Gran Canaria in winter: getting there, places, Roque Nublo, dunes, climate and costs in 2026

Gran Canaria suits you if you are looking for mild days in winter and want to combine beach, city and mountains. At the airport the mean daily maximum in January is 20.8 °C, with 3.1 rain days a month (AEMET, normals 1981–2010). The capital Las Palmas has an urban beach of over three kilometres in Las Canteras. In the interior of the island lies the cultural landscape of Risco Caído, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019.

Since 3 February 2025 you need a reservation for the Roque Nublo, with at most 60 places per time slot (as of September 2026). For the carnival in Las Palmas the programme preview gives the big parade on 20 February 2027. From January to July 2026, 553,127 passengers flew from Germany to Gran Canaria, 3.2% fewer than in the same period of 2025 (Federal Statistical Office, own analysis).

The island is a poorer fit if you want to head spontaneously into the mountains without a car or are looking for warm sea water in late winter. Bus line 18 runs the whole route from Faro de Maspalomas to Tejeda only three times a day (as of September 2026). A state measuring buoy off the north-west coast showed a mean water temperature of 19.1 °C in February and March (own analysis 2016 to 2025). It does not measure the beaches in the south.

Getting there and from the airport to the holiday resorts

In 2025 Gran Canaria was in 20th place among all foreign destinations from the main German airports, with 975,099 passengers to Las Palmas-Gran Canaria (LPA). Most departed from Düsseldorf (186,885) and Frankfurt (178,651). The strongest month was March with 115,134 passengers, the weakest May with 49,566. The months November to March accounted for 54.6% of all the year's passengers (Federal Statistical Office, year 2025; months and departure airports: own analysis).

Gran Canaria airport (LPA): east coast, open around the clock

The airport is on the east coast, according to the operator Aena about 25 km from the holiday region in the south and 18 km from Las Palmas; the island authority gives 20 km. It is open around the clock every day. The regular buses stop on level 1 at departures, and the taxi rank is on level 0 in front of the building (as of September 2026).

By bus to the south: lines 66 and 90

Lines 66 and 90 of the intercity bus company Global run to the Faro de Maspalomas in 40 minutes, for €4.05 when paying on the bus (as of September 2026). The 66 starts every hour daily from 7:30 to 20:30 and stops at San Agustín and Playa del Inglés, among others. To the airport it runs from Faro de Maspalomas daily from 6:30 to 19:30.

According to Aena, the journey between Playa del Inglés and the airport costs €3.50, and from Arguineguín it is €4.95 (as of September 2026). Line 91 runs to Arguineguín daily, the 90 only Monday to Friday.

To Las Palmas: line 60 until 23:15

Lines 60 and 91 run to Las Palmas: to San Telmo for €2.30 in 20 minutes, to Santa Catalina for €2.95 in 30 minutes (as of September 2026). The direct line 60 starts at the airport daily from 6:15 to 20:45 every half hour, then at 21:15, 22:15 and 23:15. To the airport the 60 runs from Santa Catalina last at 22:15.

To Puerto Rico and Puerto de Mogán: line 91

Line 91 takes you from the airport to Puerto de Mogán in 60 minutes for €6.80, departing every hour at minute 35 (as of September 2026). On the way it stops at Arguineguín, Puerto Rico and Playa de Amadores, among others; some journeys on the line already end in Taurito. According to Aena, the route between Puerto Rico and the airport costs €5.45.

Taxi: fare according to Aena, undated

Aena recommends getting in only at the signposted taxi rank in front of the terminal and asking for a receipt. The operator gives a fare, but no date for the tariff regulation (retrieved in September 2026). According to it, the base fare is €3.85 by day, €4.25 from 22:00 to 6:00 and on public holidays, plus €1.35 per kilometre, or €1.55 at night and on public holidays, and a €2.10 airport surcharge. On 24 and 31 December and on 5 January a base fare of €6.54 applies from 22:00 to 24:00.

By hire car: exits on the GC-1

From Las Palmas to the Faro de Maspalomas you drive 56 km on the GC-1 to exit 46 and then about 5 km to Plaza del Faro. You reach Puerto de Mogán from Las Palmas after 79 km via exit 68 of the GC-1. Tejeda in the interior of the island is about 44 km from the capital.

Where to stay: the places compared

In the south, hotels, resorts and other accommodation are concentrated, according to the island authority, in Maspalomas, Meloneras and Playa del Inglés. The bus details apply from the airport (as of September 2026).

Where “—” appears, the sources consulted name no drawback.

Sights: times, prices and rules in 2026

Dunes of Maspalomas: only on marked paths

The dunes of Maspalomas are protected as a Reserva Natural Especial. The area of about 400 hectares includes, besides the dune field, a palm grove and a lagoon with brackish water where hundreds of migratory birds rest.

The rules are set out in the Reserva's Plan Director (2004 version, valid indefinitely under Article 116). You can get onto the signposted paths at only two points. These are the Mirador de las Dunas by the Hotel Riu Palace in Playa del Inglés and the visitor area at the south end of Avenida Touroperador Neckermann (as of September 2026).

Roque Nublo: only with a reservation

You need a reservation for the Roque Nublo, booked via the official site reservasroquenublo.com. According to the public broadcaster RTVC, the requirement has applied since Monday, 3 February 2025.

You book path S-70 for one date and one time slot; the booking is not valid for other days or times. You can book up to the end of the following month, so in October up to 30 November. You do not need an account, but you must be an adult and confirm the booking within three days via the link in the email. There are at most 60 places per time slot; only one booking per day is allowed, and it covers at most 5 places. On request you show it together with an identity card or passport (as of September 2026).

Cars belong in the designated car parks; a shuttle bus takes you to the start of the path, or you walk along the ridge paths. When the forest-fire alert level is raised, reservations are blocked (as of September 2026). According to RTVC the former car park at Degollada de la Goleta is closed; new ones are in Tejeda and at Cruz de Los Llanos. From there the shuttle takes about 30 and 10 minutes respectively (as of January 2025).

You must take drinking water, warm clothing, sturdy shoes and a phone with enough battery, otherwise you can be expelled from the area. Walking is allowed only on marked paths, and dogs must be kept on a non-extendable lead; drones, camping and fires are prohibited. There is a danger of falling rocks at the monolith, and climbers may also be about there. Keep away from the cliff edges, because according to the rules a fall can be fatal (as of September 2026).

Risco Caído and the sacred mountains: World Heritage since 2019

Since 2019 the cultural landscape “Risco Caído and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria” has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List. It lies in the Caldera de Tejeda and covers 9,425 hectares plus 8,557 hectares of buffer zone. UNESCO regards Risco Caído and the Roque Bentayga as sacred temples (“almogarenes”), where ceremonies took place at particular times of year.

Cave 6 of Risco Caído in Artenara is regarded as an astronomical calendar: through an opening, sunlight and moonlight fall on engravings in the rock. A full-size replica of Cave 6 stands in the visitor centre in Artenara, Calle Camino de la Cilla s/n. Since 2005 Gran Canaria has also had a UNESCO biosphere reserve, covering 43% of the land area in the centre and south-west and a broad strip of sea.

Las Palmas: Vegueta, cathedral and Museo Canario

In the old town of Vegueta are the Santa Ana Cathedral, the Casa de Colón, the Museo Canario and the CAAM art centre. The cathedral with its diocesan museum can be visited Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00 and on Saturdays from 10:00 to 16:00, with last entry half an hour before in each case. Admission costs €8, reduced €6, and is free for children under 12 (as of September 2026).

The Museo Canario on the archaeology of the island's indigenous people is open Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 20:00, at weekends and on public holidays from 10:00 to 14:00. Admission costs €6.00 for non-residents; up to 12 years it is free (as of September 2026). On 1 January and 25 December the museum is closed.

Carnival in Las Palmas: parade on 20 February 2027

The Las Palmas carnival has borne the title “Fiesta de Interés Turístico Internacional” since 2023; its main period, according to the island authority, is February. The 2027 preview gives the Pregón on 22 January, the big parade on 20 February and the Entierro de la Sardina on 28 February (as of September 2026).

Cueva Pintada in Gáldar: guided tour only

You can enter the Cueva Pintada in Gáldar only with a guided tour and after registering, by phone on 928 895 746 or via entradas.com (as of September 2026). The painted cave with geometric friezes was declared a Monumento Histórico Artístico in 1972, and the museum stands above a village of the indigenous people.

Excursions: Caldera de Bandama and Teror

The Caldera de Bandama is 216 m deep and about 1,100 m in diameter; you can walk around it or descend into it. Global line 311 runs there from the San Telmo bus station (as of September 2026). Teror, about 20 km from the capital, has been a place of pilgrimage for over five centuries; the basilica's yellow bell tower dates from 1708.

Best time to travel: Gran Canaria's climate month by month

The values come from the AEMET station Gran Canaria Aeropuerto on the east coast (24 m, municipality of Ingenio) and are means for the years 1981 to 2010. The table contains no separate values for Las Palmas or Maspalomas.

From November to March the maximums are on average between 20.8 and 24.2 °C, the minimums between 15.0 and 18.1 °C, with 2.3 to 4.5 rain days a month. December is the wettest month at 31 mm and the least sunny at 179 hours. Over the year 151 mm fall on 22.1 rain days.

The water temperature comes from an own analysis: the state deep-water buoy “Boya de Gran Canaria” of Puertos del Estado measures in the open Atlantic off the north-west coast. Its hourly values from 2016 to 2025 give a mean of 21.1 °C in December, 20.1 °C in January, 19.1 °C each in February and March and 23.4 °C in September. For February and March enough measurements were available from only five of the ten years. The buoy does not cover the beaches in the south; at sheltered beaches the values can differ.

Costs

Flight, hotel and car hire prices are not given here.

The municipality of Mogán, which includes Puerto Rico, Amadores and Puerto de Mogán, levies a tourist tax of €0.15 per person and night. The High Court of the Canaries declared the by-law null and void in July 2026; the municipality is appealing to the Supreme Court. Until its ruling the tax continues to apply, according to the municipality (as of September 2026).

Taxes and duty-free allowances: the Canaries as a special territory

In the Canaries the Canarian tax IGIC is levied instead of Spanish VAT, and it is already included in the fares of the Las Palmas city buses. German customs treats the islands as a special tax territory, so on your return the duty-free allowances apply as for a non-EU country (as of September 2026):

• Tobacco (aged 17 and over): 200 cigarettes or 250 g of tobacco
• Alcohol (aged 17 and over): 1 litre of spirits over 22% or 2 litres up to 22%, plus 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer
• Other goods: up to €430 for air travellers, under 15 years up to €175

Practical information

Getting around by bus

In Las Palmas the Guaguas Municipales city bus costs €1.40 per journey, payable to the driver (as of September 2026). The personal LIVE tourist card is valid from the first validation for 24 hours at €5.00 or 72 hours at €12.00, with any number of journeys. It is available at the customer offices, in the “GuaguasLPA” app or on the web. With the prepaid card “Bono guagua sin contacto” a journey costs €0.42, the card costs €1.50, and the minimum top-up is €8.50.

From the San Telmo and Santa Catalina bus stations in Las Palmas you can reach every district and every municipality on the island. From Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés, Global lines 30 and 50 run to Las Palmas from Faro de Maspalomas (as of September 2026).

Money, time, electricity, emergency number

You pay in euros. Cards, above all Visa and Mastercard, are widely accepted, and in some places a minimum amount of about €10 applies (as of September 2026). Tipping is not compulsory; in restaurants, hotels and taxis 5 to 10% is customary.

On Gran Canaria it is one hour earlier than in Germany all year. The sockets take plugs with round pins to the European standard, and the mains supply is 220 V at 50 Hz. You can reach the emergency services free of charge across the EU on 112.

The current rules on entry, safety and health are on the Spain page of the German Foreign Office.

Who this is not for

• If you expect high summer in winter: In January and February the maximums at the airport are on average 20.8 and 21.2 °C (AEMET, 1981–2010). The measuring buoy off the north-west coast showed a mean water temperature of 19.1 °C in February and March (own analysis 2016 to 2025, southern beaches not measured).
• If you want to go to the Roque Nublo spontaneously: It is not possible without a reservation, there are at most 60 places per time slot, and no bookings are possible during a forest-fire alert.
• If you want to head into the mountains without a car: From Faro de Maspalomas line 18 runs only three times a day to Tejeda. The 305 from San Mateo to Tejeda runs six times Monday to Friday outside term time.
• If you want to roam the dunes freely: Walking off the marked paths is prohibited; you may enter only environmental zone A1 freely.
• If you want to shop a lot: On the way back to Germany the duty-free allowances apply as for a non-EU country, about €430 for goods and 200 cigarettes.