Things to do in Gran Canaria: from the dunes to Roque Nublo

From the top of a dune the sand rolls away in golden ridges, with the sea on one side and the mountains of the interior behind. The wind keeps reshaping the crests, so they never look quite the same twice. Walk across and you come down onto the beach; along the edge of the reserve lie a palm grove and a saltwater lagoon, the Charca de Maspalomas, where birds gather. Car parks and bus stops are 700–800 m away, and soft sand makes every step slower. Come early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the light is low and the sand cooler: at midday there's no shade at all. Tip: the dunes are a nature reserve, so keep to the marked routes, take nothing away and carry more water than you think you need, since there's none nearby.

Its name means 'rock in the clouds', and from much of the island you can see it on the skyline above the central mountains. Close up it's 80 m of bare volcanic stone on a summit plateau, with two other rocks, Roque del Fraile and La Rana, standing nearby. The island's pre-Hispanic people held it sacred. From the plateau the view runs across the interior in every direction, and on a clear day it reaches Teide on Tenerife. The trail is rocky with almost no shade, and the edges of the plateau are unfenced, so keep back from the rim. Access is free, but if you start from the Degollada de La Goleta between 10:00 and 17:00, you need to book a slot on the walking-trails site run by the Cabildo, the island council. Roadside parking is banned, and a shuttle bus runs every 30 minutes from Tejeda and Cruz de los Llanos. Tip: there are no toilets, bins or water on the trail, so bring water and carry your rubbish back down.

A road winds up through the pines to a free car park beside the viewing platform. On a clear morning the cloud lies below you, with Roque Nublo rising out of the ridges, Teide out to the west across the sea and half of Gran Canaria in view at once. The summit behind you, topped by a radar dome like a giant golf ball, is an army base and closed to the public. Pico de las Nieves owes its name, 'peak of the snows', to the snow trade: from 1694, winter snow was packed into covered pits on these slopes and taken down to Las Palmas as ice in June. Tip: come early, before the car park fills, or after dark for the stars.

Las Palmas began here: Spanish troops made camp beside the Guiniguada ravine in June 1478, and the town grew up around the camp. From Plaza de Santa Ana you see the cathedral towers on one side, the town hall facing them and the Bishop's Palace alongside. The streets run out from the square in a 16th-century grid, past carved stone doorways and the wooden balconies that give Calle de los Balcones its name. In the same streets, Casa de Colón tells the story of Columbus's voyages with ship models and charts, under carved wooden ceilings. Tip: come early or late in the day; at noon the square is in full sun, and only the narrow side streets have shade.

In the middle of Gáldar, a cave cut into the rock is painted with geometric designs in red and white. Around it lie the excavated houses of the village that stood here, now under a roof. You see it all on a guided tour of about an hour and a half, which moves between the cave, the village, short films and cases of finds. The guides take questions as you go. The English-language tour starts at 12:30. The museum is closed on Mondays and doesn't take cash. It recommends buying tickets in advance; as of October 2026 a standard ticket costs €6, and the guided tour a little more.

From the path the cliff looks like a honeycomb: 298 openings, up to eight levels high, under a natural arch of rock, each one cut by hand into soft tuff. The name means 'monastery', because for centuries the caves were thought to have housed celibate priestesses. In the 20th century the archaeologist Guy Marcy showed they were a communal granary, each chamber closed with its own door of wood or stone. The chambers themselves are off-limits, so you look at them from a stepped path in front of the cliff. A visit takes 20 minutes to an hour. Come in the afternoon, when the sun reaches the openings. Tip: the site is closed on Mondays; by car, leave the GC-2 motorway at exit 20, about 4 km away.

The harbour water is so clear you can watch fish on the bottom from the quay. Canals link the marina to the fishing harbour and give the village its nickname, Little Venice. The whitewashed houses along them are hung with flowers and kept low: few rise above two storeys, and the island council restricts anything taller. Lanes climb from the harbour up the side of the valley to a view over the rooftops and the sea. Friday is market day, when visitors come from all over the island, so pick another day if you want the harbour quiet. Tip: Playa de Mogán, beside the harbour, has pebbles near the shore, and the swimming is easier a little further out.