Things to do in Gran Canaria
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Gran Canaria
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best overall: warm sea, long days, full operation, and prices and crowds below the peaks.
Winter peak for winter sun. The south is 20 to 23C and dry, Las Palmas is cooler and cloudier, the summit can freeze.
Hottest months, with occasional calima dust wind, August crowds from mainland Spain and cloud over Las Palmas.
What's on
- Carnaval de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 23 January - 1 March
One of Spain's great carnivals, with the Drag Queen Gala and the Gran Cabalgata parade.
- Carnaval de Maspalomas 10-22 March
The southern resort carnival centred on Playa del Inglés and the Yumbo, with parade and fireworks.
- Maspalomas Pride 4-10 May
One of Europe's largest Pride events, centred on the Yumbo Centre. The south books out.
- Noche de San Juan 23 June
Midsummer bonfires, fireworks and a midnight sea swim, biggest on Las Canteras beach.
- Bajada de la Rama 4 August
Thousands carry pine branches from Tamadaba down to Puerto de las Nieves in Agaete's folk fiesta.
- Fiestas del Pino 7-8 September
Island-wide pilgrimage to the Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pino in Teror, the patroness fiesta.
- Fiesta del Charco 11 September
Hundreds try to catch fish by hand in a coastal lagoon at La Aldea.
- Gran Canaria Walking Festival October
The annual organised hiking festival with guided routes across the island.
- Winter Pride Maspalomas 2-8 November
A week of free main-stage shows at the Yumbo, pool and beach parties and a Pride walk.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Gran Canaria
Maspalomas Dunes
Protected golden dunes ending at the 1890 lighthouse, best walked early or at sunset on marked trails.
Vegueta
The founding old town of Las Palmas, with the cathedral, Columbus house museum and Thursday tapas night.
Las Canteras Beach
A 3 km city beach sheltered by a volcanic reef, calm for swimming and snorkelling at low tide.
Roque Nublo
An 80 m volcanic monolith at 1,813 m and the island's sacred landmark, reached by a short trail.
Puerto de Mogán
The prettiest resort town on the island, a fishing port and marina with canals and a sheltered beach.
Tejeda
A white village in a volcanic crater under Roque Nublo, famous for almond sweets and mountain views.
Agaete
A green north-west valley and fishing village with natural salt-water pools at Puerto de las Nieves.
Caldera de Bandama
A perfect volcanic crater near Las Palmas, paired with Spain's largest botanical garden below it.
Where to stay in Gran Canaria
Meloneras
luxury and all-round resort base
The modern upscale end of Maspalomas, calmer and better kept than Playa del Inglés, by the lighthouse and dunes.
Las Canteras / Santa Catalina, Las Palmas
food, culture and value
A real Spanish city with a superb urban beach and honest prices, but more cloud and a long drive to the south.
Puerto de Mogán
couples, quiet and pretty
Small, low-rise and flower-covered, with a marina, calm beach and the sunniest sheltered microclimate.
Maspalomas / Campo Internacional
space, golf and LGBTQ+ travellers
Low-density bungalows and large resorts between the dunes and the golf course, calmer than Playa del Inglés.
San Agustín
quiet family alternative
The original Scandinavian-favoured resort, smaller and calmer, close to everything in the south without being in it.
Tejeda / Cruz de Tejeda
hikers and a 1-2 night add-on
Mountain hotels and rural houses under Roque Nublo, cold at night and an hour of mountain road from any beach.
Think twice about
- Core of Playa del Inglés
Dated and concrete, with tacky bars, ageing shopping centres and documented late-night noise near the Kasbah, Yumbo and Irish Centre.
- Puerto Rico commercial-centre valley floor
Complexes right by the main shopping centre are noisy. The upper valley and Amadores are quieter bases.
Best restaurants in Gran Canaria
Poemas by Hermanos Padrón
One star in the Santa Catalina hotel, the capital's flagship special-occasion tasting menu.
Muxgo
One-star rooted in the island, using produce from the chef's own farm in tasting menus.
Tabaiba
One star for evolutionary Canarian cooking, traditional island dishes elevated with nostalgia.
Los Guayres
One star in Hotel Cordial Mogán Playa, for Canarian heritage cooking and local fish.
La Aquarela
One star on a sunset terrace over the sea, highly technical cooking worth the splurge.
Qué Leche!
The capital's most-loved mid-priced table, creative sharing plates and homemade dairy desserts.
Deliciosa Marta
A long-standing Triana favourite for polished Canarian-Mediterranean cooking and professional service.
Allende
Spanish-Mediterranean small plates done well, with branches in Triana and Maspalomas.
Outdoor things to do in Gran Canaria
Salobre Golf
Two dramatic courses cut through barrancos and volcanic rock inland from Maspalomas.
Lopesan Meloneras Golf
The prettiest resort course, with a back nine running directly along the Meloneras coast.
Maspalomas Golf
A flat, forgiving palm-lined parkland course by the dunes, good for mixed-ability groups.
Anfi Tauro Golf
A desert-style championship course in a palm valley near Puerto Rico, with lakes and volcanic rock.
Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas
Spain's oldest golf club, founded in 1891, on the rim of the Bandama caldera.
Roque Nublo hike (S-70)
The free self-guided hike to Roque Nublo, with a mandatory reservation and shuttle access.
Volcano Heart Tour
A small-group interior day of high peaks, volcanic landscapes and local tasting, without self-driving.
Sky Rebels Roque Nublo hike
A guided Roque Nublo hike where authorised guides handle the permit and closed car park problem.
Best hotels in Gran Canaria
Seaside Grand Hotel Residencia
The island's benchmark small luxury hotel, adults-focused in a palm garden at the edge of the dunes.
Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel
The capital's grande dame hotel from 1890, the way to do Las Palmas properly at southern-luxury value.
Seaside Palm Beach
Design-hotel energy inside a classic resort shell, three minutes from Maspalomas beach.
Hotel Faro, a Lopesan Collection Hotel
Adults-only hotel directly by the Maspalomas lighthouse, with the dunes walk from the door.
Salobre Hotel Resort & Serenity
Inland golf resort above Maspalomas with both Salobre courses on site and a beach shuttle.
Lopesan Costa Meloneras Resort & Spa
A huge, polished flagship resort on the Meloneras promenade with extensive pools and gardens.
Hotel Riu Palace Meloneras
A reliable palace-style resort at the dunes end of Maspalomas, with well-run Riu consistency.
Hotel Riu Palace Maspalomas
An adults-only palace-style resort by the dunes, a reliable and well-run southern base.
Is Gran Canaria expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €140 a person |
| Splurge | €320 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Roque Nublo: a few days ahead
- Poema del Mar Aquarium: a few days ahead
- Salobre Golf: weeks ahead
- Lopesan Meloneras Golf: weeks ahead
- Maspalomas Golf: weeks ahead
- Anfi Tauro Golf: weeks ahead
- Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas: weeks ahead
- Roque Nublo hike (S-70): a few days ahead
- Roque Nublo needs a mandatory free reservation for the S-70 trail between 09:00 and 17:00, bookable about 15 days ahead.
- Starred dinners need days to weeks ahead, and Qué Leche! also needs a booking.
- Book small-boat, kayak, coasteering and canyoning trips early in the trip so weather rescheduling is possible.
- Book winter golf tee times before you fly, and Mogán and Meloneras hotels months ahead for Carnival, Pride and Christmas.
Is Gran Canaria safe?
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
- Opportunistic theft is the main crime: leave nothing visible in cars at trailheads and watch bags in crowds.
- Ocean safety is the bigger risk: obey flags, respect swell and treat natural pools as sea in big surf.
- Sun burns fast at altitude and the interior can be near freezing in winter wind while the coast is warm. Emergency number 112.
Gran Canaria travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not do the dunes as a mirador-only photo stop. Walk them at golden hour instead.
- Big-boat dolphin trips sold on the promenade are crowded with upsells. Pay for a small boat or skip it.
- Do not accept free scratchcards or invitations from touts. The prize is a timeshare presentation.
- Do not try Tejeda, Roque Nublo, Mogán and Agaete in one day. Two zones per day maximum.
Getting around Gran Canaria: public transport and more
- Car hire is the single best upgrade and cheap, with local firms such as Cicar and Cabrera Medina.
- Global guagua buses link Las Palmas to Maspalomas in about 50 to 60 minutes and run up to Tejeda.
- The airport is about 25 minutes to Las Palmas and 35 to 45 minutes to Maspalomas. There is no train.
- Split your base if you have 6 or more nights: Las Palmas plus the south beats daily cross-island commuting.
Who Gran Canaria suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Gran Canaria your trip
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