Agüimes is one of the prettiest and best-restored old towns in the Canary Islands — a warm sandstone huddle of lanes, arches and quiet squares in the sunny east of Gran Canaria, dotted with bronze sculptures and watched over by a great domed church. Once semi-abandoned, its historic core was lovingly brought back to life and is now a joy to wander, all honey-coloured stone and Canarian charm.
Come for the beautifully preserved old town, the sculptures that give its streets a gentle sense of play, and its position as the gateway to the spectacular Guayadeque ravine. It's a rewarding, authentic stop on the drier eastern side of Gran Canaria, well away from the resort strip.
What it's like
Agüimes sits in the sunnier, drier south-east of the island, on rising ground a little inland from the coast. The old town is its heart: a compact grid of restored houses in warm local stone, with carved doorways, wooden balconies and small plazas that feel a world apart from the beach resorts down the hill. It's the kind of place where you slow right down without meaning to.
The mood is calm, dignified and genuinely local — a lived-in town rather than a museum piece, even though its centre is so handsome. You'll find craft shops, small restaurants and the odd boutique hotel, but the pace stays slow and the crowds thin. It makes an ideal antidote to a beach holiday, or a cultured base for exploring the east.
Photo: Bengt Nyman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · scaled
What to see and do
The honey-stone old town
The restored casco histórico is the reason to come. Its warm sandstone buildings, painted in soft ochres and creams, cluster around the Plaza del Rosario and the imposing church of San Sebastián — a grand neoclassical building sometimes likened to a small cathedral, its dome rising over the low rooftops. Wander the narrow lanes and you'll keep coming across bronze sculptures: a camel and its driver, figures from daily life, small scenes that celebrate the town's history and give the streets a friendly, storybook quality. It's one of the loveliest strolls on the island.
Agüimes is at its best in the soft light of late afternoon and early evening, when the sandstone glows and the squares fill with locals. Wear comfortable shoes — the old town's lanes are cobbled and gently sloping.
Roque Aguayro
Rising above the town is Roque Aguayro, a distinctive volcanic crag that dominates the local skyline and was once a sacred site for the island's aboriginal people. It gives the setting real drama and features in the town's own coat of arms — a reminder that this fertile, sheltered spot was inhabited long before the Spanish conquest.
The Guayadeque ravine
Agüimes is the gateway to one of Gran Canaria's most extraordinary landscapes: the Barranco de Guayadeque, a deep, green ravine winding up into the mountains between here and neighbouring Ingenio. Its slopes are riddled with cave dwellings — many still lived in — and it's famous for its cave restaurants, where you can eat traditional Canarian food in dining rooms cut into the rock. It's a superb half-day out; our guide to the Barranco de Guayadeque has the detail, and you can read more about this way of life in our feature on the cave houses of the Canaries.
Where to stay and eat
Agüimes has quietly become a favourite for travellers seeking character over sunbeds. The old town has an appealing rural hotel and a scattering of guesthouses and holiday cottages, making it a peaceful, cultured base with a car — a real alternative to the resorts.
Eating is a highlight. The town's restaurants serve confident Canarian cooking, and the cave restaurants up in Guayadeque are an experience in themselves — hearty grilled meats, local cheeses, papas arrugadas with mojo and honest island wine. Read more in our Canarian food guide.
Getting there and around
Agüimes lies in the east, close to the airport and the GC-1 motorway, roughly 25–30 minutes from both Las Palmas and the southern resorts — one of the most central and accessible towns on the island. A hire car is much the best way to visit, and essential for exploring the Guayadeque ravine, whose single road climbs deep into the mountains — see our guides to getting around and car hire. Buses (guaguas) serve the town but not the upper ravine.
Nearby
Agüimes is well placed for the east and the mountainous interior. Inland and up the winding roads lies Santa Lucía de Tirajana, another handsome hill town, and beyond it the dramatic caldera scenery around Temisas and the central peaks. On the coast, the fishing village and beach of Arinaga are a short drive away, good for fresh fish and a swim. Start with our Gran Canaria hub to fit this graceful old town into the rest of your trip.