Hotels in Vega de San Mateo

Vega de San Mateo

Vega de San Mateo is a farming town in the green centre-north of Gran Canaria, about 820 metres above sea level and 17 km south-west of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with around 7,900 inhabitants. It lies at the foot of Pico de las Nieves, and its municipality climbs to the 1,949-metre summit, the highest point of the island's municipalities. On the windward slopes it receives four to five times more rain than the coast, which keeps its fields, orchards and woodland green. The town is known for its Mercado Agrícola y Artesanal, the farmers' and craft market on Calle Antonio Perera, open every Friday to Sunday all year round. On Sundays visitors from all over the island come for fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, honey, wine and sweets, and the cheese and honey stalls often sell out before noon. The parish church of San Mateo stands on the main street next to the Alameda de Santa Ana; its bell, from 1803, was paid for by emigrants from the town living in Cuba. In the centre, the Museo Etnológico La Cantonera occupies a farmhouse around 300 years old and shows everyday Canarian rural life through farm tools, ceramics and furniture. From the summit of Pico de las Nieves, reached by car, bike or on foot, a viewpoint looks south over the island's peaks. The hamlets around the town, among chestnut trees and terraced fields, are crossed by walking trails towards the summits. Vega de San Mateo suits walkers, food lovers and travellers looking for the rural, agricultural side of Gran Canaria close to the capital.