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| Dunes of Maspalomas |
Welcome to the next destination in my Traveling to ... series 😊 This time I'm taking you to Gran Canary. It's probably the most popular Canary island and I've been there multiple times since we used to spend our family holidays there when I was still a child. However, this time I've stayed the longest I've ever been and, finally, got to explore some hidden spots on the island I absolutely adored. So I decided to share some of my favourite places on Gran Canary with you - some of which are still untouched by the tourist industry.
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| Playa de Maspalomas |
In case you haven't heard of Gran Canary yet, it is the second most populated island of the Canary islands located in the Atlantic Ocean about 150 kilometers (93 miles) off the northwestern coast of Africa and about 1350 kilometers (840 miles) from Europe. Gran Canary has been conquered by the Spanish in 1483 and has ever since been part of Spain. The heart of the island is occupied by a heavy mountain range and the northern and western parts are mainly inhabited by natives, whereas the southern coast including the nature reserve Las Dunas de Maspalomas is sadly overpopulated by the tourists' industry. However, if you prepare yourself to stay in a town that mainly consists of hotels, you can very well stay in the south and explore the island from there by car. You need a car - otherwise, you'll be spending your entire holiday with people from your own country 😒 but having Maspalomas in reach is certainly a plus 😍
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| Sunset Boulevard El Faro |
Even though I've stayed several times in Maspalomas, I've never been to Playa de Meloneras or Boulevard El Faro. This time, I have 😊 and I have to say it's so much nicer than Playa del Ingles. It's quieter, it's cleaner, it's prettier and there are plenty of nice boutiques and shopping centers I'd certainly recommend - including chains like Mango, Esprit, Douglas and high fashion designer stores. Morevoer, there is an ice-cream parlour 🍨 on Boulevard El Faro you need to check out! It's called Pinguino Soul, located right next to the ocean (also hard to miss since the sign on the top is massive). The ice cream is hand-made and ridiculously delicious 😋 As you can see in the photo above, sunsets at Boulevard El Faro are also a must-see if you stay around the area 🌅
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| German Christmas Market |
For all the German people staying on Gran Canary over Christmas or everybody else who's interested in one of our most beloved holiday traditions, there is a German Christmas market in Hotel Maritim Playa in Playa del Ingles. It's only open on the week-ends throughout December and - as far as I know - it's the only Christmas market on the island. Very nicely done though 👍🎅🎄
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| Puerto de Mogán |
Puerto de Mogán is a lovely little town that is very easy to get to if you're staying in Maspalomas or Playa del Ingles. Even though there are quite a few hotels, Puerto de Mogán is not overly populated by tourists. There are also some natives living there and Puerto de Mogán's sailboat marina is absolutely beautiful. Behind the marina, there are mostly apartment houses that create the impression of a quiet village. In between those houses, there are narrow alleys filled with shops and restaurants and if you want you can always go to the beach that is only a five minute walk from the marina. However, pay attention that Puerto de Mogán is situated in a small bay on the southern coast of Gran Canary which is why it gets very hot in the summer. Once, we stayed there in August and I'd wholeheartedly discourage you from doing that. 😣 It's perfectly fine to visit for a day, but I'd rather stay there outside the busy season 😉
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| Degollada de La Yegua |
This wonderful canyon is situated north of Playa del Inglés and it takes about half an hour to go there by car (GC-60). Once you're there, you can stop, take some pictures and enjoy the view 😊 The landscape is absolutely stunning! It was one of my most favourite destinations during this trip 😍
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| Fátaga |
Fátaga was the first tiny mountain village we stopped by. There are beautiful houses and a traditional bakery. Unfortunately, it was closed 😩 However, I'd certainly recommend Fátaga for a walk through the streets that are solely inhabited by Canarians 😉 There are also little gift shops and restaurants and the people were very friendly 💖
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| Streets of Fátaga |
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| Santa Lucía |
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| Canarian supermarket in Santa Lucía |
The next mountain village we stopped by was Santa Lucía where I found this traditional supermarket 💗 Inside, there were two lovely elderly ladies who sold all kinds of products. Among other things, there were some self-made jam, fresh fruits, Canarian pastries, knitwear, wine bottles and tons of potted olives (😂) If you'd like to buy typically Canarian products I'd definitely recommend going there 💞
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| What I bought 😇 |
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| View from Santa Lucía |
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| Aguimes |
On our way back to Playa del Inglés we also stopped in Aguimes that is a charming town where you can see all kinds of colourful houses 😲 However, later we found out that most towns inhabited by Canarians on Gran Canary feature this kind of architecture 😉
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| Pico de Bandama |
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| Pico de Bandama (viewpoint) |
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| Looks like Tuscany 😲 💖💖💖 |
One place I'd certainly recommend is Pico de Bandama. If you're ever on Gran Canary you NEED to go there! As you can see above, you have the most spectacular view and you get a first glimpse of the northern landscape that is completely different from that in the south! It's so beautiful 😍😍😍
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| Firgas |
Firgas is a small town in the north of Gran Canary. It's located west of Las Palmas and - up to this day - it's mostly known for its mineral water that is available all over the island. Besides that, it's a lovely town where you can stop for a walk or to have lunch (like we did 😋).
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| Galdár |
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| Angler's beach 👌 |
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| The heart of Gran Canary 💓 |
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| Shepherd at work 🐑🐑🐑 |
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| North-western part of the island 😍😍😍 |
Now, we come to my new most favourite part of Gran Canary. Believe it or not, but I had never been to the north-western part of the island before and it completely blew me away 😍 Look at the landscape! There are deciduous trees next to palm trees! Unbelievable 💗💗💗 And no tourists, of course 🙈
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| Still not sure whether we might have been transported to the Alpes somehow 👀 |
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| Canarian cows 😂 |
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| Look at that!!! |
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| Northern coast near Galdár |
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| Cenobio de Valerón |
If you are interested in history and you'd like to know more about the people who inhabited Gran Canary before the Spanish invasion, you should stop at one of many archaeological sites across the island. Those caves were once used for storage by Native Canarians, but I know there are other caves that were even inhabited 👍
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| Puerto de Sardina |
This lovely fishermen's village is situated in the most north-western part of Gran Canary and it caught my attention, because it was recommended by Anja on her travel blog neverseenbefore.de 😊 I absolutely fell in love with Puerto de Sardina 💖 It is so quite, there are NO tourists and the people were so lovely. If you ever go there, you should have lunch or dinner in the restaurant next to the ocean you can see in the picture beneath. Good food and very nice staff 👌
Finally, I'd like to share some more Canarian sunsets with you ...
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| Boulevard El Faro |
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| Dunes of Maspalomas |
That was it 😇 I hope you liked my little excursion to this beautiful island that is so much more than what the tourist industry makes you believe. Especially the northern and north-western parts are more than worth paying a visit and even though there are a LOT of tourists, you should certainly see the Dunes of Maspalomas at some point in your life ❤ If you have any further questions or in case you'd like to share further recommendations on where to go on Gran Canary, please feel free to do so in the comments down below 😊💖 Until next time and I wish you all a wonderful start for next week.
