A road trip through the North - Arucas, Teror, Firgas, Gáldar, Sardina, Guía

We had high expectations for this day—we wanted to explore the north of the island. Since it was market day in Teror, we started our tour there. This small town with its colonial architecture is quite charming.

The exquisitely carved wooden balconies are omnipresent here as well. We strolled through the picturesque alleys of the old town to the Basilica of Nuestra Señora del Pino, one of the most important religious buildings on the island.

Then we plunged into the hustle and bustle of the weekly market around the main square.

The products available there don’t differ much from those at other markets on the island, but the atmosphere is truly unique.

From Teror, we drove on to Arucas. The village is well-known for its rum factory.

You can tour it and learn a lot about the cultivation of sugar cane on the island, the different types of rum, and the history of rum production.

At the end of the tour, you have the opportunity to sample numerous products. But caution—it's easy to lose track of how much alcohol you're consuming. I’ve not always had good experiences here. But the rum is definitely delicious.

After the tasting, we explored the town. Arucas is a small town located 12 km from Las Palmas. Its idyllic centre is a protected monument.

The Church of San Juan Bautista was built at the beginning of the 20th century and stands on the spacious Plaza de San Juan. We strolled leisurely through the narrow lanes of this beautiful town, drank coffee in a small bar, and tried some tapas.

Then it was time to move on to Firgas. This is the source of the island’s most famous mineral water. Particularly noteworthy is the artificially constructed waterfall in the centre of the town, which flows down several terraces lined with artistically painted tiles.

From the church square, you enjoy a wonderful view over the green north stretching to the sea.

Our next destination was Gáldar, another small town in the north. Gáldar feels more urban than the other places. There is a shopping street that doubles as a pedestrian zone, with numerous shops offering diverse goods.

Again, the charming town centre is a protected monument. The church is particularly impressive.

We walked through the alleys, did a bit of shopping—there was another branch of my favourite store here—and also explored the market.

The highlight, however, was visiting the “Cueva Pintada.” There, you gain a good insight into the life of the island’s indigenous people.

You can see their typical round dwellings as well as pottery and tools. You also get to admire unique cave paintings.

A few kilometers from Gáldar lies Guía, another picturesque small town built in colonial style. Again, the centre is protected.

Especially beautiful is the main square of Guía with its lovely church.

Compared to Gáldar, the place feels very sleepy and quiet. You almost feel transported back in time.

Having visited so many pretty little towns, we felt drawn to the coast. So we drove to the lighthouse of Sardina del Norte.

There, you see a completely different Gran Canaria—nothing like the tourist crowds and concrete holiday complexes of the south.

Perched on a cliff, the lighthouse is surrounded by steep rocks, and there’s a constant strong wind. Waves crash meters-high against the steep cliffs. The atmosphere is unique. We were alone at the lighthouse; the landscape there is at once rugged, inhospitable, and romantic. A wonderful place.

As it was already quite late, our stomachs were growling more and more.

We decided to continue to Puerto de las Nieves. In this fishing village, you’ll find the best fish restaurants. We went directly to one of them. We planned to visit the village another day; now we just wanted to eat.

The tapas we ordered as a starter were absolutely delicious.

For the main course, we had freshly caught fish and wonderful seafood, accompanied by oven-warm bread, crisp salad and cold Canarian wine.

It was a feast.

It was already dark when we set off again, well fed and happy. The more-than-one-hour drive from the far north back to San Agustín followed, where we ended the day comfortably on the terrace.