Gran Canaria is a very popular holiday destination in Europe. Especially in winter, many people from Northern Europe love to spend some time here since temperatures are very pleasant even in winter. It’s even possible to go to the beach! Sounds great right? But what is there to do in Gran Canaria? Well, a lot! So let’s start with the 5 most iconic places in Gran Canaria you will want to visit.
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Table of Contents - The 5 most iconic places in Gran Canaria
1. Las Dunas de Maspalomas
Las Dunas de Maspalomas (Maspalomas Dunes) is probably the most iconic spot of Gran Canaria. These dunes consist of sand blown over from the Saraha on the other side of the ocean. Conveniently located right in Playa del Ingles, the most touristic area of Maspalomas in the South of the island, many people pass by here at least once during their stay.
Early in the morning is the best time to visit since there will be fewer people. Sunset is normally the busiest time of day. The middle of the day is also relatively quiet, but make sure to bring proper shoes if you want to visit this time of day since the sand gets hot!
How to get to the Dunas de Maspalomas
The Maspalomas Dunes are within walking distance from many places in Playa del Ingles. If you’re staying a little further away, you can take almost every bus that passes through Maspalomas and get off at either shopping center Cita or Plaza Agaete.
If you’re staying in Las Palmas and you want to use public transport, get bus 30 from either Santa Catalina or San Telmo, which is the quickest way to get here.
2. Roque Nublo
Roque Nublo (Cloud Rock) is another super iconic spot on the island of Gran Canaria. This place is located more or less in the middle of the island. Note that to reach the rock itself, you’ll need to hike up for about 20 minutes. While the trail itself isn’t super difficult, this doesn’t mean that not everyone can visit the rock itself. But fear not, you can still have nice views from surrounding viewpoints. My favorite view is from Pico de las Nieves, the highest point on the island even though it’s from a bit further away.
How to get to Roque Nublo
If you are visiting in January 2025, visiting Roque Nublo is still quite straightforward. You can drive to Llanos del Pez and hike to Roque Nublo. The closer parking spots are now closed since they are being turned into bus stops for the shuttle buses.
If you are not driving, you can take bus 18 from Maspalomas. Do note that this bus does not run very frequently and you will need to spend the whole day here. There are many hiking trails in the area, so if you like hiking, that won’t be a problem. From Las Palmas it’s a little bit more difficult to travel here by public transport, it’s best to use Google Maps or the Guaguas Global app to plan your trip.
Changes to visiting Roque Nublo: Starting from February 2025 visiting Roque Nublo won’t be as straightforward anymore, and you’ll need to make a reservation if you want to visit Roque Nublo between 9 and 17 on any given day. You can then get to either Tejeda or Llanos del Pez and hop on the shuttle bus from there. If you are coming from Maspalomas, you can also take bus 18 which will stop at Roque Nublo as well starting from February.
3. Puerto de Mogan
Puerto de Mogan is the most iconic and most visited town of Gran Canaria. I won’t say it’s the best town to visit, I think there are much nicer traditional towns to visit in Gran Canaria than Puerto de Mogan. But Puerto de Mogan is very picturesque and definitely deserves a place on this list of the 5 most iconic places of Gran Canaria. But it is very much an Instagram place and feels more like an open-air museum than a traditional town.
Go for a stroll around the harbor and the “Centro Historico” and head up to the viewpoint for views over the town and surrounding coast. There is a beach next to town as well where you can spend some time as well.
How to get to Puerto de Mogan
If you don’t want to drive, you can take bus 32 (quickest) or 1 from Maspalomas. If you’re coming from Las Palmas, do NOT take bus 1. This bus will stop everywhere and it will take you about 3 hours if not more to get to Puerto de Mogan. Instead, take bus 91 which takes about 1.5 hours.
4. Barranco de las Vacas
The Barranco de las Vacas (Cow’s avine) reminds many of the canyons in the USA. While they may look similar in pictures, this area of the Barranco is only small and of course, doesn’t quite measure up the canyons in the USA. But it’s still a pretty and iconic place of Gran Canaria.
How to get to Barranco de las Vacas
The easiest and most direct way to get to Barranco de las Vacas is by car. There is no public transport which stops close. But you can hike here from Aguimes or Temisas if you don’t want to drive.
5. Mirador del Balcón
Mirador del Balcón (or Anden Verde) is one of the most iconic viewpoints in Gran Canaria. It’s built along the old road that connected Agaete and La Aldea de San Nicolas. This road is no longer in use, there is a newer road that passes through several tunnels, but you can still drive to this beautiful viewpoint. The balcony (or Balcón in Spanish) is located over beautiful cliffs and from here you have spectacular views of these cliffs.
While I think the views are very beautiful, there is a hike you can do from Agaete/Puerto de las Nieves which also gives spectacular views over cliffs. If you like hiking, I recommend hiking the S-90 instead. I find it’s easier to connect to nature and appreciate the views during a hike than on a viewpoint that can get quite busy (considering it’s small). I will go more into detail about this hike in an upcoming article.
How to get to Mirador el Balcón
This is the only spot on this list of the 5 most iconic places in Gran Canaria that you cannot visit by public transport. The only way to get here is by car.
If you don’t want to drive, I recommend you follow the S90 trail from Agaete or Puerto de las Nieves for similar views.
This was: The 5 most iconic places in Gran Canaria
This list is far from exclusive and there are many more iconic places to visit in Gran Canaria, like Las Canteras Beach in Las Palmas and Vegueta, the old town of Las Palmas. The colored lava rocks of Los Azulejos de Veneguera is another example, just like the crater La Caldera de Bandama. But more about them in the next posts. 😉
