Lanzarote · North-central interior
Villa de Teguise
The old capital, quiet on weekdays
Villa de Teguise was Lanzarote’s capital until 1852, and its paved streets keep palaces, a fortress on a volcano and a museum of the timple. Come midweek for the calm, or on Sunday when the market fills every street.
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Come for
- Historic architecture, local crafts and unhurried café stops
- Make time for
- Half a day
- By bus
- Reached by a published bus line or ferry
The journey is part of the day
Getting to Villa de Teguise
Use the existing Arrecife-to-north-Lanzarote guide and Intercity line 7, whose published route passes through Teguise. From Costa Teguise, line 31 calls at the Ayuntamiento on every date we checked and line 11 runs straight to the market on Sundays; both have their tab on the board on this page. Pick the departure from the board before leaving. Do not follow signs or buses merely marked Costa Teguise: that is a separate coastal destination served by a different corridor.
Checked Sources: Intercity Lanzarote, Ayuntamiento de Teguise
Bus guides
Lines from this site’s guides. Times are in this page’s timetable.
Before you settle in
Keep the way home in mind.
Return towards Arrecife on a line 7 departure you picked from the board on this page, or to Costa Teguise on line 31, or on line 11 after the Sunday market. Sunday crowds can make the centre slower to cross, so leave the market early enough to locate the stop calmly rather than relying on the final plausible journey.
See the next busesA little introduction
Get to know Villa de Teguise.
Villa de Teguise was Lanzarote's capital until Arrecife took that role in 1852, and its pale façades, green woodwork and cobbled lanes still carry the scale of an old administrative town. It offers two markedly different visits. On ordinary weekdays, the historic centre is calm enough to notice courtyards, convent walls and the rhythm of Plaza de la Constitución. On Sunday morning, stalls and music fill the same streets for the municipal market. This is inland Villa de Teguise, not the east-coast resort of Costa Teguise; choose the town named Teguise on line 7 and check the return before wandering.
Why go
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The first town in the Canaries
Teguise was the first civil and urban settlement in the islands, and it is protected as a historic and artistic town.
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A famous Sunday market
More than 400 stalls fill the historic centre every Sunday morning.
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The sound of the islands
The Palacio Spínola houses a museum devoted to the timple, the small stringed instrument of the Canary Islands, with concerts through the year.
Checked – 2026 Sources: Turismo Lanzarote, Ayuntamiento de Teguise, Intercity Lanzarote
Make a day of it
What to do in Villa de Teguise
- Walk Don’t miss
Walk the old capital at street level
Begin around Plaza de la Constitución and let the lanes reveal white houses, basalt details and older civic and religious buildings. The value is in the ensemble rather than one rushed checklist, so leave time to look into side streets and pause where public access is clearly signed.
- Culture Don’t miss
Follow the island's cultural threads
Palacio Spínola houses the Casa-Museo del Timple, devoted to the small Canarian string instrument, while the fortress on Guanapay recalls centuries of raids. Verify present opening and access locally before building the visit around an interior or the uphill castle approach.
- Market Don’t miss
Choose market bustle or weekday calm
The municipality currently lists the Villa de Teguise market on Sunday mornings, with crafts and local products across the historic centre. Recheck the council page for holiday changes. Visit on another day when architecture and a slower lunch matter more than stalls.
- Market
The Sunday market
Crafts of every kind, ceramics, basketry and leatherwork, with cheeses, wines and products made from cactus and aloe.
Days of the week it is held
- M Monday
- T Tuesday
- W Wednesday
- T Thursday
- F Friday
- S Saturday
- S Sunday: held
Show all 7 Show fewer
- Culture
The Timple House Museum
The history of the Canary Islands’ own instrument, in the Palacio Spínola in the old quarter.
- Sight
Meet the Spínola lions
The lions in the main square, once owned by the Spínola family, draw curious visitors and children, who stop to stroke their backs.
- Culture
Pirates on the Guanapay volcano
The Santa Bárbara castle, on the volcano above the town, is now a museum of piracy with views over much of the island. It is a separate climb from the centre.
Checked – 2026 Sources: Turismo Lanzarote, Ayuntamiento de Teguise
A day here
How a day in Villa de Teguise feels
A plan built on the buses this guide already names. The departure times are in the board on this page; choose your bus back before you set out.
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Morning
Line 7 to the old capital
Take line 7 from Arrecife, whose route passes through Teguise. Do not follow buses marked Costa Teguise: that is a different place.
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Middle of the day
Museum or market, then lunch
On a weekday, start in the square and the timple museum; on a Sunday, let the market set the morning.
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Afternoon
One more lane, then line 7
Find your stop before the last coffee, and take line 7 back towards Arrecife. Sunday crowds make the centre slower to cross.
Checked Sources: Intercity Lanzarote, Turismo Lanzarote, Ayuntamiento de Teguise
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about Villa de Teguise
Which bus goes to Teguise and its Sunday market?
Line 7 from Arrecife passes through Teguise. From Costa Teguise, line 31 calls at the Ayuntamiento on every date checked and line 11 runs straight to the market on Sundays; each has a tab on this page's board.
Is Teguise the same place as Costa Teguise?
No. Villa de Teguise is the old inland capital; Costa Teguise is a separate coastal resort on a different corridor, so do not follow a bus merely marked Costa Teguise.
Checked Sources: Intercity Lanzarote
Good to know
Small details. Better days.
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Pick the character of your day
Sunday brings energy and crowds; a weekday makes the old town easier to read. If the market is essential, verify its schedule with the municipality rather than relying on an old travel listing.
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Prepare for stone and sun
Wear shoes suited to uneven paved lanes and carry water. Shade arrives in short stretches between buildings, while the route towards Guanapay is a separate, more exposed outing that needs its own access check.
Photos and film
Villa de Teguise in pictures
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Watch before you go
VISIT LANZAROTE Plays through YouTube’s privacy-enhanced player; nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. -
Market day below the church tower. Line 7 from Arrecife passes through Teguise; Sunday crowds slow the centre. Photo: Oliver Gargan, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons -
The Palacio Spínola, home of the timple museum. Take line 7, not a bus marked Costa Teguise. Photo: Dguendel, CC BY 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
Make room for something memorable
Book something around Villa de Teguise
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. Selected activity links open GetYourGuide; destination photos are illustrative. Check the date, current price, meeting point and what is included before booking.
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GerritR / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Lanzarote
Lanzarote full-day island highlights tour
An organised overview of Lanzarote's volcanic south and northern sights, useful when you want to cover places that do not form one simple public-bus day trip.
Why consider it Choose it for a first-day island overview or for Timanfaya and northern attractions without piecing together separate transport.
View experience: Lanzarote full-day island highlights tour on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Meeting point & getting there: Lanzarote full-day island highlights tour
Pickup options are listed for several resorts, including Arrecife, Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca. The provider confirms the exact point and time the day before; itineraries can change.
Current experiences on GetYourGuide
Tours and activities on Lanzarote as GetYourGuide lists them today, with current prices and reviews.
There’s more around the corner
Where next?
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GerritR / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 -
Frank Vincentz / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 -
Dguendel / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
Guide checked · How we check · Suggest a correction
Sources for this page
The sources this page cites, each with the date we checked it. Two dates mean the facts that cite it were checked on different days.
Intercity Lanzarote
- Line 7: Arrecife – Máguez Checked – 2026
- Line 11: Costa Teguise – Teguise Market (Sundays) Checked
- Line 31: Costa Teguise – Caleta de Famara Checked
Ayuntamiento de Teguise
- Municipality of Teguise market directory Checked – 2026
Turismo Lanzarote
- Teguise: history in the shadow of El Risco Checked – 2026
- Teguise and Caleta de Famara Checked – 2026
- Villa de Teguise market Checked
- Timple House Museum – Palacio Spínola Checked
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