Arrecife is best walked. Most of what's worth seeing — the two small fortresses, the Charco de San Ginés tidal lagoon, the old town's narrow streets — is within about a kilometre of the seafront. The Castillo de San José, a few kilometres along the coast, holds the contemporary art collection that the visionary César Manrique designed for the island and is the single best reason to stop in the capital.
The town's character is everyday Canarian rather than touristed — fishermen still tie up at the lagoon, the daily market is filled with locals, and the back streets are quiet outside of the morning and evening rush.