Travelling and driving in Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria has scheduled flight connections with all the other islands of the archipelago and with mainland Spain. Most of the European cities also provide charter flights to Gando Airport.
There are regular ferries and hydrofoil services to/from Tenerife, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Passengers coming from these destinations and also from mainland Spain (Cadiz) will arrive at Puerto de la Luz in Las Palmas or in Agaete, on the north-west-side of the Island.
• Schedules and prices for the ferry from mainlaind Spain

Gran Canaria is a tourism-oriented island. Therefore, there are good transport facilities around the island and the airport is not an exception. If you don't have a package holiday arrangement you need to know how you can get to your final destination. Here are some of the alternatives:

Taxi: There are taxis available at the airport. This is the easiest and quickest but most expensive option. Costs vary according your final destination, to Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés, Meloneras, Sonnenland and San Agustín aprox. 30 €, to Puerto Rico o Tauro aprox. 40 €, Taurito and Puerto de Mogan aprox. 50-60 €.

Bus: There are frequent bus services between the airport and most of the destinations on the island. The journey to Las Palmas (north of the island) takes around 15 minutes and to Playa del Inglés (south) around half an hour.
• Schedules and prices for busses in Gran Canaria

Car hire: Generally you will always get a better price if you book in advance and Internet bookings are probably the most competitively priced, for example, check out our online-car-rental. Car rental prices on the Canary Islands are considerably lower than on mainland Spain.
Car hire Gran Canaria

The driving laws for Gran Canaria are the same as in all Spanish territory. Theoretically you require an international driver’s licence to rent a car in the Canary Islands. However, in practice you can make a rental with a standard valid driving licence, passport/ID card and a valid credit card.

The speed limit on motorways is 120 km/h, while in towns and cities it’s 50 km/h, unless otherwise indicated. Parking is prohibited on yellow lines and blue lines indicate a restricted parking area where you must purchase a ticket from a ‘pay-and-display’ machine.

Crash helmets are required when driving motorcycles or mopeds and the use of headphones or mobile phones when driving is strictly forbidden.

In Gran Canaria we drive on the right hand side of the road and steering wheels are fitted on the left side of the car. Children under the age of 12 may not travel in the front seats of the vehicle.
Seat belts must be worn at all times and the blood alcohol limit is 0.0%. Breath tests are carried out randomly and non residents are subject to 'on the spot fines'