Go West: Playa de La Aldea

Split in two by a little headland, La Aldea is the west coast's only beach that's accessible by car. 

The southern half of La Aldea beach is pebbly and most people look at it from the adjacent restaurant terraces rather than sitting on it. The northern half is where the locals go to sunbathe because it's sandier and sheltered by the harbour wall. Just walk through the tunnel and hope there's a free patch of sand amongst the pebbles.

If you make it to La Aldea, it's definitely worth heading down to the shore before tackling the next section of windy road (all roads around here are windy). Walk south along the shore to see the famous La Aldea lagoon, site of one Gran Canaria's top crazy fiestas, then come back to the restaurants for a drink or basic lunch. 

There are no facilities but if you buy a coffee, the bars let you use their bathrooms (provided that you're not wet or covered in sand). 

Get to La Aldea via the GC 200 west coast road. Once in town, follow the signs for the beach and harbour. 

Additional Info

  • Lifeguard: No
  • Calm water: Yes
  • You're sitting on: Pebbles
  • Sand colour: Volcanic black
  • Looks best at: Sunset
  • Nudist: No
  • Hippy rating: 7
  • Lat/Long: 28.0061505,-15.817385
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Tip of the day

  • The Parafarmacia In Gran Canaria Is Not A Chemist!
    The Parafarmacia In Gran Canaria Is Not A Chemist!

    If there is one thing we hate it is visitors being tricked in Gran Canaria. In the past we've warned about overcharging at Gran Canaria chemists, and rip off electronics shops in resorts. 

    In this Tip Of The Day we return to the island's chemists or rather, to the island's fake chemists.

    A chemist in Gran Canaria is called a Farmacia and always has a green cross sign. Farmacias are the only place tobuy medicine in Spain, even basics like paracetamol.

    However, there is another kind of shop in Gran Canaria that looks and sounds like a chemist but doesn't sell medicine. This is the Parafarmacia and it also uses a green cross sign.

    A parafarmacia is a herbal medicine shop that is not allowed to sell any normal medicine such as paracetamol, ibuprofen or antibiotics. 

    Instead, parafarmacias sell herbal alternatives to medicine but don't have to prove that they work and they can charge whatever they want.

    We recently heard from a visitor to Gran Canaria who went into a parafarmacia and was charged 40 euros for a herbal alternative to Ibuprofen. It was only when they read the label that they realised what had happened. 

    To locate a genuine farmacia, see this website and search within your municipio (Puerto Rico is in Mogán, Playa del Inglés is in San Bartolomé de Tirajana). At weekends and on fiesta days many farmacias close but there is always one open, known as the farmacia de guardia, in each municipio.

    Search for the nearest one to you with this tool

    Lex Says: To keep costs down, see this article for the way to ask for generic medicine rather than expensive branded alternatives. 

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