The city of Arucas is a district that offers important architectural and urban assets. The city centre, declared a site of historic-artistic interest, is a place visitors must not fail to see.
The Parish Church of San Juan Bautista the leading architectural and social monument in the municipality. It was built entirely in Arucas stone by local master masons, and it dates from 1909. Apart from the wealth of the carved stone columns and column heads, there are also some beautiful stained glass windows, the works of Canary Island painter Cristobal Hernandez de Quintana, and an extraordinary carving of the Reclining Christ, by Manuel Ramos.
The church faces onto Plaza de San Juan and close by, is the unfinished neo-classical building of the Teatro Nuevo (1906).
Plaza de la Constitucion is the site of the Town Hall and the Municipal Market. Both these buildings are great architectural Works, as is the Cultural Centre, a traditional 17th century Canary Island house that includes an inner courtyard with balconies and a magnificent specimen of a dragon tree.
The Gourié House, built in the early 19th century, is an old house from the Feudal Estate of Arucas that now houses the Arucas Municipal Museum surrounded by extraordinary ornamental gardens.
An outstanding feature of Arucas is the Rum Museum and Factory, founded on 1884, which can be visited at any time and is considered one of the historic buildings of the municipality, due to the tradition of rum making in the town. The warehouse, one of the most important of Europe, has been visited by numerous personalities that have left his paragraph in the casks of oak.
Another of the main visits in Arucas is to the Casa y Jardín de la Marquesa (The Marquise’s Palace and Gardens). This is an interesting architectural and natural site that belongs to the Marquise of Arucas. The house was built in 1880 and the spacious Romantic style gardens around the house can also be visited.
If you prefer to see the natural setting of the city, then you can climb Montaña de Arucas, an excellent vantage point offering one of the most beautiful views of the north of the island from any one of its look out points.
Finally, visitors coming to Arucas must not miss the chance to visit "La Cantera" Stone Quarry. Located very close to the historic quarter, this is one of the municipality’s historic quarries, where visitors can buy small craft souvenirs made from the famous blue stone of Arucas.
The coast of Arucas offers several alternatives for visitors, be they beaches or more rugged areas.
The following are the main beaches of the municipality: Playa de Bañaderos-El Puertillo and Playa de San Andres. Both these are rock and sand beaches but conditions are usually good for swimming. Moreover, they have showers and life guard service. Despite the typical big waves of this area, these are very popular beaches with the people of the north of the island.
The municipality also has other small coves and rocky beaches that are not so popular because the conditions for swimming are not usually very good: difficult access tracks, strong waves, etc.
The city centre of Arucas has spread, and here you can stroll along the main shopping streets, situated in the centre of town: Calle León y Castillo and Calle Francisco Gourié.
But, if you are looking for typical local products, Arucas offers visitors the chance to check out the open air market that is set up in the car park at the entrance to the city, every Saturday morning. Here you can find a varied range of local produce: fruit, bread, cheese, etc.
One of the typical features of Arucas is that it has one of the most deep-rooted craft traditions on the island, especially for the popular stone masons and quarrymen. Other craft activities you will find in the municipality include artistic wood carving, musical instruments, basketwork and palm weaving, Canary Island knives, lace work, embroidery, etc.
The craftsmen have their workshops in the city centre and in the surrounding neighbourhoods, where you can find some of the most exclusive examples of Arucas craft work.
The coast of Arucas is the place where visitors will get the chance to simple most of the good food to be found here. In the areas of El Puertillo or Quintanilla and San Andres, you can try the fresh fish and seafood. A wide variety of limpets and mussels, fried comber and mullet, slices of grilled grouper, or cernia rossa with garlic, are just some of the typical dishes.
Inland, the long farming tradition guarantees visitors succulent bean, pumpkin, sweet potato and corn stews.
But one of the most popular products of Arucas is the rum, from the traditional "carta de oro" to the exquisite vintage rum.
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Accommodation: Arucas
Would you like to walk around the old town centre of Arucas?
Check out information on tours available at ExcursionsGranCanaria.com
Macaronesia Tours also offers tours around the historical town centre of Arucas.
Pentraprisma organizes photo-tours around the north of the island.
