Teguise Sunday Market: Lanzarote's Historic Capital

Villa de Teguise is a 10 minute drive inland from Costa Teguise, and on Sundays it hosts the largest open-air market in the Canary Islands. The town itself is worth the trip on any day of the week: it was the capital of Lanzarote from 1418 until 1847, and the old quarter still has the palaces, churches and whitewashed streets from that period. This is the practical guide we give to guests at Casa Los Alisios.

What is the Teguise Sunday market?

A weekly street market that takes over the entire historic centre of Villa de Teguise from 09:00 to 14:00 every Sunday of the year. Around 400 stalls spread through the plazas and the narrow streets around Plaza de la Constitución, selling leather goods, ceramics, aloe vera and cactus products, Canarian cheeses, wines, natural cosmetics, clothes, jewellery and plenty of tourist souvenirs.

On a typical Sunday around 10,000 visitors pass through. The atmosphere is a big part of the appeal. Folk musicians set up in the plaza with timple, guitar and panpipes, Canarian dancers perform at intervals, and the café terraces fill with people watching the street from under canvas umbrellas. The timple, the small five-string Canarian guitar, is believed to have developed in Lanzarote, so hearing it played in Teguise has a particular weight.

When should you go?

Go early. The market opens at 09:00, and the first hour is noticeably calmer than the rest of the morning. Coach tours start arriving from Puerto del Carmen, Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise around 10:30, and from then until about 12:30 the central streets are shoulder to shoulder. After 13:00 the stalls begin to pack down, so that is not the time to arrive.

A rough timing plan that works well from the villa:

• 08:40 leave Casa Los Alisios
• 09:00 park and walk in
• 09:00 to 10:30 browse the stalls while they are quiet
• 10:30 to 11:30 coffee and pastry in one of the plazas while the folk music is on
• 11:30 onwards walk up to the Castillo de Santa Bárbara for the view back over the town
• 13:00 drive home for lunch, or eat at one of the restaurants in Teguise

In summer, shade is limited and the plazas get hot. Bring a hat, water and cash in small notes. Not every stall takes card.

How do I get to Teguise from Costa Teguise?

The fastest route is the LZ-14 inland, about 8 km and 10 minutes. On Sunday mornings the traffic is fine before 10:00 and steady but moving after that. Once you climb up onto the plateau, Teguise is signposted clearly.

Parking is the usual bottleneck. As you approach the town, attendants wave cars into private plots around 500 metres out at roughly 2 euros for the day. You do not need to stop at the first one. If you keep driving towards the centre, public street parking appears as you get closer to Plaza San Francisco and is free if you can find a spot. Between 09:00 and 09:30 the free parking is realistic. After 10:00 the paid plots are the safer option.

Get directions from Casa Los Alisios

What else is worth seeing in Teguise?

Four monuments cluster within a ten minute walk of each other in the old quarter. On a market Sunday you can tick off all of them between stalls.

Palacio Spínola (Casa del Timple)

An 18th century mansion on Plaza de la Constitución (historically Plaza de San Miguel), now a museum dedicated to the Canarian timple. The rooms keep the original layout, with a central patio, a kitchen with Canarian ceramics, and a chapel. The museum side runs through the history of the instrument and usually has a short film. Admission is 3 euros, free for under-12s. Open Monday to Saturday 09:00 to 16:00, Sundays and public holidays 09:00 to 15:00.

Get directions from Casa Los Alisios

Castillo de Santa Bárbara and the Museo de la Piratería

A 16th century fortress built on the edge of the Guanapay volcano crater, about 1 km uphill from the town centre. This is the oldest castle in the Canary Islands, built by Sancho de Herrera in the 16th century and extended in the late 1500s after repeated pirate raids. Today it houses the Museum of Piracy, which tells the story of the Algerian, Moroccan and English corsairs who attacked Lanzarote repeatedly across two centuries, the worst being the 1618 raid that overran the town with a reported 5,000 buccaneers.

Admission is 3 euros, free for under-12s. Open Monday to Saturday 09:00 to 16:00, Sundays and public holidays 10:00 to 16:00. You can drive up or walk, the walk takes around 20 minutes from the centre and the view across Teguise and out to the Atlantic is the main reason to do it on foot.

Get directions from Casa Los Alisios

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

The main parish church on Plaza de la Constitución, founded in the early 15th century and the third church built in the Canary Islands. It has been damaged and rebuilt several times, most seriously by the 1909 fire that destroyed the roof and interior. The current three-nave layout dates to the 18th century, with the 20th century reconstruction after the fire. It is the tower you see in most photographs of the Sunday market.

Convento de Santo Domingo

A 17th century Dominican convent now used as an art gallery. Worth a quick look inside if the door is open on your visit. Hours vary by season and it is not always staffed, so treat it as a bonus rather than a plan.

Where should you eat in Teguise?

On market Sundays the plazas fill up fast and the wait for a table from 13:00 onwards is real. Several restaurants open onto Plaza de la Constitución and the surrounding streets, covering Canarian classics like cabrito (goat), fresh fish, papas arrugadas and Malvasía wine from La Geria. Not every Teguise restaurant opens on Sunday, so check the door before queueing. Cash or card both work in the restaurants; small cash is easier at the market food stalls.

If you prefer to eat at home, the villa is 10 minutes back and the Spar three minutes on foot covers everything for a quick lunch. Casa Los Alisios has a full kitchen and a terrace, which is a good option in August when the Teguise streets are hot at midday.

Can you visit Teguise on a non-Sunday?

Yes, and it is quite different. Without the market the town is calm, the plazas are empty enough to photograph properly, and the museums are easier. Palacio Spínola and the Castillo de Santa Bárbara keep the same opening hours Monday to Saturday. Many shops close on Monday, and some restaurants close on Sunday evening and Monday. Tuesday to Saturday is the sweet spot for a quiet visit.

If you are planning a full week of sightseeing from Costa Teguise, Teguise pairs naturally with the top things to see in Lanzarote to the north of the island, and with the best things to do in Costa Teguise closer to home. Many guests do the Sunday market plus Jameos del Agua and Mirador del Río as one long northern day.

Casa Los Alisios sits 10 minutes by car from Teguise town, with the Spar three minutes on foot for market-day essentials, parking at the door, and the communal pool for the afternoon once you are back from the heat.