For those coming here for a beach vacation, it’s important to know that beaches in the Canary Islands aren’t everywhere. From the article, you’ll learn about the best beaches in Gran Canaria, with a map and descriptions of all the top beaches. I’ll even talk about and show you what lava pools are and, most importantly, where to find them in Gran Canaria. The article will help you organize the beach part of your vacation. And you can plan your cultural and sightseeing program with the help of the article: Top 15 sights of Gran Canaria.

Beaches in Gran Canaria: Key Points, Where the Sun Shines More

Here’s a brief overview of the island’s beach features:

  • It’s a completely volcanic island. Most of the coastline is cliffs and solidified lava.
  • There are many beaches on the island, but most of them are quite small, in coves, gorges, or bays. Some beaches have pebbles, others have black volcanic sand.
pools in gran canaria
Since Gran Canaria is a volcanic island, most of the coastline is either rugged cliffs or looks like what you see in the photos

Interesting to know:

Unlike the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, and La Palma, where there are mainly black beaches, Gran Canaria has beaches with yellow sand. Not everyone knows where it came from on the island. I recommend reading an article about the season and weather in the Canaries; there you’ll learn what it is and why the calima wind is dangerous, and you’ll see satellite images showing how the wind carries tons of sand from the Sahara Desert to Gran Canaria.

And now the main feature of Gran Canaria for those looking for a beach holiday.

  • In the center of Gran Canaria are mountains (extinct volcanoes) almost 2km high. They block all winds and clouds.
  • Throughout the year, predominantly north winds blow from the Atlantic on Gran Canaria. The south of the island is sunnier, with less rain, fewer clouds, and a dry climate. That’s why there are more beach resorts and beaches with yellow sand here.
  • In the north of the island, there are beaches with black volcanic sand or pebbles and lava pools.
  • All lava pools and beaches in the Canaries are free, this applies to all the islands.
Gran Canaria beaches holidays
Gran Canaria has several different climate zones. In the upper photo, the mountains in the north, there are more clouds and rain. And in the lower photo, the mountains in the south, it’s always blue skies, rarely rains, more sun, and warmer. Both photos were taken on the same day, with an hour’s difference.

So, if you’re coming here for a vacation during the low season (December-February) and want a full beach experience, it’s better to choose beaches in the south of the island, where there will be more sunny days. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter where your resort is. In summer, it’s sunny everywhere, even in the north.

Map of lava pools and beaches in Gran Canaria

On the map below, I marked the best and most popular beaches in Gran Canaria with burgundy markers.

I marked the lava pools with black markers. Note that they’re only in the north.

The map is interactive, you can click and zoom. Remember, you won’t get to wild beaches or many lava pools by bus. Gran Canaria is all about renting a car, a process that’s simple and accessible, and the island’s infrastructure is designed for tourists with cars. In the article linked, you’ll find everything about renting a car in Gran Canaria, personal experiences, and pitfalls.

Top 10 Best Beaches in Gran Canaria

Now let’s highlight the best beaches in Gran Canaria separately, describing their features with photos.

  • The two best beaches in Gran Canaria on the north side of the island, with all amenities and yellow sand, are located in the capital, Las Palmas. These are Las Canteras and Las Alcaravaneras beaches.
beaches of Gran Canaria
In my personal ranking of “best beaches in Gran Canaria,” Las Canteras Beach is number one. It stretches as far as the eye can see, along with the promenade.

Las Canteras is my favorite beach on the island. It’s listed among the best urban beaches in the world. Stretching over 3 km, it boasts a long pedestrian promenade without cars, hundreds of restaurants, surfing schools, and shopping malls. It’s also the best beach in Gran Canaria for beginners who want to learn surfing. But there’s a separate article about surfing in the Canaries for those interested.

best beaches in Gran Canaria
And here’s Las Alcaravaneras, a nice equipped beach. But its main drawback is its proximity to the port of Las Palmas. I took this photo at 7 a.m. in January. By noon, it will be crowded here.
  • Playa de la Laja – a beach with black volcanic sand, 10 km from the capital. It’s considered semi-wild, partially equipped for recreation, but there’s no infrastructure here. It’s cliffs, ocean, a pedestrian path, and a highway nearby.
rating of the best beaches on the island of Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria beaches are mostly like this, with black volcanic sand. In the photo is Playa de la Laja, with the island capital, Las Palmas, on the horizon.
  • Playa del Inglés and Playa de Maspalomas – the two longest and most popular beaches in Gran Canaria. I’d say they form one long beach over 5 kilometers, transitioning from one to the other. These two beaches encircle one of the island’s main attractions, the Maspalomas dunes.

The link to the article about the island’s attractions was at the very beginning, where you’ll learn more about this cool location.

the best beaches on the island of Gran Canaria
Personally, I find it hard to call them the best, but these are the most popular beaches in Gran Canaria (Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés) – the southernmost part of the island.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of these beaches near the Maspalomas dunes, it’s a long walk to the ocean, there’s no shade, and not all areas have recreational facilities (except for the town of Maspalomas itself).

But further along the southwest coast of the island, there are dozens of well-equipped beaches. They’re all sandy, located in small coves, sheltered from the wind and waves, with promenades and dozens of restaurants. They’re all very similar – pick any, and you’ll have a great beach holiday, especially with kids. The only downside is that this part of the island has many tourists year-round. Here are a few of the best beaches:

All these beaches are great, but my personal top picks on this coast are Mogán and Amadores.

gran canaria beaches
The upper photo is Playa de Mogán, and the lower photo is Amadores. Notice how many people are on the beach; both photos were taken in mid-February.
  • A truly wild beach, the kind that can be considered symbols of the Canary Islands, is all about Playa Güi Güi. You can’t drive here, there’s no infrastructure, just you, the mountains, and the ocean. This beach is for real adventurers, not tourists 🙂 It’s a 5 km walk from the parking lot, with an elevation drop of almost 700 meters. This beach is for those who can/love/practice hiking in the mountains. Bring your water, food, sangria, and hamon, there are no stores here.
review of the best beach in Gran Canaria
The best wild beach in Gran Canaria, which not everyone can reach, is Guigui Beach.

These were the best beaches in Gran Canaria, but definitely not all of them. If you want to learn more about vacationing on the island, resorts, getting around by public transport, and much more, read the article: Vacation in Gran Canaria, what a tourist needs to know.

Lava Pools in Gran Canaria

I want to talk specifically about lava pools because it’s a relatively unique phenomenon, and there aren’t many places in the world where you can find them. They exist in Madeira, the Canaries, and a couple of other volcanic islands. Below is information specifically about the lava pools in Gran Canaria.

Interesting to Know:

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, during volcanic eruptions on Gran Canaria, lava flowed into the ocean and solidified there. Natural pools were formed, which are protected from waves and currents, and the water there is warmer because it heats up better. But these pools are not completely separated from the ocean; seawater freely enters them.
lava pools and beaches of Gran Canaria
This is what the most typical lava pool in Gran Canaria looks like.

Today, people have equipped such lava pools with convenient stairs and steps into the water, reinforced the edges, and cleared the bottom of sharp rocks. In the north of Gran Canaria, there are few natural beaches but many lava pools of various sizes and degrees of improvement. Here are some general points:

  • All are free to enter.
  • To find a lava pool on Google Maps, enter the words Piscina or Piscina Natural.
  • In the north of Gran Canaria, there are more than 40 such pools. I’ll only talk about the most popular and largest ones.
  • And remember: during strong waves, it’s dangerous to swim even in these pools; they can be completely covered by waves.

Below are the largest and best-equipped lava pools in Gran Canaria, where it’s easy to enter the water, there are no sharp rocks, and you can comfortably swim, even children will enjoy it (but not guaranteed):

  • Pool in Puerto de las Nieves (a very picturesque fishing village in the northwest of the island, I recommend coming here for a stroll along the promenade for a couple of hours): 28.10679888939595, -15.711227380930998
all about the beaches of Gran Canaria
This pool in Puerto de las Nieves is definitely one of the best beaches in Gran Canaria.
  • A cool lava pool El Agujero near Boca Barranco Beach. By the way, the beach here is quite good too. You can confidently come here for a beach and lava pool day, just make sure the ocean is calmer: 28.1598073635613, -15.66392490978136
lava pools in Gran Canaria where
Lava pool El Agujero near Boca Barranco Beach.
gran canaria best pools
And this is my favorite – Los Charcones De Bañaderos. I marked where my wife stands with an arrow so you can appreciate the size of this pool. On a good day, these lava pools are very crowded with holidaymakers.

I hope now you know what a lava pool is and have already included a couple of them in your island itinerary. These pools are quite similar, so there’s no need to visit all of them. Personally, I like Los Charcones De Bañaderos; it’s really huge, and the pool in the town of Puerto de las Nieves.

Travel Tips

I won’t give many tips, but here are a couple more:

  • Gran Canaria beaches are very crowded, especially in the season, and there are pickpockets. Don’t leave anything valuable unattended.
  • In the north of the island: waves, surfing, black beaches, and lava pools, and there can be strong winds.
  • In the south of the island are all the main beach resorts of Gran Canaria; there are no waves, no surfing, and many beaches have yellow sand, more sun, and warmer weather. Southern beaches are the perfect place for family vacations and winter holidays.

In conclusion: Gran Canaria beaches are very diverse; everyone will find their favorite beach here. There are wild and uninhabited ones where you have to hike through the mountains for a couple of hours, and there are classic resorts where only the top layer of sand gets tanned. Well, dozens of lava pools will only add a unique touch to your beach vacation.


Useful links to help you plan your dream trip to Canary Islands:

  • Car Rental: LocalRent or DiscoverCars – the most popular car rental platforms.
  • Accommodation:
    • Trip.com – the largest accommodation booking platform.
    • or TripAdvisor – to compare prices among other platforms and choose the best one.
  • Budget-friendly vacation packages to Spain and Canary Islands: CheapOair.
  • Tours and activities: GetYourGuide or Viator – hundreds of offers, whales and dolphins, entrance tickets with discounts.
  • eSIM and internet: Airalo.
  • Flights: WayAway compares prices among dozens of companies.
  • Travel Insurance: EKTA.