So this is going to be an ongoing project which we started back in the summer of 2013 to cover all of the main beaches of Gran Canaria, whether it be a man-made tourist beach in the touristy part of the south or something more natural and deserted on the west coast perhaps. 

Gran Canaria has more than 80 beaches (more than 100 if all the smaller, rocky coves are included) to choose from, many are golden sand, dark volcanic sand, pebbles .... we have pretty much all types of beaches here. The beaches in the towns and resorts are developed for the mainstream/tourism whilst those more secluded remain (for the moment) unspoilt havens to discover.

Have a look at the map below and where you see "Playa" then there's a beach. The map's split into 4 parts for easier viewing

North West - North East

South West - South East

Before I get started, a few things to bear in mind that perhaps you didn't know about beaches here :-

• All beaches are public. If a hotel decides to spend a small fortunate improving one of the beaches, it still has to remain accessible to the public.
• Saturdays beaches get much busier than normal as many locals use them and Sundays they get very, very busy as most locals are using them.
• All ball games should be played 100 meters back from the shoreline. Of course nobody really pays much attention to this rule but if you're playing by the sea and someone complains, they are right and you are wrong.
• No camping or BBQ on any beach. Again , on some more secluded beaches this rule is often broken but should the police come along there'll be problems.
• Puerto Rico, Amadores and Mogan beaches are mainly non-smoking each with its own smoking zone. Also on these beaches swimming after dark is not permitted.
• A sun bed is 2.50 / 3.00 euros for the day and an umbrella is another 2.50 / 3.00 euros (price depends on which beach)
• Here is a nice link to check the sea temperature and as it's aimed for surfers, you can also check the wave forecast & other conditions.