Gran Canaria Transport

A hire car is the most comfortable and convenient means of getting around Gran Canaria, giving you the freedom to come and go as you please. However, if you prefer to let others do the driving, then the island’s bus service provides fairly extensive coverage and at a reasonable cost. Taxis are also reasonably priced and are readily available in all of the major locations. The hop on, hop off tourist bus service provides a cheap and easy way of seeing the island’s capital city.

By bus

Bus services provide the cheapest way of getting around the island and cover a large proportion of its significant destinations as well as some of the smaller villages. Buses are easily identified by their distinctive green colour and all are clearly marked with their service number and destination. Frequent and reliable services run between Puerto Rico, Las Palmas, Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas.

Taxis

Metered taxis are readily available across the island and are generally cheap, although unscrupulous taxi drivers may try to rip off unwary tourists by claiming not to have any change for large bills. You may wish to approach your hotel to book a taxi for you, since hotels generally have arrangements with local drivers/companies or can at least recommend a reputable service to you.

Tourist services

A tourist bus operated by the Gran Canaria Tourist Board covers all the most significant parts of Las Palmas and provides travel information in English. Services commence at 09:30, leaving from the Santa Catalina Park and running at intervals of 30 minutes until the last service of the day at 17:45. Travellers can get on and off the bus as many times as they wish during the day for one price and travel cards can be bought from ‘Guagas Municipales’ kiosks around the city.

From the airport

From the airport, visitors are often able to take advantage of free shuttles provided by the hotels they are booked with. If this is not the case, then options are limited to bus services or taxis, the former being the cheaper and the latter the more convenient option.