Maspalomas

Maspalomas is a tourist resort in the south of the island of Gran Canaria. In common usage the districts San Fernando, Sonnenland and Meloneras belong to Maspalomas. Nearby are Playa del Inglés and San Agustín.

Understand
Maspalomas emerged after 1960, when the south of the island was opened up for tourism. It is an ideal holiday destination for families, here there is a beautiful dune landscape and a 6-km-long fine sandy beach. Maspalomas has a personality on its own, as it evolved into a fully equipped town, instead of a plain resort. It has a variety of infrastructure and public institutions rarely seen in other touristic areas, including private clinics and two hospitals, local and foreign schooling institutions, English-language cinema, golf courses, sports centers, thematic parks and a Summer University. The population is 36,000 (2013).



The tourist offices scattered about Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas are rarely open unless it is Caravale (main festival in February, gay festival in May).

By plane
From the airport the bus lines 66 and 90 take about half an hour. The bus line 36 takes about 50 min. All these bus lines have several stops in Maspalomas. In Google Maps you can put in the name of your accommodation and the app shows you the right bus connection.

By bus
There are direct buses from Puerto Rico (line 1 and 33), Las Palmas (line 30), Playa del Inglés and San Augustín.

By bus
For going by bus, Google Maps shows you which line to take.

It's the main bus station in town. From here there are buses to all the larger towns on the island. Buses also run to the interior of the island, e.g. B. to Palmitos Park.

By bike
You can rent bikes, they cost from €10/day (Sep 2021). For that price they should be technically very good. Most bike rental companies also have mountain bikes and road bikes. In the hotel districts, you don't have to look far for such a shop in the neighborhood. There are no dedicated bike lanes within the city.

By taxi
Taxis are very common within the Maspalomas-Playa del Inglés-San Agustín holiday complex. They are particularly suitable for short journeys within the city. To hail a taxi, you just have to make yourself known at the side of the road, e.g. B. by waving. There is no special sign. Rides within the town cost around €5 (Sep 2021).

See
You won't find anything historical here.


 * . You can get there by bus lines 4, 45, 52, 70, 73 to the “Cruce Sonnenland” stop. Public park with an amphitheater for occasional events, spacious green areas and old trees. On the east side is the city sports park with football and tennis courts.
 * . You can get there by bus lines 4, 45, 52, 70, 73 to the “Cruce Sonnenland” stop. Public park with an amphitheater for occasional events, spacious green areas and old trees. On the east side is the city sports park with football and tennis courts.
 * . You can get there by bus lines 4, 45, 52, 70, 73 to the “Cruce Sonnenland” stop. Public park with an amphitheater for occasional events, spacious green areas and old trees. On the east side is the city sports park with football and tennis courts.
 * . You can get there by bus lines 4, 45, 52, 70, 73 to the “Cruce Sonnenland” stop. Public park with an amphitheater for occasional events, spacious green areas and old trees. On the east side is the city sports park with football and tennis courts.

Do
The usual sports such as surfing, diving etc. are offered on the beach of Maspalomas. In addition, there is the Holiday World, a kind of year-round fairground that opens in the evenings, north of the Faro 2.

The (Centro cultural) is at Av. de Tejeda, 72.

Beach and pools
The well-known sandy Maspalomas beach with the dunes begins right next to the lighthouse. It extends in an easterly direction to the Punta de Maspalomas. It then turns to the northeast under the name Playa del Inglés. In Maspalomas there are changing rooms and showers next to the Faro I shopping area. Only a few hundred meters further on the beach there is a sign pointing to the. Actually unnecessarily, you can usually see it long in advance. You can also see that same-sex couples can enjoy sunbathing here undisturbed. These also meet at night, especially around "Cisosco 7", while heteros let off steam more at "Cisosco 4".

Camel-riding
At the Charco, a few 100 m north of the lighthouse, (09:00-15:00; 30 min €12). Two people sit on more or less comfortable seats to the left and right of the hump of the dromedary. Weight limit for riders is 110 kg.

Cycling
In Maspalomas, renting a bike is actually a good idea at first glance due to the mostly longer distances to the beach and the low gradients. Unfortunately, there are almost no bike paths there, as on the entire island. In addition, the curbs are often extremely high, so that you usually have to get off when changing to pedestrian paths. Furthermore, the pollution from unfiltered diesel exhaust gases (particulate matter) is very high, especially on the larger roads, since most of the car traffic in Maspalomas consists of diesel-powered taxis and buses.

In the "Faro 2" shopping center there is a bike rental (Lino's Bike), but the bikes there are poorly maintained and of mediocre quality.

These negative circumstances are probably the reason why most holidaymakers prefer not to rent a bike and instead take buses to the beach or walk for miles.

Amusement parks
The following two parks can be accessed from Maspalomas via line 70:

Sports activities

 * at Av. Tour operator Tui

Buy


The nationwide supermarket chain Mercadona has two branches on site, which are open Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 21:30:
 * , C. Mar de Azor
 * , C. Partera Leonorita, 3

There are several large shopping centers in Maspalomas:

Sonnenland
There are many inexpensive restaurants in nearby El Tablero.



Sleep
As of October 2022 there are no hostels in Maspalomas and all Southern Gran Canaria - though a large number of resort hotels and bungalows.

Stay safe
Offices of the Policia Local (Av. Touroperador Tui, 33A) and the Guardia civil (Av. de Tunte, 4).

These con artist stand in front of shopping centers or on the beach promenade:
 * Carnation women: These ladies want to sell you a carnation. Usually for a price of 7 or 8 cents. They can't give you out, so they'll willingly "help" you find matching change in your wallet. You only notice what else disappears from your wallet when you have to pay your next bill.
 * Shell players: You should avoid them, as they work with dirty tricks and you will only make losses there for sure. Often there are several fellow crooks camouflaged in the group, who do not hesitate to become violent.
 * Flying traders: If you stroll along the promenades in the evening, you will encounter numerous traders from Africa. They try to push you into something, be it the “Rolex” or the “Coco-Chanel sunglasses.” Of course, these are plagiarisms. You can buy these, but don't be surprised if the clock stops two days later and the sunnies get scratched by the sandstorm. In addition, mafia-like gangs are often behind the smuggling of goods from Senegal to Gran Canaria. These goods are often produced illegally in Africa using child labor. You should always be aware of this and not support these cartels with your money. You only get into trouble with counterfeits at airports if it's obvious you want to resell them, such as when you arrive as a man with a pack of ten Manolo Blahnics heels size 36. If you only take home the Rolex and Coco Chanel sunglasses, customs officers will rarely object, as it is also a significant bureaucratic burden for them to prosecute such an incident.

The providers of “time share” holiday apartments are also not necessarily reputable. In 2020/21, warnings were given in particular about systems at Palm Oasis (= Holiday Centrum).

Stay healthy

 * The tap water is desalinated sea water, which does not pose a health risk, but does not taste good. You should buy a water canister in the supermarket for making coffee and brushing your teeth. There is still water in 5 liter plastic containers for around €1.50. However, the bottles have a significant environmental impact.
 * In Maspalomas, unlike some other African countries, you can safely eat all the fruit and fruit juices that are offered to you by passing fruit vendors on the beach. Often local, it is fresh and well-aged. You should be more careful with raw fish and with ice. The ice cream in Maspalomas doesn't taste that special anyway. Better switch to fruit/fruit cocktails (non-alcoholic). If you're buying raw fish or ice cream, you should take a close look at the refrigerated display case. If it seems unsanitary, don't buy anything here.
 * The beach flags is explained in the article Gran Canaria. There are also boards in several languages on the beaches.
 * Alcohol: Has no place on the beach. Lifeguards are authorized to take alcoholic beverages, such as a bottle of beer, from you. If you have drunk alcohol, the risk of suffering from heat stroke increases. Also, you shouldn't bathe anymore.

Medical care






Go next

 * Playa del Inglés just to the east.
 * To the other towns of Southern Gran Canaria.
 * Las Palmas