Things to do in Maspalomas

Maspalomas is at the southernmost tip of Gran Canaria in the Spanish-owned Canary Islands. The most popular things to do in Maspalomas are probably sunbathing and swimming at Maspalomas beach but there are lots of other things to keep you entertained in this popular tourist town. 

There are sweeping sand dunes, a fairground, plenty of shops and restaurants for those moments away from the pool sun lounger. 

Walk Through the Sand Dunes

Maspalomas is arguably most famous for its sprawling sand dunes which stretch from near the lighthouse right across to Playa del Inglés for over 12km. Even on busier days there are more than enough sand dunes to go around. Making it across the entire stretch of dunes is no mean feat; some of them are nearly vertical and we barely made it a third of the way across.

Maspalomas beach is known for its nudist areas which also seem to extend into the dunes, so you might see more than you might want to of the largely ageing clientele! In a gap between some of the most westerly dunes there is an interesting fung-shui garden, with a sundial.

Have Some Nostalgic Fun at Holiday World

One of the less obvious things to do in Maspalomas is this amusement park located on the northern edge of the town. It’s a fun way to spend a few hours, maybe in the early evening before heading down to the seafront or to kill some time one of Maspalomas’ rare overcast days.

In the evening there’s a parrot show; you might come across the birds patiently sitting on a perch inside the building. We double took, initially assuming them to be plastic like most of the surroundings.

At the rear, there is a Ferris wheel and all the other typical fun fair rides e.g. dodgems. It looks a bit unloved and worse for ware during the day, but is more impressive at night. It’s good for some fun nostalgia if nothing else.

Have Dinner near the Lighthouse

In the evening, the most popular place to eat in Maspalomas the seafront around the lighthouse (el faro). It serves as an unofficial divide between the more upmarket and more casual restaurants. To the west of the lighthouse – with uninterrupted views of the sunset – are modern boutique shops and good quality restaurants like popular steak chain El Churrasco.

To the east, in the area between the lighthouse and the dunes, the eateries are not as upmarket with a handful of all you can eat Chinese restaurants and German pubs which are more at home in Playa del Inglés. Amongst them though there are some decent restaurants, although prices are not drastically different to the more refined options on the other side.

Pop into Playa del Inglés (if you have to..)

Apparently named after an enterprising Englishman who once charged people to use the beach next to the house he’d built, Playa del Inglés is, put bluntly, a pretty ugly place. High-rise hotels surround you at every turn on the walk down to the beach; it’s a strange place where the absence of anything remotely Canarian leaves you feeling in some kind of non-place, almost like having a layover in an airport; visiting a new country but only in the loosest sense.

The food on offer is almost everything but Canarian, with Scandanavian and German restaurants the most common. It’s become a popular gay resort over the last twenty years or so but even the nightclubs have seen better days. If you’re looking to hire a car to explore the rest of the island this is a good place to come to check out the various options, although bare in mind that most will require a credit card as a deposit.

General Tips for Visiting Maspalomas

- Maspalomas is blessed with very little cloud and warmer temperatures than the mountainous interior of Gran Canaria. Be sure to get a specific forecast for the south coast of the island, which will often be enjoying significantly better weather than towns just half an hour inland.

- Taxis to the outer edges of the town from the taxi rank by the lighthouse are affordable. Expect to pay around € 3.5-4.

- If you’ve run out of things to do in Maspalomas, there is a tourist office on the seafront in Playa del Inglés that can give you some inspiration. Or read about other things to do in Gran Canaria  for some ideas.