Cheap flights to Gran Canaria from FT21,590*

It is often said that Gran Canaria, or Grand Canary Island, is a mini-continent in its own right – and with good reason. The third largest and second most populous of the Canary Islands archipelago is blessed with lush pine forests and palm-dotted valleys, 4.5-million-year-old volcanic rocks and wind-moulded dunes. And let’s not forget about the beaches: marooned in the Atlantic Ocean, Gran Canaria boasts some 60 beaches threaded along 236 kilometres of coastline, all balmy, all golden and all gorgeous. Scientists have simply declared Las Palmas, Gran Canaria’s capital, the city with the best climate in the world, and party-goers have drawn similar conclusions about its nightlife, after decades of empirical research of course. Gran Canaria is gay-friendly, kid-friendly and has loads of things to offer for hiking, water sports, culture and wellness enthusiasts alike.

 

A mini-continent brimming with natural riches

Just off the coast of northwest Africa, Gran Canaria was first populated by the North African Canarios, starting from 500 BC. There’s no shortage of myths surrounding the archipelago’s history: some of its earliest residents even believed that it was the lost land of Atlantis. In 1483, the island was conquered by Isabella I, Queen of Castile, in an effort to unify Spain. The conquest also led to the foundation of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 1478. In the second half of the 19th century, Gran Canaria started its meteoric rise as a sought-after continental holiday destination and bloomed into one of the world’s top tourist hotspots by the 1960s. Notable visitors have included Christopher Columbus, who made a stop here on his momentous journey in 1492, famed navigator Sir Francis Drake and Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime herself, who happened to be an avid bodyboarder and pioneer stand-up surfer (who would have thought?).

 

Meet the Canarios

Take a deep dive into Gran Canaria’s history in El Museo Canario in Las Palmas, a crucial site in preserving and promoting Canary Islands culture. First opened in 1880, the museum exhibits thousands of invaluable archaeological and ethnographic finds left behind by the archipelago’s pre-hispanic cultures from the second half of the first millennium BC to the 15th century. Drop by Casa de Colón (Columbus’s House), a colonial-style building with a five-century-long history and rare insight into the past of the Canary Islands and its ties to the Americas. The casa served as the former home of the governors of Gran Canaria and Columbus on his way to the New World. Amble around Las Palmas’s historic heart, the Vegueta quarter, to see some true gems of local architecture and stop by the twin-towered Santa Ana Cathedral, the first church of the Canaries built right after the Spanish conquest in Atlantic Gothic style.

 

Embrace your inner seafoodie

Canarian cuisine is an enticing mix of fresh ingredients, mostly veggies, fruit and fish, simple-yet-rich flavour combos and palpable Spanish, African and Latin American influences. Thanks to the incredible diversity of Gran Canaria’s landscape, local markets are awash with high-quality, low-priced produce of all colours, shapes and sizes. Gofio is at the heart of Canarian fare: this thick flour is stone-ground from toasted barley, maize and wheat and used in soups, ice cream and everything in between. Local chorizo, goat cheese and honey are a sin to miss, as is papas arrugadas, the archipelago’s famous wrinkled potatoes boiled in their skin and drenched in vibrant, spicy sauces. Canarian cooking doesn’t get more traditional than in Arucas’s Casa Brito, 9 kilometres west of Las Palmas. Rustic and down-to-earth, the restaurant is famed for its perfectly grilled beef and Baifo goat chops and barbecued chorizo. The capital’s Ribera del Rio Miño is nothing short of legendary among seafood lovers. A stone’s throw away from Playa de Las Canteras and Plaza de La Victoria, seafresh hake, Huelva white prawns, Cantabrian lobsters, Napoleon oysters, Roncudo barnacles and Aguinaga eels are served up according to Galician traditions, under owner Rafael Pulido’s direction. Michelin-rated La Aquarela awaits foodies with a classic-meets-contemporary menu and atmosphere, plus stunning views of the bay in Patalavaca.

 

Live beach life to the fullest

Shopaholics, brace yourselves! Besides a balmy climate, the Canary Islands also enjoy super-low import and VAT taxes, meaning that goods like perfume, clothing, jewellery and electronics are generally cheaper than in other European countries. Las Palmas offers the most varied retail landscape, including sprawling shopping centres, like Las Arenas and La Ballena, two El Corte Inglés department stores and a melange of small shops selling local arts and crafts. The capital’s main shopping artery, Calle Mayor de Triana, is chock-full of hip cafés and eateries, bars and boutiques as well as stunning architecture. Nighttime only makes Gran Canaria more captivating. A much-praised party destination, the island comes alive after dark as the party crowd fills up the clubs and bars of Playa del Inglés, Maspalomas and Melonera on the south coast and Plaza de España in Las Palma.

 

Ready for an adventure?

Gran Canaria has a beach for everyone. You can’t go wrong with dreamy Playa del Ingles, with its golden sand and mushrooming apartment complexes, year-round sunshine and throbbing party scene. The sunniest pocket of Gran Canaria, Puerto Rico, is another bustling seaside paradise for solo travellers and families alike, known (and loved) for its vast beaches, blue skies and even bluer waters. If you’re looking for more than just casual splashing around, Gran Canaria has got you covered. The island is a water sports Mecca, be it surfboarding, bodyboarding, windsurfing, kitesurfing, scuba-diving, jet-skiing or parasailing you’re looking for. Kids can go for camel rides, learn how to surf, hang out with a family of dolphins and explore the breathtaking Palmitos Park, the biggest zoo in the Canary Islands. Gran Canaria’s UNESCO-acclaimed biosphere reserve, covering some 40% of the island’s surface, begs to be discovered by nature lovers. Lace up your boots for Parque Natural de Pilancones in San Bartolomé de Tirajana. Stretching over about 5,800 hectares, the natural park neighbours the Roque Nublo rural park in the north and the protected Fataga area in the east. Meander among hilltop pine forests, join a mountain bike tour, discover Macaronesian flora or spot blue chaffinches and other endemic birds in their natural habitats. Climb up to Pico de Bandama, the highest point of the 200-metre-deep volcanic crater of Caldera de Bandama at 569 metres above sea level. Or descend to the legendary Maspalomas dunes, a 400-hectare sand dune system with golden desert sand, swaying palm trees and a splendid beach.

 

Gran Canaria weather

A mixed bag of microclimates, Gran Canaria has a desert climate with plenty of sun and mild temperatures all year long – the average daytime highs range from 20°C in winter to 26°C in summer. Winter, especially along the coast, is spring-like, with the occasional frost and snow in the inland mountains. Prime vacation time in Gran Canaria is between April and mid-October.

 

Gran Canaria airport

Gran Canaria Airport, or Gando Airport, is located near the town of Telde in the eastern part of the island, just 19 kilometres from the centre of Las Palmas. Choose from seven bus routes that connect the airport with key tourist destinations across the island, including Faro de Maspalomas, Puerto de Mogán and Las Palmas. Taxi and car rental services are also available.