Gran Canaria With Kids: Calm Bays, Two Water Parks and a Rainy-Day Aquarium

Gran Canaria works for young families for a reason most brochures skip: several of its best south-coast beaches are engineered, with breakwaters holding the water calm and shallow. Amadores and Anfi del Mar are built for exactly the toddler who wants to paddle and nothing more.

On top of the beaches, the south puts Aqualand Maspalomas, the island's largest water park with more than 40 slides, Palmitos Park and the smaller Lago Taurito water park within a short drive of the resorts. Book the base for the beach and the days out for the weather, and the week largely plans itself.

Where should a family stay in Gran Canaria?

For children under about eight, the south-west bays are the answer. Puerto Rico and Amadores sit on sheltered water, and the family hotels there are built around pools and kids' clubs. Our best hotels in Puerto Rico guide compares four, most with children's pools and mini-clubs. For hotels chosen specifically around what children get – water parks, kids' clubs, bungalow kitchens – our best family hotels guide covers four more across the south.

Maspalomas and Meloneras suit families who want the water parks close and a long beach to walk. The all-inclusive family resorts there, with slides and kids' clubs, are compared in our all-inclusive resorts guide.

Las Palmas works for older children who like a city, but it is cloudier and further from the parks. The where to stay in Gran Canaria guide sets the bases side by side, including which work without a car.

Which beaches are safest for small children?

Playa de Amadores and Anfi del Mar are the two to know. Both are breakwater-protected, with calm, shallow water and imported sand: Amadores pale and fine, Anfi del Mar white. Amadores is often singled out as designed with toddlers in mind, with paid parking, sunbeds and parasols.

Anfi del Mar is handy with children because snacks, cafés and a supermarket are a few steps from the sand, and there are pedalos for older ones. Puerto de Mogán's small beach is also sheltered and calm, and makes an easy half-day with lunch in the harbour.

Avoid the east coast's Pozo Izquierdo for swimming entirely: it is a windsurfing venue with strong winds and dangerous currents. Our best beaches in Gran Canaria guide compares the rest.

Aqualand Maspalomas: what to know before you go

Aqualand Maspalomas has more than 40 slides and is open every day of the year. Children have their own Kidzworld area, with the pirate-themed Skull Bay, Polynesia and Adventure Land, and there are sea lions you can meet for an extra charge.

Ticket categories are set by age or height, and some of the bigger slides need a height of 1.20m:

• Adult: 11 and over, or taller than 1.40m
• Child: 5 to 10, or 1.10m to 1.40m
• Toddler: 3 to 4, or 0.90m to 1.10m
• Free: under 2, or under 0.90m

A third-party guide gives the hours as 10:00 to 17:00 from September to June, closing an hour later in July and August, with slides shutting 30 minutes before the park.

Palmitos Park: birds, dolphins and a butterfly house

Palmitos Park is a zoo inland from Maspalomas, and its headline is birds: around 1,500 exotic birds from about 230 species, with a butterfly house, an aquarium and animals from meerkats to wallabies and the Gran Canaria giant lizard.

For an animal encounter outdoors rather than behind glass, our Gran Canaria horse riding guide covers a beginner-friendly ride open to children from age three.

• Hours: 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:00
• Dolphin shows: 13:30 and 16:00
• Birds of prey shows: 11:30 and 15:00
• Exotic birds in free flight: 14:30

The park also runs a Dolphin Encounter bought inside the park, limited to two groups of 18 people a day for half an hour each. Families who would rather not see captive dolphins can plan the day around the bird shows and the butterfly house instead.

Lago Taurito: the smaller water park

Lago Taurito water park in Taurito, in the Mogán municipality, is the gentler alternative to Aqualand, set in tropical gardens with ocean views. It opens 10:00 to 18:00 every day of the year, with slides running 10:30 to 17:30.

Younger children have the Mini Park, with small slides and a giant tipping bucket, while older ones get high-speed and enclosed slides. It suits families staying around Puerto Rico and Mogán, for whom Aqualand is the longer drive.

Poema del Mar, for the grey day

The one day it clouds over is the day for Poema del Mar, the aquarium in Las Palmas, which opened in December 2017. It holds around 350 species across 35 ecosystems, split into three zones: The Jungle, the Reef and the Deep Sea, whose huge viewing window is the moment children remember.

It opens 09:30 to 17:30 daily. From the southern resorts it is a day trip, so pair it with the city: our things to do in Las Palmas guide covers the old town and the calm city beach next door.

Holiday World, for the evenings

Holiday World Maspalomas is an amusement park that opens in the late afternoon and evening, with a rollercoaster, a big wheel, bumper cars, a pirate ship and a Skydrop, plus bowling and arcade games. Hours vary by season and attraction, so check before you go.

It solves the problem of what to do after the pool closes with children who are still wide awake.

Getting around with children

For young children, the transfer is the first decision. A private transfer lets you request child and baby seats at booking, which a taxi from the rank usually will not have; the Gran Canaria airport transfers guide compares the options.

For Palmitos Park, Lago Taurito and the interior, a hire car for a couple of days is often easier than buses with pushchairs. The Gran Canaria car hire guide lists the documents and card you need at the desk.

FAQ – Gran Canaria with kids