In the historic centre there is the church Iglesia de La Concepción, which replaced the primitive chapel (1515) and gave rise to the first streets and town square of the municipality. With the building of the new parish church after a fire in 1874, a new residential area was created in the municipality. Opposite this the Plaza de la Constitución was built and nearby the principal old-style buildings of the town were also built.
Agaete also has some important green areas which are a must for visitors: el Huerto de las Flores (The Flower Garden) and theTamadaba Natural Park. The flower garden is actually a botanical garden in the town centre with a large variety of exotic plant species. It was a meeting place and somewhere to meditate for famous poets of the Canary Islands such as Tomás Morales, Saulo Torón and Alonso Quesada. The Tamadaba Natural Park is a protected area at the highest altitude of Agaete (1.180 metres), with the largest pine forest in Gran Canaria.
Another particularly pleasant visit is a stroll through Puerto de Las Nieves, the coastal area of the municipality. This is the location of the Chapel and the Triptych of Our Lady of the Snows, attributed to the sixteenth century Flemish painter Joos Van Cleve. El Puerto de las Nieves is also an ideal place through which to stroll and have a swim in the clean waters of the Atlantic, to see the Dedo de Dios (God’s Finger), a rock formation reaching out of the sea, and a place to return at twilight to see the majesty of the mountain of Teide.
Agaete is one of the municipalities of Gran Canaria with the greatest variety of beaches, although they are mainly rocky and difficult to get to.
The beach most often visited is la Playa de Las Nieves, located between the marina and the old dock. Primarily a stony beach, it has calm waters and a seaside walk with restaurants and small shops.
Towards the municipality of La Aldea, and at the end of el Barranco de Guayedra, is the beach of the same name: Playa de Guayedra. It is difficult to get to, has black sand and stones, and is usually windy. Next to the beach of Guayedra are the beaches Playa de Sotavento, Playa de Faneroque and Playa de El Risco, with the same characteristics as Playa de Guayedra.
On the borders with the municipality of Gáldar is Playa del Juncal, a bay of peaceful waters and a stony beach suitable for mooring. Following the coast towards Agaete there are two more beaches: la Bahía del Turmán or de la Caleta and la Playa de las Salinas, both stony beaches, exposed and with moderate waves.
The commercial area of Agaete is mainly located in Puerto de Las Nieves, as this is the area with the largest number of visitors and tourists, particularly at weekends.
Points of interest include the calle principal (main street) with craft shops, food and clothing stores and a large number of restaurants. There is also the shopping centre below the main town square, with a great variety of outlets.
In the town centre the streets mainly concerned with commercial activity are La Concepción and Juan de Armas. In addition to the main shops of the municipality, these streets contain the casino, cultural centre, town hall and library, as well as services such as the Post Office, Pharmacy and other places of interest.
If you visit Agaete you must try a "platter of good fish" from the local area: cabrillas (comber), viejas (parrot fish), salmonetes (red mullet) and octopus. Fish and seafood paella is another important dish of the gastronomy of the area.
In order to try these, it is best to book a table at one of the restaurants on the seaside walk in Puerto de Las Nieves, although in the town centre there are also small restaurants with the best sea flavour of the area. Visitors can savour the most traditional Canary Islands cuisine: scalded gofio, wrinkled potatoes, vinaigrettes and all kinds of fried fish.
Agaete also has its goat cheese, characterised by its smoothness and distinctive flavour. In fact, it is worth noting that Agaete has a series of traditional handcrafted cheese factories, such as the "Arterra" yoghurt and goat cheese factory in the district of El Risco.
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Accommodation: Agaete
Macaronesia Tours offers guided tours around Agaete, with a blend of coffee and wine tasting.
Gastro Gran Canaria takes you on culinary tours from the south up to Agaete, and gives you an insight into the sea around the northwest and the work of fishermen on the island.
Move around the four sides of the island and round off your day out in Gran Canaria with a visit to a coffee plantation with Lowcosttours.com
