Castillo de la Luz

The way in is a drawbridge over the moat and an arched gate in walls of dressed stone. Inside, the restoration by the architects Nieto Sobejano turned the fortress into light, plain rooms on three levels, and the castle's own story runs along the walls as you move through them.

The rooms belong to Martín Chirino, the Canarian sculptor who worked mostly in iron: spirals, forged forms, and in one of the round towers a piece hung from the ceiling while a soundscape plays around it. It is a hard, heavy room, and it sits well in a defensive tower.

The building is a record of the threats it faced. First came the square medieval tower of Alonso Fajardo, then a bastion around 1515, additions in 1553, rebuilding after a Dutch fleet under Pieter van der Does burned it in 1599, and finally the outer shell of the late 17th century that stands today.

• Inside, the castle is a gallery of modern iron sculpture, with the fortress history on panels between the works.
• The rooftop is closed to visitors, so there is no view from the top of the walls.
• Toilets and a gift shop are inside, and the staff at the ticket desk speak English.
• Cards, including contactless, are accepted.

The castle stands in the La Isleta district near the port (Puerto de la Luz), in the north of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It was built on a reef at the water's edge, but the city has grown out around it, and it now sits among streets more than 150 metres from the sea, so do not look for it on the shoreline.

Two bus stops lie within about 110 m of the castle. Drivers will find street parking around it, some free and some paid, with mapped parking about 70 m away. From the street, the last few steps are across the drawbridge to the gate. The Las Canteras tourist information office is about 560 m away.

Best: the middle of a hot or windy day, when an hour indoors suits better than the beach.

Avoid: Mondays, when the castle is closed, and Sunday afternoons, when it has already shut.

The collection is all under a roof, so the weather barely touches the visit.

Inside, the castle runs as an art gallery and its rules are a gallery's: no flash photography, no water bottles on show, and no touching the sculptures, however solid the iron looks. Attendants stay in the rooms and keep an eye on the works.