Tips for travelling to Gran Canaria
We want to share with you our best tips for travelling to Gran Canaria. Especially if you travel for the first time, maybe there are things you do not know yet. The most basic and maybe you already know is that Canary is in Spain, so the currency used is the euro. In the same way, in the Canary Islands Spanish is spoken, although with a peculiar accent, more similar to the South American than to the Castilian. If you like, we go there with our tips for first-timers in Gran Canaria.
1. Do not drink tap water
Unlike in most European countries and cities in Spain, in the Canary Islands hardly rain and water from homes is usually desalinated. Therefore, it is not recommended to drink tap water. That is, always try to drink bottled water
2. Know its weather
The weather in Gran Canaria is one of the best in the world. However, it is important that you bring some warm clothes if you plan to travel around the island and know its interior. Especially in the months of autumn, spring and winter. For example, in the famous Roque Nublo Natural Monument there may be temperatures below 5 degrees and at the same time in the south of the island 20 degrees.
3. Enjoy the sun the whole year
In Gran Canaria and in the Canary Islands in general it is usually sunny all year round, so if you visit the island outside the summer season, remember to also use sunscreen, because although the sun is looser, it also burns and is harmful to your skin. Finally, do not miss the best sunsets on the island in Arguineguin!
4. Arrange a travel insurance
Like every trip, we advise hiring an insurance. So at least we do it whenever we travel. You will have coverage of flight delays, loss of luggage and even coverage of health expenses at destination in the event of an accident. We offer all our readers a 5% discount on any of their policies by booking through the following image. Be informed that this discount will be valid for any destination, not only for Gran Canaria 🙂
Find now the different options of insurances and prices depending on the number of days.
5. Benefit from reduced indirect taxes. The IGIC
Unlike the mainland Spain, the Canary Islands are governed by a different tax. It is the Canary Indirect General Tax or IGIC. The IGIC is lower than the one in the rest of Spain, both for catering services, accommodation, transport, etc., as well as for the purchase of alcohol, tobacco, perfumes, among others.
6. Rent a car
Whenever we can we repeat it, Gran Canaria is an island with totally different landscapes that are worth knowing. Many of these corners are found in remote places where you can not easily reach by public transport. Therefore, one of the best tips that we can give you is to hire a car in Gran Canaria to discover the island. Compare all the car rental options on the island at RentalCars. Here you will also find the local rentals such as Cicar, Autoreisen or Top Car.
8. Find cheap flights to Gran Canaria
There are many connections between Gran Canaria and Europe, as well as between Gran Canaria and Madrid and between Tenerife. We recommend you to look for the combination that best fits your dates, schedules and budget. It is often cheaper to make a small stopover in Madrid or Tenerife to fly to the island. The main airline which connects Spain is Iberia.
8. Avoid staying in tourist areas
Surely the cheapest accommodation on the island is in the most crowded areas. Please take a look at our post about the hotels in Gran Canaria and the best areas to stay on the island.
9. Taste the Canarian gastronomy
You should not miss the local food and the wide gastronomic offer that Gran Canaria has. Highlight internationally awarded Canarian cheeses, gofio, potatoes, fruits such as avocado, banana and papaya, fresh fish… A sea of flavors. Therefore, we have prepared for you a guide that includes more than 80 restaurants throughout the island that we would recommend to our friends. That is, they are the ones that we visit.
10. Get your Revolut card for free, tips for traveling to Gran Canaria
Travel lighter with the FREE Revolut card with no fees on ATM withdrawals and card payments worldwide, you’ll enjoy the freedom of knowing you’re ready to explore, whenever. You can get the Revolut card here.
If you have any other questions before traveling to Gran Canaria, leave us a comment below or contact us at info@localguidegrancanaria.com. On the other hand, you can discover Gran Canaria on your own with our digital guides by clicking on the following link. Have a nice trip!
Hi. I’m so pleased to have found your website. These tips are absolutely brilliant. We are planning to visit Gran Canaria in November and don’t know where to start!
We had thought perhaps about booking one week in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in an apartment. We think this would be an excellent base for exploring the island.
But maybe it is better to be in the south of the island, for better weather in November??
We hope to find a very comfortable apartment or small hotel where we can relax as well as explore, and also be near restaurants and a town with character.
This is a great help. Thank you.
Anne
Hi Anne!! Great!! Las Palmas city is always a good idea, you can drive to the south and in November we have also good weather in the north 🙂 You can have a look at our post about the best places to stay in Gran Canaria. We have also a lot of free content about the things to do on the island and also some paid guides with our favorite itineraries 🙂 We leave you the links below! Enjoy the blog 🙂
https://localguidegrancanaria.com/en/hotels-in-gran-canaria/
https://localguidegrancanaria.com/en/gran-canaria-guides/