Puerto de Mogan: Harbour town on the south coast
Puerto de Mogan is despite increasing tourism a place with manageable size and original buildings in the village center remained. In the picturesque harbor there are fishing boats but also sport boats and many yachts. Also a quite protected, but often well visited sandy beach belongs to the vacation resort Puerto de Mogan. The fishing village belongs to Mogan, a good 10 km further on in the center of the island of Gran Canaria, which is also the site of the 20 or so.which gives its name to the municipality of Mogan with its 000 inhabitants.
The port of Puerto de Mogan
The harbor is one of the main attractions of Puerto de Mogan. Here, in the larger part of the harbor, there are numerous large, but also smaller sailing boats and some motor yachts as well as sport boats all year round. In the smaller part at the back, the fishing port, there are the boats of the local fishermen. In this part of the harbor there is a lot of activity during the day. Boats are cleaned and repaired or freshly caught fish is unloaded. There is also an area that can be described as a dry deck. In the past this area was largely freely accessible, but in the meantime it has been cordoned off. The danger of accidents might be too great. Nevertheless, you can watch from the outside how ships' hulls are being repaired or boats are being lowered into the water.
The harbor area
Around the harbor are small pedestrian alleys, where small stores offer souvenirs, clothing and other goods of tourist need. Regardless of whether you really want to buy something or not, a visit is worthwhile in any case. The splendid colorful decoration alone should not be missed. On the central square there is a pavilion and on the benches you can take a break – maybe with an ice cream from the nearby ice cream parlor.
The area directly bordering the harbor is lined with small restaurants. Many of them have adapted to the typical tourist program of the island, but not all of them. There are also some restaurants that offer a very good fish menu or other specialties. In any case, it is a good place to stay, eat and look at the harbor. If you want to eat fresh regional fish, you should go to the outer pier and eat in a restaurant where the fishermen unload the catch. It does not get any fresher than this.
Leisure activities around the harbor
The underwater world can be explored with a diving mask and snorkel, or more comfortably with a specially designed submarine. Diving trips start and end several times a day in the port of Puerto de Mogan.
Somewhat less spectacular, but still impressive, is the glass-bottom ferry that departs from Mogan along the coast via Taurito to Puerto Rico and back again.
If you like it a bit more airy, you can be pulled behind a boat with a paraglider. Here one reaches a height from which one can experience the coastline of Puerto de Mogan from a completely new perspective.
The beach of Puerto de Mogan
Ster beach of Puerto de Mogan consists of fine, beige sand. The occupancy of the beach varies depending on the time of the year or the time of the day. This ranges from plenty of distance to the next visitor to densely crowded. The quite sheltered basin is also guarded by a supervisor in the main times. The shallow beach is also excellent for children.
Directly behind the stand runs the short beach promenade, where several small restaurants are located. Here you can also find the usual tourist offer from fish and meat to vegetarian food and ice cream or waffles. While eating you have a great view of the stand directly in front of it, the sea and the entrance to the harbor basin.
Behind the promenade there are more restaurants and many stores like perfumeries, fashion stores and stores for daily needs. A few minutes' walk away is a small, somewhat outdated shopping mall. Here you can get fashion, perfume and ice cream as well as food in a small Spar.
Between the Calle la Mina and the Paseo los Pescadores there is often a market in the morning with many small stands. Here you can also find everything a tourist's heart desires: from fashion to leather and perfumes.
Viewpoint Juan Hernandez Moreno
If you want to enjoy a great view over the city and at the same time consider yourself halfway sporty, you can visit the Mirador Mogan viewpoint above the old town. This platform can only be reached on foot via numerous steps. But it's worth it, the view of the city, beach and harbor is great. The way there is not too well signposted. You start from Calle Explanada del Castillete and turn into the alleys of the old town at about the post office. From there, the stairs lead steadily uphill. After quite a few strenuous meters of altitude you reach the viewpoint slightly exhausted.
The fishing village in the evening
A visit to Puerto de Mogan is not only worthwhile during the day at prime bathing time. Also at sunset and in the evening the place has its very special charm.
Approach and parking
Puerto de Mogan is located at the southern end of the GC-1. From Maspalomas you need the highway for the ca. 25 km only 20 minutes. From the west of the island you reach Mogan from La Aldea after about 30 km on the GC-200. For the hilly and very curvy route you also need ca. 45 minutes.
In Puerto de Mogan, parking spaces near the harbor are few and far between. Some parking spaces can be found at the Calle Explanada del Castillete, the road to the outer pier. There is also a small parking lot with barrier at Calle Rivera del Carmen. This is very centrally located between the harbor and the beach and is therefore often crowded.
More parking space is located above the beach. There is an underground garage on Calle la Mina, where parking spaces can often still be found. It usually looks even better at the entrance to the town between the Radison Blu resort and the small mall.