Arriving

Getting from Gran Canaria airport to your final Gran Canaria destination is easy even if you don't have a bus transfer as part of your package. You can either take a public bus, get a taxi, or have a private transfer arranged in advance. 

Or you can rent a car and drive to your accommodation. Choose your rental company carefully and read this tip before you book. 

Before you leave, pick up a few essentials from the airport supermarket.

Settling in

Once you've arrived and unpacked, you want to get out and find out more about your resort. Here's a quick guide to the highlights of each main resort.

Playa del Inglés, Maspalomas, San Agustín, Puerto Rico, Puerto de Mogán and Las Palmas.

Staying somewhere else? Gran Canaria's other resorts are small enough to explore in a few minutes. 

Need a few things? Here how to get the best value groceries in Gran Canaria's resorts. While we're on the subject, here's Ten Tips for saving money in Gran Canaria.

The Weather: We publish a weather forecast twice a week. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good.

Want to know a bit more about the history of Gran Canaria? Here you go. 

Things to see and do

Here's the Top 10 things that Gran Canaria newbies have to see. 

Gran Canaria is a small island but there's a lot of it and plenty to see. Here's the Top Ten must-see icons, and ten towns you really should visit (but you don't have to see them all on your first trip).

An island as sunny as Gran Canaria gets great sunsets so here's a list of the best places to the sun go down. 

Here's a list of ten places for the perfect Gran Canaria selfie. 

See our day trip and excursion guide for more things to do in Gran Canaria.

The beaches

Here's a description and photos of every beach in Gran Canaria. Or, cut to the chase and see Gran Canaria's best beaches, it's top resort beaches, and the beaches that the locals keep for themselves. 

Feel like a spot of nudism. Here's where to go and how to behave.

Food

You have to try the mojo sauce and here's a list of the other highlights of Canarian cuisine. The brave can sample the scariest Canarian food, and try some of the foods that the locals eat that don't make it onto resort menus. 

If you head to Las Palmas, there's a huge choice of tapas restaurants and national cuisine restaurants from around the world.

What about a foodie souvenir? Here are the best gourmet Canarian foods.

Before you choose a restaurant, see our guide to choosing the best ones, and our guide to the different types of Gran Canaria restaurant. Here's what to tip.

Don't miss Gran Canaria's homegrown coffee.

Day trips

Read this page before you rent a car and this guide to getting around Gran Canaria by bus. 

Here's a list of the best roads to drive and parks to visit. 

For Gran Canaria culture, head to Vegueta old town in Las Palmas.

Don't miss Spain's biggest and best botanical garden.

Shopping

If you love shopping, you've come to the right island. Gran Canaria is a cheap place to buy everything from fashion to gadgets, as well as local crafts. Cigarettes and alcohol are cheap, but read this about duty free before you buy. 

The best selection of shops is in the capital city. See our guide to Las Palmas shops. 

In the resorts, you want to start here.

Warning: We hate being negative, but please read this before buying electronics in Gran Canaria's resorts.

Living in Gran Canaria

So, you've seen Gran Canaria and you love it so much that you want to stay forever. See our guide to buying property in south Gran Canaria and this guide to the islands main property areas. If you love the capital, here's what you need to know to buy property in Las Palmas. 

Or head over to our Gran Canaria residents website.