Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria centres on its capital, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a beautiful city with lots of buildings of architectural and historical importance. Its 16th-century cathedral, the Catedral de Santa Ana, is a magnet for visitors, as is its museum of Canarian life, the Museo Canario (Dr Verneau, 2 Vegueta, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, +34 928 33 68 00), which houses reminders of its pre-Hispanic past. Its hub, though, is the Parque de Santa Catalina, a square that has rows upon rows of restaurants’ tables and chairs where people from all over the world come to sit and chat at length.

Roads radiate from Las Palmas in a finger-like fashion. To the west, a pleasant, if winding drive takes the visitor past the lively banana-rich town of Arucas, which is dominated by its massive cathedral, to the pretty town of Galdar, and for the adventurous a coastal ride to the high, rural town of San Nicolás de Tolentino. Heading south from Las Palmas the ride follows the coast, via motorway, past the island’s airport to the bustling towns of San Augustin, Playa del Ingles and Punta de Maspalomas, where the wonderful Maspalomas sand dunes stretch for miles – widthways and lengthways. Inland a little is Sioux City, where Wild West (Cañón del Aguila – San Augustín, +34 928 76 25 73) recreates a life of gun fights, lynchings and saloon antics – all in the name of holiday fun, of course.

Continue the road to Arguineguin, Puerto Rico and Puerto Mogán for a real taste of Gran Canarian harbour life mixed with discerning tourism. Wonderful restaurants tempt the taste buds. However, if you really want to explore and get away from it all head inland, to the numerous enchanting little towns and villages. The roads all end up at Tejeda, the highest area on the island at nearly 1900m.

Local history

Gran Canaria is the third largest of the Canary Islands and can trace its history back to around 500BC when it was inhabited by an aboriginal population, the Guanches from North Africa. Arab sailors lived on the island, but it wasn’t until the 15th century that Spanish fleets discovered Gran Canaria, recognised it as a strategic trading post and began to colonize it.

Local politics

The autonomous community of the Canary Islands consists of two provinces, of which one is Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. The capital is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The other is Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The two work in close collaboration, and are ruled by the assembly named cabildo insular. They rule the other five Canary Islands, and all work in harmony.