Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is the third largest island in the Canary Islands and has the largest population. It's often described as a "continent in miniature" because it has so much variety to offer.
Most read about in August, least in April. That is when people look it up, which tends to run a month or two ahead of when they go.
Before you book
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office publishes the UK’s official travel advice for Spain. It changes without notice and travelling against it usually invalidates your insurance, so read it at the source rather than anywhere else — including here.
FCDO travel adviceUnderstand
The capital Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the northeast of the island, is one of Spain's largest cities. The south coast of the island is now dominated by the tourist resorts which generate most of the island's economy. The centre of the island is mountainous, with the remains of ancient pine forests on the peaks. Maspalomas in the south of Gran Canaria is the tourist zone, with the largest variety of options for enjoying the island.
Tourist information
For tourist information or specific help, the TI Center is in Yumbo Center.
Canaries Tourism website
What's inside
1 Risco Caído — archaeological UNESCO World Heritage Site containing prehistoric cave dwellings, temples, and granaries attributed to the pre-Hispanic culture of the Canary Islands.
Getting there
By plane
1 Gran Canaria International Airport (LPA IATA Gando Airport). A modern international airport which receives flights from Madrid, about 2½ hours, and from Barcelona and Bilbao, both about 3 hours. UK flights takes about 4 or 4½ hours. It operates flights to different destinations, mainly through Europe and northern Africa. To get into the city, take the bus number 60 from the airport to either bus station in the city. The bus runs every 30 minutes from 06:15 to 20:50 and costs €2.70 .
Getting around
By rental car
If you are in the possession of a driver's licence, a rental car is the best option for discovering the remote locations on the island—see Canary Islands#By rental car for more information. In general, rental cars are available in all resorts. You can also rent a car at the airport — the rental offices are on the ground floor on the new wing for international departures.
By bus
The public transportation system is well organized and economical. There are regular buses that go all over the island, most of the ones useful for tourists run through Avda. Tirajana in Playa del Inglés and head north to the Atlantico shopping centre or Las Palmas or along the coast towards Puerto Rico. To travel from Maspalomas to Las Palmas the fastest bus is 50, which also stops at the airport. From Playa del Ingles to and from the airport the fastest routes are 66 and 90. Contactless payment is accepted on all routes. Most buses have luggage compartments that are opened remotely by the driver, some older vehicles still have traditional latches which you need to open yourself. Never try to make a bus driver smile either as they have the most stressful job on the island. You can find out why by taking the Playa-del-ingles bus towards Amadores. If you are scared of heights and fear falling of cliffs do not take this bus.
By taxi
Do not be afraid to take a taxi. Sometimes you can get somewhere a lot quicker for a few euro more than you would spend on a bus. Why not walk past a bus station and ask somebody to share a taxi? All taxis on the island are metered and easily identified. Avoid taxis without a meter as they will certainly be uninsured.
See
The sand dunes in Maspalomas (ask for "Las Dunas de Maspalomas"). San Bartolomé de Tirajana.
Palmitos Park, Barranco de Los Palmitos s/n. 35109 Maspalomas Gran Canaria, ☏ +34 928 797 070. Various animals (esp. exotic birds) and exotic plantations. Also dolphins. Has shows with parrots, dolphins and birds of prey (eagles, hawks, etc). A great place to go with children 2 yr and upwards. You could spend 3-4 hours there. Teror. Nuestra Señora del Pino Valsequillo. This area is very green with imposing rock formations and steep ravines, It has pine forests, palm groves and almond trees (which are in bloom in January and February) and all kinds of vegetation within its 39.15 km². The historic center and surrounding neighbourhoods offer valuable traces of history like the Church of Saint Michael Archangel, the former Cavalry barracks, and Flemish carvings. The varied gastronomic offer includes traditional cheeses, wine, honey and almonds, all of which make up one of the major attractions of Valsequillo. Risco Caido and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria Cultural Landscape. This world heritage site extends over the north, west and central parts of the island. (updated Jul 2019)
Do
Biking. The island is a paradise for bikers, with lots of trails for mountain biking, from easy to very difficult and long ones. There are also many possibilities of road biking, both in the mountain region and along the coast. There are bike rental centers in the island. Surf Canaries Surf School (Surf School Gran Canaria), ☏ +34 677704981. Gran Canaria is a perfect place to learn to surf. A surf class will set you off safely with the right technique. Use a reputable surf school such as Surf Canaries, a mobile surf school in the south of the island who take parties to the right beaches for learning and give in depth and fun classes with qualified instructors. It's a great day out if you always fancied having a go!
Hiking
Gran Canaria is a paradise for hill walking with its inhabited cave villages, lake side walks, spectacular mountain scenery and wonderful flora & fauna especially in the Spring. There are a great variety of hikes on outstanding trails, many of these are off-the-beaten-track and the climate is excellent for trekking.
Beaches
The south of Gran Canaria is famous for the variety of beaches. The longest beach is "Playa del Inglés" and "Maspalomas", the almost 4 km stretch of beach between Playa del Inglés and Meloneras is a serviced nudist beach. In the Mogán area there are other famous beaches, such as "Amadores", "Anfi del Mar", "Puerto Rico", and "Playa de Mogán."
Eat
Besides many good restaurants of different nationalities, the Canarian Cuisine is especially worth trying. Most restaurants serve local wines as well as Rioja. La Casa Vieja: [3] (North area of Maspalomas) serve Canarian meals like Gofio, fish, squid rings, octopus with vinegar, Papas arrugadas con mojo (salted potatoes with a spicy mix), and grilled meat. In Las Palmas there are many excellent fish restaurants, specially along the coast near Las Canteras beach and El Confital in the neighborhood of La Isleta. An exquisite dish is Chancletes al limón, but many other local fresh fish are excellent too. Restaurant Ciao Ciao near the beach in Las Meloneras serves an Italian cuisine with good pizzas, meat and fish dishes. Restaurante Olivia in Puerto de Mogán serves well prepared local dishes near the yacht harbour in Puerto de Mogán. As an aside, when staying in the area of Playa del Inglés, expect to be regularly solicited by "waiters" who want you to eat at the restaurant they are working for. It can't be avoided but becomes slightly less annoying over time.
Drink
The Yumbo Centrum dominates the centre of Playa del Inglés. It has dozens of restaurants, bars and clubs, many catering to the gay community, particularly on the higher floors. Some of the cheaper bars are on the Western side of the ground floor. Busy gay bars are Construction on the ground floor and Terry's Show and XL on the first floor. The top floor has dance bars such as Mykonos and Mantrix that are a mix of bar and clubs, and tend to be more expensive. Heaven also has a club here, on the third floor. A selection of real English teas can be found at Café Florín, also known as the Internet Cafe one minute from the Yumbo, down the hill towards the Playa del Inglés beach.
Stay safe
There is relatively little crime in the resorts, the main annoyance is drunks causing trouble. As anywhere, one should not leave valuables unattended on the beach. In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, applying common sense for large cities is advisable. Some of the streets can be badly lit and the area around the harbour can be a bit threatening. In the south, young male pickpockets operate and often target older tourists. On the beach, African women vendors may try to put a bracelet on your wrist and then charge an exorbitant fee for it. Some of these women can be aggressive however, so always be on your guard. Scream "molestado!" if you have to and if you are forced into having to pay for bracelets, make sure you have a few small bills or change and convince them it's all you have. Male sex workers may approach male travellers for prostitution purposes. If you've been to Tenerife, you may be familiar with the so-called Lookey Lookey Men. Since they are not as common in Gran Canaria, they are usually not seen as problem, but can be annoying as they try to sell cheap items which are usually bootlegs.
More pictures of Gran Canaria
From this destination's category on Wikimedia Commons. Each photograph is credited to its own author under its own licence.
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