Inside Tips on Gran Canaria

Small town life in Gran Canaria

I have to give credit to a college friend of mine for providing these tips on Grand Canary. His wife is from Las Palmas and they tend to visit often. Insider knowledge is priceless so here are some of the tips they provided us for our trip...

1.Roque Nublo, in the center of the island is a giant rock area, good for a 30-45 minutes hike, (SE of Tejeda). Be sure and go on a clear day, as this area is often quite cloudy. On a clear day, you can see a few of the other islands, including Tenerife. Also, this is a forested area that can be quite cool, bring a jacket. You have to park and hike to get to the top, but its worth it when its clear.

2. Puerto de Mogan . Southern part of the island on the water, make sure its the Puerto de Mogan, not Mogan. When i went there 10 years ago, it was a sleepy village with a nice relaxing port. Now, its a little more crowded, but still has a nice port. There is a market day, not sure when, but if you find out, we happened to go on that day, it was fun.

3. Hydrofoil/ferry to other islands are best , and they leave from Agaete (NW) and Las Palmas (NE) . I've never driven around the west side of the island from Mogan to Agaete, so i can't vouch for the roads. But, the rest of the island has nice modern new roads. The roads going to the middle of the island can get a bit hairy, but i'm sure you can handle it. Hopefully , its not that cloudy. Just ask your hotel about schedules.

4.City of Las Palmas. The Catedral and Museo de Colon are in the historic district and worth visiting. Ask some locals when in this area for directions to the Casino (social club) and Trianas close by. The social club is next to outside cafes and Trianas is a shopping street closed off to cars. There are taxis everywhere and parking stinks everywhere, so maybe take them if your spending a day here

There is a Hotel/Casino Santa Catalina that is a relaxing spot about 1/2-1miles from here. The outside bar area in front usually has a great atmosphere to drink a few. Its not very crowded, but its a good spot. I've been there often.

There is a board walk beach area called Playa de Las Canteras on the north west of the city. My favorite eating spot for seafood is there. Its next to the Alfredo Kraus opera house at the start of this boardwalk called Bosmedianos, gotta get the caracoles and calamari. Its a long walk around, so plan on spending some time if your going to walk it.

Roque Nublo

Puerto Mogan

Las Palmas and the Cathedral (c) Hector Vera

Las Canteras