Take a Longer Look at Gran Canaria

05 November 2014

With so many preparations before their Atlantic crossing, it's easy to get caught up with the boat jobs list and miss the many highlights of the beautiful island of Gran Canaria. ARC sailors are encouraged to explore beyond the Muelle Deportivo, either joining one of the tours as part of the programme, or take advantage of local transport links. Don't forget to visit the Tourism Office, located next to the ARC platform, for more information and suggestions, or visit www.grancanaria.com


A miniature continent

Being of volcanic origin, Gran Canaria´s 1,560 square kilometres of surface area and 236 kilometres of coastline encompass a great many varied landscapes that are found in the Canarian archipelago. The most unique geographical characteristic of the Island is its round shape.

The only irregularity in the roundness of the Island is a small peninsula in the North-East (known as La Isleta), which is approximately 12 square kilometres in extent and which is joined to the Island by a sandy isthmus. The highest point of the Island is the peak of Pico de Las Nieves (1,949 metres above sea level), which is situated right in the centre of the Island.

The entire Island is gouged by deep ravines that radiate from the highest point in the centre right down to the coastline, these ravines being host to a completely different landscape.

Swim and snow ski all in a day

The unusual relief of the Island has given rise to a great variety of microclimates within Gran Canaria. The climate is dry and sunny almost all year round in the coastal regions, and in particular in the south, but as you move up to higher altitudes the influence of the sea is reduced and the clouds are retained by the mountains.

This produces great variations in temperature from the temperate zones of the lower regions, valleys and subtropical forests to the highest zones where the temperature can fall to 0 ºC. It's not that unusual for people to go to the beach for some sunbathing and swimming then head for the mountain tops just an hour's drive away to play in the snow.

A little history

One of the earliest hotels is the Hotel Santa Catalina built in 1890, situated just five minutes from the marina and now the only hotel from that era that is still open. Tourism died out during the World Wars and the Spanish Civil War, however in the 1950’s the Island’s popularity grew once again with the arrival of charter flights and the onslaught of mass tourism.

Gran Canaria has the largest population of the Islands in the Canarian archipelago (838,397 in 2010), and also boasts the most important city in terms of population size and economic activity, namely Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, home to almost half of the population.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – an original town

The archipelago's capital surprises the visitor with its highly original and individual architecture showing influences of all five continents, and its colourfully painted houses. Don’t miss the old town – Vegueta – which is both lively in ambience but also reveals evidence of a population with a playful temperament, not always taking life very seriously! Further north, the narrow isthmus with the port on one side and Las Canteras beach on the other means that wherever you live in this city, you are just a hop, skip and a jump from the water.

Some ideas for sightseers

  • The Cathedral, of gothic and neoclassical style. Its construction was begun after the discovery of America. In the same square you’ll find several buildings in the typical Canarian style of architecture.
  • The Barrio de Vegueta is a very attractive quarter of town, with numerous manorial houses showing influences of Latin-American colonial style. Thursday night is Tapas night - highly recommended!
  • The Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno, where you can see an important collection of contemporary art.
  • La Casa de Colón, the House of Columbus, reminding us that the ships of Christopher Columbus stopped here on their journey to America.
  • The Museo Canario, the Canarian Museum, with an exhibition about the Islands' original inhabitants, the Guanches.
  • The Pueblo Canario, located in the beautiful gardens of Doramas Park (next to the Hotel Santa Catalina), was created by Canarian artist Néstor de la Torre and represents the Islands' typical architecture. Each Thursday and Sunday, colourful folk performances of music and dance take place here.
  • The Botanical Gardens, Jardín Botánico Viera y Clarijo, 8 kilometers out of Las Palmas with no fewer than 500 species of plants. This is the largest botanical gardens in Spain.
  • Mogán: a beautiful valley with cultures of tropical fruits, in the SW of the Island.
  • Arinaga, just south of the Airport, a romantic fishing-village with great views.
  • Teror, the village which “seems to be floating in the air”, 575 metres above sea level. It is surrounded by breath-taking mountain ranges and is also a well-known place of pilgrimage with several very nice houses in old colonial style.
  • Playa del Ingles, probably the most fantastic beach on the Island. Fine white sand for 6 km with a width of up to 1 km, and intensely blue sea ... a paradise for sun worshippers, in particular during the cold European winter!
  • Maspalomas, is the location for the famous Sand Dunes.

For more information on Gran Canaria visit www.grancanaria.com