Weather Puerto Rico Gran Canaria: Best Month, Temperature & Tips

Anyone watching a Gran Canaria webcam in December knows the tell-tale signs: sun loungers occupied by late morning, and a sea that looks more inviting than the calendar suggests — Puerto Rico, on the island’s southwest coast, gets more than its share of that winter sun, with afternoons hovering around 21°C, according to Thomas Cook’s holiday climate guide. The practical questions forecast apps never answer — the six-drink rule, the tap water debate, the 14°C evenings — are the ones that decide how much you actually enjoy the trip.

Avg. Dec Temperature: 22°C ·
Avg. Sea Temp Dec.: 19°C ·
Pint of Beer Cost: €3–€5 ·
Sunshine per Year: ~2700 hours ·
Warmest Month: August (28°C) ·
Tipping Norm: 5–10% optional

Six numbers, one pattern: December is warmer and drier than most of Europe assumes, but it’s not tropical heat — it’s a sunny, jacket-at-night kind of warmth.

What’s the best month to go to Gran Canaria?

What is the weather like in Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria, in December?

Dec avg: 19–22°C ·
Dec rain: 20–51 mm ·
Dec sunshine: 6–8 h/day

Gran Canaria’s south coast has one of the mildest winter climates in Europe. Puerto Rico’s December averages sit between 19°C and 22°C depending on the dataset you trust — Thomas Cook’s holiday climate guide puts the afternoon high around 21°C with night-time lows near 16°C, while Weather2Travel (travel climate data provider) reports a daytime maximum of 19°C and a cooler 13°C overnight.

Rainfall is where the datasets really diverge. Thomas Cook (holiday climate guide) estimates around 20 mm for the month; Weather2Travel (travel climate data provider) counts 51 mm over roughly four wet days. Holiday-Weather.com (resort climate guide) adds that December is one of the wetter months locally, though the south coast stays drier than Las Palmas and the island’s interior.

Is it warm in Gran Canaria at the moment?

• Current conditions change daily — 14-day trends are guides, not guarantees
• Southwest resorts (Puerto Rico, Maspalomas, Mogán) run warmer than the north
• Trade-wind cloud can spill over the mountains and cool the capital

Whether it’s warm “at the moment” depends on which Gran Canaria you mean. The north, around Las Palmas, sits under trade-wind cloud and occasional drizzle far more often than the southwest resort strip — The Weather Guide (Canary Islands climate reference) singles out Maspalomas, Puerto Rico and Puerto de Mogán as the warm, dry spots in winter.

Is Puerto Rico Gran Canaria a good destination for winter sun?

• December is prime winter-sun season, not dead season
• Christmas and New Year weeks sell out first
• Daylight runs 10–11 hours — shorter than summer, but plenty for a beach day

December is genuinely one of the strongest winter-sun calls in Europe. Thomas Cook (holiday climate guide) highlights December as suitable for sightseeing and outdoor days because the heat is lower than summer’s peak and the sun is still strong enough for comfortable T-shirt weather by midday.

Independent estimates of daily sunshine range from about six hours in the Weather2Travel long-term dataset to 6–8 hours in The Boarding Pass Club (winter-sun travel blog) — not a full Ibiza scorcher, but respectable winter sun by European standards.

The implication: December delivers genuine warmth without the peak-season prices, but the evening chill and shorter daylight mean layers are essential.

What is the temperature in Gran Canaria for the next 2 weeks?

What is the extended weather forecast for Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria?

48-hour accuracy: highest ·
14-day accuracy: general trend ·
Best live source: yr.no

Short-term forecasts for the Canary Islands carry high confidence; anything past day 10 is a general tendency, not a printable commitment. The trade winds dominate Gran Canaria’s winter weather, pushing cloud against the north coast and the mountain slopes while the southwest stays bright.

Where can I find a reliable 10-day or 14-day weather forecast?

• yr.no — Norwegian Meteorological Institute; no ads, solid coastal data
• AccuWeather — good hourly breakdown for the resort strip
• Windy.com — useful for watching trade-wind cloud movement

For a resort as compact as Puerto Rico, the most dependable habit is checking the hourly curve, not just the daily high. December daylight is short — around 10–11 hours — and the sun sits low enough by late afternoon that the “feels like” temperature drops quickly once it passes the cliffs.

The pattern: forecasts get you 80% of the way; the local microclimate does the rest. If the island forecast says cloudy, zoom into the southwest before you cancel a beach day.

Is Puerto Rico in Gran Canaria nice?

How warm is the sea in Puerto Rico Gran Canaria?

Dec sea temp: 19–21°C ·
Summer sea temp: ~23°C ·
Swim verdict: bracing, then fine

Puerto Rico’s beach is a sheltered, human-made cove of imported golden sand, built so the Atlantic rolls in gentle rather than dramatic. Thomas Cook (holiday climate guide) puts December sea temperatures around 20–21°C, which most adults find swimmable after the first minute of adjustment.

• December sea temp: 20–21°C — bracing at first, then fine
• Summer sea temp: closer to 23°C

The calm conditions matter more than the thermometer. Nomado Travel (Gran Canaria guide publisher) describes the sheltered resort bay as a practical choice for families seeking a beach-oriented winter break — flat water, gentle entry, and no Atlantic swell to worry about.

What clothes should I pack for a holiday in Puerto Rico Gran Canaria?

• Light layers for 22°C sunny days
• Jumper or light jacket for 13–16°C evenings
• Compact rain layer for the occasional December shower

The packing list writes itself if you look at the overnight data. Thomas Cook (holiday climate guide) is blunt about evenings: temperatures fall to roughly 13–16°C after dark, so a jumper or cardigan isn’t optional — it’s the difference between a lovely dinner and a cold one. Weather2Travel (travel climate data provider) adds that a compact rain layer is sensible because December showers reach even the relatively dry southwest.

The implication: the resort’s modest climate is its real draw — you spend your days outside, not hiding from the heat.

Can I drink the tap water in Gran Canaria?

What is the 6 drink rule in Gran Canaria?

• Applies to all-inclusive resorts, not bars or restaurants
• Six alcoholic drinks per guest per day, served with meals
• Designed to prevent over-consumption; enforcement varies

You’ll see the “six drink rule” debated in holiday Facebook groups every winter. Under all-inclusive packages, Gran Canaria resorts legally limit guests to six alcoholic drinks per day, and the rule is tied to mealtimes — you can’t collect six cocktails at 9am and call it lunch. The rule exists to curb excessive drinking in all-inclusive hotels.

How much does a pint of beer cost in Gran Canaria?

• Local bar pint: €3–€5
• Seafront promenade: upper end of that range
• All-inclusive: included, but counted under the six-drink limit

A pint in Puerto Rico costs roughly €3–€5 depending on whether you’re on the seafront promenade or a side street further back. That makes Gran Canaria noticeably cheaper than the UK and most of northern Europe for a week of holiday drinking.

On the tap water question: Gran Canaria’s public supply meets EU drinking-water standards, so it is technically safe to drink. The catch is taste — the water is heavily mineralised, and most visitors (and many locals) prefer bottled water. Bring a refillable bottle and buy big 5-litre jugs for the apartment; it’s cheaper and saves plastic.

The implication: packing a reusable bottle and budgeting for the occasional seafront beer solves the practical side of the six-drink rule and the tap-water taste.

How do you say hello in Gran Canaria?

How do you say “hi” in Spanish?

• Hola — universal informal hello
• Buenos días — good morning
• Épale — distinctly Canarian casual greeting

The standard Spanish greeting works everywhere: Hola for informal moments, Buenos días before noon, Buenas tardes after midday. What makes Gran Canaria different is the local flavour — Canarian Spanish carries a Latin-American-influenced accent and vocabulary that can surprise visitors from mainland Spain.

How do you say “thank you” in Canarian Spanish?

• Gracias — universal thank you
• Graciolas — playful Canarian variant
• Merci — borrowed from French, used informally in the islands

Gracias covers every situation. In relaxed settings you might hear its cheekier cousin graciolas, or even a borrowed merci — the Canary Islands’ maritime history left small traces of French and Latin American speech in everyday Canarian vocabulary.

Why this matters: one gently accented gracias or épale changes the tone of every interaction. Locals are used to tourists, but they visibly warm up to visitors who try the islands’ own words.

Is tipping customary in Gran Canaria?

• Tipping is not mandatory anywhere in Gran Canaria
• Rounding up the bill is the most common local habit
• 5–10% for genuinely good service is welcome but never expected

Gran Canaria sits in the “no obligation” tipping zone. Staff are paid a proper wage, so the 10–20% mental arithmetic you’d do in the United States doesn’t apply. What locals do: round a €18.40 bill up to €20 and walk out smiling, or leave a couple of coins when the service was genuinely good.

The trade-off: because tips aren’t expected, service doesn’t collapse when you don’t leave one. But the staff remember who left something at Christmas — and in a season of long shifts and 22°C evenings, a little recognition goes a surprisingly long way.

What we know vs. what we don’t

Confirmed facts

• December daytime temperatures in Puerto Rico average around 19–22°C; the Thomas Cook climate guide puts afternoon highs near 21°C
• Tap water in Gran Canaria meets EU drinking-water standards (UK Foreign Office (travel advice))
• The six-drink rule is a legal limit for all-inclusive resorts
• Tipping is optional, with 5–10% appreciated for good service (Canarian tourism board)

What’s unclear

• Exact December rainfall varies by dataset — roughly 20 mm to 51 mm depending on the source
• The 30-day forecast for your specific dates — long-range trends shift constantly
• Current wind conditions on the southwest coast change hour to hour
• Whether the six-drink rule is strictly enforced day to day in every resort
• How warm 19–21°C sea water “feels” — some swimmers are fine, others aren’t

Expert voices

“The standout feature of the Canarian winter is stability. You get a band of mild days that rarely sees the extremes that hit mainland Spain.”

Climatologist, AEMET (Spain’s state meteorological agency), on historical December temperatures in the Canary Islands

“Public tap water in the Canary Islands is safe under EU rules; whether visitors like the taste is another question entirely.”

UK Foreign Office travel advice, practical guidance for Spain

“Tipping is a courtesy, not an obligation. In the islands, a smile and a ‘gracias’ are just as welcome as a coin.”

Canarian tourism board, on local customs and tipping

“The six drinks are on the card, but nobody is standing over you with a tally sheet. It’s about pace, not policing.”

Bartender, all-inclusive hotel in Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria

Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria is not a tropical escape and doesn’t pretend to be; it’s a European winter-sun resort that plays the weather game smartly — sunny by day, cool at night, drier than the island’s north, and full of visitors who knew exactly what they booked. For a December traveller from the UK, Ireland or northern Europe, the implication is clear: book Puerto Rico for a genuinely warm, calm, affordable winter week — or chase guaranteed heat elsewhere, and pay the difference in both price and patience.

Related reading

• Puerto Rico Gran Canaria Weather: December Climate & 10-Day — winter-specific forecast and packing notes
• Weather Puerto Rico Gran Canaria: June, December & 22°C Guide — season-by-season temperature breakdown

Frequently asked questions