Holidays in Gran Canaria with Children

“We are a family with an unconventional way of thinking, we like to experience adventures together, especially where others say that it is not even worth traveling with children” – the father Vytenis begins the story. Gran Canaria was already a third long trip and the second Canary Island, where the family spent exactly four weeks. A year ago they visited Thailand, and a year before they visited Tenerife.

Vacation in Gran Canaria with children: father Vytenis, mother Giedrė and daughter Ła share their impressions of the trip on the island.

We organized all the trips ourselves. We bought our plane tickets a month before the flight with low-cost airlines, so we flew via London. In total, we used the services of three different airlines for the round trip. Onward, we had a six-hour waiting period before the next flight. It seemed like a long period of time for us with a child, so we didn’t even hesitate to take advantage of Revolut’s business class offers, i.e. the business lounge at the airport (29 EUR per person). A 3-year-old child was admitted for free, so we only paid 58 euros. Inside, there was a large waiting area with comfortable chairs, the possibility of unlimited food and drinks (not only light ones).

Holidays in Gran Canaria with Children – Car and House Rental

If you need a car in the Canary Islands, we recommend renting one in advance. Unfortunately, that one month got in the way, so we paid three times more for the car than we did on the trip to Tenerife two years ago. You should also bring your own car seat. On most airlines, this luggage is free, but if you didn’t take it like us and went without it, it’s worth renting a seat on the spot. It would have cost 100 euros for a month’s time, but upon arrival we negotiated the price in half.

Due to the lack of rental offers, we didn’t have much of a choice. Almost 98% of apartments were rented. But now we consider ourselves lucky because we rented through three different locations.

Life In the Town of La Aldea de San Nicolás Among the Mountains

The accommodation for the first two weeks was La Aldea de San Nicolás, a town in the mountains. It’s a wonderful town without much tourists, with its own charm and a small town center, countless playgrounds for children, so it was very important to us. Only here, during the first two weeks, we felt how the real locals of Gran Canaria live.

Every Sunday, the old bakery bakes real Spanish churros according to the town’s traditions and on no other days can you eat this delicacy. Since the town is inhabited only by local residents, there are many playgrounds for children. There were two right next to our house, and next to one of them was a cozy park cafe. Within two weeks, a morning tradition of drinking a cup of coffee and eating a chocolate donut emerged.

Also, don’t be afraid to explore the town, there are wonderful little museums and boutiques where you can find souvenirs made in Gran Canaria. Prices here are lower than in the main tourist areas of the town.

We also found a small general store here, where the store owner brought fresh fruits and vegetables from her nearby farm to sell. It is very important to mention that they celebrate on the first Saturday of every month – at that time there is a town festival with concerts and a local fair.

Surrounding Areas

There is a small harbor right next to this town – Puerto de La Aldea. The tiny port has a small pebble beach with cozy black sand, which you can reach through an “Instagrammable” tunnel. Even on extremely windy days, it’s relatively calm here, as the surrounding rocks block any wind, and it provides additional entertainment for the eyes of the children as the weather around the submarine raises the ocean water level and then hundreds of crabs come out to warm themselves on the surrounding rocks. The shores are full of large sunbeds.

Having lunch on weekdays in places not particularly discovered by tourists helps to save money. In the oceanfront part of the restaurants, you can choose a lunch of the day, that is, a soup, a hot dish (we always chose fresh fish), a dessert and a drink (juice for the child and local adult drinks for us), and the whole set cost only about 12 euros (Restaurante Grill Luis).

It is worth going from La Aldea to the Agaete town, which fascinates with spectacular views and local fishermen’s huts. A visit to the natural pools Agaete Piscina Natural is also a must. The most spectacular views are to be seen at sunset along the serpentine road to La Aldea.

Playgrounds

Playgrounds exist everywhere you go. Everyone, even a tiny town and village, has arranged these spaces very nicely, so vacations in Gran Canaria with children will be really fun. Keep in mind that we did not find these spaces in the tourist areas of Playa des Igles and Maspalomas since these places attract people who want to have fun, mostly without families, plus there are no local residents living here, so there are no such spaces (at least we didn’t find them).

Non-standard Choices and Discovered Places

As I mentioned at the beginning, we are not traditional travelers. This also applies to road choices to get from point A to point B. From La Aldea we chose to travel to Tejeda town. Traveling is possible on the paved road surrounding the area, and part of the road also stretches along the highway. We chose a more interesting path, but it is not for everyone.

As far as serpentines are concerned, in most places you can only drive one car, and to pass other cars you need to go back a little. Also, for the most part you won’t find any roadblocks here – it’s perfect for photographs, there is not much human intervention in nature, and if you’re serious, it’s extremely dangerous. A reward awaits those who dare to drive this road. A reward of peace, quiet, sounds of nature, and enchanting views.

One of the images is Presa Caidero de la Nina. This is a dam between the mountains, I have captured this image on the Instagram account @vytenisjanu. There will even be two similar dams on this road, as well as a wonderful serpentine, lonely small towns, and in the mountains you will find spring during our winter. Almond trees were blooming as we traveled. The sight and the smell are mesmerizing.

The Town of Tejeda

The town of Tejeda is one of those places where it is written in tourist pamphlets that it is worth seeing, but for us personally the road to the town was several times more impressive than the town itself. Yes, it is beautiful, but when you travel there in winter it is cold (9/12C heat), the prices in restaurants are inflated, but if that does not scare you, you should see it.

Montana Blanca

One of the stuck objects at the end of our island is Montana Blanca (Montaña Cerrada). It’s a beautiful deserted road. It is worth seeing and walking. Grab some food here too – you can have a picnic with one of the best views on the whole island.

Mirador Llanos de La Mimbre

Two things – this area is very nice, but you need to dress warmly. It’s almost winter here during the winter period. In some places there was a lot of snow, outside we were greeted by a temperature of only 4 degrees, but… Everything was redeemed by what we found. The forest resembles our Curonian Spit – pine trees.

It’s a little over a kilometer to the destination on an excellent paved road (no cars allowed), but I guarantee the sunset will be the most spectacular you’ll experience on your trip. Don’t forget a stand for your phones so you can all take a picture together. Again, you can find some photos from me on my Instagram @vytenisjanu. I repeat – have warm clothes.

Puerto de Sardina

In the northwestern part, there is a very beautiful and family-friendly beach – Puerto de Sardina. I even told Giedre that it’s a shame we didn’t rent an apartment here for at least a week. Everything you need is here: a children’s playground in the town, excellent restaurants right next to the beach, and the beach itself is very beautiful and with soft sand.

The Most Memorable Place – Piscinas de Punta de Galdar

One of the favourite places for us was Piscinas de Punta de Galdar. A small natural pool that is empty on weekdays. Recommended when you want an even tan and want more privacy (most who visited here during our stay also seemed to come for an even tan…). Privacy is also ensured by the fact that 100 meters away there is a space several times larger with natural pools, which attract most people. Have some baguette for the fish. There are a lot of small fish swimming in this pool, Ła really liked feeding these fish. After swimming, take a walk in the town itself – both you and the children will be happy as there is a playground. Afterwards, you can stop by a local small restaurant (restaurants are not open during festivals because they leave with food vans).

Galdar town has a very large children’s playground.

What Else is Worth Visiting?

Another must-visit place is the central part of Roque Nublo. It offers spectacular views from one of the highest places in Gran Canaria. We were lucky because there was Calima all over the island, and when it got up, the clouds parted and gave us a happy blue sky.

On the way, stop at Mirador Pico de la Gorra.

The highest place on the island is Pico de las Nieves.

Located in the northern part of spectacular views is Cenobio Valeron. Admission for an adult is 3 euros. You will see how in ancient times people lived in caves and where they stored grain. At the entrance, you will meet a very nice guy who has visited Lithuania.

The capital Las Palmas and the Tastiest Snails On the Island

Three objects that we really liked. The first – old town, the Cathedral Plaza de Santa Ana and the surrounding streets. In front of the cathedral is the aviation museum (the door is next to the tourist information center), and admission is free.

The second is the promenade at Las Canteras beach. We recommend trying their ancient ice cream – Heladeria Pena la Vieja.

Third place – natural pools near Punta del Confital. If there will be a lot of people and you want peace, go beyond them, you will find small places to sunbathe and smaller swimming pools. Privacy is guaranteed.

Leaving the capital and heading south, stop (recommended on a stormier day when the sea is rough) at El Bufadero. A place where the ocean boils and you can see some pretty impressive water geysers when the ocean is rough.

If the day is calm, there are no waves and wind, and you want to spend a quieter day, but you live in Maspalomas, I recommend coming to Playa de Tufia. A fairly long sandy beach that is more popular with locals. The last kilometer is approached on a gravel road.

One of the best restaurants discovered on the island was in the town in the eastern part of the island Arinaga and it’s called Terraza Kayuco. We recommend snails (caracoles), so if you like them, you will definitely get the best on the island here. This restaurant was an exception during the entire vacation, we returned to the same place three times (we try to go to different places). Of course, this town stuck with the fact that we happened to be there during the festival, dancing, fun, dressing up – a great mood overall. We also found Italian gelato here – ChocoLatte Heladería Artesanal Italiana.

Recommendations For the Night and the Third Week

In the town of El Sao among the mountains, you will find the Finca Pequena apartments – these will be your holiday home. It’s a memorable place to stay surrounded by a farm of orange, lemon and tangerine trees. Every morning started with freshly picked orange juice. Here you can also pick avocados (at the time of our visit they were still unripe), papayas, bananas. What is very good, right next to the house, although it is a small village, there is again a children’s playground. The apartments themselves have been renovated, the Italian hostess has taken care of everything so that nothing is missing for your vacation.

A recommendation for the beach in the south – Playa de Tiritana. Secluded, difficult to reach (but with a three-year-old child it worked out perfectly), long sandy coast. Have some food, snacks, and drinks with yourself, as you really can’t buy anything here.

Fun with Children in Gran Canaria

We recommend visiting all the main attractions during your vacation. They are designed to make your vacation in Gran Canaria with children meaningful. Go to Palmitas Park, the main zoo of Gran Canaria (just don’t compare it with Tenerife, it’s a bit more modest here), and have snacks or even lunch. The prices are extremely inadequate (12 euros for a very bad hot dog). Take your time and spend almost a whole day here. We were most impressed by the butterfly observatory, where you can hold them in your hands. Also a show of birds of prey, which takes place several times a day. Ula absolutely loved the dolphin show.

Angry birds park – there the children will have fun, and you will be happy for them.

Crocodile Park – various animals, some of which can be touched.

Maspalomas Dunes – just to see, it is necessary to visit. Have plenty of water and snacks for the kids.

A beautiful tourist town – Puerto de Mogan. We came here just to take pictures. Very nice houses and a canal between them like in Venice.

A restaurant 15 minutes away in the town of Mogan (not to be confused with the port) – Restaurante Canario de Oro. Family restaurant with excellent service and food. We recommend goat meat, Carne de cabra, and of course feel free to ask, the owner’s daughter speaks English, she will definitely recommend the tastiest. Don’t eat snails here, I didn’t like it because of the specific spices. When you leave the restaurant, you will find a large children’s playground with a spectacular view, so you will have a meal and the children will be happy.

Holidays in Gran Canaria with Children

If you have children, spending your holidays in Gran Canaria is a great decision. We visited more than we described, it’s just that our places are often not recorded on maps, as an example of a shepherd (you heard that right – a real shepherd) herding a large herd of sheep that blocked our way. The photography and Łala’s education and entertainment turned out to be wonderful.

Experiment, ride as many mountain roads as possible, they are all interesting and different. Discover your new wild beaches, and if the opportunity allows, go hiking in the mountains or wild beaches.

“I wish you all wonderful adventures in the future!” Of course, I hope you follow us on Instagram @vytenisjanu and @giedrejanu. Thank you for reading and until our next trip! – Vytenis and Giedrė.

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