Down by the port in Las Palmas, the Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la Tecnología is a big, brilliantly hands-on science museum where the whole point is to touch, press, pull and play. Spread over several floors of a historic former shipping building beside Playa de las Canteras, it turns physics, maths, biology and astronomy into something you can actually get your hands on — which makes it one of the best family days out in Gran Canaria, and a lifesaver on the rare rainy or too-windy day.
A science museum you can touch
Forget "do not touch" signs. The Elder is built around interactive exhibits designed to be experimented with, so children (and plenty of grown-ups) can spend hours discovering how things work by having a go. You'll find rooms on physics and mechanics, the human body, mathematics, the natural world and technology, all pitched to be fun rather than stuffy. It's the kind of place where a curious eight-year-old and a curious eighty-year-old can both come away buzzing, and where a couple of hours slip by without anyone glancing at the clock.
Highlights for families
There's a lot packed in across the floors, and the mix keeps everyone engaged:
- Real aircraft — the museum famously displays actual planes, and children can often climb into a cockpit and imagine themselves as pilots.
- A planetarium — a domed digital theatre taking you on a journey through the night sky and beyond.
- A large-format cinema — big-screen science and nature films that are a hit with kids.
- Interactive galleries — hands-on experiments on light, force, sound, the body and more, plus a greenhouse-style natural section.
Between the exhibits, the film and the planetarium, there's easily enough here to fill a morning or a wet afternoon.
Check show times on arrival. The planetarium and cinema run to a schedule and popular sessions can fill up, so grab the day's timings when you arrive and plan your visit around the shows you most want to catch. Some films may be in Spanish — ask about English options at the desk.
A great rainy-day and family option
The Canaries are blessed with wonderful weather, but every so often the north of an island turns cloudy or the wind picks up — and that's exactly when an indoor attraction like this earns its keep. It's also a welcome change of pace from beaches and pools, giving children something active and educational to do. If you're travelling with little ones, it slots neatly into our wider tips for visiting the Canary Islands with kids, and pairs well with the giant Poema del Mar aquarium elsewhere in the city.
Pair it with the beach. The museum sits a short stroll from Playa de las Canteras, the capital's superb city beach. Do the science in the morning, then reward everyone with sand, sea and an ice cream in the afternoon.
Where it is
The Elder stands on Plaza de Santa Catalina in the port district of Las Palmas, close to the harbour, the shopping streets and Las Canteras beach — right in the busy heart of the city on Gran Canaria. It's easy to reach on foot if you're staying in the capital, and simple to get to by bus or car from further afield. The building itself, a red-brick warehouse from the old British-run Elder Dempster shipping line, is a nice reminder of the city's long maritime and trading history.
Planning your visit
The museum opens most days (typically closed on Mondays), with an admission charge that's modest and usually has reduced rates for children, students and seniors; under-fives often go free. Prices, hours and the cinema/planetarium schedule can change, so it's worth checking the official site — museoelder.org — before you go; as of 2026 tickets remain good value for a half-day out. There's a café on site and plenty of options nearby around the square.
Why it's worth it
The Museo Elder is one of those attractions that quietly over-delivers: affordable, genuinely fun, and educational without ever feeling like a lesson. For families it's close to essential, and even adults with a spark of curiosity will enjoy an hour or two of pressing buttons and sitting in a cockpit. Combine it with the beach and a stroll round the port, and you've got a perfect city day. For more ideas, see our full list of things to do.
Climb into a cockpit, travel the galaxy in the planetarium, then hit the beach next door — the Elder is Gran Canaria's best hands-on day for families.