Villages
Villages of Fuerteventura... Charming villages.
Corralejo
The most important tourist center in the north of the island was until not too long ago a fishing village, something that can still be seen in the old town, located in the vicinity of the Old Pier. The village is on the north coast looking towards the strait of Bocayna and the River, which is the arm of the sea that separates the island of Fuerteventura from the islet of Lobos. The tourist boom has been mainly due to the imposing beaches of golden sand and turquoise waters of the Dunas de Corralejo Natural Park. That is why the town has all kinds of services and a wide range of shops and leisure. Corralejo is also known among lovers of board sports, the north coast of the island is an unbeatable place for widsurfing, kitesurfing or surfing.
Lajares
10 minutes from Corralejo, Lajares is a quiet village of traditional houses where tourism has come in another way: rural houses, small restaurants and bars, craft shops, markets, etc. Even being far from the coast, it has become the meeting point for surfers and kiters from the north of the island.
El Cotillo
Fishing village on the northwest coast about 20 minutes from Corralejo. In its surroundings are some of the most beautiful beaches and coves of the island, totally wild beaches where you can enjoy the best sunsets on the island and your favorite board sport. The village has a wide range of restaurants famous for their fish dishes. On the outskirts is preserved intact a fortified tower of the eighteenth century, El Tostón.
Villaverde
Traditional village of farmers from the north center of the island, very close to La Oliva. From its position, nestled on the slope of the mountain of Escanfraga, you can admire beautiful views of the Bocayna strait, the islet of Lobos and Lanzarote. One of its points of interest, apart from its good restaurants of traditional Canarian food, is the Cueva del Llano.
La Oliva
Capital of the municipality, the town of La Oliva is a quiet rural town of great historical importance being the seat of the military government of the island during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. From this time the building that was the seat of government at that time is preserved, the Casa de los Coroneles, today restored and converted into a museum. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, La Oliva also experienced a great boom in its agriculture becoming an important exporter of grain and cochineal. On this aspect we can illustrate in the Grain Museum of La Cilla. Also worth a visit is the church of La Candelaria, the largest on the island.
Puerto del Rosario
Capital and main port of the island since the mid-nineteenth century. It is a small and modern city with a wide cultural offer, among which the Unamuno house museum, the sculpture park that covers the entire city, the Insular Auditorium or the Juan Ismael Art Center stand out. Of interest is also the old area near the port, which still retains the original layout and many of its first buildings, as well as the promenade and the small urban beach Playa Chica. In its vicinity it also has several beaches such as Playa Blanca or Playa del Janubio. Puerto del Rosario is the headquarters of the Insular Hospital and the airport.
Caleta de Fuste
Important tourist enclave in the center of the island, just 15 minutes from Puerto del Rosario and 5 from the airport. It has an important and complete hotel offer, as well as entertainment venues, restaurants, shopping centers, golf course, marina and a beach protected from currents and waves. An old fortified tower of the eighteenth century, El Castillo, and traditional lime kilns, the Lime Kilns of La Guirra, are preserved.
Antigua
Traditional village, farmer and rancher in the center of the island, it is one of the first and most important settlements after the conquest of Fuerteventura. The town has a great artisan activity with an important annual fair, the Insular Craft Fair, which is attended by artisans from all the islands and even the peninsula. It should be noted, apart from the traditional houses, the church of Our Lady of Antigua, whose first construction dates from the sixteenth century, the Mill of Antigua, traditional gofio mill, and the craft museum attached to the mill. Heading south extends one of the most breathtaking volcanic landscapes of the island, Malpaís Grande and Malpaís Chico.
Betancuria
Founded in 1404 by Jean de Bethencourt, it is the oldest city in the Canary Islands and the capital of the island from its foundation until the nineteenth century. Small village of whitewashed houses, cobbled streets and lush gardens, Betancuria is possibly the most beautiful village on the island, which together with its great historical-artistic heritage, is a must. Within the historic center include the Cathedral of Santa Maria, the Archaeological Museum and the Museum of Sacred Art.
Pajara
Pájara is the capital of the municipality of the same name that occupies the entire southwest of the island and the peninsula of Jandía, which is the largest in the Canary Islands. Village of farmers and ranchers that draws attention for the amount of vegetation and large trees in its streets and squares, as well as the church of Our Lady of Regla, a seventeenth-century building with a curious cover of bas-reliefs with iconography of Aztec inspiration.
Gran Tarajal
Fishing village in the southeast of the island that grew with its port due to the boom in livestock and agricultural exports from the island to the rest of the archipelago. It highlights its beautiful urban beach of fine volcanic sand, distinguished with a blue flag from the European Foundation for Environmental Education and its active marina that hosts every year in September the International Open of Deep Sea Fishing of the Canary Islands, a sport fishing event that attracts boats from all the islands.
Costa Calma
Tourist center located on the isthmus that separates the peninsula of Jandía from the rest of the island. It is a new city that, together with Morro Jable, has grown to the rhythm of the hotel complexes that began to be built in the late 70s. It has all the services that can be expected from a tourist town of the first order and on its shore begins the most extensive and famous beach on the island, Sotavento beach, with a length of more than 20 km and paradise for widsurfers and kiters.
Morro Jable
At the northernmost point of Fuerteventura, at the other end of Sotavento beach, and at the foot of Jandía, is the other great tourist center in the south of Fuerteventura, Morro Jable. Former fishing village grew as Costa Calma thanks to the tourism boom in the 80s. It has a wide range of commercial, hotel and restaurant activities at all levels, and a marina and commercial port with connection to Gran Canaria. The town is framed by the Natural Park of Jandía, where you will find the highest peaks of the island and more than 70 kilometers of beaches and wild coves.
