# Agaete and the North-West of Gran Canaria

Puerto de las Nieves and its lava pools, the Agaete Valley with coffee and wine, and the Cueva Pintada in Gáldar, 40 minutes from Las Palmas.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/canary-islands/agaete-and-north-west-gran-canaria · Revisado: 2026-11-13

The north-west of Gran Canaria is the corner where the island stops being sandy beach and turns into cliff, lava and ravine. Along 30 kilometres of coast there are three places that justify the trip from Las Palmas: Puerto de las Nieves, Agaete's port, with its natural pools and the Dedo de Dios at the foot of the Tamadaba cliffs; the Agaete Valley, a sheltered valley where coffee is grown and wine is made; and Gáldar, with the Cueva Pintada, the most important pre-Hispanic site on the island. In between, the Cenobio de Valerón and the Maipés necropolis complete a reading of the ancient Canarians that you won't find in the south.

## How do you get there from Las Palmas?

By car, along the GC-2, the northern dual carriageway. According to the town council, Agaete is about 30 km from the capital; the Maipés, 33.5 km and about 35 minutes; Gáldar, 27 km. Allow 40 minutes to Puerto de las Nieves in normal traffic. The Cenobio de Valerón comes earlier, on the Cuesta de Silva: exit 20 of the GC-2 and about 35 minutes from Las Palmas. It is a good first stop on the way out.

Without a car, take the guagua. Global's line 103 links Las Palmas with Gáldar, Agaete and Puerto de las Nieves, and the 130 does the same route as a semi-express. The 105 and the 100, which is direct, also reach Gáldar. With them you can see the Cueva Pintada, the port and the pools with no trouble. What is hard without a car is the valley: the 102 climbs from Gáldar with few departures. Check the day's timetables on Global's website, especially Sunday's and the last guagua back. The details are in Global buses from Las Palmas.

## Where to park?

In Gáldar, the Cueva Pintada museum points to the car park on Calle Guillén Morales: from there you walk to the museum, to Plaza de Santiago and to lunch. In Puerto de las Nieves you park by the port; on Sundays with good weather, arrive before midday. In the valley you park beside each place: the estate, the restaurant or the hotel.

## How much time?

One day covers the essentials if you plan it well: the Cueva Pintada in the morning, lunch in Gáldar or in the valley and the afternoon at the port until sunset. With one night, you can add, unhurried, the visit to the coffee and wine estate, the Maipés and a trial scuba dive in Sardina del Norte. You have two ready-made Sunday outings: Cueva Pintada and lava pools and coffee, wine and necropolis in the valley, and a one-night getaway that combines both.

## When to go?

All year. The north of Gran Canaria has a mild climate and you can enjoy the sea in any month; what rules at the Las Salinas pools is the swell, not the season. Spring and autumn have the best light and less heat on the Maipés lava, which has no shade. In summer, set out early. On 4 August is the Bajada de la Rama, Agaete's big festival: spectacular and packed.

Sunday deserves a mention of its own: it is the day when the Cueva Pintada is free for everyone, the day Casa Romántica and the Restaurante Agáldar open at lunchtime and the day the Maipés and the Cenobio also open. Monday is the opposite: the museum, both sites and several restaurants are closed.

## What to do

In Gáldar, the Cueva Pintada: a settlement of some sixty structures under cover, houses rebuilt at full size and the chamber painted in several colours. Allow 70 minutes. Nearby, in Sardina del Norte, Buceo Norte runs trial dives from the shore for over-10s.

In the Agaete Valley, the Finca La Laja: coffee bushes, vines and tropical fruit trees, with a guided visit and a tasting of three wines and coffee every day. On the way down, the Huerto de las Flores, a 19th-century tropical garden in the village, and the Maipés, some 700 aboriginal tombs on a lava flow.

In Puerto de las Nieves, the natural pools of Las Salinas, three lava pools joined by tunnels, and the walk to the 16th-century Nieves chapel, with its Flemish triptych and the view of the Dedo de Dios.

## Where to eat and stay

For eating, three registers: the tasting menu at Casa Romántica in the valley, open on Sunday at lunchtime; the modern Canarian cooking of the Restaurante Agáldar, in Gáldar's square, also open on Sunday; and fish by the sea at El Dedo de Dios, in the port.

For sleeping, the manor house of Finca Las Longueras in the valley, which accepts pets; the Hotel Agáldar, in an 1865 building next to the museum; or the Hotel Puerto de las Nieves, with a spa and a short walk from the sea.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Tejeda and Roque Nublo (a 14.5 km), Maspalomas Dunes and the South of Gran Canaria (a 41.3 km), Anaga Massif (a 70.2 km), Teide National Park (a 94.2 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Cueva Pintada Museum and Archaeological Park in Gáldar** (1 h 10 · All ages; no architectural barriers · €6 · reduced €3 · free on Sundays and for under-18s): What it is
The Cueva Pintada museum and archaeological park, in the centre of Gáldar, protects a village of the ancient Canarians with some sixty excavated structures and, at its heart, the painted chamber: a dug-out chamber with walls decorated in several colours, the best-known piece of Gran Canaria's archaeology. The route starts in the museum rooms, with audiovisual displays about pre-Hispanic society, the discovery of the cave and the excavations, and objects found in them. Then you go down into the archaeological park along walkways, among houses rebuilt at full size with their doors, roofs and walls.
Hours and price
From October to May it is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00 and Sundays and public holidays from 11:00 to 18:00; from June to September, Tuesday to Saturday from 10:30 to 19:30 and Sundays from 11:00 to 19:30. On Mondays it is closed all year, and also on 1, 5 and 6 January, 1 May and 24, 25 and 31 December. General admission costs €6; reduced, €3, for over-65s and students up to 23. Under-18s, the unemployed and people with disabilities get in free.
Sunday is free
Every Sunday admission is free, but it cannot be booked: tickets are handed out on the day at the museum, until capacity is full and with a maximum of two per person. Arrive at opening, at 11:00. On Sundays there is only a self-guided or assisted visit, with no guide. The rest of the week it is best to buy in advance on the museum's ticket website: capacity is limited and cash is no longer accepted.
Guided visits
In Spanish they leave every half hour from opening, with a maximum of 25 people. In English at 12:30, in German at 14:30 and in French at 15:00. The last guided tour leaves at 16:30 in winter and at 18:00 in summer.
Getting there
The museum is at Calle Audiencia 2, in the centre of Gáldar, about 27 km from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria along the GC-2. The nearest car park is at Calle Guillén Morales 1A. By bus, Global lines 103 and 105, and the 100, which runs direct between Las Palmas and Gáldar.
- **Las Salinas natural pools** (1 h 30 · Families and strong swimmers; beware of waves · Free): At the mouth of the Agaete ravine, at the northern end of Puerto de las Nieves, a lava flow runs into the sea and forms three natural pools linked by tunnels. They are free, on public coast and have no opening hours. What decides whether they are a peaceful swim or somewhere to look at from above is the state of the sea.
Three pools and their tunnels
The town council presents them as a bathing area and, thanks to the tunnels that connect the pools, also as a place to observe the local marine flora and fauna with diving equipment or, more simply, with a mask and snorkel. The beach around them, Las Salinas, is stony and has moderate waves. Do not expect sand or the services of an urban beach: the council's page gives it no showers, lifeguard or sun loungers.
The Paseo de los Poetas
You get there on foot from Avenida Paseo de los Poetas, the promenade that skirts the sea north of the port. If you come by car, park in the port and walk a few minutes. If you come without a car, Global bus line 103 links Las Palmas with Agaete and drops you in Puerto de las Nieves itself, as does the semi-direct 130.
Reading the sea before you go down
Go when the sea is calm. The north of the island receives the Atlantic swell, and when it is rough the water breaks over the lava: on that day, look from the promenade and do not get in. If in doubt, ask at the tourist office, in Puerto de las Nieves itself. At weekends with good weather it fills up; arriving in the morning helps you find a spot on the rocks.
With children
The pools work for children who already swim, always with an adult beside them and wearing water shoes, because the bottom and the edges are stone and lava. The tunnels between pools are not for little ones. If you want stiller water, Las Nieves beach, in front of the current quay, is stony with calm water and easy access.
Before or after your swim
The pools close off the port promenade to the north. At the other end are the Nieves chapel and the view of the Dedo de Dios, about ten minutes' walk away. For somewhere to sleep right by the pools, the Hotel Puerto de las Nieves is in the same port, and for lunch there is El Dedo de Dios on the road into the port, facing the sea.
- **Coffee and wine at Finca La Laja, in the Agaete Valley** (1 h 15 · Adults; with children, as a stroll round the estate): What it is
Finca La Laja is a family estate at the head of the Agaete Valley where coffee is grown, something that barely exists in Europe, alongside vines, orange and lemon trees, mangoes, papayas and avocados. The family makes the wines of the Bodega Los Berrazales there, with labels designed by Pepe Dámaso. The visit is the way to understand why this valley is different from the rest of the island: a sheltered microclimate between the walls of Tamadaba, with water and sun all year round.
What the visit is like
A guide takes you along the terraces: the coffee plantation and the process of the bean, from plant to cup; the tropical fruit trees; the chapel and the winery. It ends on a terrace with views of the valley and the tasting: three of the house wines, cheese, bread with chorizo, queque (a local sponge cake), sponge cake, homemade jams, coffee and water. It is run in Spanish and English.
Hours, booking and price
It is open every day from 9:00 to 18:00, with the last visit at 17:00. It closes on 23 December and on 1 and 6 January. For up to ten people there is no need to book; larger groups should book by phone or email. The website does not publish the price: confirm it when you call 628 922 588.
Getting there
From Agaete, take the valley road towards Los Berrazales; the estate is on Calle Los Romeros. You get there by car: Global bus line 102, from Gáldar to the Agaete Valley, exists but has few departures. Nearby, on the same road, is Casa Romántica for lunch.
- **Nieves Chapel and the view of the Dedo de Dios** (1 h · All ages; flat and pushchair-friendly · Self-guided · free): What it is
This is the walk that defines Puerto de las Nieves: from the quay to the chapel and from the seafront promenade to the view of the cliff. The cliffs drop from the Tamadaba pine forest to the sea and, at their foot, rises the Roque Partido, which everyone calls the Dedo de Dios (Finger of God): the image of the port.
The chapel
The chapel of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves was commissioned by Antón Cerezo in the second half of the 16th century, and fishermen's houses grew up around it. Inside it keeps the Flemish triptych of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, from the 16th century. The image of the Virgin stays here all year except from 5 to 17 August, when she goes up to the church of La Concepción in the town for its fiestas.
The walk
Set off from the quay, pass Las Nieves beach, with its stones and calm water in front of the quay, and climb to the chapel on Calle Antón Cerezo. Then continue along the seafront promenade: the cliff and the Dedo de Dios are best seen from the breakwater and from the promenade, especially in the low light of the afternoon. The same walk takes you to the Las Salinas pools.
Getting there
By car, about 40 minutes from Las Palmas along the GC-2; park in the port. By bus, Global line 103 goes right to Puerto de las Nieves.
- **Try-dive on Sardina del Norte beach** (3 h 30 · From age 10, no experience needed · Desde 89 € per person): Sardina del Norte is the small fishing harbour of Gáldar, on the coast north of the town centre, with a beach next to the quay that is one of the best-known dive spots in the north of the island. From that shore Buceo Norte runs its try-dives: your first time breathing underwater, with a qualified instructor all to yourself.
Before you get wet: questionnaire and video
The try-dive begins at home. When you book they send you a medical questionnaire and a video to watch before the day. If the questionnaire flags any health condition, the centre reviews it before the activity; with no contraindications, it goes ahead. From age 10 and in good health.
A morning in Sardina, step by step
Allow three to four hours in total. You arrive at the centre, on Avenida Alcalde Antonio Rosas, beside the beach, ask any questions, and the instructor explains how to breathe, move and communicate underwater, with a short talk about the seabed you are going to see. Then you are kitted out: wetsuit, vest, regulator, cylinder, fins and mask, all from the centre. You walk in from the shore, at your own pace, and descend gradually, normally to around 5 or 6 metres depending on the sea and how you feel. When you come out there is a review of the dive and you are given a certificate.
What is down there
Volcanic seabeds with rock fish, rays, soft corals and small species. The centre says you can sometimes see an angel shark camouflaged in the sand, though it makes no promises. Underwater there are no groups: one instructor per student, never a guide or a divemaster.
Price and booking
€89 per person. It includes an instructor on a one-to-one basis, all the equipment, insurance, a certificate, a profile on the SSI school's app, water and fruit. You bring swimwear and a towel. Book on the Buceo Norte website or on 628 10 74 79, also by WhatsApp. The centre is open from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 15:00 to 18:00; it is closed on Tuesdays, and in February and March also on Mondays.
If the north brings a heavy swell
When it is not possible to get in at Sardina, the try-dive takes place at Tufia or El Cabrón, on the east coast. Ask when booking where it will be that day and allow for the journey. Without a car, Global bus line 401 runs from Gáldar down to Puerto de Sardina. If afterwards you fancy some old town, the Cueva Pintada is in Gáldar, a few kilometres away.
- **Maipés Archaeological Park in Agaete** (45 min · All ages; the ground is volcanic stone · €3 · reduced €2 · free for under-10s): What it is
At the exit from Agaete towards the valley, on a lava badland spewed out by several volcanoes more than 3,000 years ago, the ancient Canarians built a cemetery of nearly 700 tombs. Some are over 1,300 years old. They are stone tumuli, almost always in the shape of a truncated cone; the largest reach eight metres in diameter and three in height, and many were topped with red or yellow stones that can still be made out. Inside, in a stone box made to measure, the deceased was laid wrapped in rush shrouds. It is one of the largest aboriginal necropolises in the Canary Islands and has been an Asset of Cultural Interest since 1974.
The visit
You walk along paths through the lava, with the walls of Tamadaba above. There are guided visits, best arranged by phone on 928 171 177. Allow about 45 minutes at an unhurried pace; more if you stop at the information panels.
Hours and price
From October to March, Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00; from April to September, until 18:00. It is closed on Mondays, on 1, 5 and 6 January, on 1 May, on 4 and 5 August and on 24, 25 and 31 December. General admission €3, valid for a year; reduced €2 for young people aged 10 to 14, students and over-65s; free for under-10s. The combined ticket with the Cenobio de Valerón costs €5.
Getting there
Go through Agaete in the direction of the valley following the signs. From Las Palmas it is 33.5 km, about 35 minutes. By bus, Global line 103 to Agaete, then on foot.
- **Huerto de las Flores** (40 min · All ages): The Huerto de las Flores is a 19th-century garden in the centre of Agaete, the upper town, not in the port. It was planted by the de Armas family, its former owners, with seeds brought from half the world and above all from America, and today it holds over a hundred tropical species that settled well in the valley. It is small: you can walk round it in a good half hour, in the shade.
Macadamias, mameys and a camphor tree
What you will see are trees and plants you do not expect to find on an Atlantic island: macadamia, güiro, mamey or the camphor tree, among other tropical species. Almost all the ones the town council names are fruit or aromatic trees: look closely at the leaves and the fruit.
The poets' garden
Three names of early 20th-century Canarian poetry spent long walks and hours of reading in this garden: Tomás Morales, Alonso Quesada and Saulo Torón. If you are with someone who likes literature, this is the detail that gives the visit its meaning: sitting where they used to sit.
Hours, guided tours and admission
It is open every day from 11:00 to 17:00, including Sundays and Mondays, when other places in the municipality are closed. From Tuesday to Saturday there are guided visits at 12:00 and 15:00, in Spanish and English, if at least ten people gather. They are arranged beforehand at the tourist office, on 928 554 382; for groups, also on 680 700 201. The town council website does not publish an admission price: ask at the office before you go.
On foot around the town
The Huerto is in the middle of the town, a couple of hundred metres from the Museo de la Rama and close to the church of La Concepción, so it combines well with a stroll round the centre. Puerto de las Nieves is a little over a kilometre away, downhill towards the sea: you can walk down to the Las Salinas pools for a swim afterwards. If you come by car, leave it in the town and do this part on foot.
How it fits into the day
It is a cool stop between the Maipés and the descent to the port. It also works as a plan B on a cloudy day or when there is a heavy swell and the rock pools do not appeal.
- **Cenobio de Valerón** (45 min · All ages · €3 · reduced €2 · free for under-10s): What it is
On the Cuesta de Silva, in Santa María de Guía, halfway between Las Palmas and Agaete, the ancient Canarians dug some 300 chambers more than 800 years ago into a natural tuff overhang 20 metres high and 27 wide. It was a collective, fortified granary: they kept the year's grain and the seed for the next harvest there, in an almost vertical wall safe from theft and pirates. Many chambers still show the slots for the doors and remains of the mortar used to seal them.
The visit
You walk along the front of the silos, hanging over the ravine, and see how the tuff was dug with stone and wood tools and how the chambers were connected on several levels. Allow about 45 minutes. If you are coming with a pushchair or wheelchair, call 618 607 896 beforehand to ask about access.
Hours and price
From October to March, Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00; from April to September, until 18:00. It is closed on Mondays, on 1, 5 and 6 January, on 1 May and on 24, 25 and 31 December. General admission €3, reduced €2, free for under-10s. The combined ticket with the Maipés of Agaete costs €5.
Getting there
From the GC-2, take exit 20 towards the GC-291 and follow the signs for the site. From Las Palmas it is 22 km, about 35 minutes. It is on the way if you are heading to Gáldar and Agaete: a good first stop.
- **Bajada de la Rama in Agaete** (4 h · For anyone who can cope with crowds and heat · Free): The Bajada de la Rama (the Descent of the Branch) is the most popular event of the fiestas of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, Agaete's patron saint, and the festival that brings the most people to the Villa all year. It is held every 4 August and has been declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest since 1972. There is no ticket or registration: all you need to do is be in the street.
4 August, branch in hand
Thousands of people leave the centre of the town for the upper part, cut branches and dance down with them to the sanctuary of the Virgen de las Nieves. The music is provided by one of the town's two bands, which accompanies the procession on its way down. Expect several hours on the street, August sun and a lot of people packed into narrow streets.
The papagüevos clear the way
At the front come the papagüevos, cardboard big-heads that represent popular characters of the town. They spin round with enormous hands and swat at the crowd to clear a path. Children find them impressive; if you are with little ones, explain what they are about to see beforehand and stand to one side.
From 5 to 17 August, the Virgin comes up to the town
5 August is the Villa's main festival, in honour of its patron saint. The image of the Virgen de las Nieves lives the rest of the year in her chapel in Puerto de las Nieves, the one with the 16th-century Flemish triptych, and from 5 to 17 August she stays in the church of La Concepción in the town centre. If you cannot make it on the 4th, the town is still in festive mood for those two weeks and the image can be seen in the parish church. The Nieves chapel is worth a visit on any other day.
Getting there, parking and enduring it
Agaete fills up and parking that day is almost impossible. Global bus line 103 links Las Palmas with Agaete and Puerto de las Nieves via Gáldar; check the company's website for that day's timetable before setting out. Wear clothes that can get stained, closed shoes, and bring water and a cap. The Maipés Archaeological Park is closed on 4 and 5 August, so do not count on it for the morning.
The Museo de la Rama, the rest of the year
If you come at another time, the small Museo de la Rama, in the town centre, tells the story of the festival, its traditions, its music and pictures from other years, and shows the papagüevos up close. The visit ends with the religious meaning of the festival. It is open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00 and on Saturdays from 10:00 to 13:30. Guided visits are requested beforehand at the tourist office, on 928 554 382.

## Dónde comer
- **Casa Romántica** (Restaurant, Agaete Valley, €€€€). Qué pedir: the tasting menu; if you want something simpler, the terrace is open from 12:00 to 18:00
- **Agáldar Restaurant** (Restaurant, Gáldar, €€€). Qué pedir: whatever is in season and the fish of the day; ask for a table on the terrace if the weather is good
- **El Dedo de Dios restaurant** (Restaurant, Puerto de las Nieves, €€). Qué pedir: the fresh fish of the day, squid and a brothy rice to share

## By car: By car along the GC-2, from the Cenobio to the valley
With a car you can fit into one day what takes two by bus: the GC-2 runs along the north coast from Las Palmas and puts the Cenobio de Valerón, Gáldar and Agaete within easy reach. From Agaete, the valley road climbs among coffee plantations to Los Berrazales: narrow and winding, but not difficult.
Presupuesto orientativo: 70–140 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Finca Las Longueras** (Small hotel, desde 89 € / night): A manor house at the head of the valley
Las Longueras is the house of the estate that the Manrique de Lara family held in the Agaete Valley from the 17th century. In the mid-19th century, Francisco Manrique de Lara modernised its 173 hectares, and the current building, red with white balconies, began to be built in 1895 to a design by the Catalan Laureano Arroyo Velasco. His grandson finished the chapel, with a neo-Gothic altarpiece dedicated to the Virgen de los Dolores. Inside there is Anglo-Canarian furniture and paintings by Canarian artists such as César Manrique, Pepe Dámaso and Manolo Ruiz.
The rooms
Every one is different, decorated with its own fabrics and colours. There are doubles with garden views, from €124 a night and for up to three people; a single with views of the valley and the sea, from €89; two large suites for families, for up to four people in two separate spaces, from €133; and two junior suites 70 metres from the main house, from €147. They have air conditioning and free wifi.
The estate
What you enjoy here is the garden: collections of cacti and Canarian flora, a long pergola walk of vines, fruit trees, poinsettias, heliconias and orange groves among acacias and royal palms. There is a pool and a bicycle room. Pets are welcome: they have kilometres of estate to walk on and a fenced play area below the pool, with rules that the hotel publishes on its website.
Getting there
It is in the Agaete Valley, at the edge of town on the way inland. You need a car: from Las Palmas, about 40 minutes along the GC-2 to Agaete and then the valley road. From the house you have the Maipés nearby and, further up the valley, the coffee and wine estate.
- **Hotel Emblemático Agáldar** (Small hotel): Sleeping in the centre of Gáldar
The Hotel Emblemático Agáldar occupies a restored 1865 building on Plaza de Santiago, the heart of the old town of Gáldar, the first capital of Gran Canaria. It is the way to sleep within walking distance of everything: the Cueva Pintada is a couple of minutes on foot, and the buses to Las Palmas and Agaete stop in the town.
The rooms
There are 20, named after pre-Hispanic society. The Harimaguada rooms, for two, are partly on the upper floor beside the pool and partly open to the inner patio of ferns. The Faycán rooms, for two, are upstairs, with tall windows and views. The Semidán rooms, also for two, are bright. The Atis Tirma sleeps three. There is free wifi and luggage storage, and the hotel offers early check-in and late check-out subject to availability.
Pool, terrace and restaurant
Upstairs there is an outdoor pool with a sun deck, a rooftop bar and a second-floor terrace that looks over the old town and the Santiago bell tower. Downstairs, the Agáldar Restaurant serves modern Canarian cooking; it is open Wednesday to Sunday and closed Monday and Tuesday. Check-in is at 14:00 and check-out at 11:00.
Getting there
By car, about 30 minutes from Las Palmas along the GC-2; the hotel does not advertise its own parking, and the public car park closest to the museum is on Calle Guillén Morales. Without a car, Global bus lines 103 and 105 and the direct 100 link Las Palmas with Gáldar.
- **Hotel Puerto de las Nieves** (Spa hotel): A spa hotel in the port
The Hotel Puerto de las Nieves is a family-run four-star hotel in Puerto de las Nieves itself, a few minutes' walk from the quay, the chapel and the Las Salinas pools. Turismo de Gran Canaria places it on Calle Alcalde José de Armas. It is the choice for sleeping by the sea without touching the car: you dine in the port, watch the sunset over the cliff and in the morning swim in the rock pools.
Rooms
According to the official listing, all of them are soundproofed. There are twelve doubles with a large terrace, with two sun loungers, two chairs and a parasol, facing the sunsets over the port; doubles with a sitting area; and junior suites that sleep up to five people, useful for a family. The hotel has a buffet dining room, a café, an à la carte restaurant and private parking.
The spa
The Spa Las Nieves has a water circuit with pressure jets, a counter-current swimming lane, bubble beds, a jacuzzi and a contrast pool, plus massages, mud and seaweed wraps and beauty treatments. It admits up to 25 people at a time. Ask when booking about the hours and whether it is included.
Getting there
By car, about 40 minutes from Las Palmas along the GC-2. Without a car, Global bus line 103 goes right to Puerto de las Nieves. From the hotel you can walk to the Nieves chapel and the Las Salinas pools.
### Servicios
- **Car park next to the Cueva Pintada**: The car park the museum recommends, on Calle Guillén Morales in Gáldar, a few minutes' walk from the entrance

## Car-free: Car-free, on the Global buses
The north-west can be done by bus if you choose your base well. Global line 103 links Las Palmas with Gáldar, Agaete and Puerto de las Nieves; the 105 and the 100 reach Gáldar. With them you have the Cueva Pintada, the port and the Las Salinas pools. The valley and the coffee estate are the hard part: the 102 climbs from Gáldar with few departures.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–120 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hotel Emblemático Agáldar** (Small hotel): Sleeping in the centre of Gáldar
The Hotel Emblemático Agáldar occupies a restored 1865 building on Plaza de Santiago, the heart of the old town of Gáldar, the first capital of Gran Canaria. It is the way to sleep within walking distance of everything: the Cueva Pintada is a couple of minutes on foot, and the buses to Las Palmas and Agaete stop in the town.
The rooms
There are 20, named after pre-Hispanic society. The Harimaguada rooms, for two, are partly on the upper floor beside the pool and partly open to the inner patio of ferns. The Faycán rooms, for two, are upstairs, with tall windows and views. The Semidán rooms, also for two, are bright. The Atis Tirma sleeps three. There is free wifi and luggage storage, and the hotel offers early check-in and late check-out subject to availability.
Pool, terrace and restaurant
Upstairs there is an outdoor pool with a sun deck, a rooftop bar and a second-floor terrace that looks over the old town and the Santiago bell tower. Downstairs, the Agáldar Restaurant serves modern Canarian cooking; it is open Wednesday to Sunday and closed Monday and Tuesday. Check-in is at 14:00 and check-out at 11:00.
Getting there
By car, about 30 minutes from Las Palmas along the GC-2; the hotel does not advertise its own parking, and the public car park closest to the museum is on Calle Guillén Morales. Without a car, Global bus lines 103 and 105 and the direct 100 link Las Palmas with Gáldar.
- **Hotel Puerto de las Nieves** (Spa hotel): A spa hotel in the port
The Hotel Puerto de las Nieves is a family-run four-star hotel in Puerto de las Nieves itself, a few minutes' walk from the quay, the chapel and the Las Salinas pools. Turismo de Gran Canaria places it on Calle Alcalde José de Armas. It is the choice for sleeping by the sea without touching the car: you dine in the port, watch the sunset over the cliff and in the morning swim in the rock pools.
Rooms
According to the official listing, all of them are soundproofed. There are twelve doubles with a large terrace, with two sun loungers, two chairs and a parasol, facing the sunsets over the port; doubles with a sitting area; and junior suites that sleep up to five people, useful for a family. The hotel has a buffet dining room, a café, an à la carte restaurant and private parking.
The spa
The Spa Las Nieves has a water circuit with pressure jets, a counter-current swimming lane, bubble beds, a jacuzzi and a contrast pool, plus massages, mud and seaweed wraps and beauty treatments. It admits up to 25 people at a time. Ask when booking about the hours and whether it is included.
Getting there
By car, about 40 minutes from Las Palmas along the GC-2. Without a car, Global bus line 103 goes right to Puerto de las Nieves. From the hotel you can walk to the Nieves chapel and the Las Salinas pools.
### Servicios
- **Global buses from Las Palmas**: Line 103 to Agaete and Puerto de las Nieves · 105 and 100 to Gáldar · 102 from Gáldar to the Agaete Valley

## As a family: Archaeology on a small scale and lava pools

The north-west works with children because everything is short: a one-hour visit, a swim, a walk. And almost everything is cheap or free for them: under-18s do not pay at the Cueva Pintada, and under-10s do not pay at the Maipés or the Cenobio either.

### What works best
The Cueva Pintada: aboriginal houses rebuilt at full size, on a route with no architectural barriers

The Las Salinas natural pools, with a calm sea and water shoes

The Cenobio de Valerón: 300 silos in a wall, easy to understand

The Huerto de las Flores, in the shade, open every day

### Sleeping
The family suites at Finca Las Longueras, with a pool and garden

The junior suites at the Hotel Puerto de las Nieves, up to five people

### Eating
The terrace at Casa Romántica, more informal than the dining room

Fish and papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes) in the port

### Bear in mind
On the Maipés lava there is no shade and no surface for a pushchair

With a northern swell, there is no swimming in the pools

On Mondays the museum and the archaeological sites are closed

### Qué hacer as a family
- Cueva Pintada Museum and Archaeological Park in Gáldar
- Las Salinas natural pools
- Coffee and wine at Finca La Laja, in the Agaete Valley
- Nieves Chapel and the view of the Dedo de Dios
- Maipés Archaeological Park in Agaete
- Huerto de las Flores
- Cenobio de Valerón

## With teenagers: A first dive and a hanging granary

For a teenager the hook is the water: breathing under the sea for the first time at Sardina or going through the tunnels of the Las Salinas pools. The archaeology goes down better afterwards, in one-hour doses.

### What works best
The try-dive at Sardina del Norte, from age 10, €89

The Las Salinas pools with a mask and snorkel

The Cenobio de Valerón, hanging on the wall of the ravine

The Cueva Pintada, free for under-18s

### Sleeping
Hotel Agáldar, with a rooftop pool and the town on foot

Hotel Puerto de las Nieves, by the sea

### Eating
Fish and squid at El Dedo de Dios

Agáldar Restaurant after the museum

### Bear in mind
The dive centre is closed on Tuesdays

There is no direct bus to the valley: the coffee estate needs a car

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Cueva Pintada Museum and Archaeological Park in Gáldar
- Las Salinas natural pools
- Try-dive on Sardina del Norte beach
- Maipés Archaeological Park in Agaete
- Cenobio de Valerón

## Consejos

### Go to the Cueva Pintada on Sunday
It is free, but tickets are handed out that day and can't be reserved: arrive at 11:00.

### Start at the Cenobio
It is on the way from Las Palmas and opens at 10:00.

### Finish at the port
The sunset falls behind the Tamadaba cliff.

### Get the combined ticket
For €5 you see the Maipés and the Cenobio de Valerón.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Las Palmas to Agaete?
About 40 minutes by car along the GC-2 to Puerto de las Nieves. By guagua, Global line 103.

### Can you go without a car?
Yes, to Gáldar and Puerto de las Nieves, with Global lines 103, 105 and 100. The Agaete Valley is harder without a car.

### When is the Cueva Pintada free?
Every Sunday, and always for under-18s. Free tickets are collected that day at the museum.

### Where can you swim in Agaete?
In the natural pools of Las Salinas, in Puerto de las Nieves, with calm water.

### What is there in the Agaete Valley?
Coffee estates, vines and tropical fruit trees, the visit to Finca La Laja and rural houses.

### Are the sites open on Sundays?
Yes. The Cueva Pintada, the Maipés and the Cenobio de Valerón open on Sunday and close on Monday.