Public Transport

If you want to explore Gran Canaria, you have several options. There is no train system, which should not surprise you too much, considering the size of Gran Canaria. There is, however, a very economical bus system. Buses are known as “autobuses” in Spanish but “guaguas” (pronounced waa-waas) in Canarian Spanish. There are two companies operating in Gran Canaria – one does bus routes connecting Las Palmas to the rest of the island and the other covers Las Palmas itself.

Photo by Takushi

Global SU is the company who offers plenty of routes around the island and you can find more information here: http://www.globalsu.es/ This company used to be Salcai and Utensa (two companies) but they merged eleven years ago. Guagas Municipales SA is the Las Palmas bus company and they offer various routes around the island’s capital. They also have an open-top bus for tourists. You can either pay per trip or buy a 10 journey discount ticket from the bus station. See http://www.guaguas.com for more information.

Gran Canaria Taxis

Another option is to take a taxi. Of course, taxis are more expensive than buses but if you want to travel a short distance (for example, San Agustin to Maspalomas or Puerto de Mogan to Taurito) then it might be worth taking a taxi. The rates are different in the daytime and at night and the taxis use meters, so you can keep an eye on your fare as it climbs. Have a look here to see the average taxi fares from Las Palmas airport to various resorts.

You can easily hail taxis around Puerto Rico, Playa del Ingles and Maspalomas but some taxi drivers will refuse to let you in if you are covered in sand or dripping wet. If you want to make a longer journey than simply getting around the resort or going to the neighbouring resort, you can ask the driver if he is willing to offer a special price.