Roundtrip Tour

Gran Canaria, Spain: A Biker’s Island Paradise

Geoff Tompkinson

9 min read

Gran Canaria was the first place my wife, Liz, and I rode abroad on rented bikes. We chose it as a winter escape from clearing mountains of snow in our home in Austria. The island almost ruined any other location for us, as the roads, riding, scenery, climate, people, and everything else are so so good.

Gran Canaria has been referred to as biking’s best-kept secret. Clearly it won’t stay that way for much longer if journalists like us write articles and YouTubers make videos about it. Let’s hope the famous line from Eagles’ “Hotel California”—“call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye”—doesn’t come true in this case.

The spectacular GC65 winds around and cuts through sections of rock on the side of a huge valley we like to refer to as the “Grand Canyon” for obvious reasons.

Since our first visit, we have been back on numerous occasions, and Gran Canaria never fails to enthrall and amaze. Although its name might suggest that this is the largest of the Canary Islands, it is in fact only the third-largest after Tenerife and Fuerteventura. Having said that, it has a more extensive and varied set of roads for riding than either of its two larger neighbors. Like all the islands of the Canaries, Gran Canaria is unique in character and feel. If you have read some of my earlier articles on the Canary Islands (see Aug ‘24) or ridden there yourself, you will know what I mean. Having taken a motorcycle to all of the islands now, Gran Canaria is in my opinion probably the best from a purely riding perspective—although it’s a close call with Tenerife and La Palma.

Motorcycles & Gear

2020 Kawasaki Versys 650
2020 Yamaha Tracer 900

Helmet: Shoei Neotec
Jacket: Held Cool System Leather, Helite airbag vest
Pants: ProBiker Textile
Boots: Alpinestars New Land Gore-Tex
Gloves: Vanucci Viscolab
Comm system: Sena 50S

As there are so many great roads and locations on this dormant volcanic wonderland, I’ve listed specific roads and locations in a disconnected way, rather than via one continuous route. There will be route suggestions at the end of the article and a map of the best roads. If you decide to visit Gran Canaria, you can either follow my suggested routes or just make up your own path to link the best bits together.

This hairpin curve on GC60, just south of San Bartolomé is almost a perfect roundabout. It’s a popular spot for local sportbike riders to get their knees down on the weekends.

Tips for Gran Canaria

So, to kick things off, let’s talk about the best place to base yourself for a motorcycling trip on the island. From a logistics point of view, it is always best to stay somewhere near the rental outlet for the bikes. Otherwise, you’ll have to use public transport or taxis to get to the pick-up point and to return to your lodgings after dropping off the bike. On Gran Canaria, this means you need to stay within striking distance of Maspalomas in the south or Las Palmas in the northeast.