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Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Municipality in Canary Islands, Spain

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Las Palmas, officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands in Spain.

Plan a trip to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria→From Tenerife

With a population of 383,516 as of 2024, it is the ninth-largest city in Spain. It is also the fifth-most populous urban area in Spain and, depending on sources, ninth or tenth most populous metropolitan area in Spain.

Get in

Getting to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria International Airport LPA IATA is an airport near the city of Telde, about 70 km south of Las Palmas. There are flights from many airports in Northern, Western and Central Europe, mainland Spain, Italy, other Canary islands and a couple from Africa. Getting o Las Palmad: take the Global interisland blue buses. Bus routes 1, 5, 11, 60 & 91 all travel from the airport to the city of Las Palmas.

  1. 01
    Naviera Armas
  2. 02
    San Telmo Station
  3. 03
    Santa Catalina Interchange

    This station is served also by the municipal bus system and by taxis.

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Castillo de la Luz

    A 16th-century fortification that was built to fend off pirate attacks.

  2. 02
    Alfredo Kraus Auditorium

    Concert and music hall with classical philharmonic performances and a building that's worth a visit on its own.

  3. 03
    Catedral de Santa Ana

    Embodying several centuries of history, the cathedral can be seen from almost any point in the city centre.

  4. 04
    Pueblo Canario

    A reconstruction of a traditional village, designed by Néstor Martín Fernández de la Torre in 1937 and realized by his brother Miguel two years later.

  5. 05
    Ermita de San Antonio Abad

    A former church built in 1757 on the site of a chapel where according to legend Columbus prayed before setting sail westwards.

  6. 06
    Columbus

    The house where Columbus lived when his ships were repaired and improved for his first journey to the West Indies, at the time the house was the residence of the governor.

Do

Things to do

As a beach town, Las Palmas is especially popular for oceanside activities. Catch a wave, grab your snorkel, or just soak up some sun (after applying sunscreen, of course!) Or if you feel like exploring terra firma, do as the locals do and make use of the public tourism bus, known affectionately as the guiriguagua.

  1. 01
    Playa de Las Canteras

    Almost 4 km in length, this beach is the very symbol of the city and its citizens.

  2. 02
    Playa de Las Alcaravaneras

    Beach right at the port, suitable for tanning rather than water activities.

  3. 03
    Playa del Confital

    Beach with volcanic rock surface, mostly used by locals.

  4. 04
    Playa de la Laja

    Beach with grey and brown-black fine sand surface to the southeast of the city, popular with surfers.

  5. 05
    Las Palmeras

    Avenida Doctor Alfonso Chiscano Díaz, s/n., coordinadora@laspalmerasgolf.es.

  6. 06
    Real Club de Golf de Las Palmas

    The west coast of the peninsula La Isleta in the north of the city is an interesting hiking destination.

Eat

Where to eat

Many restaurants have menus in an abundance of languages, and waiters often will also often be able to converse in your own language. = = There are many inexpensive restaurants in the San Telmo neighborhood.

  1. 01
    Restaurante Bodegón Lagunetas

    The place is super big and has a terrace.

  2. 02
    Gourie 41

    C.

  3. 03
    Midway

    The treatment and service of the waiters is unbeatable.

  4. 04
    La Coqueta de Cano

    Charming, pleasant, a meeting point, endearing and...

  5. 05
    Sakura City

    Good quality, well-priced Japanese & Asian cuisine.

How locals move

Getting around Las Palmas de Gran Canaria the local way

  • Get aroundFerry and plane monopolies play into the situation.
  • Get aroundSomething like a Jeep Wrangler would be overkill for this, but if you've got money to burn, some of the local rental companies offer those too.
  • Get aroundIf you want to travel between the islands, a good option might be to take a ferry.
  • Get aroundMost ferries are modern, but they are pricey unless you have a residency status.
  • Get aroundFerrygogo has a good overview of the different routes that are served by the two main companies: Naviera Armas / Transmediterránea – Has many connections all across the region with a large mixed fleet of regular and high-speed ferries.
  • Get aroundThere are also a couple of scheduled water bus and on-demand water taxi connections available for shorter trips: Lineas Romero – Short distance passenger ferries connecting Lanzarote with Fuerteventura, and La Graciosa with Lanzarote.
  • Get aroundIf you are afraid of the sea, or get sick just by staring at a ferry, then a plane is what you need to travel between the islands.
  • Go nextSpain – Regular ferry connections exist between the Canary Islands and mainland Spain.

From Wikivoyage: Canary Islands, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-02.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: H. Zell (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons.