By air
Gran Canaria Airport (LPA), ~25 km from Las Palmas
Europe · Spain
Gran Canaria, Spain
Dunes, mountain villages and year-round sun
Getting there
Best time to visit
All year — spring and autumn are warm and quiet
Don't miss
The Maspalomas dunes
Roque Nublo
Vegueta in Las Palmas
Puerto de Mogán
Things to do
Beach days at Maspalomas
Hiking to Roque Nublo
The old quarter of Las Palmas
Whale and dolphin trips
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: H. Zell · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Swimwear, sunscreen, walking shoes for the mountains
A quieter corner
Tejeda, a hill village below Roque Nublo
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Gran Canaria?
All year — spring and autumn are warm and quiet. What to pack: Swimwear, sunscreen, walking shoes for the mountains.
How do I get to Gran Canaria?
Fly into Gran Canaria Airport (LPA), ~25 km from Las Palmas.
What is there to do in Gran Canaria?
Beach days at Maspalomas, hiking to Roque Nublo, the old quarter of Las Palmas, whale and dolphin trips. A quieter find: Tejeda, a hill village below Roque Nublo.
What should I eat in Gran Canaria?
Papas arrugadas with mojo, grilled fish and local cheeses.
About Gran Canaria
- Island
- Mountains
Where it is
Gran Canaria is one of Spain's Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off north-west Africa, a round volcanic island whose capital, Las Palmas, is the largest city of the Canaries.
History
The island was home to the Indigenous Canarii before the Crown of Castile conquered it in the late 15th century. Las Palmas, founded in 1478, became a port on the route to the Americas, and Columbus stopped on the islands in 1492.
People
Gran Canaria's people, the Canarios, speak Spanish with a Canarian accent close to that of Latin America, and the island mixes city life in Las Palmas with farming villages in the hills.
Known for
- The Maspalomas sand dunes
- Mountain villages and Roque Nublo
- Las Palmas and its old Vegueta quarter
- Year-round warm weather
Did you know?
Gran Canaria is often called a miniature continent for the range of landscapes on one island, from dunes to pine forest.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.