Things to do in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Peak winter sun and Carnival, warm days around 21C, fullest hotels, highest prices and best surf.
Best all round value, May singled out as a top month, prime hiking and thinner crowds after Easter.
Pleasant temperatures but panza de burro cloud often sits over the city in July and August while the south is sunny.
Locals favourite window, sea at its warmest in September and October, crowds and prices drop.
What's on
- Carnival of Las Palmas Usually late January to early March, around Lent
One of Spain's great carnivals with the Drag Queen Gala, parades and the Burial of the Sardine.
- Canary Islands Music Festival January to February
Classical festival concerts at the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium.
- Belén de Arena December to early January
Free sand nativity sculpture exhibition on Las Canteras beach.
- Fiesta de San Juan 23 to 24 June
Bonfires, fireworks and midnight swimming at Las Canteras.
- Fiestas del Pino around 8 September
The island's main religious fiesta in Teror with pilgrimage and romería.
- Rama festivities in Agaete early August
Huge island fiesta in Agaete, a busy day trip with crowds and road closures.
Best things to do in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Playa de Las Canteras
Three kilometres of golden sand sheltered by a volcanic reef, calm for swimming at one end and surf at the other.
Vegueta
The 1478 founding quarter of cobbled lanes and wooden balconies, best paired with Triana as one half day.
Catedral de Santa Ana
Twin towered cathedral in Vegueta whose south tower lift gives the best cheap panorama in the city.
Casa de Colón
A gorgeous Canarian courtyard house museum on Columbus history, worth a focused hour rather than half a day.
Poema del Mar
A world class aquarium by the port with a huge deep sea window, the top rainy day and family pick in the city.
Jardín Botánico Viera y Clavijo
Spain's largest botanical garden terraced into a ravine, planting every Canarian microclimate in one walk.
Mercado de Vegueta
The old town morning produce market for tropical fruit, Canarian cheese, mojo and gofio.
Mercado del Puerto
A market by Las Canteras that turns into a grazing food hall of pinchos, oysters and Canarian wine.
Where to stay in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Las Canteras / Guanarteme
first trip, beach first base
Swim before breakfast on Las Canteras and bus to Vegueta in 15 to 20 minutes.
Santa Catalina / Ciudad Jardín / Doramas
luxury and quiet stays
Leafy park district between the port and centre, quieter than the beachfront and 10 minutes to the sand.
Vegueta / Triana
character, food led trips
Historic streets and the best restaurants on the doorstep, trading a bus ride to the beach for old town life.
Alcaravaneras / Mesa y López
practical value and longer stays
Local shopping district between both beaches with supermarkets, cafes and easy buses everywhere.
Think twice about
- Parque Santa Catalina perimeter at night
Fine by day as a transport hub, but guides flag the park after dark for petty crime and hassling. Stay two streets toward Las Canteras or Ciudad Jardín.
- La Isleta port and industrial back streets
A working port edge with dark empty streets at night and little quality accommodation. Visit for El Confital, do not base there.
- El Risco and hillside barrios
Steep poorly lit residential lanes in areas like San Nicolás and San Juan, hard with luggage and no tourist infrastructure for a first stay.
- South resorts marketed as Las Palmas
Listings in Telde, Vecindario or Playa del Inglés sold as Las Palmas mean 40 plus minutes by bus to the city beaches. Check the map before paying.
Best restaurants in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Poemas by Hermanos Padrón
One-star tasting menus from the Padrón brothers inside the Santa Catalina hotel, dinner only.
MuXgo by Borja Marrero
One star plus a Green Star, building tasting menus entirely around Canarian farm product and place.
Deliciosa Marta
Acclaimed market cooking in Triana with modern Canarian touches, loved by guides and reviewers alike.
Triciclo
A consensus Vegueta favourite for Mediterranean Spanish cooking and warm professional service on Calle Pelota.
Allende Triana
The reliable high volume Triana restaurant for a first proper dinner and for group meals that need consistency.
Qué Leche
Modern Mediterranean fusion sharing plates in Triana with strong vegan and vegetarian options.
Tasca Galileo
Handmade tapas and a serious wine list near Las Canteras, with no reservations so the queue is the price.
Amigo Camilo
Rustic fish restaurant in San Cristóbal where you pick from the counter and it is grilled with papas and mojo.
Best coffee in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Coffeebook
Central cafe named in popular takeaway lists, a useful meeting point for coffee in the city centre.
El Almacén
Central cafe named in popular lists, a useful meeting point rather than a destination in itself.
Outdoor things to do in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas
Spain's oldest golf club on the Bandama caldera rim, a short tight course 15 minutes from the city.
Anfi Tauro Golf
A spectacular Arizona style resort course in a volcanic valley near Mogán, best played from a morning tee time.
Salobre Golf
Modern resort golf in the south with Old and New courses, a full day trip from a Las Palmas base.
Lopesan Meloneras Golf
A regular on every south coast golf programme, paired with the Meloneras promenade for a resort golf day.
Maspalomas Golf
An established south coast course near the dunes, one of the standard modern golf options from the city.
La Cícer
The unreefed surf end of Las Canteras under the auditorium, with schools offering two hour beginner lessons.
La Barra
The reef lagoon at Las Canteras forms a natural snorkelling aquarium along its rocky edges at low to mid tide.
Paseo de Las Canteras
The flat promenade and Isleta loop make a ready made run, ride or open water swim that locals use daily.
Best hotels in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Hotel Cristina by Tigotan Las Palmas - Adults Only
Beachfront five star at the Santa Catalina end of Las Canteras with pool and sea view rooms.
Bull Reina Isabel & Spa
Beachfront hotel on Las Canteras with a spa and rooftop pool right on the sand.
NH Imperial Playa
Beachfront four star rooms on Las Canteras at a sensible mid range price.
Exe Las Palmas
A mid range hotel with pool and hot tub between Santa Catalina and Las Canteras.
Hotel Silken Saaj Las Palmas
Contemporary hotel near Alcaravaneras beach, handy for both beaches and Mesa y López.
La Ventana Azul Surf Hostel
Surf hostel in Guanarteme with dorms, privates and board storage near La Cícer.
Lua Lua Hostel
Part of the Guanarteme surf hostel cluster, the city's genuine cheap tier for surfers.
Pura Vida by Nest Hostel
Budget hostel in Guanarteme with dorms and privates that book out first.
Is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €60 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €125 a person |
| Splurge | €250 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Poema del Mar: a few days ahead
- Auditorio Alfredo Kraus: a few days ahead
- Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas: a few days ahead
- La Cícer: a few days ahead
- Roque Nublo: a few days ahead
- Arucas: a few days ahead
- Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel: weeks ahead
- Suites 1478: weeks ahead
- Poemas and MuXgo need weeks ahead, especially Friday and Saturday.
- Santa Catalina hotel, VEINTIUNO and Suites 1478 book out in Carnival and at Christmas and New Year.
- Deliciosa Marta, Triciclo and Amigo Camilo need days ahead, and surf lessons fill in autumn swell season.
- Tasca Galileo takes no evening reservations, so queue before opening instead.
Is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria safe?
- Pickpocketing in crowds is the main risk, at Carnival, markets, buses and Santa Catalina interchange.
- Avoid the dark interior of Santa Catalina Park late at night and use lit populated streets instead.
- Respect flags at Las Canteras, the Cícer and Confital end has surf and currents the sheltered middle does not.
- Never enter a barranco during or after rain due to flash flood risk. Emergency number is 112.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Third party aquarium and tour bundles that add a bus and markup to walkable sights, book Poema del Mar direct.
- Promenade tout restaurants on Las Canteras, walk one street back or pick a named place instead.
- Timeshare and holiday club approaches offering a free excursion for a presentation, decline and keep walking.
- Cheap south day trips that spend more time in gift shops than at the dunes or Mogán, check timed stops first.
Getting around Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: public transport and more
- Airport bus line 60 runs to San Telmo and Santa Catalina interchanges every 20 to 30 minutes for a few euros.
- City guaguas are frequent and cheap, with San Telmo for Vegueta and Santa Catalina for the beach as the two hubs.
- Walking the promenade is a pleasure but Las Canteras to Vegueta is about 5 km, so use buses for cross city trips.
- Hire a car only for mountain and south day trips, parking by Las Canteras and Triana is scarce and paid.
- Global island buses cover Maspalomas in about 55 minutes plus Mogán, Agaete, Teror and the centre.
Who Las Palmas de Gran Canaria suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Las Palmas de Gran Canaria your trip
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