There’s a reason Gran Canaria has been pulling in British families for decades. The island sits roughly 150 kilometres off the coast of Morocco, close enough to Africa that the famous Maspalomas dunes look like they’ve blown straight across from the Sahara, yet it’s only a four-hour flight from the UK and operates on Greenwich Mean Time for most of the year.
The clincher, though, is the climate: temperatures hover between 20 and 28 degrees pretty much year-round, making it one of the few European destinations where you can book a half-term holiday in February and genuinely expect sunshine.
For families, the south coast is where the action concentrates. The strip from San Agustín to Puerto de Mogán packs in beaches for every mood, theme parks that genuinely hold their own, and enough day-trip options to fill a fortnight without repetition. The north has its charms, but the infrastructure, weather consistency, and sheer density of family-friendly stuff makes the south the obvious base. Here’s how to make the most of it.
Why Gran Canaria Works For Families
Tenerife has the bigger theme parks. Lanzarote has the volcanic drama. Fuerteventura has the kitesurfing. But Gran Canaria offers variety within a genuinely compact area that none of them quite match.
Within a 30-kilometre stretch of coastline you’ll find sheltered man-made beaches, wild dune-backed stretches, a proper amusement park, a zoo, a Wild West theme park, and a submarine. The infrastructure is geared towards families without being saccharine about it: pushchairs work on the promenades, restaurants have high chairs without you needing to ask, and most attractions cater to a range of ages rather than just the under-fives or just teenagers.
The Beaches Worth Knowing About
Playa de Amadores sits about 15 minutes west of Maspalomas and remains the go-to choice for families with younger children. The crescent-shaped bay, built with imported Caribbean sand in the early 2000s, stays sheltered from Atlantic swells and slopes gradually into calm, shallow water. There’s a promenade lined with restaurants behind, sun loungers for hire, and lifeguards on duty. It gets busy in peak season, but that’s partly the point. Kids can wander between other families without you having a coronary.
For something with more visual drama, Maspalomas delivers. The 6km stretch of golden sand backs onto the Dunas de Maspalomas, a protected nature reserve of Saharan-esque dunes that children inevitably want to climb and roll down. The beach itself runs all the way from the iconic Maspalomas Lighthouse to Playa del Inglés, so there’s always space even when the resorts are heaving. A word of warning: the section between the two is clothing-optional, so stick closer to the lighthouse end if you’d rather avoid the conversation.
Playa de San Agustín tends to get overlooked but deserves attention from families wanting somewhere quieter. This 670-metre stretch of darker volcanic sand sees mainly local Canarian families, especially at weekends, and the gentle swell makes it genuinely suitable for small children who want to splash in the shallows. A promenade connects it to neighbouring Las Burras beach, with cafés and restaurants dotted along the way.
Beyond The Sand
The honest truth is that children will tire of the beach before you do. Three days, maybe four, and they’ll start asking what else there is. Fortunately, Gran Canaria has answers.
Holidayworld Maspalomas is considered the island’s best amusement park and sits right in the heart of the tourist zone. The Wooland Fun Park section houses over 30 attractions, including a roller coaster reaching 60km/h, a 26-metre Ferris wheel with views across the southern coastline, a pirate ship that swings to 70 degrees, and Sky Drop for anyone brave enough to stomach a 20-metre free fall. Smaller children get dedicated zones with gentler carousels, bumper cars, and boat rides.
The clever bit is everything surrounding the rides. There’s a 16-lane bowling alley (the largest on the island), four themed karaoke rooms for teenagers who fancy embarrassing themselves, escape rooms for competitive families, and the Nomad Gastro Market food court upstairs serving everything from sushi to Spanish tapas to burgers. It opens late and operates year-round, making it the obvious answer to the eternal question of what to do after dinner when nobody wants to sit in a hotel room.
Palmitos Park sits about 10 kilometres north of Maspalomas in a valley and combines a zoo with botanical gardens. The dolphin shows draw the crowds, but the bird of prey displays, butterfly house, and aquarium keep children occupied for a full day. It’s not cheap (around €35 for adults, €23 for children aged 5-10), but the setting is beautiful and there’s enough variety to justify the spend. Pack snacks and make use of the picnic areas rather than relying entirely on the café.
For something more unusual, Sioux City in San Bartolomé de Tirajana is a Wild West theme park that’s been running since the 1970s. Bank robberies play out in the main street, cowboys demonstrate lasso techniques, and there’s a working farm with Canarian goats and ponies. It sounds kitsch, and it is, but children under ten tend to find the whole thing genuinely thrilling. The on-site barbecue is better than it has any right to be.
Read: The best free activities to do in the Canary Islands
A Day In Puerto de Mogán
Puerto de Mogán sits at the western end of the south coast, about 30 minutes from Maspalomas, and makes for a near-perfect family day out. The village gets called ‘Little Venice’ by the tourist board, which oversells it somewhat, but the whitewashed buildings draped in bougainvillea, pedestrianised streets, and small marina genuinely charm.
The beach has calm, shallow water and all the infrastructure families need: sun loungers, umbrellas for hire, restaurants within staggering distance.
But the main draw for children is the Submarine Adventure, a 40-minute trip aboard the Golden Shark submarine to depths of 25 metres. You’ll glide over shipwrecks, including the 32-metre Cermona II fishing boat, and through an artificial reef now teeming with parrotfish, grey mullet, and the occasional grouper. There’s no pressure change, making it suitable for younger children who can’t equalise ears, and everyone gets a certificate at the end. It costs around €30-35 per person and books up quickly in peak season.
The Friday market is worth timing your visit around if logistics allow. Stalls sell local cheeses, honey, and handmade crafts alongside the usual tourist tat, and it gives the village a livelier atmosphere than the rest of the week.
If You Have A Car
Renting a car opens up the island’s interior, which looks nothing like the tourist south. Roque Nublo, the volcanic rock formation that’s become Gran Canaria’s unofficial symbol, involves a short, manageable hike that even younger children can handle. The path is clearly marked, the reward is genuine lunar landscapes, and it takes about an hour round-trip from the car park.
The Painted Cave Museum and Archaeological Park in Gáldar offers a dose of education disguised as adventure. The pre-Hispanic cave paintings are genuinely impressive, and the interactive displays keep children engaged without feeling like homework.
Nearby Cenobio de Valerón works the same trick – over 350 storage chambers honeycomb a volcanic cliff face, carved by the island’s original inhabitants more than 800 years ago. For children, it feels like stumbling upon a secret hideout, and the old legend about it being a convent where noble girls were locked away until marriage adds a touch of mystery. Under-10s get in free.
Las Palmas, the island capital in the north, has the Poema del Mar aquarium for families who haven’t exhausted their appetite for marine life. The Deep Sea pool features the largest curved glass window in the world, and the route through surface ecosystems, freshwater species, and deep-sea creatures takes a couple of hours. It’s slickly done and sits right by the port.
The Bottom Line
Gran Canaria’s south coast handles family holidays with minimal fuss. The weather cooperates year-round, the beaches range from sheltered and manicured to wild and dramatic, and there’s enough going on beyond the sand to fill even a longer stay. Holidayworld Maspalomas alone can absorb an entire day, and the island’s manageable size means nowhere feels particularly far away.
Pack light, leave expectations of adventure tourism at home, and accept that children will want to spend longer on the submarine ride than looking at Moorish architecture. That’s absolutely fine.
