Having almost a round shape of the Grand Canaria has only 50 km. in diameter. But a variety of landscapes and palettes of paints, height drops and climatic zones are enough. It is not by chance that this island is called the continent in miniature. Tourists from all over the world go here for a more favorable climate. In winter, it's not very cold here, and in the summer there is no exhausting heat. Although seasonality is still noticeable. For example, if you stop in December in the Southern Maspalamos, you will swim in the morning, and in the afternoon you can see the top of the Mount Rock-Nublo in the snow on excursions.
Most tourists will attract the Gran Canaria, of course, the beaches. Here they are for every taste. And Surfers-kaiter with wave and wind, and protected by natural reefs or artificial pirs, suitable for a relaxed family holiday with children. On the coastline of the island of 260 km. Approximately a quarter is the beaches. Eat, as in Normandy, cozy, as on the azure coast. There are places here and with white, and with black, and even with golden sand. But only the coast here is impossible to be limited. Otherwise, you miss the world's best sunsets, unique caves of aborigines, ancient stone monoliths, thickets of Canary pines, almond gardens and vineyards in volcanic craters.
Of course, familiarity from the Grand Canaria is better to start from the capital. There is a huge number of all kinds of museums. First of all, you should visit them. And then go to master the routes along the coast and to the mining and serpentine part. On Grand Canaria there are its secrets: if you get closer to the mountains, it can be seen how the sun sits in the sea, not for the mountains, and in the cloud ocean, going to the evening over the lower cities and beaches.
Canaras are off the coast of Africa, but are the territory of Spain, which allows you to call Las Canteuras Beach with the best urban beach of Europe. A wide three-kilometer strip of fine sand, the embankment, which walks and ride bicycles, skates, rollers, as well as bars, restaurants and nightclubs - all this is waiting for you here. Las Canteras lively around the clinic hours. You can comfortably stick to the umbrella or stroll along the surf line. In the northern part, this beach is protected by reef, and therefore there calmly. Ocean surf until the shore does not finish. But the southern, open-open side of the side chose surfers.
Next go to Las Palmas. It was here that about 1500, on the orders of Castilian monarchs, the first temple on the Canarians was laid. The cathedral dedicated to the patroness of Las Palmas has suffered the fate of all the long-term - it turned out quite eclectic. But it only won: an impressive building combines elements of Gothic, Renaissance, neoclassicism. Be sure to climb the roof - it opens the amazing circular panorama of the entire capital.
Another attraction of Las Palmos is a house of Columbus. In those times, when the famous discoverer stayed on the Gran Canaria on the road to the new light, the city administration was located here. Researchers converge in the opinion that the Columbus itself was in this house. Now in the typical Canary mansion, the exposition is located on the expedition of the famous navigator, as well as artifacts brought from mesoamerics. For the joy of children in the patio on the pranchok, two manual parrots of Ara are sitting - red and blue-yellow.
The cozy town of Teror is the Religious Center of the Grand Canaria. Here is the church of the patroness of the island - Sosnova Virgin (Nourera Señora del Pino). This is the third temple built on the place where, according to legend, the peasant was a vision: Virgin Mary was in the branches of pine. An ornate statue - she regularly changes outfits - commemorate here every year on September 8. In addition, this town is also famous for the textbook colonial mansions.
The next interesting thing to visit on the island is the "painted cave" that near Galdara. A whole archaeological complex was built around a small cave with a well-preserved aboriginal ornament on the walls. The ancient chamber itself is protected by glass, as the pigments of the paints are quickly destroyed, if not to maintain a constant temperature and humidity. The surrounding exposition is the reconstruction of the life of indigenous people. They built round dwellings, dried fish and vegetables on the roofs, succeeded in the manufacture of ceramics and even exchange it from the seafarers to the objects needed in the farm.
And in Agaeta you will find Satobio de Valeron. This is a huge stone arch with more than 300 recesses. Previously, it was used as an ancient public storage for grain. The aborigines appeared on the island of about 500 BC. Researchers still have no consensus, whether it was a guangle, as in Tenerife, or some other tribe. It is only known that high celestible people lived on Gran Canaria, relatives of the Berbers of North Africa. They did not know the metal, and therefore before the arrival of the Spaniards, the stone age reigned here.
Resting on the Grand Canaria you will have the opportunity to visit the "Movie Cinema - Sioux City". This town near Barranco Day Aquila was built in the early 70s of the last century as a scenery to the film "Choose a difficult path." Today, Sioux City is a platform for all sorts of shows in the style of the Wild West. Cowboys and the Indians among the Cactus of the Grand Canaria here on the whites of the dusty earth of the Orlinsky Gorge look very organically. The town is open for visiting daily, except Monday. Schedule shows can be clarified on the official website of Sioux City.
Finally, consolidate the impressions of the inspection of the Grand Canary follows, visiting Palmitos Park in Maspalomas. The concept of this Park is quite eclectic: Botanical Garden, Zoo and Circus in one bottle. Passing only a few steps on brown thickets, tourists immediately bump into an aviary with meerkats. These touching representatives of the Mongoous family will not leave any indifferent. Children from aviary just do not tear off. But it is necessary to hurry, because the show of the parrots will soon begin, then the show of predatory birds and the representation of dolphins affecting the imagination. For fans of exotic, there is in this park and enclosures with the most amicing birds (the most remarkable here is white peacock), as well as crocodiles.