Gran Canaria Airport to Maspalomas: car, bus or taxi?
Maspalomas, at the southern tip of Gran Canaria, is home to the island’s famous dunes and a long string of beach resorts. Getting from Gran Canaria Airport to Maspalomas takes about 35 minutes by car: 36 km south on the GC-1 motorway, past Vecindario and San Agustín, then into the resort to your hotel door. Your driver meets you in the arrivals hall at Gran Canaria Airport with a sign showing your name.
There are three sensible ways to make this trip, and a private car is not always the right one. Global's line 66 bus runs hourly from the airport to the Faro de Maspalomas and suits a solo traveller with a backpack. A taxi from the official rank is quick for two people. A pre-booked car makes most sense for families and groups, because one price covers the whole vehicle, for late arrivals, and for anyone who wants a driver waiting rather than a queue.
Maspalomas stretches from Bahía Feliz in the east to Meloneras in the west, taking in San Agustín, Playa del Inglés and the dunes. We drive to every part of it.
| Pickup | Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) |
|---|---|
| Drop-off | Any hotel, villa or address in Maspalomas |
| Distance | About 36 km by road |
| Journey time | 35–50 min, depending on traffic |
| Best for | Island resort |
| Busiest season | Year-round |
| Availability | 24/7, including late-night and early-morning flights |
The drive from LPA to Maspalomas
From the terminal, your driver joins the GC-1 motorway, the Autopista del Sur, and heads south along the east coast with the sea on your left. It is a fast, straightforward run: past the turn-offs for Arinaga and Vecindario, then through the open, dry country around Juan Grande, with the mountains of the interior rising on your right.
After about 25 km the resorts begin. Bahía Feliz and San Agustín come first, then the exits for Playa del Inglés. For Maspalomas itself, your driver leaves the motorway at the Maspalomas junction and drops down through Campo Internacional to the Faro, the 56-metre lighthouse that has stood at the western end of the dunes since 1890. Meloneras is a couple of minutes further west. That is the line on the diagram below, about 36 km.
In normal traffic the trip takes about 35 minutes, and late at night barely half an hour. At busy times, with traffic on the GC-1 around Vecindario and buses and roundabouts in the resort, allow up to 50 minutes. Playa del Inglés is about five minutes closer than the Faro, while Puerto Rico and Puerto de Mogán, further west along the same motorway, take 40 to 60 minutes.
The dunes, a protected nature reserve since 1994, fill the space between Playa del Inglés and the Faro, so the road runs inland around them through Campo Internacional rather than along the beach. Fuel, parking and waiting time are included in your fixed price.
Schematic, not to scale. Route line © OpenStreetMap contributors
Pickup · 0 min
Gran Canaria Airport (LPA)
Your driver meets you in arrivals and loads the luggage.
About 10 min · 13 km
Vecindario
A busy town in Santa Lucía de Tirajana, about a third of the way. The motorway skirts its eastern edge, with the sea beyond.
About 20 min · 26 km
San Agustín
The first of the southern resorts on the way, with hotels and apartments above small sandy beaches. About 25 minutes from the airport.
About 25 min · 29 km
Playa del Inglés
Hotels and apartments around the Yumbo centre, above the long beach that runs west to the dunes. The exits come about 30 minutes from the airport.
Arrival · 35–50 min · 36 km
Maspalomas
Drop-off at your hotel or bungalow complex in Campo Internacional, around the Faro or in Meloneras, by the dunes and the lagoon.
LPA to Maspalomas: one fixed price for the whole car
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Meeting your driver at Gran Canaria Airport
Gran Canaria Airport has one terminal. Arrivals come out on the ground floor, Floor 0: walk into the arrivals hall, where your driver waits holding a sign with your name and then walks you to the car. The official taxi rank is outside on the same floor, and the buses leave from the departures level upstairs (Floor 1), so you will not need either.
Gran Canaria Airport has a single terminal. Arrivals come out on the ground floor, Floor 0, where your driver waits in the arrivals hall with a sign showing your name and walks you to the car. You will not need the taxi rank outside or the bus stops upstairs on the departures level.
Add your flight number when you book: we track it, the pickup moves with any delay at no extra cost, and your 60 minutes of free waiting start when you actually land. Your driver's name and phone number reach you before you fly, and WhatsApp support is there if anything changes.
For the trip home, your driver collects you from your hotel or complex reception and waits up to 15 minutes from the agreed time.
Arriving here for somewhere else? See every Gran Canaria Airport transfer we run.
Where we drop off in Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés
Maspalomas is a spread-out resort of hotels, bungalow complexes and villas, with wide avenues and room to stop. Your driver takes you to the hotel entrance or, for bungalow complexes, to the reception or the gate closest to your unit. The dunes and beach promenades are car-free, so seafront addresses are reached from the road behind.
Faro and El Oasis
Around the 1890 lighthouse at the western end of the dunes, beside La Charca lagoon, with several large resort hotels a few steps from the beach.
Meloneras
West of the lighthouse, with large hotels along a seafront promenade and the Meloneras golf course behind them. A couple of minutes beyond the Faro.
Campo Internacional
Bungalow complexes and villas around the Maspalomas golf course, between Playa del Inglés and the Faro. Add the complex name and unit number to your booking.
Playa del Inglés
The busy heart of the resort, around the Yumbo centre and Avenida de Tirajana, above a long beach that runs to the dunes. Door-to-door drop-offs on the avenues and side streets.
San Agustín and Bahía Feliz
The eastern end of Maspalomas, reached a few minutes before Playa del Inglés. Hotels and apartment complexes sit above small beaches, with easy drop-offs from the road.
When to book your Maspalomas transfer
Maspalomas is busy all year. The winter sun season, from November to Easter, brings northern Europeans, and July and August bring Spanish and European families. Christmas, Easter and the school holidays are the peak weeks for arrivals.
Dates to know: the Gran Canaria Walking Festival runs from 15 to 18 October 2026 across several municipalities, and the Transgrancanaria trail race from 24 to 28 February 2027. The Challenge Mogán triathlon, along the coast west of Maspalomas, takes place on 17 and 18 April 2027. Maspalomas Pride, organised by Freedom, is one of the best-known Pride events in Europe; check the 2027 dates before you book if you want to be there for it, or to avoid it.
Arriving late: the last line 66 bus leaves the airport for the Faro at 20:30. After that, the choice is the taxi rank or a car booked in advance, with your driver waiting in arrivals whatever time you land.
Private transfer vs other ways to reach Maspalomas
| Option | Door to door | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Private transfer | 35–50 min | Straight to your door, fixed price per vehicle, driver waiting in arrivals. |
| Global bus line 66 | 45–60 minutes + walk | Hourly from 07:30 to 20:30, from the stop on the departures level (Floor 1). No changes, but about 25 stops through San Agustín, Playa del Inglés and Campo Internacional, then a walk. |
| Taxi from the rank | 30–50 minutes | Metered taxis wait at the official rank outside the terminal on Floor 0. Quick and simple for two people; families with lots of luggage may need a larger taxi or two cars. |
| Rental car | 35–50 minutes + desk queue | Easy motorway driving and handy for the mountain villages, but you queue at the rental desk after your flight and need parking at your hotel or bungalow complex. |
Skip the changes: door to door to Maspalomas
Free quote, nothing to pay now. Cancel free up to 48 hours before pickup.
Vehicles, prices and what's included
You pay one fixed price for the vehicle, not per seat, quoted for your date and group before you book. Tolls, fuel and parking are in the price, and so is waiting time: 60 minutes from your actual landing, or 15 minutes at a hotel or address pickup.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Couples and solo travellers |
| Executive sedan | Up to 3 passengers | 2–3 suitcases | Mercedes E-Class or similar |
| Minivan | Up to 7 passengers | 6–7 suitcases | Families and golf or ski bags |
| Minibus | 8–16 passengers | One suitcase each | Groups, weddings, events |
Exact models vary by local partner. Tell us about oversized luggage, golf bags, skis or strollers and we will size the vehicle to fit.
Not included: waiting beyond the free time, and stops or detours added on the day. Planned stops are fine: ask for them with your quote and they are priced in. Tipping is up to you.
Who the Maspalomas transfer suits
Families
Child seats fitted before pickup and one price for the car. A minivan seats up to seven with cases, buggies and beach gear, so nobody waits for a second taxi.
Golfers
Maspalomas Golf is in the middle of the resort, Meloneras Golf is next to the hotels and the Salobre courses are a short drive inland. Tell us how many bags you are bringing.
Pride and LGBT+ travellers
Playa del Inglés is closely associated with the island’s LGBT-friendly scene. A car drops you at the hotel door on the busiest weekends, without the taxi queue.
Late arrivals
The last airport bus to the Faro leaves at 20:30. After that, a pre-booked car means no wait at the rank and no hunting for your bungalow complex in the dark.
Plan the rest of your Maspalomas stay
- Walk the dunes early or late in the day, when the sand is cooler. They have been a protected nature reserve since 1994, so follow the signs about where you may walk.
- For a first evening, the Faro and the Meloneras seafront are a short walk or taxi ride from most hotels, with plenty of places to eat looking out to sea.
- Visiting Las Palmas? The old quarter of Vegueta and Las Canteras beach are about 50 minutes north by car. We quote day trips with a return pickup at an agreed time.
- Puerto de Mogán, the harbour village on the west coast, is about 30 minutes from Maspalomas. We also quote hotel-to-hotel rides there, to Puerto Rico and to Amadores.
- For your flight home, leave Maspalomas about two and a half hours before a European departure, and allow a little more time at Christmas and Easter.
- Island hopping? Our Tenerife South Airport to Costa Adeje transfer works the same way, and you can see every route we run in Spain.
