Teguise was the capital of Lanzarote for more than four centuries, until the provincial government moved to the port of Arrecife in 1852, and it has the faded dignity of a city that remembers being important. The old town is a grid of whitewashed houses with green or blue shutters, small plazas and low churches, laid out on a plain in the interior of the island, away from the coast. The reason for the inland position was pirates. In the sixteenth century, raiders from North Africa and Europe regularly descended on the coast, and in 1586 the Algerian corsair Murat Reis sacked Teguise itself, so the island's rulers wisely kept their capital out of sight of the sea.
The name comes from Teguise, a native princess who, according to tradition, married the Norman conqueror Maciot de Béthencourt in the early fifteenth century. Her likeness appears in town sculptures, and her name is on a good many shop signs. Above the town, the Castillo de Santa Bárbara stands on the crater of the Guanapay volcano, a little fortress built in the sixteenth century to watch for pirates, and now holds a museum of piracy. The climb is short and the view across the plain to the coast is the best on the island.
Sunday morning is when Teguise comes alive. The weekly market fills the main square and the streets around it, with stalls selling crafts, jewellery, clothes, cheese, aloe vera products and plenty of things you do not need, and it draws visitors from all over the island. Arrive early or expect crowds and slow-moving traffic. On other days, the town is quiet, and the narrow lanes are a good place to walk and look at the architecture.
The roads around Teguise cross a wide plain of black volcanic soil dotted with palms, and they are gentle and open. The wind is constant, sometimes strong, and can catch a bike off guard on exposed sections. The surface is generally good, the traffic is moderate, and corners are mostly gentle. Hairpins appear only when the road climbs toward Haría and the northern cliffs. The island is sparse and dry, with stone walls protecting plants and strange, volcanic shapes in every direction.
Teguise has fuel stations, supermarkets and a decent selection of cafés and restaurants, so it is a sensible base. Local dishes include fresh fish, goat cheese and wrinkled potatoes with mojo, a salty garlic and chilli sauce. Visit on a weekday if you want peace, or Sunday if you want the market and do not mind sharing.