BUS
AUTOBUS
BUS – at Gran Canaria’s main city (Las Palmas), a fleet of yellow buses operated by Las Palmas de Gran Canaria functions strictly within its area. A regular ride costs €1.40 (regardless of the distance you’re traveling). For those planning to take multiple bus rides within Las Palmas, there’s the ten-ride card (€8.50) which can be purchased at the San Telmo bus station (Santa Catalina park) as well as some newsmagazine stores.
For more info on this bus service (including maps of individual lines that run throughout Las Palmas), go to: www.guaguas.com
The Global bus line, which operates a fleet of teal (greenish blue) colored buses, transports passengers from town to town within Gran Canaria island. Fare vary according to destination (from €2.95 to go from Santa Catalina bus station/Las Palmas to the airport, to €14 to go from Santa Catalina bus station to Playa Puerto Rico on the island’s southern coast). See the Global website for details: www.globalsu.net
TAXI
TAXI
TAXI – on the island of Gran Canaria, the initial taxi fare (within Las Palmas) is €1.73, and €0.64 per km afterwards. For those going to other towns within Gran Canaria, the initial fare is €3.15. The following taxi services cover Gran Canaria.
Parada de Taxis: +34 928 62 51 05
Radio Taxi Santa Brigida: +34 928 64 31 39
Radio Taxi San Juan: +34 928 683 713
Radiotaxi Galder: +34 928 88 35 38
Socomtaxi: +34 928 154 777
Taxi Gran Canaria: +34 928 93 02 52
Taxi Radio Gran Canaria: +34 928 46 00 00
Tele Taxi Tafira Alta: +34 928 17 06 98
Approximate fares from the airport:
To Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: €27 to €30
To Maspalomas: €40 to €50
To Mogán: €60 to €70
Museo y Parque Arqueológico Cueva Pintada
Museo y Parque Arqueológico Cueva Pintada
Museo y Parque Arqueologico Cueva Pintada (Audiencia nº 2, Gáldar, Las Palmas) – this museum covers the pre-Columbian period of the Canary Islands (complete with archaeological materials that have been uncovered over the years at Gran Canaria (such as ceramic pottery, idols, paintings, and other materials that offer clues on the lives of pre-Hispanic local residents). To this day, it remains a mystery who the Canaria Islands’ first settlers were, since they are located outside of the Mediterranean (whose cultures, be they Ancient Egyptian, Roman or Greek, Phoenician, or Carthagian, were better-documented).
Admission: €6 (adults), €3 (students under the age of 23, seniors), free for children under 18 years, school groups, and the unemployed. Hours vary – see its website for an updated schedule: www.cuevapintada.com
Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la Tecnología
Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la Tecnología
Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la Tecnologia (Parque Santa Catalina, Las Palmas) — Not touching is forbidden, not thinking is forbidden. The Elder Museum of Science and Technology offers the possibility to enjoy science live. It is located on one of the most popular areas of the city, the Parque Santa Catalina, next to the cruise pier and not far from Las Canteras Beach. It is a historic heritage building which back in the early nineteenth century were the depots of Elder shipping company.
The museum has exhibition halls full of interactive parts and modules; a planetarium, workshops, a glasshouse with ecosystems of the Canaries and a special room for kids. In addition, it has a large format screening and conference room. Admission: €6 per person (non-residents), €4 (Canary Island residents). Hours: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm (Tuesday – Sunday). Closed on Mondays. See its website for more info: www.museoelder.org
Museo de la Zafra
Museo de la Zafra
Museo de la Zafra (Calle Isla de la Graciosa, 33, 35110 Vecindario) – this museum is dedicated to the development of farming in this southern part of Gran Canaria island. In particular, its focus is on the development of tomato cultivation there, and the introduction of tomatoes into Europe from Latin America. That, as well as the role of agriculture in the island’s development. Admission: €2.50 (adult tourists), €2 (local adults), €1 (seniors, disabled, children ages 5-16). Hours: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm & 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm (Tuesday – Friday), 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (weekends & holidays)(winter); 10:00 am – 4:00 pm (Tuesday – Friday), 10:00 am – 1:00 pm (weekends & holidays)(summer)
Museo de Arte Sacro
Museo de Arte Sacro
Museo de Arte Sacro (Calle Espiritú Santo 20, Las Palmas) – this museum is part of the architectural section of the Cathedral of Santa Ana. Located on the Patio de Los Naranjos, a cloister dated in the 17th century, it’s a sample of the traditional Canarian style. The museum keeps an important collection of the religious heritage of the city (images, paintings and gold jewelry). Among the pieces featured there are those of the Flemish school of the 16th century stand out, such as the wooden carving of Santa Catalina de Alejandría, one of the most venerated images in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Also of great interest are the images from the Castilian and Andalusian school from the 16th and 17th century, along with the works of relevant Canarian masters like imager Luján Pérez. Admission: €3 per person. Hours: 10:00 am – 4:30 pm (weekdays), 10:00 am – 1:30 pm (weekends).
Museo Canario
Museo Canario
Museo Canario (Calle Doctor Verneau 2, Vegueta, Las Palmas) — The Museo Canario is located in the heart of Vegueta, in a building of high heritage value. It opened its doors in 1789 and is a must for the study of Gran Canaria’s pre-Hispanic society. Its archaeological fund is widely considered as of the largest and most complete in the Canaries. Among it, its collections of pottery, idols, pintaderas, and plant-fibre and leather handicrafts, lithic, bone and wood industry, as well as anthropological remains stand out. Admission: €5 (adult), €3.00 (students, seniors, unemployed), free for children under 12 years. Hours: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm (weekdays), 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (weekends & public holidays).
Museo Néstor
Museo Néstor
Museo Néstor (Parque Doramas – Pueblo Canario, Las Palmas) — Néstor Martín Fernández de la Torre was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 1887 and was one of the great Spanish modernist, symbolist painters. The Museum houses the majority of the painter’s work, and operates as an art gallery, hosting public exhibitions of the work of this local artist. The Museum is located in the heart of the architectural enclave known as the Pueblo Canario, in the Ciudad Jardín neighborhood, and its buildings are all reminiscent of traditional Canarian architecture. Located at the gates of one of the city’s green-belt areas, the Doramas Park, all the buildings were built based on the design of Néstor’s brother, architect Miguel Martín Fernández de la Torre. Admission: €0.90 per person. Hours: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm (Tuesday – Saturday), 10:30 am – 2:30 pm (Sundays & holidays).
Iglesia de San Juan Bautista
Iglesia de San Juan Bautista
Iglesia de San Juan Bautista (Plaza de San Juan, Telde) — the oldest church in the city of Telde (20 minutes, or 20 km south of Las Palmas), the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Telde is also said to be its spiritual center. The church was founded as far back as 1483, originally erected by the Garcia del Castillo family in a square that bears the same name as the church.
The gateway to the church is part of the original structure, a rare example of Seville-Portuguese-Gothic architecture. The more recently constructed towers of Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Telde are also noteworthy as a fine example of Gothic construction from the early 20th century. However, the real treasures of this church are located inside – including a terrific statue of Christ adorning the main altar, which was made by Tarasco Mexican Indians from corn dough and shipped here back in 1550; a Flemmish Gothic altar, dated even older at around 1515, and a triptych of the Virgin Mary depicting five religious scenes. Originally from Flanders, this is also thought to date back to the 16th century.
El Faro de Maspalomas
El Faro de Maspalomas
El Faro de Maspalomas (Palmas, Gran Canaria) – this is a still-active 19th century lighthouse located at the southern end of Gran Canaria island. At 65 meters tall, it dominates the coastline, and serves as a crucial beacon for passing ships.
