5 Tips for an affordable getaway to Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria is one of Europe’s most important mass tourism destinations, one of the few places accessible within a few hours’ flying time that can just about guarantee warm weather all winter long. (Sharm el-Sheik, where tourist traffic has fallen precipitously this autumn, is another.) Upwards of 50 airlines fly to Gran Canaria from various spots across Europe and North Africa.
For many, many Europeans – in particular from the UK and Scandinavia – Gran Canaria is shorthand for winter sun.
And it is a monster of a tourist island. The southern coast, in particular, is heavily built up. In Maspalomas, streets are named after package holiday tour operators, and there are stretches where you are more likely to greet passers-by on the street in Norwegian, German, or English than Spanish. The beaches are fantastic; the long sweep at Maspalomas is wide and well organized, catering to both naturist and gay subcultures. Some beautiful dunes, majestic and often empty, separate it from human development.
Gran Canaria is fun and reliable. Most importantly, it is honest about what it is. And for those who find mass tourism unappealing, the island is full of beautiful places well off the tourist track.
Here here are a few tips, budget-minded and otherwise.
Las Palmas has beautiful beaches right in the city. Photo: El Coleccionista
1. Don’t skip Las Palmas, a lovely city with beaches
You’ll probably visit Gran Canaria for the beaches, but don’t miss Las Palmas. The largest and commercially most important city in the Canary Islands has around 400,000 residents, and its metropolitan area is considerably bigger yet. It’s a real city, in other words. Highlights include the Las Palmas Cathedral, the Cathedral of Santa Ana, the Casa de Colón – dedicated in part to Christopher Columbus – and the Atlantic Center of Modern Art (CAAM). The city also boasts some beautiful beaches.
2. Seek out supermarkets for affordable food
The quality of most restaurants in the tourist zones of Gran Canaria is not great. There are exceptions, of course. I was lucky to discover a restaurant on the edge of Maspalomas serving a lovely goat stew, and Las Palmas also has a handful of good restaurants. Most restaurants, however, really do leave something to be desired.
This means that the supermarket is your best friend. The general prices of supermarket items are very reasonable on Gran Canaria, and there are many big supermarkets in Las Palmas and in tourist towns. Keep an eye out for big names like Eurospar, Hiperdino, Lidl and Mercadona. Take advantage of the fact that many, many hotels offer rooms or cottages with kitchenettes.
Hiking in Gran Canaria includes stunning volcanic scenery. Photo: blinking idiot
3. Take a mountain hike to experience island nature
Gran Canaria is a volcanic island with vast topographical variations. While it is known for its beaches, it also possesses fantastic inland nature. A good English-language resource is the fastidiously updated Rambling Roger website, set up in part to sell the Rambling Roger hiking guides to the island. (Note that the site includes links to PDFs of several free hiking guides.)
4. Bus and taxi are very cheap
A rental car will come in handy if you choose to go for a mountain hike or check out different parts of the island, but most visitors will do fine without one. Happily, the island is well served by bus. Guaguas Municipales serves Las Palmas; long-distance services leave from San Telmo bus station. In addition, taxis in tourist centers are incredibly cheap. In Maspalomas, many visitors take taxis very short distances for €2 or €3 per journey, and the nighttime surcharge is just 55 cents per journey.
Bora Bora The Hotel has excellent rates in the heart of Las Palmas.
5. Saving on hotels
Gran Canaria is full of big hotels, chain and otherwise. Huge volumes of tourists translate into good deals, but we’ll prod you gently toward the small, cheerful hotels instead, where wintertime doubles can be found for €40 per night.
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