Are you ready for a winter escape to an island full of adventures? Choose Gran Canaria if you are: a hiker, a windsurfer, a wavesurfer, a diver, a cyclist, a climber, an explorer, a beach lover, a romancer or a parent looking for a great family vacation! ;=) I wish we'd had our drone by the time we explored this destination...
SEE ALSO: 7 Days in Fuerteventura - Itinerary
In January, Jerry and I desperately needed vitamin D, so we found our next adventure in Gran Canaria - one of the 7 Canary Islands near Morocco! Before we set our feet on this Spanish island, we were looking for an adventurous/exploring-type of travel itinerary on the internet but in the end we weren't quite satisfied with what we've found. Now, in order to help you guys, we listed our travel itinerary for 7 days in Gran Canaria:
Gran Canaria - Travel Itinerary
Day 1 - the Arrival and Beach Time
San Augustin or Wherever You are Staying
Relax! It's your first day on the island! Spread your towel on the beach or spend a quiet day wherever your base is and save up some energy for the next days of adventure! Our hotel was located at the San Augustin beach which gave us the possibility to enjoy a walk on the beach already on the first day.
Day 2 - the West and Northwest Coast
Puerto de Mogan
Puerto de Mogan is a lovely stop if you are looking for a nice place to eat, have your coffee, plunge into the water or shop some souvenirs! If you don't need anything of that, just skip it and head to the wonderful dam called Presa de las Ninas!
Luxury accommodation: Hotel Cordial Mogan Playa
Budget accommodation: Volver Beach Hostel
Presa de las Ninas
The place which should NOT be skipped on your trip to Gran Canaria, is the dam called Presa de las Ninas. The picturesque road leading to this amazing spot is quite impressive too but be prepared for many curves. Once there, hike around the lake or take the walk from Presa de las Ninas to the next dam called Sorria! If you don't like hiking, just enjoy your time at the dam, relax or have a BBQ! It is such a beautiful place - actually one of our favourites...
Playa de la Aldea
The small beach in the South-West corner of the island is a perfect stop to plunge into the water and to let some sun rays on your skin! Nearby, there is a path (impossible to miss) leading to the top of a hill - walk up and enjoy the views over the cliffs!
Mirador de Balcon
After 5 minutes of driving, there is this viewpoint called Mirador de Balcon. It is one of those stops which get your breath away! The view of the cliffs launched from the sea with the Teneriffe vulcano in the back will make you realize how stunning the Canary islands are!
Andes Verde
When you drive along the West Coast, you will be surprised how the landscape changes all the time! From the brown-coloured rocks to the area with green surfaces! There is this viewpoint called Andes Verde - stop there and take some great pictures!
Puerto de las Nieves
This village was one of our favourite villages on the whole trip! It is a small fishing village, known for its houses with its white/blue facades! Everyone who visits this village, I'd suggest to sit down in one of the restaurants on the promenade and order the famous Canary meal - potatoes with local fish and the mojo sauce! Soo tasty! It's also worth to stay in order to capture a picturesque sunset!
Day 3 - the Central Island
Roque Nublo
Remember, Roque Nublo is one of the MUST-SEE places in Gran Canaria! Why? It is a volcanic rock, protected as a natural monument and has a height of 1,813 metres! It is therefore the second highest peak on the island! It offers some of the best views on the island, as it is picturesque in all directions! It makes also a perfect hiking experience, since there are many hiking paths to conquer! (Look out for a circle hiking path around the Rock)
Wondering what camera we use to make these photos? Here's the link.
Tejeda
Tejeda is one of the highest located villages in Gran Canaria! The white houses in the middle of the mountainous area make the visit of this village worthy! Maybe you want to book your stay right here? Why not!
Roque Bentayga
It's about a 40-minute to 1 hour up and down walk if you wanna climb the Roque Bentayga. With its 1,803 metres, it is one of the highest points in Gran Canaria! And the views up there are great!
Day 4 - the South and Central Island
Another day, another adventure! Now it is time to drive some curves to see probably the most green part of the island - if you drive from Maspalomas towards Santa Lucia, right at the beginning, there will be an obvious viewpoint (Mirador in Spanish), which just needs your attention! Look at the photos below, it will make your heart skip! ;)
Presa de la Sorrueda
Another great stop is the area called Sorrueda. Aside of the amazing mountainous landscape, full of palms and cactuses, there is this dam which makes the view even more interesting! Now, don't drive back - go to the next must-see stop - La Fortaleza Grande.
Fortaleza Grande
Believe me, your day will feel perfect if you stop at Fortaleza Grande. Ascend 5 minutes and reach the famous hole. Once there, you will have an impressive view over the canyon and the majestic mountains on the other side!
Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia is a cute mountain village in the Southern part of the island! It has an impressive church to visit, a beautiful park to sit in and some great cafes resp. restaurants with terraces! Oh yes, you can order a fresh orange juice too!
Dunas de Maspalomas
In Gran Canaria, mother nature was really generous in terms of diverse landscapes! The view of the dunes of Maspalomas are special mostly due to the oasis and the mountainous area in the back! Go for a sandy sunset stroll and have fun with taking some hilarious photos!
Maspalomas Beach
Watch the sun go down while walking along the coast from the Maspalomas dunes to the Meloneras Beach! Once you arrive the promenade of Meloneras, have dinner in one of the restaurants!
Day 5 - the North and Northeast Coast
Caldera de Bandama
Don't miss out this great viewpoint called Bandama! Once you access it, you will be awarded with great views in all directions!
Arucas
Arucas is one of the villages, you just have to visit while cruising around the island! And why is that? It's the great centre with lots of cafes and restaurants, houses with colourful facades, an astonishing park and an impressive cathedral! But don't forget to visit the highest point of Arucas - La Montana de Arucas! You can go there by car and enjoy the stunning views over the North coast of Gran Canaria!
Teror
After Arucas, another cute village is waiting for you! Make sure to stop here, walk through the small but nice centre, observe the colourful houses and enter one of the restaurants to enjoy a delicious meal - e.g. paella or potatoes with the mojo sauce! Yummi ;)
La Isleta
La Isleta lies in the most Northern part of Gran Canaria. It's a great place if you wanna skip the crowds of the city Las Palmas and enjoy a nice walk on the peninsula. Nevertheless, if you skip this part, don't worry to much. Although it's nice there, it's is not a part of the island you should definitely visit!
Day 6 - the Beach Day
It's your the last day on Gran Canaria - why not relaxing on the beach, reading a book or sipping some fresh juices? No hustle and bustle, just enjoy a quiet day on the island!
Day 7 - the Departure
It's a sad day - time to pack your things and prepare to leave the beautiful island! And.....make sure to return ;)
When to Go
Visiting Gran Canaria in January turned out pretty awesome! The temperature was between 20 - 23 C Degrees during the day, with some chilly mornings and evenings, the water was a bit cold (20 C Degrees) but as many others, we plunged into the water too! The whole week, except from one evening, when it started to pure, it was sunny! There were many tourists in Las Palmas and Maspalomas, but not many on the Beach of La Burras and San Augustin. The island can be visited the whole year around, the peak season is concerned to be in July and August. If I were you, I would try to avoid it since it can get pretty crowded!
Where to Stay
Our choice were the apartments of Tarahal in San Augustin near Maspalomas (didn't have much choice due to late booking). A pretty great stay if you want to be near the beach, the dunes, the restaurants, the shopping centres, nightclubs, the motorway etc., however I think you can do even better! Choose a hotel or an airbnb stay, which is somewhere in the mountains - e.g. in Santa Lucia, Teror, Arucas or Tejeda (must be awesome!), or in one of the villages on the coastline - e.g. Agaete, Puerto de las Nieves or Puerto de Mogan! The only thing I want you to know - if you choose to stay in the aforementioned places, you will have to drive the small curved roads each day to reach other places on the island! But still, I think it might be worth it ... ;)
Check the accommodation prices here:
Prices
A coffee costs about 1.5 Euros, a beer 2 Euros.
A paella is between 8 - 19 euros. In many places around 12 Euros, though. A fish with potatoes and the mojo sauce will cost about 8 Euros.
Renting out a car for a week (Fiat Panda) costed around 180 Euros (incl. full casco - 3 Eur per day)
The last minute accommodation costed around 400 Euros. You can do better! ;)
Travel Insurance
Do you need a travel insurance for your trip to Gran Canaria? When we go travelling, we usually use World Nomads.
Good to Know
- Views while you have your coffee or eat your lunch: I wish people would tell us this prior to our arrival - where to have a coffee or lunch with a view: Between Mogan and Las Casas de Veneguera; Between Santa Lucia and Fataga
- Make sure to take the map of Gran Canaria right after your arrival at the airport - all viewpoints and must-see places are marked on the map!
- The roads are very curvy - if you tend to have stomach problems, make sure to take some medicine with you
- The roads are also very narrow - be careful and take the full casco insurance!
- Visit the highest peak of Gran Canaria - Pico de las Nieves (1,949 m) - must be nice!
- Drive to the highest located town called Artenara - I've heard its lovely!
- If you are a cyclist, Gran Canaria is definitely for you - many cyclists were seen on the road Maspalomas - Mogan - Presa de las Ninas; Maspalomas - Fataga.
- Vegetarian? You can order also a vegetable paella - a delicious one can be ordered in the village called Teror!
- Try the Canary speciality - the mojo sauce!
- Apparently it is also worth to stop at dams called Presa de Soria, Presa de Chira!
- There is a great coffee house right on the Meloneras beach!
- You can pay with credit card almost in all restaurants, bars or cafes!
- According to a local, the Canary island, called la Gomera, is one of the hidden gems you have to see!
Travel Video
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Write a comment
Jane (Thursday, 21 January 2016 08:14)
A really interesting read. We are back to Gran Canaria in February for 7 days; mostly hiking & staying in Tjeda. You tips will be helpful.
Sonja (Friday, 22 January 2016 11:39)
Thanks Jane! You're going back? So cool! Jealous! ;) Enjoy your trip and let me know how it was!
Sophie (Monday, 23 January 2017 00:54)
This is a great guide, thank you for sharing! We are going in March...can't wait!
Sonja (Wednesday, 08 February 2017 10:00)
Dear Sophie, you can really look forward to your vacation! It is such a wonderful destination. Still one of my favourites so far.
Kapil (Wednesday, 22 February 2017 10:42)
Great and compact post with some incredible pics. I was looking out for something like this to plan the Gran Canaria travel. Thanks for sharing :)
Sonja (Saturday, 06 May 2017 22:59)
Thank you Kapil! We're happy you like it. Enjoy your trip to Gran Canaria! :)
CanariesLive (Monday, 08 May 2017 11:07)
Great article - its so nice to read a more personal article and for the tips at the end - which are indeed very helpful. I hope you get the chance to come back and visit some of the other islands too :) (Given you enjoy walking, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro should be on the list) :)
Laura (Tuesday, 23 May 2017 01:39)
Thanks for the great itinerary. My husband and I are looking to visit two or three of the islands this winter. Did you only stay in Gran Canaria or did you visit any others?
Sonja (Thursday, 22 June 2017 14:04)
Hi Laura
I'm glad you like it! Unfortunately we managed to visit only Gran Canaria. But we got a great advice from a local saying la Gomera is the hidden gem! So make sure to go there too ;)
Sonja (Thursday, 22 June 2017 14:06)
Thank you so much CanariesLive. We really hope to go back to as it is one of our favourite destination in Europe! There are some great tips for the hiking, thanks for it! Enjoy!
Eldin van der Dussen (Thursday, 17 August 2017 16:49)
You guys are great couples enjoying the outdoors, travel anywhere and have a good lifestyle. Oh, how I wish, I am one of you or maybe I and my wife also experienced what you have experienced. Thumbs up guys. Keep it up.
Daniele Merkov (Thursday, 12 October 2017 08:50)
I really love going out and do some nature tripping so when my friends had a vacation last year on cannary island I didn't waste any opportunity to try climbing Roque Nublo a "must visit" in Gran Canaria may not be that challenging to climb if you are an expert and into extreme sports but the scenery that you can see from this route is absoultely unique. Well I'm the only one in the gang who's on to nature but theirs a lot more to do on Gran Canaria hope this could help.
And if you still have some extra time also try visiting Tamadaba national park https://www.canaryislandsinfo.co.uk/gran-canaria/
Gran Canaria Excursions (Monday, 08 January 2018 19:33)
I loved the post, my name is Kilian and I'm from Gran Canaria, we would like everyone to have the opportunity to know Gran Canaria as they have known it. We have a tour company called Canary Excursions Tours https://www.canaryexcursionstours.com/en/gran-canaria-excursions/ and the purpose is that when they come to the island enjoy and know as we do, the natives, hehe . Regards!!
Daniel S Lennox (Friday, 25 May 2018 12:29)
My wife and I are excited for the vacation we've booked in Spain and definitely we will go to the Canary. Tenerife is one of our eyeing place for our 1st stop There so many thing we want to do from a page we've read https://www.canaryislandsinfo.co.uk/tenerife/places/playa-de-las-americas/.I wanted to know if you have experience traveling to this wonderful Island.
Angela Lok (Tuesday, 15 January 2019 16:49)
this article brings back so many memories from my 2018 trip to the Canaries, one of my favourites ever! got to do some amazing diving at the Marazul (https://dive.site/dm7/sites..., and I absolutely loved the waters, the beaches, the landscapes, the locals - ah! the Canaries are truly a gem in this world. I really want to head back and explore the rest of the islands, think I'm gonna start with Gran Canaria after reading your article <3
Angela Lok (Tuesday, 15 January 2019 16:50)
this article brings back so many memories from my 2018 trip to the Canaries, one of my favourites ever! got to do some amazing diving at the Marazul https://dive.site/dm7/sites/view?id=18578), and I absolutely loved the waters, the beaches, the landscapes, the locals - ah! the Canaries are truly a gem in this world. I really want to head back and explore the rest of the islands, think I'm gonna start with Gran Canaria after reading your article <3
Peter (Wednesday, 08 May 2019 21:13)
What an incredible review and experience of Gran Canaria! Absolutely loved it and gotta share it!
I am planning to come over next month but I was looking a surf hostel near Playa de las Canteras and surfing on the north coast. A good friend of mine recently traveled and stayed in Avocado surf hostel located in the city centre, 100 meters ahead Las Canteras. He told me atmosphere was amazing and great price! Is there anybody stayed in there? On the other side, I am traveling with my surfboard and look forward to move around the island comfortably. My friend recommended me to get the car with www.autossansu.com as they are local and their prices and services are the best. Anyone that has stayed over the island, what do you think about staying and moving around? Or is it better to stay in the south of the island?
nick jonas (Thursday, 18 July 2019 12:58)
Gran Canaria is my favorite holiday destination. We are going to visit gran Canaria
for a new year with my family.
Thanks for the great itinerary.
Leon (Friday, 04 October 2019 07:17)
Hello there, I am travelling solo to Gran Canaria for 7 days from 25/01/2020 to 01/02/2020.
Please contact me if you have any local itinerary package that suits me.
I am single 45yo male, Southeast Asian-Chinese from Malaysian. I love all outdoors except that I do not scuba dive, and I do not think skydiving or bungee jumping is suitable for me. :-)
Feel free to drop me a line soon. I'm going to reserve my flights. Thanks!
Albania Tourism (Monday, 21 October 2019 17:10)
Great article! You should visit Gjipe bay in Ionian coast of Albania and it will truly be magic. The crystal water and the beautiful rocky beach has a beauty beyond words.
http://albania.al/
Michael Daniel (Tuesday, 12 November 2019 07:16)
Thanks for sharing your valuable experience at the most beautiful island Gran Canaria with us. This is going to help such people like me to make their tour memorable. Last week I found grancanariaexcursionsactivities.com , and after reading your reviews I am thinking of booking a tour this December.
Gran Canaria Urlaub (Sunday, 22 December 2019 15:04)
Thanks for sharing these great island with us! We love the pictures!
www.kanarenurlaub24.de/grancanaria
monica (Sunday, 08 March 2020 10:08)
Las pPalmas is a wonderful city but the island has many beautiful places that you can hardly find yourself, our vacation was wonderful thanks to the man we met on the beach las canteras Mr. kristofer is a local private guide who took us on an adventure of life, a small van of 8 took our whole family on a day-long encirclement of the island, among other things we were at a banana and coffee spot, we drank local coffee picking it straight from the bush, the local rum and banana liqueur something amazing, oranges, avocados and papayas straight from the tree, dinner at a local restaurant, local fish in a picturesque in the town of puerto de las nives, beautiful dunes beaches in maspalomas, we are very pleased with such a private trip, I recommend everyone to contact Mr. Cristobal, +34602410233, just call and make an appointment at your hotel to discuss an individual sightseeing plan, I recommend Gran Canaria Trip on the feacebook there our photos from the trip around the island
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