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Information about getting from the airport to your desired destination, and traveling around once you are in the city.

Arriving at Gran Canaria Airport
The Gran Canaria is a Spanish island, so Spain´s international regulations and customs procedures are the same as on mainland Spain.

Airport Code: LPA/GCLP
Address: Gran Canaria Airport, Telde 35071, Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Islas Canarias
Phone: +34 928 579 130
Fax: +34 928 579 117
Website: www.aena.es
Email: jmsicilia@aena.es

Transportation from the Airport
Car Hire
From the airport it’s very easy to hire a car, get a taxi or even a bus and ride into the heart of Gran Canaria.

Renting a car is the easiest way of traveling around Gran Canaria, but it´s not the best. Taxis or Buses are cheaper options, furthermore you’ll get better service from a taxi and the driver will know exactly where you want to go. Some options are Auto Reisen, Avis, Cicar, Europcar/Betacar, Hertz, and Lugar.

Auto Reisen
Phone: +34 928 579 159 / +34 928 574 744
Fax: +34 928 574 746

Avis
Phone: +34 928 579 578
Fax: +34 928 579 579

Cicar
Phone: +34 928 579 378

Europcar/Betacar
Phone: +34 928 574 244
Fax: +34 928 574 292

Hertz
Phone: +34 928 579 577

Lugar
Phone: +34 928 579 347

Bus:
There are frequent bus services between the airport and most of the destinations on the island.

From the Airport to Palmas de Gran Canaria
Itinerary
1 – Zone A (arrivals for European Union flights), Zone C (arrivals for inter-island flights), San Cristobal, Lady Harimaguada and Parque San Telmo.

2 – Zone A (arrivals for European Union flights), Zone C (arrivals for inter-island flights) and Parque de Santa Catalina.

Timetable
1-Form the Airport to Parque de San Telmo, buses run from 06.50 am to 20.50 pm every hour and after an hour’s break they run from 10.00 pm to 02.00 am.

2-From the Airport to Parque de San Catalina buses run from 06.15 am to 19.15 pm every hour.

Prices
1-Airport to Parque San Telmo €1.75
2-Airport to Parque Santa Catalina €2.20

From the Airport to Faro de Maspalomas
Itinerary
Zone A (arrivals for European Union flights)
Zone C (arrivals for inter-island flights), airport (motorway), Atlántico Shopping Centre, Hotel Vecindario, Bahía Feliz, Águila Playa, Clínica Roca, San Agustín, Beverly Park, Escorial, Broncemar, Plaza de Maspalomas, Gran Canaria Princess, Las Margaritas, Sunwing, Ocean Park, Faro II, Municipal Offices, Beach Flor, Maspalomas Oasis, El Palmeral Oasis, Mercurio Restaurant, Faro de Maspalomas.

Timetable
From the airport to Faro de Maspalomas buses run from 07:20 am to 22:20 pm every hour.

Price
Airport to Faro de Maspalomas €3
Phone: +34 902 381 110

Taxis
You can find a Taxi outside the Airport by looking out for white cars with a red stripe on the sides of the front doors. Cost of taxis from the Airport range between €20 to €50, depending on your destination.

Public Transport in Gran Canaria
Bus
Travelling by bus is very cheap and they are always available. Services run all over the center of town and also between towns. On arrival you should pick up a timetable from the bus station or tourist information so you will have no trouble navigating the whole island.

The main Bus companies in Gran Canaria are SALCAI and UTINSA. SALCAI operates the green buses that connect to the south of the island. UTINSA operates the blue buses that connect the north to the center of the island.

Phone: +34 902 381110
Website: www.globalsu.net
Website: http://canarias.arkus.net

Alternative means of Transport in Gran Canaria
Car Hire
One of the best ways to discover the island is to rent a car and driving around and finding your favorite places, but car hire can be rather expensive.

Bicycle, Scooter and Motorcycle Rental
Companies do offer bicycle, scooter and motorcycle rental. The more days you rent a bike, the lower the price will get. So it is better to rent a bike earlier in your stay. You must wear a crash helmet that you can rent at the same time as you get your bike. You must be 18 years of age or over to rent a bicycle, scooter or motorbike.

Gran Canaria is regarded by some as a paradise for those that love the sea and all the activities that are associated with it. The climate in Gran Canaria is idyllic for those that want to take part in different types of outdoor sports and activities all year round. You will often find various teams and elite professional sport personalities training here during the winter months.

Gran Canaria is good place if you just prefer to sit back and watch. The main spectator sports on the island are football, basketball and motor rallies. They have some home grown sports like Canarian Wrestling, Juego del Palo and Lateen Sailing. Lateen Sailing is practiced on the coast of the capital of Gran Canaria during the months of April and October. Some of the outdoor sports that you can take part in include hiking, rock climbing, cycling and trekking. There are also a plethora of water sports to keep you occupied on the island.

Roque Nublo is a good place to go rock climbing. Alternatives to this are El Palmés, in El Toscón de Tejeda, Betancuria in Ayacata or Narices, which is at the foot of the north face of Roque Bentayga, but climbing is restricted here because it’s of archaeological value. Gran Canaria has the perfect climate for sailing, close to the land you will find mild winds for beginners and for those adrenaline junkies, head further out for some stronger winds. The key areas for those wanting to participate in this activity are Las Alcaravaneras bay and Las Canteras. If you’re on the east coast, Pozo Izquierdo beach is an ideal place for windsurfing and in your in the south, Maspalomas and Mogán are good places to go. Gran Canaria has many spots a long the coastline that are great for surfing and bodyboarding. The best areas in the north region are Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Gáldar.

In the east region best surfing area is Pozo Izquierdo and in the south you should head for Arguineguín. For those of you that prefer deep sea fishing then look no further. Gran Canaria has great fishing conditions and a wide range of species. Record breaking game fish have been caught, the long list includes: blue marlin, billfish, yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, atlantic bonito, barracuda, albacore and many others.

Probably the biggest part of the historic and cultural wealth of Gran Canaria can be found in its museums. There you can see everything from the native past to the current days, so make sure that on a visit to Gran Canaria you won’t spend all your time only in the beaches, which of course, are fascinating over there. However, Gran Canaria has to offer much more than only those. There is a list below with the main museums in Gran Canaria.

Casa de Colón
Where: Elena Acosta Guerrero C/ Colón, Las Palmas
Phone: +34 928 312 373 or +34 928 312 384
Opening Times: Monday to Friday: 09:00 to 19:00; Saturday & Sunday: 09:00 to 15:00

Casa de Colón translates to the ‘The House of Columbus‘ .  There you’ll find out what America was like before the discovery. The museum provides visitors with very detailed information about Columbus journey across the Atlantic and his epic adventures.

Casa Museo Pérez Galdós
Where: Rosa María Quintana C/ Cano, Las Palmas
Phone: +34 928 366 976
Opening Times: Monday to Friday: 09:00 to 21:00;  Saturday: 09:00 to 18.00;  Sunday: 10:00 to 15:00

The museum is established in the house where one of the most famous Gran Canarian artists Benito Perez Galdos was born and where he had spent a part of his life. So, the museum displays many original artefacts from the writer’s life. In addition to the sentimental value, the house itself is worth seeing as it is one of the finest examples of 18th century´s architecture.  So, if you would like to find out more about Perez Galdos you should definitely visit this museum.

Antonio Padrón Museum House
Where: César Ubierna C/ Drago
Phone: +34 928 551 858
Opening Times: Monday to Friday: 09:00 to 15:00

A museum dedicated to the life-long works of Gran Canarian artists Antonio Padrón. The museum hosts around 150 pieces of his art works, showing the different stages of artist’s creative development during the years.

Museo Nestor
Where: Pueblo Canario – Parque Doramas
Phone: +34 928 245 135
Opening Times: Tuesday to Saturday: 10:00 to 20:00; Sunday and Holidays: 10:30 to 14:30

This museum exhibits the works of Nestor – symbolist painter who has become famous in all over the Europe for his highly unusual works.

CAAM (Atlantic Centre of Modern Art)
Where: C/ Balcones 11, Las Palmas
Phone: + 34 928 31 18 00
Opening Times: Tuesday to Saturday: 10:00 to 21:00;  Sunday: 10:00 to 14:00

The centre hosts a great deal of temporary exhibitions of highly controversial art. It can be said that the centre exhibits the works created by artists who undoubtedly have influenced contemporary Catalan art. Moreover, the centre tries to show the link among Catalan, European, African, American arts.

According to the legend Gran Canaria is the lost city of Atlantis, which is unlikely to be truth, but it’s a nice idea anyway. More realistic thought is that the island was actually formed by volcanic activity that has created a variety of scenery from distinctive lava formations to massive volcanoes. Which is why now we are so amazed by the fascinating landscape of the island.

There are some evidence that Gran Canaria was already inhabited in 500 B.C. by Guanches who originally came from North America. However, the island with its inhabitants was discovered only in the early 14th century by Mediterranean sailors; and when the rapid conquest of the island began. Till that time locals had been enjoying realitvely peaceful life.  By the 1483 the majority of local Guanches was either killed by the regime of Pedro de Vera, or were forced into slavery and converted to Christianity after which, as the history shows, they had gradually disappeared. Occupation had been lasting for quite a number of years, however nowadays Gran Canaria is completely independent. It is a part of Canary Island and since 1950´s with it´s capital Las Palmas, which is the biggest city and one of the main ports in Canaries, has been known as a heaven for tourists.

Gran Canaria is an island of the Canary islands, about 150 km away from Marocco and 1350 km from Europe, and has about 830.000 inhabitants. Like all the islands of this area, it has a volcanic origin. The highest point is at 1949 m and it is called Pico de las Nieves.

Because of its climatic and geographic diversity (the island has 14 micro-climates), as well as its various flora and fauna, Gran Canaria is also described as a “miniature continent”. From the highlands of the island´s interior, many dry valleys (Barrancos) are going down to the coast. Due to the rare rainfalls, which can then be quite rich, the Barrancos change to fast-flowing streams.

The island itself is influenced by the different winds, thus divided in the wet north and the dry south. Furthermore, the dryness of the southern part is getting intensified by the dry winds from the Sahara.

Annually, about 2.2 million people are visiting Gran Canaria, especially the better developed tourist centers of the south with the cities Maspalomas, Playa del Ingles and San Agustin. There are other great holiday attractions like Cocodrilos Park, Roque Nublo (an 80 m monolith), Cenobio de Valerón with about 290 caves, Cueva Pintada-the most important archaeological park in Canary Islands, and the botanical gardens “Jardin Canario” (in Tafira Alta) and “Cactualdea” (in La Aldea de San Nicolás).

The island is particulary interesting for those who prefer a mild winter climate (15-20 °C), but even in the summer months the temperature is usually moderate (21-26 °C). All this might be the reason why Gran Canaria is also called the island of eternal spring.