If you are planing a trip to the island it is normal that you wonder how to move around Gran Canaria? First of all, to discover all the places to visit in Gran Canaria, we will always recommend renting a car, since public transport does not reach all parts of the island. In Gran Canaria there is no train network, we only have buses or guaguas as we name it in the Canary Islands. And the frequency and connection of these is not ideal to reach all the places we would like you to know.
Anyway, we will mention you all the options in order that you can decide depending on the time you have on the island, your budget and the areas you are interested in visiting.
How to move around Gran Canaria?
✔ Rent a car
As we said, if you have the goal of knowing the most authentic Gran Canaria, our main recommendation is to rent a car. Ideally, do it from the beginning at the airport. However, if you plan to stay at least two nights in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, you can always take a bus to the capital and rent the car days later to tour the island. Here we explain you with more details why you should hire a car in Gran Canaria. Find and compare all the companies which operates in Gran Canaria with RentalCars, including the local companies such as TopCar or Cicar.
✔ Private transfer Gran Canaria
To hire any private transfer in Gran Canaria, we recommend you check the prices depending on the areas and number of people here. Feel free to read the reviews of other travelers before booking. We also leave you a detailed post about transfers from the airport to any part of Gran Canaria.
✔ Public transport (guaguas or public buses)
The bus company that manages the insular transport network is called Global. On its website you can access the different connections, schedules and rates they offer. They are turquoise colored buses. We leave you below information that may be helpful for you:
- The line of buses that goes from Gran Canaria Airport to Las Palmas is number 60.
- The lines of buses that go from the airport to Maspalomas are number 66 and 90.
Anyway, we recommend you to visit the Global website yourself. And, if you are looking for a different route, in this link you can check all the connections they offer.
Besides knowing how to get around Gran Canaria, you should know how to do it in the city. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria can be seen perfectly on foot, since the tourist areas are all flat. Another very good alternative is the bicycle, since there are several bike lanes from one part of the city to the other. You also have the option of doing it by public transport or with the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour.
✔ Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city buses
The guaguas municipales are the buses which provide the urban public transport service of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city. There are yellow buses that connect all points of the city, especially the busiest and tourist ones. To move around Las Palmas we recommend this service. All the important areas to visit are very well connected and with a certain frequency. In addition, the service is quite punctual. We leave you a link to its website. They also have a mobile App called GuaguasLPA where you can indicate where are you traveling from and how far you want to go.
✔ Move around Las Palmas by bicycle
Another way to move around Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is by bicycle. There are several bike lanes that run through the main places to visit in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city. There is also a municipal bike rental service named Sitycleta. These bikes can be rented any day of the week between 7:00 am and 11:00 pm. The price is € 1.50 per 30 minutes, that is, € 3 per hour. They also have a weekly rate of € 15 per week. On the other hand, if you want to get to know Las Palmas by bike on your own, take a look at our local guide by clicking on the following image or in the previous link.
✔ Taxi
The taxi is also a good option if you do not know how to move around Gran Canaria. However, we only recommend it within the same municipality or area. For example, within Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or in Maspalomas area. Especially if you go with little time. Or if you go in a group of 3-4 people, maybe it is even cheaper than a bus. Urban taxis in general are not very expensive. However, if you want to go from Maspalomas to Las Palmas, it can easily cost you € 70 just one way. The revolutionary transport services as Uber or Lyft have not yet reached the island of Gran Canaria.
- Approximate taxi fare from Gran Canaria airport to Las Palmas = € 30 (depending on the time, traffic and area)
- Approximate taxi fare from Gran Canaria airport to Maspalomas = € 30 (depending on the time, traffic and area)
The taxis in Gran Canaria are all white. They usually carry the logo of the municipality to which they belong on one side of it. We see an example below.
In general in Gran Canaria there are usually no cheating with taxis, it is a very serious and safe service. However, as everywhere, there can always be a taxi driver who gives you one more lap to reach the final destination. Of course, it is not usual.
Finally, if you want to know how to visit another Canary Island, take a look at our detailed post and do your search for schedules and ferries below. Ah! Don’t miss our local guide 5% discount by entering the code LOCALGUIDEGC at the end of the purchase. Easy peasy!
Gran Canaria digital travel guides
We hope that this entry on how to move around Gran Canaria has been useful and you can make the most of your vacation. Now you just need to know the best places to visit and where to eat. So that, you can not miss our Gran Canaria guides.
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