the twentieth century. Then, there’s the El Grifo Wine Museum, located in the oldest winery in the Canary Archipelago, which recreates the winemaking process using traditional techniques and equipment. In addition, the museum has a specialist winemaking library of over 5,000 items.
Would you like more information about the municipality? Here we go: San Bartolomé also boasts an elegant church (construction of which began in the late eighteenth century), and a Farmers’ Market and Craft Market every Sunday. The island’s largest residential area—Playa Honda—falls under its jurisdiction.
Our route continues into the picturesque town of Tías, a settlement consisting of whitewashed cottages clustered on the slopes of Montaña Blanca, and dominated by the church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria. This pretty town was where the Nobel Literature prize winner José Saramago chose to write some of his books, including his famous Ensayo sobre la Ceguera [Blindness].
However, the main tourist resort and the principal financial hub of the municipality of Tías is Puerto del Carmen. In this area, diving enthusiasts will enjoy what must be Lanzarote’s three most spectacular dives: the Blue Hole, the Cueva de las Gambas and La Catedral. In addition, Puerto del Carmen is home to the most atmospheric areas for nightlife on Lanzarote: Avenida de las Playas and the Varadero districts.
As we’d already told you, don’t be deceived by the relatively small size of San Bartolomé and Tías. Both municipalities await visitors who will fall in love even more deeply with Lanzarote—if indeed, such a thing is possible.
Related plans
San Bartolomé, un pequeño municipio lanzaroteño que sorprende por su rico patrimonio
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