Tours

Round the island

The following is one of the most popular routes for people visiting Gran Canaria, for which you need the use of a car. Heading south from Las Palmas, first you arrive in the city of Telde. It's worth stopping in the San Juan district and visiting its church, as well as losing yourself a while in the narrow cobbled streets of the upper part of Santa María La Antigua, now known as the San Francisco district.

Continuing your journey, take the GC-1 motorway (which goes by the airport)to the right are the towns of Ingenio, Agüimes and Santa Lucía, while the sea remains to your left. Once you get to the tourist area of Playa del Ingles, it's impossible not to feel like stopping at Maspalomas to see the dunes, the lighthouse and La Charca. Almost without realizing it, you get to the beautiful port Puerto de Mogán and just a little further on, there's La Aldea de San Nicolás, where the popular Fiesta del Charco is held. Here, next to the beach, you can try some excellent fresh fish.

In the afternoon, you can continue your trip, winding round the bends in the road and stopping every so often to see the lovely views of Telde at the foot of spectacular cliffs, before you get to the coastal town of Agaete, a great place to see the sun set by Paseo de los Poetas. Every year, the Fiesta de la Rama is celebrated here, an event charged with magic and religious symbolism. From here, you start your journey back the capital, after stopping to see the historic centre of Gáldar, the first pre-Hispanic capital of the island, the Cenobio de Valerón with their native silos, and a spectacular illuminated view of the church of Arucas, with the satisfaction of knowing you've gone around a miniature continent.

Original by P Naranjo Translation by S Leipnitz

Walking around Vegueta

The first district of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria appears before the visitor with all the zest of the colonial cities of Latin America, with beautiful, majestic stone buildings, paved streets, fountains and rows of balconies, Canary style.

A good place to start is Plaza de Santa Ana, which for decades has been decorated with fearless bronze dogs. From here, any of the options are good: the cathedral and its artistic treasures, the Palacio Episcopal, residence of the bishop and the Casas Consistoriales, which today is still the seat of the District Town Councilors, fusing together, in characteristic fashion, functionality and history.

Take a few steps towards the sea and you find the Casa de Colón(Columbus' House), another popular option. Go and see its exhibitions, or the legacy that the Genoese traveler left behind for the locals to enjoy. The navigator prayed here, and to be able to touch the stones of his house allows you to relive all the vivid emotions felt five centuries ago. A little further down is the Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno (CAAM) (Atlantic Centre for Modern Art), which throughout the year plays host to the most avant-garde art exhibitions.

Other places to visit in this historic district are the Museo Canario (Museum of the Canaries), which has the best collection of figurines and archaeological vestiges from the islands, as well as the small squares and old refuges of Vegueta. Among them, the most noteworthy is the Plaza del Pilar Viejo with its fountain, where a well-deserved rest awaits you. The best thing to do in Vegueta is get lost in its streets, with the ancient government building on one side and the Santo Domingo Church on the other. Just heavenly.

To end the day, all you have to do is cross the Guiniguada riverbank, and you get to the shopping street of the city par excellence, Calle Triana. Whatever you're looking for by way of fashion or gifts, can be found on this pedestrian walkway, lined with the most varied style of houses, with balconies that seem to peer out and invite you to go up.

Original by P Naranjo Translation by S Leipnitz

Venturing inland

Gran Canaria does not just offer sun, beaches and history. As you delve deeper into the island's mid- and high-points, you come face to face with Nature. Going up Centro road, you quickly get to the residential suburb of Tafira, with the modern university campus to the right. Just five or six kilometers further up is the town of Santa Brígida, and just beyond that is San Mateo, where its Sunday mercadillo (market) presents the visitor with traditional island products (cheeses, sauces, local fruits)

Having come this far on very winding, but safe, roads, you get to Cruz de Tejeda. From here you have a marvelous view of all the central massif of the island, with Roque Nublo dominating everything. When the famous Spanish writer Miguel de Unamuno saw this landscape, he called it "the petrified storm". From Tejeda, the descent is quick southwards, and you pass the small district of Ayacata, where you can do a detour to presa de Chira, a refreshing reservoir with somewhat less water today than originally.

From here, you can go to Santiago de Tunte and Santa Lucía de Tirajana, and then it's downhill to Fortaleza de Ansite (Ansite Fort), where the last free people from the Canaries took refuge from Castilian rule. From these great heights, these people threw themselves over the edge so as not to die slaves in a gesture, which even today, is commemorated and celebrated in Gran Canaria as the proclamation of Atis Tirma.

The enchanting view of the steep riverbank leads you to the olive-producing district of Temisas where you have a last chance to stop for a cup of coffee, before returning to the capital via Telde (if you have time, it's worth visiting Telde's black sandy beaches like La Garita or Melenara). Once in the capital, if you have the energy, stop in the district of Vegueta or have a drink at the popular Parque de Santa Catalina.