Many people have been asking me about the types of transport there are on the island, how easy public transport is and how expensive everything is. So I thought, why not make a blog about it so you have everything in one link.
1 Rental car
First type of transport on Gran Canaria is of course a rental car. With a rental car you can go where you want, when you want, without any limits. We have prepared the best road trips on Gran Canaria, so if you rent a car, I would suggest doing several of our road trips. With these routes you get to know the island like a local!
There are many different rental places at the airport and around the island. However, I want to share my experience and troubles as a new driver since not every company lets you rent a car if you are a new driver: Feel free to DM me on @travel_gran_canaria and I’ll share the name of the company. Also these companies don’t ask for a credit card deposit.
If you already have your licence for a while, we highly recommend the number 1 local rental car company that has offices all around the Canary Islands: Cicar.
2 Bus (Guagua)
The second type of transport on Gran Canaria is the bus or as they call it here “Guagua”. There are two main types of buses: the yellow ones in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Global buses (the blue ones) that run in the rest of the island.
The yellow bus has a fixed fee of 1.40 euros per trip and it doesn’t matter which stop you get in or out.
The blue buses have different fees per stop, but are still very cheap. Top tip 1: This is the cheapest way to get from the airport to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or to the South (Maspalomas, Meloneras or Mogán).
Two of the main lines are bus 60: From Las Palmas to the airport (also called: Airport express bus). The two main stops in Las Palmas are the bus station in Santa Catalina and the bus stop in San Telmo (both underground bus stops). The fee from the airport to San Telmo costs 2.30 euros and to Santa Catalina 2.95 euros. Also good to know it goes every hour on 15 past and 45 to the hour.
The second line that is good to know is the bus number 90 which goes from the airport to Maspalomas. The bus goes every hour so make sure you time it right. All of the information about timetables, stops and bus numbers you can find in the links above!
The bus stop at the airport is located close to the departure hall, but throughout the whole airport you will find the sign with the “bus Global”, if you follow this sign you will find the bus stop easily!
You can check the times of the bus on the websites linked above but I always check the specific bus stop on Google Maps, they usually also have the correct times.
Another useful one is the bus number 91 which starts in Las Palmas (Santa Catalina) and ends in Puerto de Mogán/Taurito depending on the hour. This one goes every half an hour during the day and early morning and late evening only once an hour.
Top tip 2: if you have a NIE number and a fixed address here, you can apply for the bus card which is easy if you travel by bus frequently. The card works for both bus types and is very easy to apply for. Check out which card would be good for you here.
3 Taxi
The third option of transport on Gran Canaria is the Taxi.
There are many taxis on the island and compared to other places in Europe, the taxis here are very cheap. There are many taxi stands on the island which makes it easy to get a taxi. In the taxis you can pay in cash and card. A taxi from the airport to Las Palmas is more or less 30-35 euros and from the airport to Maspalomas is about 40-45 euros.
In the centre itself (depending on how far you go of course) a taxi will be around 5 euros.
4 Bicycle
The fourth option of transport on Gran Canaria is mainly in Las Palmas and it is called the Sitycleta. This is an option where you rent bikes with an app on your phone. It is very easy and convenient as there are many stops for the bikes in Las Palmas so there is always one close to you.
I hope this blog has helped you with your trip to Gran Canaria.
If there are any questions or doubts, of course feel free to message me on Instagram @travel_gran_canaria. Also let us know in the comments what your favourite type of transport is on the island and why!
