Logbook · 6 places

What to see and do in Betancuria

What to see and do in Betancuria (Fuerteventura, Las Palmas): 6 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 2 Historical milestones

How far each place is from the centre of Betancuria

Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Peña 3.8 km

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Spain › Canary Islands › Las Palmas › Fuerteventura › Betancuria

What to see and do in Betancuria

Betancuria
Village
Founded by Jean de Bethencourt after the Norman conquest, it was the first permanent European settlement inland on Fuerteventura and the island's capital between 1405 and 1834. Recognised in 2019 as one of "Los Pueblos más Bonitos de España" (Spain's Most Beautiful Villages), it preserves a protected historic centre in a valley sheltered from corsair raids.
Capitalidad histórica de Betancuria (1405-1834)
Historical milestone
Betancuria was the capital of Fuerteventura from its founding in 1405 until 1834, when the seat of island government moved to La Oliva; the choice of an inland valley, away from the coast, responded precisely to the need to guard against Barbary corsair raids.
Ataque de Xabán Arráez (1593)
Historical milestone
In 1593 the Barbary corsair Xabán Arráez sacked and burned Betancuria despite its sheltered inland location, destroying much of its main buildings, including the parish church.
Iglesia de Santa María de Betancuria
Monument
The former parish church of Fuerteventura, rebuilt after the 1593 sacking, declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) with the category of Monument by the Government of the Canary Islands under Decree 125/2019 of 8 July.
Convento de San Buenaventura
Monument
Built in 1416, it was the first Franciscan convent founded in the Canary Islands. It survives today in ruins, evidence of Betancuria's religious role in the early centuries after the conquest.
Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Peña
Monument
A hermitage in Vega de Río Palmas that houses the alabaster image of the Virgen de la Peña, patron saint of Fuerteventura, and is the destination of a well-attended pilgrimage on the third Saturday of September.