Agaete

Agaete is a seafaring community in the northwest of Gran Canaria. You used to be able to see the “Finger of God” (rock formation) from there until we had a hurricane in 2005 and snapped it in half! Agaete is home to about 6000 people and this corner of the island is a lot greener than the areas in the south.

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The weather is hot and sunny most of the time. There is not a lot of rainfall in the area except in Tamadaba, the nearby pine forest. Agaete is quite steep in places and has lush valleys. If you are interested in old churches or unusual fauna, you will find a trip to this area very interesting. There is even a coffee plantation in Agaete which you can visit.

Photo by Phoenix Trimegisto

Food and Drink

This town is famed for its fresh fish. If you are visiting Agaete and you are interested in sampling some Canarian cooking, look for fresh grilled fish. The sardines are great. Fish soup is another specialty and some restaurants make fish paellas or fish and meat paellas.

El Puerto de las Nieves is home to a great restaurant which I assume is still there although it’s a couple of years since I was in Agaete. You can order any kind of fresh fish and the tapas are amazing too. Order a glass of red or white wine and you are guaranteed to have an amazing lunch or dinner.

Photo by EfrenCD

How to Get Around

Las Palmas is 30 kilometres from Agaete and there is a bus service although it is sporadic. The number 103 bus costs 3.60 for a one-way trip to Las Palmas. Route 101 runs down to Aldea four times a day and costs 3.20.

You can also get a ferry from Puerto de las Nieves, the harbour in Agaete, to Tenerife. If you want to do that from the south, you need to get the bus to Las Palmas and then the free transfer bus to Agaete from there. The bus leaves Las Palmas 90 minutes before the ferry leaves and it’s 40 euros for your ferry ticket (20 euros for kids). The ferry takes an hour. You can find out more about the ferries here: http://www.fredolsen.es/en-us/

If you are thinking about moving to Agaete you will probably want to invest in a vehicle of some kind since relying on buses (which only go to 2 places anyway) isn’t really for people in this somewhat isolated area. If you want to stay for a week, there are a few hotels including Hotel Puerto de las Nieves which has a spa and a nautical theme and Roca Negra Hotel and Spa, offering free wifi, a pool and a spa. This hotel has air conditioning too, which you will appreciate in the summer when temperatures soar above 40C!

Photo by JToledo

Don’t miss Bajada de la Rama in early August, the fiesta in and around Tamadaba. Agaete is great for a day trip if you’re staying in Puerto Rico, Maspalomas or another southerly resort. It’s also a nice place to stay for a longer period or to live. I know a few people living there who enjoy being away from the noisy resorts in the south.

Be warned that moving to Agaete or another town in the north of Gran Canaria means you have to speak Spanish though. Don’t expect to hear much English outside the main resort areas!

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Accommodation in Agaete
If you are looking for a reasonable deal you should certainly consider Hotel Agaete Parque.
Hotel Agaete Parque, Gran Canaria
Click the image above for more details.

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1 Comment

  1. Gwen Doyle

    WE are going to Agaete for Christmas until New year’s Eve and we are wondering if there are any festivals on. We have very informative owners of our rental accommodation only want to make sue we have everything available in the area
    Any information gratefully received. Thank you, Gwen Doyle (Mrs)

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