Friday, 02 January 2015 00:00

Gran Canaria Taxis

Taxis in Gran Canaria are cheap and reliable and an excellent way to get between resorts and towns in Gran Canaria. You don't have to worry about being ripped off either since all taxis on the island have a meter and the fines for fiddling with it are enormous. 

Taxi Prices

All of Gran Canaria's taxis have a standard meter and have to turn it on for every journey. If you get in a taxi with a "broken" meter, just get out.

While rates vary slightly in different parts of the island taxis prices in Gran Canaria are always about as cheap as it gets in Europe.

There are three fare bands:

Band 1 is for urban travel within a town or resort.

Band 3 is for longer journeys between towns and ticks in when you reach a certain distance from the start town (there's almost always a sign). 

Band 2 is for getting your taxi to wait, but this is rarely used as there are plenty of cabs on the island.

The only time you'll get a different price from what the meter says is if you negotiate a day fare for an island trip (technically there's an official price for this as well) or if you get a discount from a driver on an airport run: Drivers often leave the meter on to show you that you're getting a discount.

Do be aware that the taxi meters automatically raise fares during fiestas and late at night. 

Taxi alternatives

There're lots of alternative airport pickup services advertised in Gran Canaria and while we rarely hear of any problems with them they are almost the same price as a taxi.

If you'd rather use a private transfer service than a public taxi we recommend this one.

Published in Transport

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Tip of the day

  • The Parafarmacia In Gran Canaria Is Not A Chemist!
    The Parafarmacia In Gran Canaria Is Not A Chemist!

    If there is one thing we hate it is visitors being tricked in Gran Canaria. In the past we've warned about overcharging at Gran Canaria chemists, and rip off electronics shops in resorts. 

    In this Tip Of The Day we return to the island's chemists or rather, to the island's fake chemists.

    A chemist in Gran Canaria is called a Farmacia and always has a green cross sign. Farmacias are the only place tobuy medicine in Spain, even basics like paracetamol.

    However, there is another kind of shop in Gran Canaria that looks and sounds like a chemist but doesn't sell medicine. This is the Parafarmacia and it also uses a green cross sign.

    A parafarmacia is a herbal medicine shop that is not allowed to sell any normal medicine such as paracetamol, ibuprofen or antibiotics. 

    Instead, parafarmacias sell herbal alternatives to medicine but don't have to prove that they work and they can charge whatever they want.

    We recently heard from a visitor to Gran Canaria who went into a parafarmacia and was charged 40 euros for a herbal alternative to Ibuprofen. It was only when they read the label that they realised what had happened. 

    To locate a genuine farmacia, see this website and search within your municipio (Puerto Rico is in Mogán, Playa del Inglés is in San Bartolomé de Tirajana). At weekends and on fiesta days many farmacias close but there is always one open, known as the farmacia de guardia, in each municipio.

    Search for the nearest one to you with this tool

    Lex Says: To keep costs down, see this article for the way to ask for generic medicine rather than expensive branded alternatives. 

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