When the city held the sea
The Pirates of Gran Canaria
In 1599 a Dutch fleet of seventy ships fell on Las Palmas. The city burned — but it did not surrender. Can you defend it again?
"They took the city but never its citadel — and within days the fever and the militia drove them back to their ships."
— On the 1599 raid of Van der Does
The experience
A city built to be attacked
For three centuries Las Palmas was a prize: a rich Atlantic port within reach of corsairs, privateers and rival empires. Its castles, watchtowers and city walls were raised to repel them. This game turns Vegueta and Triana into a battlefield where you replay the great Dutch assault of 1599.
1500s
Age of raids
1599
The Dutch assault
1600s
The city rebuilds
Today
Your investigation begins
True history
Seventy ships against one town
Through the 16th century the city was raided again and again — by Frenchmen, Berbers and Englishmen drawn to its harbour and its sugar.
In June 1599 Pieter van der Does landed some 8,000 men, stormed the defences and occupied Las Palmas. But the militia held the heights, disease spread, and the Dutch withdrew, burning much of the town behind them.
The forts that decided the battle — Castillo de Mata, the city walls, the gate of Triana — still mark the streets you will cross.
The journey
4 steps. One secret.
Act 1
Castillo de Mata
The surviving fort
On the walls that held in 1599, count the gun-ports to find how many cannon defended the rise.
Act 2
Puente de Verdugo
Between the two quarters
The ravine split Vegueta from Triana. Decode the bridge inscription to learn where the militia regrouped.
Act 3
Calle Triana
The merchant street
Down the old commercial spine the Dutch advanced. Trace their path to the hidden cache of the city treasury.
Act 4
Ermita de San Telmo
The seafront chapel
Where the fleet first came ashore, the last riddle reveals why the invaders could not hold their prize.
What makes this game unique
More than a scavenger hunt
🏴☠️
A true siege
Every stage replays a documented moment of the 1599 Dutch assault.
🏰
Forts & city walls
You move between Vegueta and Triana along the real line of the old defences.
👨👩👧
Family adventure
Cannons, fortresses and treasure — children love this one.
📱
Play at your own pace
No guide, no fixed time. Start when you want and pause whenever you like.
Practical info
Everything you need to know
Duration
1h30 – 2h
Self-paced
Players
Unlimited
From age 8
Distance
~2 km
Vegueta ↔ Triana
Start
Castillo de Mata
Vegueta
Languages
FR · EN · ES
Others on request
Best time
Any time
Mostly shaded
Pricing
1 phone
25€
2 phones
35€
3 phones
45€
Each phone receives a unique game code. Want to compete? Book multiple phones!
A city is not its walls, but the will to hold them.
— Las Palmas burned, then rose again
Man the forts, follow the invaders through Vegueta and Triana, and discover how a single town threw back a fleet of seventy ships. The siege begins when you do.
Book your adventure