Cueva Pintada Museum & Archaeological Park
Gran Canaria
Discovered by a local farmer in the late 19th century, this is one of Gran Canaria's most important pre-Hispanic archaeological sites: a cave adorned with…
Must-see attractions in Gran Canaria
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
This fascinating museum documents Columbus’ voyages and features exhibits on the Canary Islands’ historical role as a staging post for transatlantic…
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Catedral de Santa Ana & Museo Diocesano de Arte Sacro
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
The spiritual heart of the city, this brooding, grey cathedral was begun in the early 15th century, soon after the Spanish conquest, but took 350 years to…
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Maspalomas
These fabulous dunes cover 400 hectares and were designated a nature reserve in the 1990s, ensuring that the rapidly multiplying hotels would never…
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Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
The fine 3km stretch of yellow sand is magnificent, and is considered by many to be one of the world's best city beaches. There’s an attractive seaside…
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Gran Canaria
The extraordinary, neo-Gothic church stands sullen watch over the bright, white houses of Arucas in a striking display of disproportion and contrast. The…
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Parque Municipal de Arucas de las Flores
Gran Canaria
These terraced municipal gardens are laid out in French style with fountains, pavilions, sculptures and tropical trees, including the rare evergreen soap…
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Basílica Nuestra Señora del Pino
Gran Canaria
Dominating the square is this neoclassical 18th-century church, home to Gran Canaria’s patron saint. According to legend, the Virgin was spied atop a pine…
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Museum of the Basílica Nuestra Señora del Pino
Gran Canaria
Don't miss this museum (also called the 'treasure house'), accessed upstairs from the rear of the basilica, where you can get a real close-up view of the…
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Gran Canaria
Occupying a cave at the entrance of the barranco, this large and excellent museum has very informative exhibits explaining the ravine's geology, fauna and…
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Museo Etnográfico Casas Cuevas
Gran Canaria
Once inhabited by locals, this cave complex is now home to the village museum, a fascinating place that focuses on village life in times gone by. You…
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Gran Canaria
These huge rocks form a natural fortress and constitute one of Gran Canaria's most important pre-Hispanic sites. It was here that the Guanches' last stand…
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Mirador Degollada de la Cruz Grande
Gran Canaria
Located by the roadside between San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Tejeda, this superb viewpoint gives you vistas, in two directions, of the Caldera de…
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Gran Canaria
One of several viewpoints in town, the Mirador de Unamuno looks out onto a sweeping panorama of the vast volcanic caldera beyond – it is a stupefying…
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Gran Canaria
The greenish-grey stone cross from which this spot takes its name marks the centre of Gran Canaria and its historic caminos reales (king’s highways),…
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Gran Canaria
Locals are justifiably proud of native son Antonio Padrón who, in the 1960s, was just starting to gain serious recognition in the European art world when…
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Gran Canaria
South of Tafira Alta is the impressive Caldera de Bandama, one of the largest extinct volcanic craters on Gran Canaria, at 200m deep and 1km in diameter…
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Gran Canaria
The impressive setting for Temisas, with its backdrop of impenetrable cliffs, provides views across a ravine that falls away down to the sea, while the…
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Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo
Gran Canaria
About 9km southwest of Las Palmas, this vast botanical garden – Spain’s largest, encompassing 27 hectares – hosts a broad range of Macaronesian flora from…
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Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la Tecnología
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
This 21st-century museum is full of things that whir, clank and hum. In a revamped green-painted 19th-century dockside warehouse in Parque Santa Catalina,…
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Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
The city’s main modern art museum is housed in a tastefully rejuvenated 18th-century building. There are no permanent collections but the galleries,…
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Maspalomas
Aside from the rolling Maspalomas dunes, the main attraction for the thousands of annual visitors to the island’s quintessential package-tour destination…
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Gran Canaria
A few kilometres west of Tejeda village rises Roque Bentayga (1404m); it's signposted, but you'll need your own transport to get here. Various reminders…
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Gran Canaria
Although it's only 5km south of Telde, this impressive pre-Hispanic site is seldom visited, even by locals. 'Cuatro Puertas' means 'four doors' and takes…
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Gran Canaria
Dating back to the early 19th century, this is one of Gran Canaria's smallest and most endearing chapels. Everything here – the altar, confessional,…
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Gran Canaria
Once home to the namesake Canarian poet, who died in 1922 aged just 37, this museum includes a music room with a 170-year-old clavichord, a small hall…
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Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
This pedestrianised street has long been the main shopping artery in Las Palmas. In between purchases, look skyward to enjoy some real architectural gems,…
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Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
In 1843 the Canary Islands’ most famous writer, Benito Pérez Galdós, was born in this house in the heart of old Las Palmas. He spent the first 19 years of…
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Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
This mock Canarian village was designed by artist Néstor Martín Fernández de la Torre and built by his brother Miguel. It's a little unloved and the…
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Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
This lovely paved park shelters beneath a canopy of shade provided by a lovely group of huge, mature magnolias. The Iglesia de San Telmo is a charming…
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Observatorio Astronómico de Temisas
Gran Canaria
Located 850m about sea level on the edge of the Caldera de Tirajana, this observatory has guided stargazing visits from Monday to Thursday from 8.30pm to…
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Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Dating from 1844, this ornate historical building is a national monument. It was the island’s first theatre and retains an old-world display of faded…
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Gran Canaria
This lovely botanical garden, located northwest of town on the road to Bañaderos, is owned by the Marquesa de Arucas (along with the Hacienda del Buen…
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Gran Canaria
This vast church, with its dome of 12 large windows (symbolising the 12 apostles) and rounded arches, is considered one of the best examples of Canarian…
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Gran Canaria
Roque Nublo is an icon of Gran Canaria, an impressive monolith (1803m) jutting 80m skywards from the surrounding volcanic landscape. It sneaks into the…
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Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
This slightly old-fashioned yet still fascinating museum chronicles Gran Canaria’s preconquest history. It claims the heady boast of having the largest…
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Gran Canaria
The municipal gardens house the town’s main museum, which has a permanent exhibition by Canarian painters and sculptors, including the masterful Guillermo…
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Gran Canaria
In this church dedicated to St Francis, note the three polychrome stone altars on the northernmost of the twin naves, and the fine artesonado (coffered)…
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Gran Canaria
Sitting at the base of Roque Bentayga, this centre provides excellent insights into the pre-Hispanic settlement of the Gran Canaria central mountains,…
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Gran Canaria
This a fascinating ancient site consisting of over 350 caves, silos and cavities of varied size, which were used to store grain in pre-Hispanic times…
