Logbook · 12 places

What to see and do in La Aldea de San Nicolás

What to see and do in La Aldea de San Nicolás (Gran Canaria - Oeste, Las Palmas): 12 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 2 Nature · 2 Activities · 2 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones · 2 Food and drink

When to go to La Aldea de San Nicolás: festival calendar

September: Fiestas de San Nicolás de Tolentino, la Rama y el Charco (September 9-11)

How far each place is from the centre of La Aldea de San Nicolás

Towns near La Aldea de San Nicolás

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What to see in Valleseco 21 km · 4 places
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Spain › Canary Islands › Las Palmas › Gran Canaria - Oeste › La Aldea de San Nicolás

What to see and do in La Aldea de San Nicolás

La Aldea de San Nicolás
Village
Isolated municipality in western Gran Canaria, historically accessible only by a road that skirted the cliffs. It was called San Nicolás de Tolentino from when the town council adopted that "more grandiose" name in 1957, until in 2005 the Cabildo Insular agreed to restore the historic name of La Aldea de San Nicolás.
Los Caserones
Monument
Archaeological site declared a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's top heritage-protection category), with remains of aboriginal dwellings documenting the pre-Hispanic occupation of the La Aldea valley.
Molinos de viento de La Aldea
Monument
Group of traditional windmills preserved in the districts of Los Majanos, Los Machitos and El Hoyo, alongside the water mill of La Ladera, witnesses to the valley's agricultural milling.
Búnkeres de la Segunda Guerra Mundial
Curiosity
At El Roque and Las Barquillas two "machine-gun nest" type bunkers survive, built during the Second World War amid fears of a landing, uncommon along Gran Canaria's coastline.
Reserva Natural Especial de Güigüí
Nature
Reserve of 2,920.9 hectares declared in 1994 and lying entirely within La Aldea's territory, with the dark-sand beaches of Güigüí Grande (360 m) and Güigüí Chico (350 m), accessible only after more than two hours' walk or by boat. It preserves close to 250 plant taxa, several endemic, and Spain's oldest volcanic tube, 14.5 million years old, with its own cave-dwelling fauna.
Montaña de Ojeda
Nature
At 1,360 meters, it is the highest point in the municipality, in sharp contrast to the 33-meter altitude of the capital by the coast.
La ermita mallorquina del siglo XIV
Historical milestone
The municipality's place name comes from a hermitage dedicated to San Nicolás de Tolentino that, according to tradition, Mallorcan missionaries built in the mid-14th century on the valley's coast, even before the Castilian conquest of the island.
El tomate de exportación de La Aldea
Food and drink
The cultivation of export tomatoes, along with bananas, strawberries, papayas, mangoes and avocados, has historically been the economic engine of the La Aldea valley, favored by its warm climate and its isolation from the rest of the island.
Ropa vieja de pulpo
Food and drink
Ropa vieja de pulpo (shredded octopus stew) is a dish documented as having originated in La Aldea de San Nicolás, combining fresh fish from its beaches with traditional Canarian stewing.
Fiestas de San Nicolás de Tolentino, la Rama y el Charco
Activity
September patronal festivities that include la Rama on the 9th, the procession and pilgrimage on the 10th, and the Fiesta del Charco on the 11th, a pre-Hispanic tradition of catching fish by hand in the coastal lagoon that has survived to this day.
Destino Turístico Starlight
Curiosity
La Aldea de San Nicolás was accredited in February 2018 as a Starlight Tourist Destination by the Starlight Foundation, in recognition of the quality of its night skies.
Cactualdea
Activity
Theme park devoted to cacti, opened in 1995 by the Beisel family, considered the largest in Europe devoted to this plant.