Must-see attractions in Gran Canaria

  • Galdar, Spain - March 2, 2019: Woman admiring the Interior of museum and Archaeological park, Cueva Pintada, in Galdar Gran Canaria, Spain . ; 
Cueva Pintada Museum & Archaeological Park

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    Cueva Pintada Museum & Archaeological Park

    Gran Canaria

    Discovered by a local farmer in the late 19th century, this is one of Gran Canaria's most important pre-Hispanic archaeological sites: a cave adorned with…

  • The facade of the Casa de Colon (also known as Columbus House), a museum in Las Palmas and a fine example of Canarian architecture.

    Casa-Museo de Colón

    Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

    This fascinating museum documents Columbus’ voyages and features exhibits on the Canary Islands’ historical role as a staging post for transatlantic…

  • Dunas de Maspalomas

    Maspalomas

    These fabulous dunes cover 400 hectares and were designated a nature reserve in the 1990s, ensuring that the rapidly multiplying hotels would never…

  • Playa de las Canteras

    Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

    The fine 3km stretch of yellow sand is magnificent, and is considered by many to be one of the world's best city beaches. There’s an attractive seaside…

  • Iglesia de San Juan Bautista

    Gran Canaria

    The extraordinary, neo-Gothic church stands sullen watch over the bright, white houses of Arucas in a striking display of disproportion and contrast. The…

  • Parque Municipal de Arucas de las Flores

    Gran Canaria

    These terraced municipal gardens are laid out in French style with fountains, pavilions, sculptures and tropical trees, including the rare evergreen soap…

  • Basílica Nuestra Señora del Pino

    Gran Canaria

    Dominating the square is this neoclassical 18th-century church, home to Gran Canaria’s patron saint. According to legend, the Virgin was spied atop a pine…

  • Centro de Interpretación

    Gran Canaria

    Occupying a cave at the entrance of the barranco, this large and excellent museum has very informative exhibits explaining the ravine's geology, fauna and…

  • Museo Etnográfico Casas Cuevas

    Gran Canaria

    Once inhabited by locals, this cave complex is now home to the village museum, a fascinating place that focuses on village life in times gone by. You…

  • Fortaleza de Ansite

    Gran Canaria

    These huge rocks form a natural fortress and constitute one of Gran Canaria's most important pre-Hispanic sites. It was here that the Guanches' last stand…

  • Mirador Degollada de la Cruz Grande

    Gran Canaria

    Located by the roadside between San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Tejeda, this superb viewpoint gives you vistas, in two directions, of the Caldera de…

  • Mirador de Unamuno

    Gran Canaria

    One of several viewpoints in town, the Mirador de Unamuno looks out onto a sweeping panorama of the vast volcanic caldera beyond – it is a stupefying…

  • Cruz de Tejeda

    Gran Canaria

    The greenish-grey stone cross from which this spot takes its name marks the centre of Gran Canaria and its historic caminos reales (king’s highways),…

  • Casa Museo Antonio Padrón

    Gran Canaria

    Locals are justifiably proud of native son Antonio Padrón who, in the 1960s, was just starting to gain serious recognition in the European art world when…

  • Caldera de Bandama

    Gran Canaria

    South of Tafira Alta is the impressive Caldera de Bandama, one of the largest extinct volcanic craters on Gran Canaria, at 200m deep and 1km in diameter…

  • Temisas

    Gran Canaria

    The impressive setting for Temisas, with its backdrop of impenetrable cliffs, provides views across a ravine that falls away down to the sea, while the…

  • Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo

    Gran Canaria

    About 9km southwest of Las Palmas, this vast botanical garden – Spain’s largest, encompassing 27 hectares – hosts a broad range of Macaronesian flora from…

  • Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la Tecnología

    Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

    This 21st-century museum is full of things that whir, clank and hum. In a revamped green-painted 19th-century dockside warehouse in Parque Santa Catalina,…

  • Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno

    Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

    The city’s main modern art museum is housed in a tastefully rejuvenated 18th-century building. There are no permanent collections but the galleries,…

  • Playa del Inglés

    Maspalomas

    Aside from the rolling Maspalomas dunes, the main attraction for the thousands of annual visitors to the island’s quintessential package-tour destination…

  • Roque Bentayga

    Gran Canaria

    A few kilometres west of Tejeda village rises Roque Bentayga (1404m); it's signposted, but you'll need your own transport to get here. Various reminders…

  • Cuatro Puertas

    Gran Canaria

    Although it's only 5km south of Telde, this impressive pre-Hispanic site is seldom visited, even by locals. 'Cuatro Puertas' means 'four doors' and takes…

  • Santuario de la Cuevita

    Gran Canaria

    Dating back to the early 19th century, this is one of Gran Canaria's smallest and most endearing chapels. Everything here – the altar, confessional,…

  • Casa-Museo Tomás Morales

    Gran Canaria

    Once home to the namesake Canarian poet, who died in 1922 aged just 37, this museum includes a music room with a 170-year-old clavichord, a small hall…

  • Calle Mayor de Triana

    Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

    This pedestrianised street has long been the main shopping artery in Las Palmas. In between purchases, look skyward to enjoy some real architectural gems,…

  • Casa-Museo de Pérez Galdós

    Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

    In 1843 the Canary Islands’ most famous writer, Benito Pérez Galdós, was born in this house in the heart of old Las Palmas. He spent the first 19 years of…

  • Pueblo Canario

    Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

    This mock Canarian village was designed by artist Néstor Martín Fernández de la Torre and built by his brother Miguel. It's a little unloved and the…

  • Parque San Telmo

    Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

    This lovely paved park shelters beneath a canopy of shade provided by a lovely group of huge, mature magnolias. The Iglesia de San Telmo is a charming…

  • Observatorio Astronómico de Temisas

    Gran Canaria

    Located 850m about sea level on the edge of the Caldera de Tirajana, this observatory has guided stargazing visits from Monday to Thursday from 8.30pm to…

  • Gabinete Literario

    Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

    Dating from 1844, this ornate historical building is a national monument. It was the island’s first theatre and retains an old-world display of faded…

  • Jardín de la Marquesa

    Gran Canaria

    This lovely botanical garden, located northwest of town on the road to Bañaderos, is owned by the Marquesa de Arucas (along with the Hacienda del Buen…

  • Iglesia de San Sebastián

    Gran Canaria

    This vast church, with its dome of 12 large windows (symbolising the 12 apostles) and rounded arches, is considered one of the best examples of Canarian…

  • Roque Nublo

    Gran Canaria

    Roque Nublo is an icon of Gran Canaria, an impressive monolith (1803m) jutting 80m skywards from the surrounding volcanic landscape. It sneaks into the…

  • Museo Canario

    Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

    This slightly old-fashioned yet still fascinating museum chronicles Gran Canaria’s preconquest history. It claims the heady boast of having the largest…

  • Municipal Museum

    Gran Canaria

    The municipal gardens house the town’s main museum, which has a permanent exhibition by Canarian painters and sculptors, including the masterful Guillermo…

  • Iglesia de San Francisco

    Gran Canaria

    In this church dedicated to St Francis, note the three polychrome stone altars on the northernmost of the twin naves, and the fine artesonado (coffered)…

  • Centro de Interpretación

    Gran Canaria

    Sitting at the base of Roque Bentayga, this centre provides excellent insights into the pre-Hispanic settlement of the Gran Canaria central mountains,…

  • Cenobio de Valerón

    Gran Canaria

    This a fascinating ancient site consisting of over 350 caves, silos and cavities of varied size, which were used to store grain in pre-Hispanic times…

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