Las Canteras was actually the first tourist resort in Gran Canaria. The beach is about three kilometres long and the sea is safe for swimming. Click here to see a good map of Las Canteras.

Photo by Rafael Tovar

Near to this beach are lots of restaurants, bars and shops and the beach is bordered in the north by La Isleta and in the east  by Santa Catalina, which is where the bus station is. Las Arenas, a really big shopping centre, is nearby.

There is a landscaped promenade in the south of Las Canteras which takes you to the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus. This is home to the Las Palmas Philharmonic Orchestra and it is an interesting piece of architecture which was build as a tribute to the tenor Alfredo Kraus in 1997.

If you want some tips for exploring Las Palmas then make sure you take a walk along Las Canteras beach or even spend a day there. Not everyone speaks Spanish there (like in the south) and you might not find English menus but that all adds to the fun! Recent temperatures have been good (27 degrees C today!) so we’re well into the summer now, making the Las Canteras beach even more tempting for a visit.

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Because Las Palmas is not full of tourists, like Puerto Rico or Playa del Ingles, it can be hard finding somebody who speaks English if you do happen to get lost.

Photo by Barto Garcia

Saying that, if you do fancy having a day trip to Las Palmas, you can catch a bus in the south and be there within the hour. Take a map with you because Las Palmas is quite big. You might like to stroll around or you might want to visit a museum or gallery while you are there.

If you want to go to El Corte Inglés for some shopping, the best way is to take a taxi from the bus station. I haven’t been there for a while but I remember it’s only about 4 euros for a cab.

Eating Out in Las Palmas

You won’t find multilingual menus in Las Palmas eateries, like in the resorts in the south of the island, so a good idea is to visit a tapas bar. These have the tapas in a cabinet on the counter so you can just point at whatever looks appealing. Ask for “una ración” if you want a plateful or “una tapa” for half a plateful.

Boquerones (white pickled anchovies), albóndigas (meatballs), papas arrugadas (potatoes in mojo sauce) and jamon serrano (cured ham) are some good ones to try, if you like Canarian cooking and eating like the locals do. Order a “copa de vino tinto” (glass of red wine) to go with it if you like.

Photo by Jlastras

Organised City Tours

In order to ensure you see as much as possible you might like to book a day trip to Las Palmas. You will be picked up from your hotel and taken to the city, then you can visit some of the best places including Christopher Columbus’s house, an art museum, the Santa Catalina Parque and Las Canteras beach.

You will also have a guide who speaks English, which is definitely handy! Take your camera with you because there will be plenty to take pictures of.

You will find Las Palmas to be very different from the resorts in the south and it’s a great place to spend a day if you are in Gran Canaria and if you want to see how the locals live and visit some of the most interesting parts of the island.

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Photo by Nisa Arce

The Las Palmas Carnival, also spelled Las Palmas Carnaval, is going to be a huge event and if you are planning to be in Gran Canaria around carnival time, it is well worth visiting Las Palmas and seeing the parades, processions and amazing displays.

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The Las Palmas carnival 2010 is going to be great fun, if previous years are anything to go by. There is a carnival in Las Palmas every year in February and a lot of the events are beauty pageants, fancy dress parties and more. The contestants hoping to be Miss Las Palmas 2010 have to sing a song as well as look great. The crowned queens (and drag queens) get to ride on the biggest and best carnival floats during the Gran Cavalgata, which is the main parade.

In mainland Spain, Lent usually begins on Ash Wednesday, but in the Canaries Lent is postponed until the Burial of the Sardine fiesta.

The carnival is free to attend and you can get the full programme here.

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