The town Gáldar is situated at the foot of the mountains, 2 km from the coast and 21 km (13 mi) west of Las Palmas. The GC-2 motorway passes south of the town. The municipality includes the settlements Puerto de Sardina, San Isidro, Los Quintanas, Barrial and Marmolejos. The main church is dedicated to Saint James.
It holds the Painted cave, a major archaeological site consisting of a remarkable painted cave and an entire pre-Hispanic village visited yearly by over 50,000 people.