Las Palmas de Gran Canaria: a Canarian city with much more than sun & beach
22 November, 2023Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the main city of the Canary Islands and the capital of a fascinating island: Gran Canaria. Atlantic, warm and fun, safe, invaded by light and the friendly nature of its people. A destination highly valued by European travellers for its great beach, Las Canteras, and its mild climate but also for its gastronomic offer, its nature and its culture.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a city where living in the open air is the routine, and in the autumn and winter season in a special way, when the pace of the city is no obstacle to finding areas and times that are more peaceful and pleasant for travelling.
The city surprises us with its heritage, from the beautiful colonial neighbourhood of Vegueta, reminiscent of many American corners, to the modernist buildings of Triana or the incredible display of buildings linked to the Bauhaus movement.
An essential place to visit at this time of year is, without a doubt, the Viera y Clavijo Canarian Botanical Garden. Located just a few kilometres from the city centre, it was created in the fifties as a result of the efforts of the Swedish botanist Eric Ragnor Svensson to compile a sort of living encyclopaedia of all the vegetation characteristic of the Canary Islands.
The natural enclaves, the volcanic and coastal nature of the city, where you can walk or cycle, are one of the most special attractions of the capital of Gran Canaria. The Guiniguada ravine, El Confital, the Blue Path of Las Canteras, Tafira, La Laja beach, Doramas Park, in Ciudad Jardín ... walking through these spaces is also a sign of identity in a city which, on the other hand, is permanently linked to the silhouette of the palm trees.
Las Canteras beach is one of the best urban beaches in Europe: a jewel in the middle of the city, where visitors can enjoy the sea and the sun or do sport on the sand. It stretches for three kilometres and offers the experience of eternal sunsets. It is the Central Park of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
It is also one of the best places on the island for surfing, diving or snorkelling, canoeing or kayaking and playing tennis or beach volleyball. Sports clubs and schools in the surrounding area facilitate these activities, so that you can enjoy outdoor sports both on the sand and in the water.
And its pedestrian promenade is dotted with ideal terraces for an aperitif, breakfast, lunch or dinner. This makes the beach, the natural theme park of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, an environment with a lively urban life
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a city that is alive all year round, with traditional fiestas and contemporary events and festivals, all sprinkled with a dense cultural agenda. In November WOMAD is celebrated, the world music festival founded by Peter Gabriel; in December the agenda is filled with Christmas with its impressive Sand Nativity in Las Canteras; which gives way to a month of January where the Canary Islands Music Festival shines and, in February, its famous Carnival. Spring arrives with the Bach Festival, the Opera Festival and the International Film Festival, an event that focuses on independent cinema. The International Sea Fair, the Night of San Juan, which celebrates the founding of the city in 1478, the summer festivals, such as the Carmen festival and the Night of the Fires of San Lorenzo. A small sample of a city that is buzzing with culture in its temples of reference: Alfredo Kraus Auditorium and the Pérez Galdós Theatre.
Gastronomy is undoubtedly a hallmark that clearly sets Las Palmas de Gran Canaria apart from other destinations in the Canary Islands. The talent of the chefs and their teams, and the work they do every day to create unique gastronomic experiences that perfectly complement the city’s offer. A new generation of chefs who know how to make the most of and transform proposals for all tastes, from haute cuisine restaurants, bistros built on culinary fusion and even taverns where every bite is a carnival-like explosion of genuine and exotic stimuli.
The plan to strengthen the city’s tourist offering
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is immersed in a tourism development plan launched after the pandemic, which includes 78 promotional actions and 19 proposals for improvement and the creation of new tourist routes and products.
The document focuses on market niches such as surfing, digital nomads, studies, health and well-being; it strengthens culture, events and the offer of the sea; and promotes gastronomy, the MICE product and outdoor activities
The Plan focuses on digitalisation and market intelligence and proposes governance as a fundamental axis to achieve conscious and responsible tourism for residents and visitors
Achieving responsible and sustainable growth, continuing to improve reputation indices, increasing the external visibility of the image of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as the main urban destination in the Mid-Atlantic and promoting its identity and multicultural character, as well as its privileged natural environment, its year-round outdoor lifestyle and its status as a reliable and safe destination.