The villages Agüimes and Santa Brigida are both worth a day trip – albeit for different reasons. What those two villages in the central mountains of Gran Canaria have in common, though, is their enchanting beauty.
Picturesque alleys lined with charming old houses – that’s one thing Agüimes and Santa Brígida have in common.
From Gran Canaria’s capital Las Palmas, they are some of the easiest day trips you can go on by public bus.
Our second day trip from our base in Gran Canaria’s capital Las Palmas took us to Galdar and eventually to Puerto de las Nieves.
The happy ending of a great day: Taking a refreshing dip in the pools at Puerto de las Nieves where the lava shields you against the crashing waves.
After awing at the historic and natural wonders of Galdar, we spent the rest of the day frolicking at the calm saltwater pools that rocks’n’lava have created on the outskirts of Puerto de las Nieves.
It really doesn’t matter what else you are planning to do on the island of Gran Canaria – the day trip to Artenara, the island’s highest village, and Tejeda, one of the most beautiful hamlets in all of Spain will be the absolute highlight of your trip – literally.
Even if you follow my lead and do not spend your entire trip to Gran Canaria at the tourist hotspots Playa del Inglés, Maspalomas, or Puerto de Mogan, you definitely should visit the south coast on a day trip.
The world-famous dunes of Maspalomas in the south of Gran Canaria won’t blow just your mind….This Way to the Whole Story ->
Las Palmas is probably the most underrated place on the island – yet, it’s the perfect base if you want to explore Gran Canaria beyond the notorious tourist areas in the south.
View of the Plaza Mayor de Santa Ana and the town hall from the roof of the Catedral de Santa Ana.
Apart from having a charming historic center with cool venues and some of the island’s best beaches, it is a great hub for visiting the entire island even by public transport.
When going to the Canaries, you don’t have to limit yourself since island hopping between the various Canary Islands is really fun and so easy.
Two in one: While the hill on the left is Gran Canaria, the one in the backdrop is Tenerife. This picture proves how close the Canary Islands are to each other.
While most visitors pick just one destination for their beach vacation, you can have it all: Hop on a ferry or go on a plane and travel crisscross between Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, and La Gomera as much as you please.
Powdery black lava beaches alongside rocky coasts, unique natural formations, and contrasting microclimates: La Gomera is the second smallest of the Canary Islands, but at least as diverse as all of her big sisters. So let me show you what not to miss and how to easily explore La Gomera, the Canaries’ ravishing wild child, on self-guided tours by public bus.
As the over-popular south coast of Tenerife is the most neglectable part of the island, I’ll show you in this guide which are the best things to do in one week in the island’s lush north. We’ll visit picturesque villages and lush fields, admire bewitched forests, enjoy black lava beaches and approach the mighty Mount Teide.
I urgently need to make a correction to this post. No, I didn’t make a typo. Oh no, there are no grammatical or spelling errors – at least, that’s what I hope. I was simply entirely misjudging Santa Cruz when I first created this post. Was it the bad weather? Was it the exhaustion after a few weeks on the road? Whatever it was that drove me to portray Santa Cruz as not worth seeing, I was wrong. So very wrong!
View of the iconic belfry of the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción from the picturesque Calle Antonio Domínguez Alfonso.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the city on another trip to Tenerife, and what can I say, I thought it was a great place: Lively and yet not stressful, with lots of shops, excellent restaurants, beautiful squares, and a pleasant promenade along the sea, the city scored highly at second glance. And since I was hunting for the best street art, this time I also went to parts of the city that usually aren’t on the tourist agenda.
Charming alleys, friendly residents, lots of local vibes, and yes, the best street art in Tenerife convinced me: Santa Cruz is not only absolutely worth a day’s visit. The city, which is connected to a comprehensive public transport network, can also be an excellent base and starting point for exploring the entire island.
So again: Sorry, Santa Cruz, I totally stand corrected!
No matter what else you are planning to do on the island of Tenerife – a visit to the mountain town of La Orotava, basically the forecourt of the Teide mountain, will be the absolute highlight of your trip – literally.
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