The Charco de San Ginés, Arrecife's living room

The Charco is a seawater lagoon in the middle of Arrecife, joined to the ocean by a channel. Around it stand low white houses and an unbroken promenade: it is the most photographed corner of the capital and, at the same time, the place where locals actually go out.

The blue fishing boats stay moored inside the lagoon and settle on the bottom with the tide — the image that ends up on every postcard of the island.

When to go

The full walk round is short and best at sunset, when the water takes the colour of the façades. Terraces fill from 8pm and stay busy late.

During the Fiestas de San Ginés in mid-August the Charco is the centre of everything: concerts, the procession and the dance that closes the night.

Sources: Ayuntamiento de Arrecife; Cabildo de Lanzarote.