The water from the tap is generally de-salinated sea water and has a very high mineral content and strange taste. Locals drink bottled water. Bottled water is available from all supermarkets and is usually more economical to buy in 5 or more litre bottles.
Gran Canaria has no poisonous land animals except for a couple of spiders and a nocturnal centipede that nobody ever sees. There are no scorpions, poisonous snakes, or insect-borne diseases.
In fact, Gran Canaria is one of the safest places you can visit for a holiday.
We do have cockroaches in the resorts, towns and villages. They are harmless, and all hotels and apartment complexes are required to fumigate regularly so you won't see many of them.
Click here for more info on the few dangers and annoyances in Gran Canaria.
You don't need any specific vaccinations to visit Gran Canaria. The island is rabies free and we don't have any insect- or water-borne diseases.
This depends on your nationality.
No Visa is required (for tourists) for visits of up to 90 days if you are a citizen of ehe European Union, Norway, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland or the United States as well as several other countries.
If you are unsure, check with your Spanish Consulate/Embassy well before your flight day.
Your passport or identity card needs to be valid for a minimum of 3 months (and 6 months for certain countries).
Here's a growing list of FAQs that we get at Gran Canaria Info. If your question isn't here, then please ask us in an email or via a Facebook message. We'll answer ASAP.
The island's tap water is perfectly safe to drink, wash in, cook with and brush your teeth with. It just doesn't taste too good as it's made from desalinated seawater. Nobody on the island drink the tap water unfiltered and most buy drinking water in five or eight litre bottles.
Are there cockroaches?
There
Can I get marmite, sausages, teabags?
What’s the weather
Which resort
airport transfers
Nightlife
Touts