When I meet people who are new to Gran Canaria, and ask where they should go, I always tell them to visit Tejeda.
Tejeda is in the center of the island, tucked in the mountains. Getting there is not easy: you have to drive through narrow roads that should be one-way streets, roads with curves so strong they’d put camel humpbacks to shame.
I visited Tejeda a month after visiting the island. Some new local friends I’d met on a wine tour had recommend me several places to visit, and Tejeda was one of them. One search on Google Images convinced me to go. And let me tell you – the real things is SO much better than the pictures.
Getting there by car is supposedly an hour. Getting there by bus is a journey. You have to take two buses, and the trip one-way takes 2.5 hours. One way. And the buses are not frequent; the last one leaves at 5pm.
But it was worth the long bus rides. Check out these landscapes:
The town itself is quite small. When I arrived, it was conveniently siesta hour, so most places were closed. Except this one restaurant with a gorgeous view. I had some queso frito coated in different types of mermelada (kind of like jelly, but liquid) and mojo (a type of sauce that’s quite popular in Gran Canaria).
When a city has a siesta, you’ll still find some places open, like a grocery store or pharmacy. But a small town siesta in August? Everything shuts down. Well, almost everything. There was an ice cream and pastry shop open, which was very much needed in the summer heat, in a town with few options of shade.
So, if you’re ever in Gran Canaria, check out the beaches, of course, but you must check out Tejeda. It’s one of the most beautiful towns I’ve seen in all of Spain (peninsula included). It will take you a day if you take the bus, but you won’t be let down.
Inspired Around the World 