Beautiful sights in Gran Canaria:

Gran Canaria is one of the most popular travel destinations for a sun-drenched holiday. The Canary Islands are located near Morocco and are blessed with a pleasant subtropical climate.

In Gran Canaria you can completely relax on long fine sandy beaches and cool off in the Atlantic Ocean, but there is much more to see and experience.

We have put together a Top 10 of the most important sights and the best excursions in a row below, but there is much more to experience beyond this list.

The Roque Nublo is the symbol of Gran Canaria. It is a gigantic basalt rock of no less than 80 metres high at an altitude of 1813 metres. The landscape around the rock is rough and lends itself perfectly to beautiful walks. 

The footpath GC-600 will take you to the Roque Nublo and you will also pass other beautiful vantage points along the way. At the rock you have a beautiful view over Gran Canaria and in the distance you can even see Tenerife.

The Barranco de Fataga is a spectacular ravine in which hundreds of palm trees grow. It is one of the most spectacular places in Gran Canaria. In the ravine lies the eponymous village of Fataga. This is a village that characterises the Canary Islands, with narrow, cobbled streets and indigenous Canarian architecture. 

If you drive here from the south of the island, you'll come across a beautiful viewpoint over the ravine along the way - a great day out!

Puerto de Mogán is a picturesque fishing village. It is also called Little Venice because there are so many canals and bridges. Puerto de Mogán is very touristy, but still the village has managed to keep its authentic character. There is an excellent family-friendly beach with golden sand and calm waters, and the sea at high tide is fantastic for snorkelling.
 

On the coast is the marina for which the village is so well known, and where you can also relax on the beach.

The harbour is also home to the Yellow Sub-marine (a yellow submarine), which introduces tourists to the island's underwater landscape, and lets you enjoy the underwater life!

The Jardín Botánico Viera y Clavijo, or the Jardín Canario for short, is the largest botanical garden in Spain. You will find the garden not far from Las Palmas. The area covers ten hectares and you can admire as many as 500 different Canary plant species. 

The park was designed by Swedish-Spanish botanist Erik Ragnar Stevenson in the 1950s. It is also an important place for scientific research. A library and various laboratories belong to the garden.

Tejeda is located in the central part of Gran Canaria. This village is not big, but there is a lot to see. For example, visit the parish church or the museum dedicated to the Canarian sculptor Abraham Cárdenes. In Tejeda you'll also find a centre where you can learn more about the healing powers of some of Gran Canaria's plants.

Don't forget to visit the parish church. If you are interested in archaeology, Tejeda has a lot to offer.

There are caves that served as cemeteries, rock paintings, prehistoric houses and artefacts... A great archaeological site in this area is Roque Bentayga, once a holy place for the locals. The Cuevas del Rey ("caves of the king"), which are located inside Roque Bentayga, shed light on the life and faith of the people who worshipped here. There is also the Bentaya Archaeological Park, an eco-museum with information about the archaeological complex.

Walk through the central square which is bordered by several historic buildings. The houses have been painted in different colours and are all equipped with a typical Canarian wooden balcony. On Sundays you can also visit the local market here, highly recommended! 

Teror is also an important place of pilgrimage on the island. 

According to local legend, the Virgen del Pino, the patron saint of the island, appeared here. Therefore, a pilgrimage to the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pino is organised every year. In that eighteenth-century basilica an ancient statue of the Virgin is kept.

La Vegueta is the oldest district of the capital Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. In this historic district you can admire many beautiful buildings. The most beautiful place of the district is without doubt the Plaza de Santa Ana. You walk along colourful buildings like the Casas Consistoriales de Las Palmas and the Archivo Histórico Provincial de Las Palmas. On the square you should not miss the Catedral de Las Palmas, a sixteenth-century Gothic Roman Catholic church.

In La Vegueta you can also visit the Casa de Colón at the Plaza de Colombus. This former governor's house would have been where the explorer Christopher Columbus would have stayed for a while. The building houses a museum dedicated to the travels of Columbus. Other attractions in La Veguetta include the CAAM art museum and the Museo Canario about prehistory in the Canary Islands.

Gáldar is a small authentic village in the north of Gran Canaria at the foot of the mountains. It is a cosy village where you can stroll around between the narrow streets. 

On Sundays you can also visit the local market here. You can buy fresh fruit and vegetables from the region. 

In Gáldar you can also enjoy delicious food in some tapas bars at the central square Plaza de Santiago. There is also a beautiful church. A little further on you can admire centuries-old murals in the archaeological museum Cueva Pintada.

Between the seaside resorts of Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés lie the sand dunes of Dunas de Maspalomas. This is a unique dune area that resembles the Sahara, an absolute must-see on the island! 

Dunas de Maspalomas is a protected nature reserve where you can make beautiful walks. The dunes run into the beach of Maspalomas at El Oasis, a seawater lagoon surrounded by palm trees and where you can spot various migratory birds.

Our tip: ¨visit the dunes also at sunset, the sand will get a nice red glow¨.

Pico de las Nieves is the highest point of Gran Canaria (1949 m). Its origin is volcanic. Only the islands of Tenerife and La Palma have higher peaks. On the highest plateau there is a military base, but a little lower there is a viewpoint on a platform accessible to the public, from where you can see half of the island when the weather is fine. 

In the south, the cliffs of Tirajana are another natural attraction. The cliffs are remarkable due to their geology and geomorphology. Important erosion processes helped in their creation, and many indigenous species live here.