4 Best Sights in Canary Islands, Spain

It took four centuries to complete St. Anne's Cathedral, so the neoclassical Roman columns of the 19th-century exterior contrast sharply with the Gothic ceiling vaulting of the interior. Baroque statues are displayed in the cathedral's Museo de Arte Sacro (Museum of Religious Art), arranged around a peaceful cloister. Ask the curator to open the sala capitular (chapter house) to see the 16th-century Valencian tile floor. Be sure to check out the black-bronze dog sculptures outside the cathedral's main entrance—these are four examples of the Gran Canaria hounds that gave the island its name.

Destroyed by Dutch attackers in 1599, this chapel was rebuilt in the 17th century. Inside is a fine baroque altarpiece with rich gold leaf and wooden details. The chapel is generally open only before and after Mass.

A six-story Moorish bell tower tops this church, which was renovated as part of an urban-renewal project that razed blocks of slums in this area. Opening times vary, but you can generally visit before and after Mass.

The weatherworn colonial church of Santa María de Betancuria was built in the early 15th century as the island's main church when Betancuria was the capital. The church was almost completely destroyed by Berbers in 1593 and then rebuilt. Outside Mass times, the church has no official opening hours, though weekday mornings are often a safe bet.