There are countless places to see in Gran Canaria, as well as multiple activities to do. You can tour towns with a lot of charm, natural spaces full of magic and sites declared a World Heritage Site. Without a doubt, you will not want to leave this beautiful island that belongs to the province of Las Palmas, in the Canary archipelago.
Essential things to see in Gran Canaria
If there is something that undoubtedly attracts the Canary Islands, it is its wonderful climate. It is ideal for lovers of good weather: temperatures throughout the year are ideal and are never below 14º nor above 30º. This allows you to visit the island in any season of the year and enjoy not only its enviable climate and gastronomy, but also the essential places to see in Gran Canaria.
1. Roque Nublo, Tejeda
Many call Roque Nublo “The son of the volcano” and it is one of the essential places to see in Gran Canaria if you visit it. In fact, Roque Nublo is considered the emblem of the island, as its strategic location gives the island a certain majesty. It is located within the Nublo rural park, on the municipality of Tejeda. Roque Nublo is of volcanic origin and rises 80 meters above its base and 1,813 meters above sea level.
To get here you will have to do a pleasant hiking trail of just over two kilometers and that can easily be completed in forty minutes. You will undoubtedly enjoy the impressive views from Roque Nublo, the third highest point in Gran Canaria.
2. Maspalomas: one of the most beautiful places to see in Gran Canaria
In the south of Gran Canaria, in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, are the dunes of Maspalomas. It is an impressive set of dunes of approximately 404 hectares that is considered a special nature reserve. Maspalomas, in addition to the dunes, is made up of a pond and a palm grove that make it a unique place in the Canary archipelago.
These dunes are impressive because they were born in a place where no one expected them, they also extend to the foot of the Atlantic Ocean and have an old lighthouse.
3. Puerto de Mogan
The port of Mogán is part of a small fishing village with a lot of charm. It has multiple secret corners that the visitor can discover little by little if he walks through its streets full of color, as well as its narrow canals. The houses in the port of Mogán are characterized by their white color, decorated with flowers and bougainvillea arches. Mogán has a beautiful urban beach that has all the amenities you need: multiple restaurants where you can enjoy typical Canarian cuisine, as well as equipment rental for water and sports activities.
4. Helmet of Terror
The old town of Teror, a municipality in Gran Canaria, is a place full of history. The origin of Teror predates the conquest of the island in the 15th century by the Crown of Castile. The name of Teror is known to come from the aboriginal toponym Aterura or Terori, although its meaning is unknown. If you are looking for places to see in Gran Canaria , you cannot miss out on visiting the old town of Teror, one of the most beautiful on the island.
In 1979 it was declared a Historic-Artistic Site by Royal Decree. And it is very easy to get lost in the streets of Teror and visit the Plaza de Nuestra Señora del Pino, as well as its basilica. You can see numerous cobbled streets as well as hanging balconies on your tour.
5. Playa de las Canteras: one of the beaches to see in Gran Canaria
The most important urban beach in Gran Canaria is Las Canteras. It is the favorite of the inhabitants of the city, as well as of the tourists who visit the island. The best thing about this beach? That you can visit it during any time of the year thanks to the excellent climate of the region. Las Canteras beach is directly linked to La Barra, a huge sedimentary rock of sandstone and calcareous deposits that runs parallel to the shore.
Formerly the beach was called Arrecife, but because La Barra was used as a quarry to extract material for the construction of the Cathedral of the Canary Islands, it was renamed Las Canteras beach.
6. Snow Harbor
In Agaete you will find Puerto de las Nieves, one of the favorite places for islanders and tourists. Here in Puerto de las Nieves there is much to do: have a coffee on the pier, watch the sunsets from a cliff or visit its natural pools. You can also sail along the coast of Agaete and admire its impressive cliffs , a plan that can be done in any season of the year thanks to the region’s climate.
7. Los Tilos de Moya Special Nature Reserve
Los Tilos de Moya, with an area of 91 hectares, extends over the Moya ravine, in the municipalities of Moya and Santa María de Guía, in Gran Canaria. This Special Nature Reserve has been part of the Doramas rural park since 1987 and has been distinguished as a Special Nature Reserve since 1994. But why is it so spectacular? It is the last bastion of laurel forest in Gran Canaria.
Laurisilva is a temperate forest, a subtropical cloud forest characteristic of humid, warm places with slight frosts. In this reserve you can find large trees and lianas that are called Tilia (hence the name Los Tilos). This reserve is ideal for lovers of hiking, as it has a circular route that crosses an impressive laurel forest.
8. Guayadeque Ravine
The Barranco de Guayadeque is a natural jewel of Gran Canaria that belongs to the municipalities of Ingenio and Agüimes, in the southeast of the island. It is an extensive ravine about fifteen kilometers long that surprises the visitor thanks to its slopes covered with the vegetation of the area. This idyllic landscape is completed with the famous cave houses of the ravine; these are natural caves that, over time, were adapted as homes, rural houses and restaurants.
The Barranco de Guayadeque is ideal for a day trip from Maspalomas, which is half an hour away by car. This place is characterized because you can still find remains of the ancient inhabitants of this island.
9. Cueva Pintada Museum and Archaeological Park
In Gáldar, to the northwest of Gran Canaria, is the Cueva Pintada Museum and Archaeological Park. Inside this museum is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Canary Islands, the Cueva Pintada, the greatest exponent of the art of the island’s ancient aborigines. The cave was discovered in the 19th century and is made of volcanic material. The walls of the cave are decorated with geometric figures that, according to experts, represent rudimentary calendars. Inside the cave it is also possible to find remains of houses with their corresponding utensils.
The museum has didactic and multipurpose classrooms, as well as laboratories and a library.
10. Places to see in Gran Canaria: Tejeda
One of the must-sees in Gran Canaria is Tejeda, one of the most beautiful towns in Spain; in fact, it is the first municipality in the Canary Islands to have this distinction. Tejeda is very famous for its almond trees and the elaboration of marzipan and bienmesabe, typical sweets of the island. Tejeda has a formation of volcanic origin and its most important distinctive is the Roque Nublo (described above) and the Roque Bentayga, two emblematic geological symbols of the island.
