Gran Canaria's top 10 beaches

Gran Canaria is a small miniature continent. An island near Europe with a huge variety of beaches. Almost 60 km of beaches on a 236 km long coastline.

On Gran Canaria you can find all kind of beaches. In the south of the island there are a whole bunch of beaches, so you will guaranteed find one that suits you.

Quick Facts Gran Canaria

Where: Canary Islands, Spain.
Language: Spanish.
Population: 790 000th
Time difference: None
Currency: EUR.
Best time: Warm all year round, the biggest range of trips from October to April.

Gran Canaria's top 10 beaches

Playa del Inglés

Water and sand: Brown, soft desert sand. Shallow and not so much waves. A very long and wide beach.

Peace and quiet: Very crowded beach. In the morning and afternoon, many people walk between Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas.

What to do: Everything. Jetski, pedalo, banana boat and para-glide and shopping.

Children: Shallow and lots of sand to dig in. Child friendly.

Maspalomas

Water and sand: Brown, soft desert sand. Shallow with partly stony bottom. Sometimes the waves can be high and the wind hard.

Peace and quiet: A lot of people, but the beach is spacious, quiet and still.

What to do: Go shopping in the big mall Faro 2, next to the beach. Boat and bus excursions.

Children: The waves can be high. Young children do best to stick to the hotel swimming pool.

Anfi del Mar, Arguineguín

Water and sand: The sand has been shipped here from the Bahamas, is pure white and super soft. The beach is just outside Arguineguín so you have to walk or take the local bus to get you there.

Peace and Quiet: On weekends, the beach is crammed with locals. Otherwise it's pretty quiet.

What to do: Jetski and pedal boats for hire. Bus excursions to nearby towns.

Children: At the Anfi del Mar beach the water depth directly.

Puerto de Mogan

Water and sand: Jet black lava sand. The water looks dark because of the black sandy bottom. Shallow about 15 meters out, then it gets deep. No high waves.

Peace and quiet: Incredibly quiet and calm. The beach is small and almost empty.

What to do: Hire a pedal boat, take a boat excursion to one of the nearby beaches. Otherwise you take it very, very soft here.

Children: A family beach. It is shallow and quiet.

Playa de Amadores

Water and sand: An artificial beach with white hard shell sand, imported from the Caribbean. The water is turquoise and very still. It is shallow and sheltered from the wind.

Peace and quiet: In high season there can be a lot of people on the beach.

What to do: Many tourist come here from nearby beach resorts, just to sunbathe and swim. There are some shops along the beach.

Children: Child friendly, shallow from the beach.

Puerto Rico

Water and sand: White, soft sand. Never any waves. Shallow from the beach, deep if you jump in from one of the piers.

Peace and quiet: Very crowded, but peaceful atmosphere. Background noise from all jetskis.

What to do: Everything. Here you can rent pedal boats, jet skiing and paraglide. Excursions by bus and boat to the nearby resorts, theme parks and mountain villages.

Children: Child-friendly. Shallow water closest to shore.

San Agustin

Water and sand: Dark brown, soft desert sand. The beach is located in a small bay and there are no waves.

Peace and quiet: Very quiet and still. Popular family beach.

What to do: Sunbathe and relax. There is a small shopping center.

Children: Very family friendly. It is calm and shallow.

Bahía Feliz

Water and sand: There are a few large hotel complex in Bahía Feliz. There is a small rocky beach with high waves. Most people lie by the pool.

Peace and quiet: Very quiet.

What to do: Daily activities, such as water aerobics, beach volleyball and wind surfing.

Children: Children's paradise with large pool areas, trampolines and large playgrounds.

Playa del Cura and Tauro

Water and sand: Dark but not black, volcanic sand. The bottom is a bit rocky and sometimes the waves can be high. Pretty shallow.

Peace and quiet: Very quiet.

What to do: Diving courses, snorkeling and boat trips. Visibility in the water is not great, but sometimes you can see beautiful fish.

Children: The waves can be high for small children. The giant pool in Playa del Tauro is a favorite for the children.

Las Canteras, Las Palmas

Water and sand: At low tide the beach is wide and it is far to deep water. At high tide the beach is narrow and the water is deep. Often high waves. Tourists go to the north of the beach and Las Palmas locals sunbathe on the south side of the beach.

Peace and quiet: A lot of people, still quite calm and quiet.

What to do: Stroll along the long beach. Discovering the city of Las Palmas. Good shopping.

Children: At high tide the waves can be high and the currents strong. The waves are largest from November to February.