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Gran Canaria Taxi:
Taxis are available at the airport. They are eggshell-white cars with a red stripe on the sides (on each front door). Other signs that distinguish a taxi are the letters SP that stand for ‘Servicio Público' and a green light on top or in the front windscreen which indicates that the taxi is free. This is the quickest but most expensive option, even though costs vary according to your final destination.
Bus:
Bus services are very frequent between the airport and most of the destinations on the island. The journey to Las Palmas (north of the island) takes around 30 minutes and to Playa del Inglés (south) around one hour.
Driving in Gran Canaria:
The driving laws for Gran Canaria are the same as in all Spanish territory. Typically one requires an international driver’s licence to rent a car in the Canary Islands. In practice whatsoever you can rent a car with a standard valid driving licence, passport/ID card and a valid credit card. The speed limit on motorways is 120 km/h, while in towns and cities it’s 50 km/h, unless otherwise indicated. You are not allowed to park your vehicle on white or yellow lines and blue lines indicate a restricted parking area where you must purchase a ticket from a ‘pay-and-display’ machine.
Phone Calls:
International telephone calls can be made from almost anywhere in the Canaries in the distinctive blue booths. You can use coins, phone cards (tarjetas telefónicas) and sometimes credit cards. The country code for Gran Canaria is the same as Spain (34) followed by a nine digit number usually starting with 928. Street pay booths are a lot cheaper to use than to make telephone calls from bars, restaurants and hotels,which are usually a great deal more expensive. International calls are cheaper when night tariff (from 22.00 to 08.00 hrs) and all day Sunday.
Time:
The Canary islands operate on the 24-hour clock which can be quite a headache for those who are used to 'am' & 'pm'. The image opposite shows the two systems. Gran Canaria and its neighbouring islands maintain Greenwich Mean Time (GMT/UTC) during the winter, which is identical with the UK but one hour behind most European countries and mainland Spain. In March the clocks are put forward one hour for daylight saving time. Clocks are put back one hour on the last Sunday in October.
Electricity Information:
The current used in Gran Canaria and throughout the Canary Islands is 220 Volts AC 50Hz and plugs have two round pins as found on the European continent. Travellers from the UK will require a plug adapter and this is best bought in the UK as they are hard to find in the Canaries. Main sockets require round-pin plugs. |
