Gran Canaria's capital, with the old quarter of Vegueta, the city beach of Las Canteras, museums, a busy port and the island's main bus stations.
1 activity
Maspalomas
A full day inland by van to the Bandama crater, Cruz de Tejeda and a hike up to Roque Nublo, with a tasting meal and sunset from Pico de las Nieves. Hotel pickup is included.
10 hoursFrom €113
Las Palmas is a working city, not a resort, and it's worth at least a day. Vegueta, where the city was founded in 1478, and the shopping streets of Triana next to it are easy to see on foot.
Vegueta is built around the cathedral of Santa Ana. Nearby are the Casa de Colón, a museum about Columbus and his stops on the island, and the Museo Canario, the place to learn about the island's first inhabitants. Next to it, Triana has the pedestrian Calle Mayor de Triana and the streets of bars and cafés around it.
Las Canteras is the city beach, on the other side of the isthmus from the port. A natural reef called La Barra shelters much of it. The promenade runs its whole length, surf schools work at the La Cícer end, and the Alfredo Kraus auditorium, where the city's film festival is held, stands at that end too. The Poema del Mar aquarium is near the port.
Blue Global buses run from the south of the island to the San Telmo bus station, near Vegueta and Triana, and to Santa Catalina, near Las Canteras. The yellow city buses, the guaguas, cover the rest. Several tours from the south include transport and a guided walk.