Highlights of 1 Week Gran Canaria
We took the plane to Gran Canaria in the winter of 2022 to briefly escape the cold and rainy climate at home. The Canarias are known for their nice climate around the year, making it a perfect destination for a lazy beach holiday, just tanning at the pool. However, there is also plenty to do for those looking for more sporty activities. We explored the whole island in one week, by car, bike and on foot. We share our highlights of 1 week Gran Canaria with you!
Day 1: Flight to Gran Canaria
It is most easy to access the island by plane. Most (if not all) public flights arrive at Aeropuerto de Gran Canaria, located at the Eastern side of the island. Although it’s fairly easy to rent a car at the airport, we chose to travel further by bus, since we didn’t need a car every day of the week. We stayed in Maspalomas on the Southern side of the island for the entire week. Here, we stayed in an Adults Only Hotel. This is the most famous place among tourists, because here is where you can see the sun shine almost every day.
Day 2: Visit Las Palmas
Activities: Las Palmas (1)
We started the day looking for a rental car, as we prefered to explore the whole island and not just hang out at the beach for the rest of the week. It turned out to be pretty easy, because after a small tour through the center we reserved two cars at different locations for two days. And it was even a Sunday in high season. Looking for more certainty? Rent a car via Sunnycars.
After booking the cars we took the bus from Maspalomas to the capital of the island: Las Palmas. The travel time is about an hour and for about ten euros each (2022) we had a return ticket. There are multiple connections throughout the day, so no need to worry about timetables. We walked through the center of the city to the boulevard on the northern side. Here is a nice wide beach with plenty of free spots. We were in bad luck today regarding the weather. It became more and more rainy and we decided to travel back to the hotel already after a few hours. Despite being February, the sun didn’t set until seven, so we could spend a few hours relaxing at the pool at the end of the day.
Day 3: Roadtrip on the Southern Side
Activities: Mirador de Astronomico de la Degollada de las Yeguas (2), Mirador de Fataga (3), Roque Nublo (4), Mirador de Parralillo (5), Los Azulejos (6)
On the third day we planned to explore the Southern side of the island. We got up early in the moring and around ten o’clock we were at the rental company already. After we left Maspalomas there was not much left to see from tourism.
We drove via the GC-60 into the mountains towards Fataga. On the way there were plenty of stops to enjoy the beautiful scenery already. We thought the most beautiful viewpoints are Mirador de Astronomico de la Degollada de las Yeguas and Mirador de Fataga. The landscape is characterized by vast, bare rock formations of reddish-brown color and the height difference makes it a bit Grand Canyon like. Don’t expect much more greenery than some cactuses on the terrain.
Hike to Iconic Roque Nublo
One of the most famous places on the island is the Roque Nublo. This is a big rock rising from the ground on top of a beautiful viewpoint. We passed here and decided to walk the short route to the top (download our free gpx route to Roque Nublo below). The route is only three kilometers in length and contains few difference in altitude. This makes it a suitable walk for anyone in normal physical health. The view is beautiful and in clear weather you can even see the top of the Teide at Tenerife.
We continued our route to the Western side of the island with a necessary stop every now an then, to enjoy the amazing views, such as the Mirador de Parralillo. After passing through Molino de Viento, the last stop was Los Azulejos, a number of colored rock formations along the route. We got out to take a short walk here and again enjoyed the landscape. The last part of the route consists of a highway back to Maspalomas, where we arrived late in the afternoon. It was a pretty long drive with all the stops in between, but we were really surprised by the beautiful scenery. It was really one of the highlights of this 1 week Gran Canaria and we should definitely recommend this route.
Day 4: Exploring Maspalomas
Activities: Playa del Inglés (7)
Of course, a day at the beach may not be forgotten on the island of eternal spring. Today we stayed in Maspalomas and explored the nearby area. The nearest beach is Playa del Inglés, accessible on foot from almost every hotel in the city. We believe it is never really crowded here, as it stretches for a few miles further to the South.
Although we don’t care much about going to restaurants, the restaurant we visited tonight is worth mentioning. Restaurant Good Vibes serves all kinds of small dishes and cocktails in a very cozy decorated space. This restaurant is really worth a visit in our opinion.
Day 5: Road Bike Trip into the Mountains
Activities: cycling route, Mirador El Guriete (8)
After a ‘lazy’ beach day, it was time for a little more action. We got up on time, had a quick breakfast and picked up our reserved road bikes at Free Motion. It should be mentioned that booking a day or two in advance is sufficient here.
The environment and part of the route is more or less the same as the first trip by car. We surely have to nominate Mirador El Guriete as best viewpoint, where you can watch a deep gorge. See also our cycling route on Gran Canaria for more information and a download of our route.
Day 6: Roadtrip to the Northern Side
Activities: Salinas El Bufadero (9), Mirador Pinos de Gáldar (10), Pico de las Nieves (11), Teror (12)
Another car route was planned for today, but this time we wanted to visit the other side of the island, as the difference in climate and scenery is so different between North and South. Actually, we first drove the ring road to the North, before the actual route started. We got off the highway and soon we found a number of beautiful viewpoints along the sea. One of these is for example Salinas El Bufadero. After a short stop in the town of Gáldar we drove back into the mountains. As already expected, the contrast with the Southern side immediately became clear. There is much more vegetation, but also more clouds and even an occasional shower.
Via a beautiful twisty road and a number of intermediate stops (for example Mirador Pinos de Gáldar) we drove to the highest point of the island: Pico de las Nieves. From here you have a beautiful view over the entire island. The Roque Nublo can be seen in the distance from here, and in clear conditions Tenerife is also visible. On our way back we made another stop at Teror, a small town in surrounded by green hills, before driving back south via the highway. In total, the autoroute took all morning and a large part of the afternoon, but the difference in climate and vegetation really made it worth the trip.
Day 7: Dunas de Maspalomas
Activities: Dunas de Maspalomas (13)
After two intensive days, we wanted to take it easy for today – that meant no cycling or car routes. After a late and calm breakfast, the Dunas de Maspalomas were the last destination on our schedule. Hence, we started on foot from the hotel and walked towards the sand dunes. Make no mistake: the area is much larger than expected and also quite heavy because of the hot sand and new sand dunes that keep appearing. We eventually arrived at a lighthouse near the town of Meloneras, where we had a coffee break. On the way back, we walked along the sea and stoped a few more times to lie on the beach, because it was a bit remote here and therefore wonderfully quiet. After all, another active last day of our vacation.
Day 8: Flight back Home
We didn’t really do anything on the last day because we had to check out at the hotel on time and also had to be on the airport quite early in the afternoon. Not a problem, as we visited most of the highlights of Gran Canaria in this 1 week. Fortunately, we could store our suitcases in a luggage room in the hotel and enjoyed a few more hours at the pool. It was a beautiful week with a nice variety between beach and activities.
