Where are the best Gran Canaria beaches?
Most Gran Canaria beach guides send you to Anfi beach, Playa del Inglés, or Maspalomas. All three appear on every list. All three are heavily photographed.
If you base your whole trip around them, you’ll probably leave thinking Gran Canaria is exactly what people who don’t like Gran Canaria say it is, overcrowded, artificial, and built for people who want a resort holiday rather than an actual travel experience.
I will tell you what we did. We stayed in Patalavaca for a week in December 2024 and beach-hopped the south of the island almost every day.
Some beaches surprised me. One genuinely became my favourite on the island. The one, which is the most Instagrammed of all of them, was the clearest example of why Gran Canaria divides people the way it does.
This guide covers the beaches I actually visited, with honest verdicts on each. Including the ones worth skipping.
My best beaches in Gran Canaria contain 9 beaches out of those I have personally visited 6 of them.
Anfi Beach: The reason Gran Canaria is perceived as resorts holiday resort
Anfi beach was the last beach we visited and I’ll be straightforward about it. It was a disappointment significant enough that I’m still thinking about it now when someone asks me whether Gran Canaria is worth visiting.
The bay is artificial. This is not unusual for the Canaries, Playa de Amadores is also man-made but it’s genuinely beautiful. The difference is what surrounds it. Anfi beach is surrounded on every side by hotels, apartment blocks, and similar, resort infrastructure that feels anything but local. The beach itself is small for how many people visits it, and the water activities, the jet skis, the banana boats, the animation teams with microphones, make it loud in a way that has nothing to do with the sea.
We left after about forty minutes.
If you love that kind of energy, Anfi beach delivers it efficiently and with good infrastructure. But if you’re reading this guide because you want beaches that feel like the Canary Islands rather than a floating holiday complex, this one isn’t for you. Go to Playa de Tauro instead, it’s twenty minutes away by bus and a completely different experience.
Playa De Tauro: Hidden Gem
A bit off the beaten path, rugged, untamed beauty, fewer facilities, more authentic vibe.
This beach became my favourite one and it has to be in the best beaches in Gran Canaria list. It really reminds me of the real Canary Islands vibe, you can find on Lanzarote or Fuerteventura and which is so hard to find in the south of Gran Canaria.
There is no bathroom, or lifeguard but there is a restaurant. Fair to say, it’s not just a restaurant, but a local, family run beach place that serves the best fish on this side of the island. We got it recommended by regular visitor Zdenek. Czech guy who comes to the island regularly each year for more than a decade.
The years on the road have taught me, always listen to that kind of advice from people like him. Guys who live there or keep returning are the best and in this case it again proved to be a good instinct.
Not only the food, and vibes but also amazing sunsets and relatively easy access makes this beach a place to go, if you want an authentic, relaxed, open space beach with delicious food.
Playa de Amadores: Nice Surprise
When we passed this beach during the day, I thought of another hype and typical Gran Canaria. You see the big hotels and the same bay as on Anfi beach and it can discourage you from visiting. What a surprise when we visited the beach “after hours”.Meaning after 4 pm, when everyone left for happy hours and dinners in all inclusive hotels. The place changed. Not overcrowded at all, still the postcard picture, golden sands, very calm and crystal-clear waters.
This beach is very close to Playa de Tauro but has the opposite vibe .There are shops and restaurants, luckily just far enough to be not bothered by it( even though I can imagine during the time with people it might change).
There is also a lifeguard (who gave us the opportunity to use the longer one for free) and a bus stop just next to the restaurants.
It’s also popular among tourists, so the fact we were there almost alone for 2 hours, while enjoying the sun, felt really like an unexpected gift.
The reason why it made it to my list is also thanks to L’Alternativa – one of the best pizzas on the entire Canaries. So, if you want to enjoy a place with more facilities, while enjoying a peaceful sunset, Amadores can be a nice alternative to Tauro.
Playa Patalavaca : Black Sand
This was our base and we stayed here for a week. Honestly, the surrounding buildings created a vibe of a tiny city, with high apartment buildings which I didn’t like. So, if you come there, bear this in mind. Another reason to look only into the direction of the sea.
In general, this is a quieter spot, with slightly blackish sand, and laid-back vibe.
Natural beach, wilder sea during high tide. In fact, we were woken up by the sea (what else can you wish for right? ) almost every day. There is a life guard, public bathroom and several restaurants.
Even though I wouldn’t recommend eating on the side of the beach, as those places are mass tourism oriented, lacking quality. I would definitely recommend Tapalavaca. A restaurant located on a nearby roundabout, run by a man and his mother, the best tapas in southern Gran Canaria. While this place is literally next to the mainroad, you don’t hear the noise of traffic, thanks to relaxed and authentic music played in the restaurant. And for the food, simply delicious. One huge advantage of choosing patalavaca as base, is the direct bus line to the airport. Read more about it in my Gran Canaria guide.
Playa Las Marañuelas : Great for Kids Fun
This beach is walking distance from Patalavaca. Just take the shore walk behind the last big hotel and you will arrive there in 30 minutes or so. By doing so ,you will also pass the Arguineguín, a very nice local village with 2 restaurants worth visiting.
Check my Things to do in Gran Canaria guide for more info on them.
It is also family-friendly, gentle waves, safe for kids, and cafes nearby.
As it was cloudy when we passed by, we didn’t spend long there. We would return on a sunny day though. There is a bathroom and lifeguard present as well.
Playa de Mogan: Tiny Beach in Canaria Venice
The last beach from my best beaches in Gran Canaria list, that I have actually visited. Located in a partly charming village of Mogan, this beach is rather small,and there are too many people for its size.
We ended up there by coincidence, because we wanted to visit Veneguera, and hike there, but the bus didn’t run. After calling the customer service of the bus line, they said, it’s a strike, so they decided not to run today. Yeah, this also happens in Gran Canaria. Luckily, we weren’t that far from Mogan, so we could still save the day.
As for the beach, as said, it is quite a small stretch of sand, with too many restaurants for its size. We enjoyed the uphill hike from the end of the beach, where the village is. You would go through the historical centre. A quiet contrast, after passing the market filled with many shops and restaurants. You will see tiny streets, with characteristic buildings, and a few rental houses before reaching stunning mirador overlooking the harbour.
Some tourist guides call this place the Venice of Canaries, and we could see why. It does offer some nice alleys, buildings and views. If you would like to experience a harbor type of village, with ok but small beach, this can be a place. Be prepared for bigger crowds though.
Beaches I have not visited but got recommended
Playa Las Canteras, Las Palmas
This beach I have not visited but was recommended by locals upon arrival. It is a typical Gran Canaria beach. Best described as an urban beach with a local vibe.After doing my own research on the beach, I have to say it looks like a nice beach that’s very big, 3 km long, with lifeguards and calm waters making it an ideal place if you are with kids or want to swim.
The beach is located in Las Palmas, so should you want to discover the capital and the largest city in the Canaries, while enjoying a nice beach, this is your place. You have to count on a real city vibe, a long promenade with shops and restaurants. On the other side, only a 20 minutes car ride, you will find some local wineries worth visiting.
Playa de Güigüi is a very remote beach. Nestled between huge rocks and stunning nature, ideal for alone time in a remote environment. Do you see why it is different from the rest of the island? Be prepared to hike quite challenging 2,5 hrs each way when visiting the beach.
So, plan the visit, only if you are ready to hike, meaning well physically equipped. Nature is worth it though.
It is located on the west part of the island. If you want to visit it, plan the whole day for it. The best is to leave early and depart late, not too late, because it will be dark and the hike is apparently not an easy one. The timing is because of the extensive heat and missing a shade along the way. No lifeguard, public bathroom, or any restaurants.
Best beaches in Gran Canaria: Which Gran Canaria beach is right for you?
Playa de Tauro if you want authentic, uncrowded, and the best fish on the island. Playa de Amadores if you want facilities and calm water, but go after 4pm. Patalavaca if you’re staying nearby and want a quiet base beach. Playa Las Marañuelas if you’re travelling with kids. Playa de Mogan if the village interests you more than the beach itself. Anfi beach only if you want full resort energy, and even then, there are better options on the island.
Best beaches in Gran Canaria. My Honest Closure
Gran Canaria isn’t the Canary Island I’d return to first. Lanzarote and Fuerteventura both pull me back more easily, the pace is different, the landscape feels less interrupted, and the beaches require less effort to find. But that’s not the whole story of Gran Canaria, and the south proved it.
Playa de Tauro alone was worth the trip. Finding it through a recommendation from someone who’d been coming back for a decade, enjoying Paella at Vistamar, a family-run restaurant above the water at sunset, that’s the kind of experience that makes you reconsider your verdict on a place.
Gran Canaria will keep dividing people. The resort infrastructure is too visible, the crowds too concentrated in the wrong spots, and Anfi beach too easy to book without knowing what you’re getting into. But if you’re willing to move past the obvious choices, and in the south, it doesn’t take much effort, there are beaches here that feel like genuine discoveries.