What to see in Santa María de Guía, Gran Canaria: essentials

The municipality of Santa María de Guía in Gran Canaria It is one of the most authentic that you should visit in the north of the island. Here awaits you beautiful historic center, one of the most important archaeological sites on the island, incredible viewpoints and delicious cuisine. Furthermore, although its coast is small, in the next few lines you will see that it has corners that you cannot miss. If you want to know what to see in Guía (Gran Canaria), join us for this article where we mention 10 essential plans to make.

What to see in Santa María de Guía, Gran Canaria

1) Historic center of Santa María de Guía

Without a doubt, the historic center is one of the best things to see in Guide. We recommend you take a walk through its cobbled streets to appreciate the traditional canarian architecture. Here you can't miss the Church of Santa María de Guía, an impressive example of 16th century religious architecture. In the same square you can also see a old Canarian mansion from the 16th century. This is «The House of the Quintana». Just one minute from the Parish of Guía is the Néstor Álamo Museum about the evolution of music in the Canary Islands. The museum is located inside the old house from the late 17th century where Néstor Álamo, renowned Canarian writer, composer and journalist. It's one of the museums in Gran Canaria free that you can visit.

• ⏰ Schedules: Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 16:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m.
• Entrada: Free. Delivery is estimated within XNUMX hours from taking charge of the order by the courier.

2) Cenobio de Valerón, a must see in Guía, Gran Canaria

A mystical place that you cannot miss in Santa María de Guía is the Cenobio de Valerón, a pre-Hispanic collective granary considered one of the most important in the Canary Islands. This complex of more than 300 caves is a fascinating testimony to the agricultural practices of the ancient Canarians. Here, you will also be able to see examples of Canarian caves where the Canarian aborigines lived and have impressive views from its different viewpoints. We show it to you in the video at the end!

• ⏰ Schedules: from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 17:00 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
• Entrada: €3 general, €2 reduced for minors between 10 and 14 years old and those over 65 years old.

3) Roque Prieto Pools

If you like the sea, the Roque Prieto pools They are our favorite plan to do in Santa María de Guía. These natural pools are the ideal place to give yourself a Dip in crystal clear waters surrounded by volcanic landscapes. If you can avoid weekends, the better. Since it is a very small space and usually receives many local visitors. To discover more natural pools in Gran Canaria, take a look at our post. Please note that there are no restaurant services, toilets, or security next to these pools. When you go down to the beach, pay attention to the Virgen del Carmen that is hidden inside the mountain.

4) Playa de San Felipe, another of the beaches to see in Guía, Gran Canaria

If you prefer sand under your feet, the San Felipe Beach is another of the beaches of Santa María de Guía, although only recommended when the sea is calm, since it is very dangerous. In fact, it is one of the beaches for surfing in Gran Canaria. Be very careful with the sea! San Felipe is a fairly small coastal town and here you will find some bars and restaurants where you can have a drink.

The San Felipe beach, a few steps away, part of the road to San Felipe, also known as the Camino Real del Norte. We will tell you in the following place what to see in Santa María de Guía.

5) Camino Real del Norte, Guide, Gran Canaria what to see in the municipality

El Camino Real del Norte It is the old path that connected the municipalities of Santa María de Guía and Gáldar with the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Its existence is presumed to date back to the Aboriginal era, but after the conquest of the island, it was renovated and transformed into an official road. The route that can be traveled today is about 2 kilometers and descend along the coastal cliff to San Felipe beach with stunning views. Along it, you can also see the “Camino Caves” where it is believed that those who took care of the road and monitored traffic lived in the 19th century.

6) Montaña Alta and its Viewpoint

high mountain It is a small hamlet in the municipality of Guía, very visited for its Montaña Alta viewpoint. From here you will have views 360 panoramic views of the agricultural areas of the surrounding municipalities, such as the Altos de Gáldar and the mountain of Ajódar. The latter, also known as the mountain of Guía, the mountain of Gáldar or even the Atalaya Peak. The path to access the viewpoint part of the Cheese House, the next place we suggest visit in Santa María de Guía. They are just a few 300 meters of road, Yes, you will have to navigate several steps to the top. You can combine this viewpoint with the hiking route through Mount Pavón that we share with you along with other routes in the section hiking in Gran Canaria from our blog.

7) Casa del Queso, a place to see in Guía, Gran Canaria

The gastronomy of the area, where cheese stands out, has a small interpretation center called the Cheese House. Here you can learn about the production of the famous Flor de Guía cheese, a nationally recognized delicacy. In addition, you can taste cheeses or buy them to take away.

• ⏰ Schedules: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 16:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m.
• Entrada: free, tasting apart.

8) Guide Market, Gran Canaria

One of the Gran Canaria markets larger ones are found in Santa Maria de Guía. It has different positions fruit, vegetables, cheeses, breads, sweets, herbs, etc Without a doubt here you can find different edible souvenirs to take away. If you want to eat there, it is also possible because they have a Gastromercado area.

• ⏰ Guide market hours: Friday to Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 15:00 p.m.
• ⏰ Guide gastromarket hours: Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 16 p.m. and from 20 p.m. to 00 a.m. Sundays from 2am-00pm.

9) Mirador de Vergara or Voto de Vergara, Santa María de Guía, Gran Canaria

Another place what to see in Guía (Gran Canaria) is Vergara Viewpoint where we highlight different flat metal sculptures that imitate different characters carrying instruments, branches and utensils. This viewpoint commemorates the "Vergara's vote" of 1811, when the Guienses tried to repel an invasion of locusts, begging for the help of the Virgin. According to tradition, a sudden storm wiped them out, something they considered a divine miracle. In gratitude, they committed to carrying out a annual pilgrimage to Santa María de Guía, giving rise to the Feast of the Marys. This tradition continues today, being one of the pilgrimages of Gran Canaria more traditional

10) Guide Sweets: Antoñita

If you like to try the traditional sweets of each area, you have to try the “Antoñita” Guide Sweets. Among them, stand out buns with pintitas and a selection of cookies and buns enriched with anise, raisins, almonds or cinnamon, including the renowned Polvorones. The tongues, with their spongy and soft dough, They are another of its delicacies. In addition, they also have cakes and cakes, with flavors ranging from lemon and chocolate to apple and coconut. You can find them at the tourist office – artisan products store La Bodeguita, in the historic center of Santa María de Guía. Equally, Antoñita has her own store with all her artisan sweets in the Pérez Galdós street number 40, also in the center.

And here ends our route through the essential things to see in Guía (Gran Canaria). Now we are going to share more information with you in case you want to spend more time in this municipality and spend the night or even look for a restaurant to eat in Santa María de Guía.

Rural House Santa María de Guía

For an authentic experience, stay in a rural house in Santa María de Guía It will allow you to live like a local. Surrounded by nature and tranquility, it is the perfect base to explore everything that Guía has to offer. You can also opt for a holiday home or apartment near the sea. We share all the options below so you can check prices and availability.

Restaurants Santa María de Guía, Gran Canaria

As for restaurants in Guía (Gran Canaria), we only know the Bascamao Caves. They specialize in lamb, although you will also find other Canarian delicacies such as blanched gofio. We have also tried their cachopo here, made with Flor de Guía cheese.

We hope that this mini guide has been helpful to you, if you want to provide any recommendations, we will read you in the comments. Remember that a few steps away you have the municipality of Gáldar, here we tell you what to see in Gáldar in case you want to complement your visit to the north of Gran Canaria. Finally, be sure to visit our capital. We also leave you our guide with the essentials what to see in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria If it's any help.

Video: What to see in Guía, Gran Canaria

Below, we share a short video of one of route to do in Santa María de Guía in one day. Depending on your pace, you can combine it with one of the plans that we include in this list. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to discover Gran Canaria on your own with the help of our videos.

Gran Canaria Digital Guides

Finally, if you don't want to waste your time searching for information about what to see in Gran Canaria, take a look at our digital island guides. Here you will find the guide with more than 80 beaches and natural pools, also the guide foodie y different itineraries to explore the island on your own depending on the number of days you have. You can see them all with just one click below.

Ruth González

Hello! I am Ruth, Canarian with a traveling soul. With training and experience in the tourism and digital marketing sector. In this blog I tell you all the tips you need to get to know the most authentic side of Gran Canaria on your own. I also share my travel guides to all the places in the world that I am visiting so that you can discover the destinations like a local and save time planning. In addition to traveling, I love gastronomy and sports. I run and hike in the mountains with my “dog-children” (Silver and Plata). In all these adventures my partner accompanies me, Jorge, which you will also see a lot on this blog.