Firgas combines a historic town centre with notable buildings and a landscape in which water plays a defining role. Streets, washing places, churches and mills tell different stories about the town’s history; the natural area and hiking trails offer a focus of their own. You can therefore explore Firgas as a destination for cultural history and landscapes without having to combine the two in a single set route.
Local history on streets and squares
Paseo de Gran Canaria is a pedestrian street in the historic centre. It features a 30-metre-long stone cascade. Paseo de Canarias is also a pedestrian street in the town centre, but it depicts a different theme: the seven Canary Islands are shown on its pavement, each with its coat of arms and a typical landscape. The townscape thus presents two different depictions of the archipelago and its islands.
Casa de la Cultura also brings together past and present uses. The building was constructed in 1870 as a hotel or inn for visitors to the Azuaje thermal baths. Today, it houses the municipal library, an exhibition space and an event hall. Iglesia de San Roque opened as an independent parish on 19 January 1845. It stands on the ruins of the first San Juan de Ortega chapel, dating from 1502. The restored Antigua Acequia Real is also located at Plaza de San Roque: it includes stone washing places with sculptures of women doing laundry.
Mills and the legacy of water
El Molino de Agua was built in 1517 to supply Firgas’s early population with flour. In 2007, the mill was protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural in the Sitio Etnológico category. Molino de Firgas, also known as Molino del Conde, has been restored for visitors. The records and condition of the other mills vary: Molino de Cha Margarita dates from 1870 and was the first mill in the Villa de Firgas. Molino de El Roque was built in 1855 and has been out of operation since 1970. Molino de Guadalupe survives as a ruin and was the only mill in this area that did not use water from the Heredad de Arucas y Firgas.
Water also shapes other aspects of the cultural landscape. Las Berreras is considered a rural landscape of exceptional value. The old Berreras combine waterworks with cultivated terraces; watercress grows on water-rich terraces in Las Berreras, in the San AntĂłn district. The Museo Canario del Agua Villa de Firgas is a museum and interpretation centre in Firgas.
Natural areas, viewpoints and hiking trails
The Reserva Natural Especial de Azuaje covers 61.1 hectares and has no resident population. It protects one of the few remaining laurel forest remnants on Gran Canaria, as well as several endemic species. In the Barranco de Guadalupe area, reeds, pools, frogs and willows form part of the landscape. The Barranco de Las Madres y Guadalupe area also has numerous paths through richly vegetated scenery that are suitable for hiking.
Firgas has six permanently established, signposted circular hiking trails, distinguished from one another by colour. Check trail conditions before setting out. The viewpoints also offer different perspectives: Mirador de Las Madres is 300 metres from the historic town centre and overlooks the confluence of the Las Madres, Guadalupe and Aguaje ravines. Parque del Ganadero, by contrast, offers panoramic views of Gran Canaria’s north coast.
San Roque as an annual event
Firgas’s main San Roque festival takes place on 16 August. It includes a romerĂa, a livestock fair and the traditional Bajada del Palo. The programme may vary from year to year; if you want to plan your trip around the festival, check the event dates for your travel period.
Whether your focus is local history, mills and waterworks, or hiking trails and viewpoints, Firgas offers various ways to get to know the town and its landscape. These highlights can help you decide before your trip which aspects of the destination will be of particular interest during your stay.
Discover more destinations: Artenara, Cazadores, La Caldera, El Espinillo, Moya, Agüimes, Comarca Oeste, Gáldar
For the overall travel guide: Gran Canaria.
