Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
ABOUT
Las Palmas is the capital of Gran Canaria, one of Spain’s Canary Islands off northwestern Africa. Founded in 1478, it was named for the abundant palms there. The city was the headquarters for the Spanish conquest of Tenerife and La Palma islands and was later a major supply port for ships bound for Spanish America. The centre of the city is divided by the old Guiniguada Gully, which used to be the limits between the historical quarter of the municipality and the more cosmopolitan and commercial boroughs of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Now a major cruise ship port and tourist centre, the city is known for duty-free shopping and for its sandy beaches. At Playa de Las Canteras, a coral barrier lines the beach and shelters swimmers. The annual Las Palmas de Gran Canaria carnival brings together flamboyantly costumed performers, music and dancing.
Population approximately 404,000
Currency is the Euro
THINGS TO DO
As you would expect in an area such as this, there is much to do for those of all ages.
It is a thriving place ready to rival any of the major cities in mainland Spain for culture, history, architecture and exciting atmosphere. In the city itself you can visit places such as Saint Ann’s Cathedral, Columbus House, the Square of Frogs and more. There is easy access to the beautiful sandy beaches, the Aquarium and Botanical Gardens.
Alternatively take a trip to the National Park and visit the Bandama Crater. This ancient volcano has great geological and archeological value.
Alternatively wander through the streets of the city taking in all that it offers and enjoy its sights, sounds and tastes.
OUR FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO
Our most recent visit to this city again brought with it some beautiful weather – despite it being late November. So we decided to head into the town for a wander.
We headed towards the Santa Catalina Park – not a huge area but pleasant all the same. We took the obligatory photos before heading into the park itself. There we found lovely floral planting giving some great winter colour.
Here we also took time to look at the monument to Lolita Pluma. She was a well loved character in the city who was known for her extravagent bohemian style outfits.
She sold paper flowers, chewing gum and postcards to tourists and spent the meager earnings feeding and looking after the many cats in the park.
Whilst she was known affectionately as the Crazy Cat Lady, when she died in 1987 she was named an honorable woman of the city.
Moving through the streets, we could see that the local authorities were readying the area for the Festive Season. It was a shame to miss it but perhaps an excuse to visit another time.
Within a very short time we had reached the beach area of the city and strolled along the seafront with the usual tourist trappings of cafes and shops. It was certainly warm enough to swim and enjoy the beach but its not our thing so we walked a little further and found a totally different area which rocky outcrops.
As previously mentioned it was lovely weather and that meant it was perhaps time for refreshment! We found a lovely bar called La Buena Vida (The Good Life). It is a casual corner bar with indoor and outdoor seating serving classic cocktails, beers and sangria. We found the hosts extremely friendly and hard working. They really made us feel welcome and the sangria was second to none – highly recommend a visit.
To check out our experiences in Las Palmas just click the video below – and if you enjoy the content simply ‘Like’ and ‘Subscribe’ to see more (subscription is free).