Four days cover Las Palmas, the mountains, the north and the south; with a week you have time for the beach and a boat trip. The south has the sun and the hotels; the interior and the north, the landscapes and the villages. By car, everything is less than an hour and a half away.
What to see in Gran Canaria: top sights
Maspalomas Dunes
A small desert of golden dunes by the sea, a nature reserve at the southern tip of the island, between Playa del Inglés and the Maspalomas lighthouse. Next to it lies La Charca, a lagoon with birds, beside a palm grove.
Recommended time: 2–3 h
Tip: Walk along the shoreline so you do not get lost, and keep out of the fenced areas: the dunes are protected.
Hotels near Maspalomas Dunes · 642 propertiesVegueta, Las Palmas
Hotels near Vegueta, Las Palmas · 446 properties
The founding quarter of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, from the 15th century, with Santa Ana Cathedral, whose tower you can go up by lift, and the House of Columbus, where tradition says the navigator stayed, now a museum of the voyages to the Americas.
Recommended time: 2–3 h
Las Canteras Beach
Hotels near Las Canteras Beach · 294 properties
Three kilometres of golden sand in the middle of the city, sheltered by a natural rock reef, La Barra, which calms the water and is ideal for snorkelling. Its promenade is the great living room of Las Palmas.
Recommended time: 2–4 h
Roque Nublo
The volcanic monolith that is the symbol of the island, more than 1,800 metres above sea level, high in the mountains. An easy half-hour trail from La Goleta leads to its base, with views of Mount Teide on Tenerife on clear days.
Recommended time: 1.5–2 h
Tip: Go early: the car park at La Goleta is small and fills up. It is cool at the top and there may be clouds.
Hotels near Roque Nublo · 144 propertiesTejeda and Cruz de Tejeda
Hotels near Tejeda and Cruz de Tejeda · 52 properties
One of the prettiest villages in Spain, perched above the Tejeda caldera facing Roque Bentayga and Roque Nublo. Its almond sweets are famous, and hiking routes across the summits start at Cruz de Tejeda.
Recommended time: 2 h
Puerto de Mogán
The “Little Venice of the Canaries”: a fishing port and marina with canals, bridges and white houses covered in bougainvillea, at the foot of the south-western mountains. There is a market on Fridays.
Recommended time: 2–3 h
Tip: Submarine trips and boats along the south coast leave from the port.
Hotels near Puerto de Mogán · 78 propertiesTeror
Hotels near Teror · 35 properties
A town of houses with wooden balconies and the Basilica of the Virgin of the Pine, the island’s patron saint. On Sundays its market sells Teror chorizo, cheeses and sweets made by the nuns.
Recommended time: 1.5 h
Agaete and its valley
Hotels near Agaete and its valley · 85 properties
A white town in the north-west with natural pools at Puerto de las Nieves and, inland, a green valley where coffee is grown, one of the few places in Europe where it thrives.
Recommended time: 2–3 h
Cueva Pintada in Gáldar
An archaeological site of the ancient Canarians with a cave decorated with geometric paintings and the remains of a village, protected by a modern museum that explains how they lived before the conquest.
Recommended time: 1.5 h
Tip: Visits are guided and timed: book before you go.
Hotels near Cueva Pintada in Gáldar · 15 propertiesArucas
Hotels near Arucas · 55 properties
A northern town dominated by the Church of San Juan Bautista, a neo-Gothic giant of dark volcanic stone that looks like a cathedral, and by the Arehucas rum distillery, which you can visit.
Recommended time: 1.5 h
Palmitos Park
A zoological and botanical park in a southern ravine, with tropical birds, a butterfly house, an aquarium and displays of birds of prey in flight.
Recommended time: 3–4 h
Day trips from Gran Canaria
Tenerife
About 1 h 20 min by fast ferry from Agaete
Mount Teide, La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz. It can be done in a long day, but it is more enjoyable with one or two nights.
The summit route
About 1 h by car from Las Palmas or the south
Pico de las Nieves, the island’s highest point, Cruz de Tejeda, Artenara with its cave houses and reservoirs among the mountains, along roads full of viewpoints.
Guayadeque Ravine
About 30 min by car from the south
A ravine with cave houses still lived in, restaurants carved into the rock and trails among almond trees and palms.
A boat trip along the south coast
From Puerto Rico or Puerto de Mogán
Catamarans and boats that look for dolphins and stop for a swim in coves you cannot reach by land.
Gran Canaria in 3 days
Day 1
Las Palmas: Vegueta and the cathedral in the morning, an afternoon on Las Canteras beach and sunset on its promenade.
Day 2
The interior: Teror, Cruz de Tejeda, Tejeda and Roque Nublo; back via Pico de las Nieves.
Day 3
The south: the Maspalomas dunes first thing, Puerto de Mogán in the afternoon and, if you fancy it, a boat trip along the coast.
Gran Canaria with kids
- Palmitos Park, with birds, butterflies and an aquarium.
- The Poema del Mar aquarium in Las Palmas.
- The dunes and the beach at Maspalomas.
- A submarine trip from Puerto de Mogán.
Free things to do in Gran Canaria
- The Maspalomas dunes.
- Las Canteras beach and its promenade.
- The trail to Roque Nublo.
- Wandering through Vegueta and Triana in Las Palmas.
- The markets of Teror on Sundays and Puerto de Mogán on Fridays.
Where to stay in Gran Canaria
Most hotels are in the south, where sunshine is almost guaranteed; Las Palmas is the choice for living the island like a local.
Playa del Inglés
The big resort next to the dunes, with every service and plenty of nightlife.
Places to stay in Playa del Inglés · 304 propertiesMeloneras
Upmarket hotels by the Maspalomas lighthouse, with a quiet seafront promenade.
Places to stay in Meloneras · 159 propertiesPuerto Rico and Mogán
South-western bays with the island’s best sunshine and sheltered beaches, ideal for families.
Places to stay in Puerto Rico and Mogán · 384 propertiesLas Palmas de Gran Canaria
The city, with Las Canteras beach, Vegueta and local life all year round.
Places to stay in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · 446 propertiesSan Agustín
Quiet and residential, between Playa del Inglés and the airport.
Places to stay in San Agustín · 163 properties
When to go to Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria has good weather all year: the south is drier and sunnier, the north cooler and cloudier. Winter is high season, with mild temperatures on the coast and sun-seekers from all over Europe.
February brings the Las Palmas and Maspalomas carnivals, and in summer the island fills with families. Up in the mountains it is much colder than on the coast: bring a jacket even if it is hot below.
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Frequently asked questions about Gran Canaria
Do you need a car in Gran Canaria?
For the interior, yes: the mountains, Tejeda and Agaete are best by car. Between the south and Las Palmas there are frequent guaguas, as the island’s buses are called.
Is it better to stay in the north or the south of Gran Canaria?
In the south if you want almost guaranteed sun and beach; in Las Palmas if you prefer city life, local culture and Las Canteras beach.
How many days do you need in Gran Canaria?
Four days cover Las Palmas, the mountains, the north and the south. With a week you have time for the beach and a boat trip.
What is the best beach in Gran Canaria?
Las Canteras in Las Palmas for swimming and snorkelling; Maspalomas for its dunes; Amadores and Anfi del Mar in the south-west for families; and Güigüí, wild and reachable only on foot or by boat.
Guide written by the buiigo team · Updated October 8, 2026
Photo credits
Gran Canaria: Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0 · Maspalomas Dunes: Tony Hisgett, CC BY 2.0 · Vegueta, Las Palmas: Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Las Canteras Beach: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0 · Roque Nublo: Pablosievert, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tejeda and Cruz de Tejeda: Felix König, CC BY 3.0 · Puerto de Mogán: Bengt Nyman, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Teror: isol, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Agaete and its valley: Guido.Haeger at German Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cueva Pintada in Gáldar: Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arucas: Mataparda, CC BY 3.0 · Palmitos Park: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0
