About 15 minutes walk from town.

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The pretty town of San Sebastian, La Gomera is one of the less visited islands of the archipelago. It was here that Columbus prepared his ships before sailing for America and La Asuncion's church, where he and his crew attended mass, still stands today. The island's most stunning natural attraction is the Garajonay National Park, offering magnificent views across the ravines and forests which plunge steeply into the sea.

The island capital is developed around two points, one around the house of the Peraza family and the other around the Church of the Assumption, places that determined the future Calle Real (Royal Street), itself the beginning of the Camino Real, the main avenue of the island. The church borders the Plaza Mayor, a spacious, restful place around which public buildings were erected.

Daily buses serve all the main destinations on the island.

Walking through Garajonay is like returning to the past, since its countryside is truly unspoilt. It is the meeting point between clouds and ground, which brings with it constant humidity and the so-called horizontal rain that translates as a leafy, dense forest. The forest landscapes are a leading feature in the Park, since the different plant formations can be seen, from the above-mentioned laurel to white heather, visnea mocanera or the strawberry tree. Numerous species of birds and two species of reptile, the Gomeran lizard (Gallotia galloti gomerae) and the Gomeran skink (Chalcides viridanus coeruleopunctatus), as well as a species of amphibian, the green frog (Hyla meridionalis), live inside the park.

The park is about 13km (8mi) west of the capital, San Sebastian de la Gomera.

Typical dishes waiting to be discovered in the small village inns. Dishes like the watercress soup, served in wooden bowls. A unique culinary experience.

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Spanish is the official language in the entire national territory. However, other languages coexist with Spanish in certain regions of Spain. These are: Catalan in Catalonia, Galician in Galicia, Euskera/Basque in the Basque Country, Valencian in the Valencia Region and a particular variety of Catalan spoken on the Balearic Islands.

If you wish to get online to check your email, or for any other reason, you should go to one of the many establishments that offer this kind of connection: telephone houses, cybercafés, etc. Internet connections are also available at airports, major railway and bus stations, and at some shopping centers. Generally, these services work with coins.

Emergency number: Dial 112 free of charge (valid throughout Spain). Service is given in Spanish, and also in English, French and German in some tourist areas.

The most common business for shops and businesses hours are Monday through Saturday, from 9.30 h to 13.30 h, and from 16.30 to 20.00 h.

Big shopping centers and department stores open from 10.00 h to 21.00 or 22.00 h uninterruptedly. These big stores open sometimes on Sunday.

In coastal cities, in high season, shops are usually open passed 22.00 h.

Pharmacies open from 9.30 to 13.30 h, and from 16.30 to 20.00 h. In all major cities you can find pharmacies that open 24 hours. Pharmacies follow a rolling late-hour schedule, which is published in the newspapers, and is posted at all pharmacies.

Museums are in general closed on Mondays.

National public holidays.

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