Fuerteventura Neighborhoods, Locations, Towns and Villages

(Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain)

One of the most historic of the Canary Islands, Fuerteventura is home to many of the Canary's best sandy beaches, together with spectacular year-round weather. Fuerteventura is a particularly beautiful island and contains many notable towns, villages and districts, all of which have something different and unique to offer those visiting this island.

The capital of Fuerteventura, Puerto del Rosario is a busy coastal town with plenty of entertainment options and fine dining, while the central villages of Antigua and Betancuria are the places to head for more historic attractions. Notable tourist hotspots on the island include the resorts of Caleta de Fuste, Corralejo, Costa Calma and Morro Jable, all of which offer spectacular beaches, a range of water sports and plenty of things to see and do during the evenings.

Puerto del Rosario

The capital of Fuerteventura, Puerto del Rosario literally translates as 'Port of the Rosary' and is a small town with a population of around 24,000. Almost half of the island's entire population live in Puerto del Rosario and much of this town is based around the busy port, rather than tourism. Puerto del Rosario began to gain importance during the mid-19th century, when its harbour brought much wealth to the area. Situated on the eastern coast of Fuerteventura, central Puerto del Rosario lies away from the harbour and features a good selection of shops, restaurants, bars and hotels. Many of these are based around the Calle León y Castillo, which leads to the port, and along the Avenida Juan de Betancourt. Dissecting this street, the Avenida Primero de Mayo is one of the island's main business hubs, although it is relatively small.

Highlights in this part of Fuerteventura include the Casa Museo de Unamuno - a notable local museum, the Casa de la Cultura - a cultural centre holding regular exhibitions, and a good nightlife which includes Camelot - a medieval-style venue often featuring live music, and Coyote - known for its cocktails and live entertainment. Puerto del Rosario also features harbour cruises, fine dining, a harbour promenade, traditional Canarian-style houses, and a popular sandy beach with good waves, which is located on the eastern side, close to the port, with a number of further beaches nearby.

Antigua

One of Fuerteventura's largest and oldest inland villages, located in the centre of the island, the main attraction in Antigua is the historic 18th-century church - the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Antigua, the most historic church on the island. Antigua is also known for its magnificent windmill, which has been fully restored as is now home to a cultural centre and popular arts and crafts shop, selling a range of local handicrafts.

Once the capital of Fuerteventura for just one year, Antigua has a population of around 3,500 and features a busy fishing port - the Pozo Negro, frequent open-air markets, and good general amenities, with regular buses stopping here when travelling between Puerto del Rosario and Morro Jable. On the outskirts of the town you will find the island's own television station, which broadcasts to the whole island. Also nearby, the popular resort of Caleta de Fuste is an appealing place to visit.

Betancuria

Betancuria is a central village and was the capital of Fuerteventura until 1834. With a scenic location in the Basalt hills, overlooking a beautiful valley, Betancuria now has a population of less than 1,000 and was attacked by pirates many times during the 16th and 17th centuries. Betancuria was founded in 1405 and is one of thes most historic spots on the island, with a rich past and a number of ancient buildings, including the island's first monastery, together with several notable restaurants.

Also of interest in Betancuria, the 17th-century Iglesia de Santa Maria retains many significant period features and impressive architecture, with a particularly beautiful altarpiece and a nearby museum, the Museo Arte de Sacro, containing a mixture of religious art. The Casa Museo de Betancuria is another popular local museum, housing an interesting collection of Guanche treasures, together with an adjoining craft centre. To the north of Fuerteventura's Betancuria village you will find a number of lookout points offering spectacular views, including the nearby Mirador Morro Velosa.

Caleta de Fuste

One of the main tourist resorts on the island, Caleta de Fuste is a spreading town and conveniently close to the airport, on the eastern coast of Fuerteventura. Known for its high concentration of hotels, restaurants and family attractions, Caleta de Fuste has long been a tourist hotspot, with spectacular scenery and an attractive coastline, with a harbour area and good beach, refreshed with imported sand.

One of the main landmarks in this part of Fuerteventura is the El Castillo tower, which is now part of the Barceló Club bungalow complex. Caleta de Fuste also features a regular market each Saturday morning, close to the tourist office, together with a range of water sports, including scuba diving, windsurfing between the beach and the harbour, sailing and catamaran cruises from the port, and even underwater trips aboard the bright yellow 'Nautilus' submarine. Known throughout Fuerteventura for its lively nightlife, many of the top entertainment venues in Caleta de Fuste are family friendly and suitable for children.

Corralejo

Corralejo is a quality tourist resort and one of the highlights on Fuerteventura, being located on the far northern tip of the island, with a population of around 6,000. A lively spot attracting all ages, Corralejo offers an exceptional selection of white sandy beaches and eye-catching dunes, which are spacious are provide plenty of room for everyone. The beaches of Corralejo are amongst the best on Fuerteventura and feature many facilities and nearby amenities, including sun beds, umbrellas and a range of water sports, together with nearby shops, restaurants and bars.

With a small passenger harbour where many of the main businesses, shops and dining venues and concentrated, much of Corralejo is laid out as an organised gridwork of roads and intersecting streets, which are easy to navigate around. The Parque Natural de Corralejo is a must-see nature park, which stretches for around 10 km / 6 miles along the coastline and is a fairly breezy spot, known for its kitesurfing, with beach areas for sunbathing. Corralejo's Atlantico Commercial centre offers a range of night-time entertainment and is surrounded by things to do and places to eat, whatever the time.

Costa Calma

Situated around 25 km / 16 miles to the northeast of Morro Jable, Costa Calma is a busy resort located on the southern side of Fuerteventura. The beaches here are magnificent and feature clean white sand, with good conditions for windsurfing and sailing, amongst other water sports. One of the most noteworthy beaches in the Costa Calma area is Sotavento beach, which is particularly suitable with families and young children, being backed by large sand dunes. Costa Calma is within easy reach of the Parque Natural de Jandia and is a popular day trip. Close to Costa Calma, La Lajita is famous for being home to the La Lajita Zoo, also known as Oasis Park , offering an enormous array of animal attractions, together with landscaped botanical gardens. Also nearby, the fishing hamlets of Giniginamar and Tarajelejo feature quiet beaches, sailing and camping.

El Cotillo

Close to Corralejo, El Cotillo stands on the northern side of Fuerteventura and is a quiet and traditional fishing village, full of charm and character. A quiet spot with attractive scenery, El Cotillo's Fortaleza del Tostón, a small stone fort, is perhaps the most significant landmark here. Several excellent beaches can be found to the south of El Cotillo, including the Playa del Castillo, the Playa del Algibe de la Cueva, and the Playa del Águila.

La Oliva

A small, yet busy town in the centre of northern Fuerteventura, La Oliva has a population of less than 3,000. With a rich heritage and culture, La Oliva stands to the south of the popular Corralejo tourist resort and is home to a mixture of historic buildings, a number of which date back to the 18th century, such as the Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria, and the Casa de los Coroneles, where the island's military governors once lived. Once an important political centre on Fuerteventura, today La Oliva is perhaps best known for its museums, which include the Casa Mane Art Centre (Centro de Arte Canario Casa Mane) - an impressive art gallery with many local works or art, including paintings by Alberto Manrique; and the La Cilla Museum of Grains (Museo de Casa de la Cilla) - which celebrates the history of the island's traditional farming industry

Morro Jable / Peninsula de Jandia

Part of the scenic Peninsula de Jandia and southwest of Costa Calma, Morro Jable is Fuerteventura's most southerly town and a major tourist resort in its own right, with an attractive coastline, a quaint harbour and around 7,000 inhabitants. Morro Jable beach is perhaps the main highlight here, known locally as the Playa del Matorral, featuring miles of stunning sandy stretches, a busy harbour and a prominent lighthouse, which splits the main beach into two distinct areas.

Conditions in Morro Jable are perfect for a variety of water sports and many people visit this part of Fuerteventura to enjoy the windsurfing, sailing, jet skiing and fishing on offer here. The main nightlife attractions here are clustered along the beachfront and around the nearby Cosmo Centro Comercial centre, where you can find a selection of discos, pubs, bars and restaurants, a number of which offer impressive coastal views. Many additional beaches can be found nearby Morro Jable, around the Peninsula de Jandia area, which include some of the best coastlines.