We think that if you hire a car in Gran Canaria you will be able to discover its more local side. Therefore, the best advice we can give you is to rent a car from your arrival at the Gran Canaria airport. Several rental car companies work here both inside and outside the airport. As you know, the low cost rental cars usually have their office outside, so there is a choice. We will explain below the main reasons why moving by car around Gran Canaria is the best option.
Why should I hire a car in Gran Canaria?
The answer is very simple. The island’s public transport does not allow you to easily reach all the points that we would like you to know and that we mention to you at localguidegrancanaria.com. For example, Guayadeque, Sardina del Norte, Fuente de Los Azulejos, Tasarte Beach, La Aldea de San Nicolás, etc. These are little tourist sites, but with a lot of charm and authenticity. Getting here by car is already a long journey from anywhere on the island. If you do not go in your own car, you will spend more time by bus than at the destination. Look for your rent a car in Gran Canaria now!
In RentalCars you will be able to comfortably see and compare all the car rental companies in Gran Canaria. By entering your arrival date and time you can find cheap rental cars, vans, convertibles, etc. You can even filter by company: Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt, Pluscar Gran Canaria, including all the local ones like Cicar or Top Car.
Places to rent a car in Gran Canaria
The main car rental points in Gran Canaria are at the airport, south of Gran Canaria and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
✔ Car rental Gran Canaria Airport
Inside the airport are practically all the car rental companies. If you want a low cost rent a car in Gran Canaria, you will normally have to choose a company that does not have an office inside the airport and, therefore, has a free transfer for its clients. In other words, they pick you up at the airport and take you to the nearest rental office where they will sign the contract and deliver the vehicle to you.
✔ Car rental Las Palmas
If you plan to spend a few days in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city, you can get here by public transport, spend a few days and move on foot and then rent a car to move around the island. In this way, you will save a few days of rent, parking, insurance, etc. Of course, if you want to visit a place on the outskirts of the city such as the Caldera de Bandama, it is easier to get around by car.
✔ Rent a car Maspalomas
If you want to hire a car in Gran Canaria, but in the south. That is rent a car in Playa del Ingles or rent a car in Maspalomas, you will also have a lot of options as they are tourist sites. You can perfectly take the opportunity to visit the area where you are staying and move from the airport to the south and from the south to Las Palmas by public transport, since there are direct buses. Finally, for the rest of your stay, look for a car rental in Maspalomas to be able to move freely and discover the rest of the island. Next, we show you one of the places of tourist interest that can only be reached by car: the Barranco de las Vacas.
You can always find a car hire at Gran Canaria airport and move on your own from the beginning, it will always depend on your budget and plans. In any case, if you want to know how much it costs to rent a car in Gran Canaria on the dates that best suit you, we once again suggest that you use the car search engine par excellence, that is, RentalCars. The good thing about its platform is that even the low cost car rental companies in Gran Canaria appear, in addition to all the franchises. Likewise, it includes the opinions of other travelers who have already booked through its website and that can help you decide.
Alternatives if you can’t hire car in Gran Canaria
✔ Get around by bus. In Gran Canaria there are no trains
It is true that we are totally in favor of the use of bicycles, scooters, electric vehicles and public transport. However, we understand that electric car rental has not yet arrived and, unfortunately, the public transport connections within the island are not so good. At the same time, in Gran Canaria there are no trains or trams. For public transport we only have the option of a bus and its connections are very limited, except for basic routes from the airport to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Maspalomas or from the capital to Maspalomas, etc. And, as you can understand, unless you come to cycle, moving by bike is only for strong people.
✔ Get around Las Palmas de Gran Canaria by bike
In any case, to move around Las Palmas de Gran Canaria of course we recommend that you go by bike. What’s more, we have a local guide that travels the most important places of Las Palmas by bike so that you can discover the city on your own. Click on the following image to see more details about the route. Include a video of the areas you can visit.
If for whatever reason you can’t get around by bike, the city’s public transport is quite good and cheap. Check here the connections of the Municipal Buses (Guaguas Municipales).
Hire a car in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
If you are staying in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or visiting it with your car, you have the option to park in these places. They are the cheapest we know.
- Ascent or descent of the Guiniguada ravine, Triana / Vegueta area. It’s free. Make sure that where you park there are other cars, so that it will not be taken by a crane. If you want, enter the Monopol shopping center in Google Maps and you will be on the Guiniguada ravine road (where we tell you to park). Be careful, in the same Monopol shopping center there is also a parking lot, but it is expensive.
- El Rincón Car Park, Alfredo Kraus Auditorium, Las Canteras. If the price has not risen, it costs € 2.50 a day.
- Sanapú Pier Parking, Port Area. If the price has not risen, it costs € 2.50 a day and has a charging point for electric vehicles. We say it in case you come from another island with your electric car 🙂
As far as tourist areas are concerned, you can usually leave your rental car in the hotel car park. The hotels in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria do not usually have these large car parks, except for the Santa Catalina hotel.
Hours blue zone and green zone Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Finally, keep in mind that in the green area of Las Palmas (only for residents) you can park for free on Fridays from 8:00 p.m. until Monday at 9:00 a.m. In the blue zone it is free on Saturdays from 2:00 p.m. and until Monday at 9:00 a.m. We leave you with a short summary here about the green and blue zone schedules of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Sorry, we only have it in Spanish, but the hours are clear.
And these are the reasons why we recommend you hire a car in Gran Canaria. We hope that our explanations and advice have been useful to you. It is possible that we have left some information in the inkwell. Therefore, if you have any questions, leave us a comment below, your question can surely help other travelers 🙂
Car rental companies in Gran Canaria
Remember that if you hire a car in Gran Canaria, the company will ask you for a deposit and/or block on a credit card in order to make the reservation, so do not forget your card at home (a debit card is not valid). Likewise, if you read us from outside of Spain, find out first if you need an international driving license (if the one from your country is not accepted). Below we list the main companies with which you can rent a car in Gran Canaria:
- International companies: Sixt, PlusCar, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Goldcar, Thrifty, Dollar…
- Canarian companies: Top Car, Cicar, Autoreisen, Orlando Rent a Car, Omegarent
In short, if you are going to rent a car in Gran Canaria, as we recommend, do not leave it for the last minute. In RentalCars you will be able to compare the prices of each of the companies, including the local ones and the low cost ones. Go ahead!
And these are all our tips if you are finally going to decide to get around Gran Canaria by car. We hope that our explanations have been useful to you. It is possible that we have left some information in the pipeline. Therefore, if you have any questions, leave us a comment below, surely your question can help other travelers 🙂
Finally, we invite you to discover our local guides of Gran Canaria. We are sure that with your rental car and our guides, your experience on the island will be unbeatable. Moreover, you won’t have to think about where to go and where to eat, we’ve already done it all for you.
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