Local Guide
A slow day in Puerto de Mogán: from dawn to dusk.
A slow day in Puerto de Mogán, from the morning boat to home in time for dinner, and everything in between.
Some days on holiday need a plan.
This isn't one of them. A day in Puerto de Mogán asks only that you catch a boat in the morning and another one home. Everything in between is lanes, flowers, fish and a swim. Here's how I'd spend it.
Coffee with a view
Start on the terrace. Watch the first boats leave the harbour below and pick out the one you'll be on in an hour. Pack light: swimwear, a towel from the cupboard, suncream, and a little cash for the boat.
Down to the pier
Walk down through town to the Puerto Escala pier, opposite the beach. Boats leave on the hour. Buy your ticket at the kiosk, climb to the open deck and sit on the right-hand side. For the next 25 minutes, the cliffs of the south coast slide past close enough to see the layers of the old lava flows.
The lanes, before everyone else
You'll step off into a village that's still waking up. This is the best hour of the day in Mogán: the lanes are empty, shopkeepers are watering the bougainvillea, and the light is soft on the white walls. Wander with no map. Cross the little bridges, follow the canals back to the marina, and stop for a second coffee wherever there's a free table in the sun.
Out to the lighthouse
Walk out along the harbour wall to the small lighthouse at the end. Turn round. This is the view of Mogán you've seen in photos, the white village in front of the brown mountains, and it's even better in person.
A long lunch
Choose a table on the marina, as close to the water as you can get. Order the fish of the day, with papas arrugadas, the small salt-crusted potatoes of the islands, and both kinds of mojo sauce, the red and the green. Order a bottle of something cold and don't look at the time. Lunch here is meant to last.
A swim? Why not.
Walk round to Mogán's own little beach, beside the port, for a swim in calm water. If you're travelling with a little one, this is a good moment for a nap in the shade. For older children, the yellow submarine leaves from the port for short trips to the seabed.
Ice cream and one last lap
Pick up an ice cream on the harbour and take one last slow lap of the lanes. By now the day visitors are drifting back to their coaches, and the village goes quiet again.
The boat home
Take the last departure. In winter, when the sun sets early, take the boat an hour before if you want to be home for sunset. Sit on the left-hand side this time, for the cliffs in the late afternoon light.
Back on the terrace
You'll be home with time for a shower and a glass of something on the terrace as the sun goes down over the bay. Of all the ways to end a day here, this is my favourite.
Going on a Friday? The big street market fills Mogán until about 14:00. It's fun, but it's busy. Swap the morning for the market, and save the lanes for the afternoon.
All the practical details, from ferry prices to parking, are in the Puerto de Mogán guide.
Some days on holiday need a plan.
This isn't one of them. A day in Puerto de Mogán asks only that you catch a boat in the morning and another one home. Everything in between is lanes, flowers, fish and a swim. Here's how I'd spend it.
Coffee with a view
Start on the terrace. Watch the first boats leave the harbour below and pick out the one you'll be on in an hour. Pack light: swimwear, a towel from the cupboard, suncream, and a little cash for the boat.
Down to the pier
Walk down through town to the Puerto Escala pier, opposite the beach. Boats leave on the hour. Buy your ticket at the kiosk, climb to the open deck and sit on the right-hand side. For the next 25 minutes, the cliffs of the south coast slide past close enough to see the layers of the old lava flows.
The lanes, before everyone else
You'll step off into a village that's still waking up. This is the best hour of the day in Mogán: the lanes are empty, shopkeepers are watering the bougainvillea, and the light is soft on the white walls. Wander with no map. Cross the little bridges, follow the canals back to the marina, and stop for a second coffee wherever there's a free table in the sun.
Out to the lighthouse
Walk out along the harbour wall to the small lighthouse at the end. Turn round. This is the view of Mogán you've seen in photos, the white village in front of the brown mountains, and it's even better in person.
A long lunch
Choose a table on the marina, as close to the water as you can get. Order the fish of the day, with papas arrugadas, the small salt-crusted potatoes of the islands, and both kinds of mojo sauce, the red and the green. Order a bottle of something cold and don't look at the time. Lunch here is meant to last.
A swim? Why not.
Walk round to Mogán's own little beach, beside the port, for a swim in calm water. If you're travelling with a little one, this is a good moment for a nap in the shade. For older children, the yellow submarine leaves from the port for short trips to the seabed.
Ice cream and one last lap
Pick up an ice cream on the harbour and take one last slow lap of the lanes. By now the day visitors are drifting back to their coaches, and the village goes quiet again.
The boat home
Take the last departure. In winter, when the sun sets early, take the boat an hour before if you want to be home for sunset. Sit on the left-hand side this time, for the cliffs in the late afternoon light.
Back on the terrace
You'll be home with time for a shower and a glass of something on the terrace as the sun goes down over the bay. Of all the ways to end a day here, this is my favourite.
Going on a Friday? The big street market fills Mogán until about 14:00. It's fun, but it's busy. Swap the morning for the market, and save the lanes for the afternoon.
All the practical details, from ferry prices to parking, are in the Puerto de Mogán guide.
Some days on holiday need a plan.
This isn't one of them. A day in Puerto de Mogán asks only that you catch a boat in the morning and another one home. Everything in between is lanes, flowers, fish and a swim. Here's how I'd spend it.
Coffee with a view
Start on the terrace. Watch the first boats leave the harbour below and pick out the one you'll be on in an hour. Pack light: swimwear, a towel from the cupboard, suncream, and a little cash for the boat.
Down to the pier
Walk down through town to the Puerto Escala pier, opposite the beach. Boats leave on the hour. Buy your ticket at the kiosk, climb to the open deck and sit on the right-hand side. For the next 25 minutes, the cliffs of the south coast slide past close enough to see the layers of the old lava flows.
The lanes, before everyone else
You'll step off into a village that's still waking up. This is the best hour of the day in Mogán: the lanes are empty, shopkeepers are watering the bougainvillea, and the light is soft on the white walls. Wander with no map. Cross the little bridges, follow the canals back to the marina, and stop for a second coffee wherever there's a free table in the sun.
Out to the lighthouse
Walk out along the harbour wall to the small lighthouse at the end. Turn round. This is the view of Mogán you've seen in photos, the white village in front of the brown mountains, and it's even better in person.
A long lunch
Choose a table on the marina, as close to the water as you can get. Order the fish of the day, with papas arrugadas, the small salt-crusted potatoes of the islands, and both kinds of mojo sauce, the red and the green. Order a bottle of something cold and don't look at the time. Lunch here is meant to last.
A swim? Why not.
Walk round to Mogán's own little beach, beside the port, for a swim in calm water. If you're travelling with a little one, this is a good moment for a nap in the shade. For older children, the yellow submarine leaves from the port for short trips to the seabed.
Ice cream and one last lap
Pick up an ice cream on the harbour and take one last slow lap of the lanes. By now the day visitors are drifting back to their coaches, and the village goes quiet again.
The boat home
Take the last departure. In winter, when the sun sets early, take the boat an hour before if you want to be home for sunset. Sit on the left-hand side this time, for the cliffs in the late afternoon light.
Back on the terrace
You'll be home with time for a shower and a glass of something on the terrace as the sun goes down over the bay. Of all the ways to end a day here, this is my favourite.
Going on a Friday? The big street market fills Mogán until about 14:00. It's fun, but it's busy. Swap the morning for the market, and save the lanes for the afternoon.
All the practical details, from ferry prices to parking, are in the Puerto de Mogán guide.
