Ready to explore the incredible “Miniature Continent” of Gran Canaria by car? Check out the 3 most popular driving routes.
Inner trip
Las Palmas – Tejeda – Roque Nublo – (Pico de las Nieves) – Presa de las Ninas (lake) – Maspalomas – Barranco de Guayadeque – Las Palmas
Tejeda is a beautiful village in the hills of Gran Canaria. Featuring a lovely church and narrow streets lined with picturesque houses, you'll find a public swimming pool with a fabulous view of mountains from inside the village. Tejeda is known for its famous almond cookies and almond honey spread Bienmesabe, which can be found, prepared and sold at Dulceria Nublo Tejeda.
Roque Nublo is an 80m high rock in the middle of the island offering a breathtaking view of the whole of Gran Canaria. From the parking area, it takes approx. 40 min to hike to the top, but it’s worth it; the view is spectacular!
Pico de las Nieves is the highest peak of Gran Canaria, but while it offers a nice view, it’s almost the same as that from Roque Nublo, so we recommend just stopping at one of them on your roadtrip. If you're looking to climb this peak, the road ends in parking next to a military base.
Presa de las Ninas is one of a few lakes that Gran Canaria has. It’s a perfect picnic spot and a great place to break for lunch with plenty of picnic tables available on the road to the south.
The lighthouse in Maspalomas and the sand dunes are “must see” attractions. The dunes were designated a national park but visitors are still welcomed to walk along the sand. The weather in the south is warmer than in Las Palmas, so pack your beach towel. The beach is wonderful but be aware of old naked Germans!
Barranco de Guayadeque separates Ingenio and Agüimes. The ravine is incredibly green almost year round and is full of wild plants and inhabited caves of Gaunches, the original occupants of Gran Canaria. A restaurant called Tagoror has an amazing view of the ravine and offers traditional Canarian meals for you to sample.
Northern trip
Las Palmas – Cenobio de Valeron – Puerto de las Nieves – Artenara – Teror – Las Palmas
Cenobio de Valeron is a remarkable attraction that showcases how Gaunches, the original inhabitants of Gran Canaria, used to live. It consists of more than 350 caves which were used to store food like cereals and seeds. It opens Tuesday – Sunday each week.
Puerto de las Nieves is known as the terminal for ferries to Tenerife. It’s a lovely town with a pebbly beach, traditional houses and great seafood restaurants. It's also situated 1km away from Agaete, another small town with a beautiful old church and church square complete with a local bar full of peanut shells on the floor and friendly regulars.
From Puerto de las Nieves the road leads you along the coastline with views of rocky coast and ocean to La Aldea de San Nicolas and Artenara, the highest town of the island which features a number of caves; a few of them still inhabited. One is even used as the tourist office and is part of a cave museum complex.
Teror is a small town with a beautiful church, full of colourful traditional houses. Teror is also well known for its sausage Chorizo de Teror, which we highly recommend sampling while you're there.
Southern trip
The South of Gran Canaria is known as a sunny holiday destination. Great weather throughout the year, thousands of tourists, hotels and never-ending parties…that’s what you'll experience when you visit the south.
Maspalomas – Arguineguin – Puerto Rico – Puerto de Mogan
The lighthouse in Maspalomas and the sand dunes are “must see” attractions in the south. The dunes were designated a national park but you're still welcome to walk along the sand. The weather in the south is warmer than in Las Palmas, so make sure to pack your beach gear. The famous beach, Playa del Ingles, is beautiful and has an abundance of pubs and nightclubs meaning you'll never be short of a good time!
Arguineguin is a small village with great beaches, a port and delicious seafood restaurants. Further west is Puerto Rico, a huge holiday resort with a nice sandy beach although it's not big enough to accommodate all of the tourists and Puerto de Mogan, called “Venice of the Canaries”, another overcrowded tourist destination with a fishing port and yacht harbour.
Map
- Inner trip - red
- Northern trip - blue
- Southern trip - yellow
