What could be better than enjoying the sun, sea and beach with children? There are families who enjoy themselves for days on end and do not like to go out. But are you looking for a bit more variety? Then I would recommend you to rent a car.
And... let´s go
Load the kids in the car, and a bag o swimming gear and drive to Agaete. A nice fishing village in the north of the island. From there departs also the boat to Tenerife. There are nice terraces, and you can install yourself on the quay between all those Canary families, and dive into the sea from the quay. DELIGHTFUL!
Look on the internet when the tide is out (it changes daily) and drive to Playa de Arinaga. When the tide is out, you can stroll along the beach with the children, looking for sea crabs and other interesting sea creatures in the puddles left behind between the stones of the beach. Bring fishnets and buckets, they will be busy for hours!
Playa de Amadores is an artificial beach, with breakwaters. When my children were small, I always went to the beach here. The gently lapping seawater allows them to go in and out of the sea on their own. There are also shops, supermarkets restaurants AND toilets and showers. Ideal! Also nice is the air and jump pillow area in the sea, which the children can use for an hour (depending on how busy it is).
If you are staying in Mogan you can take bus 84 and then bus 91 to get to Amadores Beach, it takes about 40 minutes to get there. If you go by car it takes about 15 minutes. If you are staying in Playa del Inglés, the easiest way to get there is bus 9 or 90 and it takes about 45 minutes. By car it takes about 20 minutes.
Discover the cave village
You can take a nice walk up the rocks and see all the cave dwellings (everyone lives in caves there). Drive all the way to the end of the ravine, park the car, and take a nice walk around the mountain. Also easy to do with prams. Want to eat something? Then drive back a bit and go to cave restaurant BAR EL CENTRO (€). You can sit outside, but for the children it is most fun to be inside the real caves.
An exciting mountain hike is the route to the sacred rock Roque Nublo. You can park on the other side of the footpath. Wear good shoes with good tread soles, because it is quite a scramble now and then. But once you reach the top, enjoy the beautiful view and can touch the rock, it is a fantastic feeling! Bring plenty of water and don't climb in the early afternoon, when it is too hot!
There is also plenty to do in the capital. For example, in the old part of town, Vegueta, you will find Columbus' house (€) (museum), who was here before discovering America. Then you can walk on to Triana, where (if you have children who like shopping) you can go shopping. Many famous shops are located in beautiful old buildings, a feast for the eyes! (Note that this shopping street is siesta!) Also nice to drive to the harbour, and visit the aquarium Poema del Mar (€€).
Take the ferry!
A nice activity, for which you will not need a car, is a day trip to Puerto de Mogán. You can take the bus to Puerto Rico, once there, go to Puerto Base and take the BlueBird ferry (€) to Puerto de Mogán. That is half an hour with this glass bottom boat, and in Puerto de Mogan, it is nice to see the marina. There is also the Yellow Submarine (submarine where you can go along against payment). There is also a nice beach with breakwaters. Then take the ferry back and they will stop along the way to feed the fish, nice to see!
I have a great holiday finca in Mogan, check here my accommodiations
Would you like to spend a day at a waterslide park? Aqualand is located in Maspalomas it is the biggest, most beautiful and most expensive park (€€€). A cheaper alternative is the water park in Lago Taurito (€). It is small and therefore manageable. A nice pool for the little ones and for the bigger ones there are 7 super exciting slides. Here you have a good view of the children.
Visit an animal rescue center
A well known animal park is Palmitos Park in Maspalomas (€€€), easy to reach by bus. But I find the lesser known Cocodrilo Park (€) much more fun! It is a rescue centre with all the confiscated animals from the port of Las Palmas, or sometimes from private owners. It is managed by a Canarian family and they give many animal species a safe place. There is a crocodile show, feeding time for birds while you are in the middle of it all, and even the chimpanzees are let out of their pens and fed in front of you. Small scale, super fun, and cheap, and you help the rescue centre to survive! Located in Los Corralillos and can be combined with a visit to Guayadeque.
There are also plenty of playgrounds, such as the activity Angry Birds Park in Puerto Rico (€€), with zip lines, climbing wall, bag jump, trampolines, playground, laser mission, etc. But you can also just go to the park in San Fernando, with 2 nice playgrounds, with swings and slides, sandpit. Located next to the football fields and it is free.
Holiday World (€€) is only open at night and is a small attraction park/fairground. You can also go bowling, do karaoke or have an exciting adventure in one of the escape rooms.
Sioux City (€€) is a country and western village located in Bahia Feliz, easily reached by taxi. Originally built for a film set in the 1970s, it is now a tourist attraction. Cowboys drive cattle through the streets, various acts are performed by the cowboys and horses. In the saloon you can go for a cool drink. Kids love it it's also a really fun afternoon out! (Currently closed due to film production)
Would you like to go on an excursion? You could go on a lovely day trip on the Afrikat. (€€€) A nice catamaran trip along the south coast of the island. Food and drinks are included as well as a speedboat trip to water caves. Or a Jeep Safari (€€) (partly off road exploring the rugged mountains in sturdy jeeps) or dolphin spotting in the Atlantic Ocean (€) Contact Willem : + 34 660 28 03 08 for the best excursions.
Spotting Delphins
A great restaurant to go to with the kids is Cabañita Park (€€) in Maspalomas. Absolute favourite with my kids when they were little. By taxi from Playa del Inglés it costs about € 10,- It is a grill restaurant in a canarian patio. There is a playground for children (with air cushion). The best part is that the children eat first, then can play and you can enjoy your meal. On Thursday and Saturday evenings, with life music from 19 to 21 hours, a couple of men on guitar play and sing your favourite Spanish songs at your table with the greatest of pleasure. Highly recommended!
Looking for a nice accommodation for your stay in Gran Canaria? See my holiday homes