Las Palmas Gran Canaria Mini Guide
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the largest city and chief port of the Canary Islands.
A lively bustling city with many roles and a commercial centre. This is where Columbus stayed on his first voyage of discovery. The best place to start is the Port which is always a hub of activity . Across the narrowest point of the Isleta Peninsula, the great beach of Las Canteras stretches 1.5 miles along a boulevard with shops, restaurants, bars and hotels. Almost directly opposite the port is the the Santa Catalina Park. Other beaches are El Corte Ingles, Las Alcaravaneras, and there is the Parque Doramas, which is a green oasis with huge palms and fountains.
Not only is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria the largest city in the Canary Islands, but it is also one of the biggest cities in Spain, the country to which territory it belongs.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a city built on the beach and the main Playa de las Canteras is a popular place to go and hang out, or get an ice cream to cool yourself down.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is pleasant to look at with some fine old buildings such as the Catedral de Santa Ana which is fairly hard to miss when you take a walk through the city centre.
Meanwhile the Plaza Santa Catalina is a good place to get a drink at a bar or café and watch the world go by. The nearby Santa Catalina Park hosts the annual WOMAD music festival. You may wish to plan your journey to coincide with this or the stunning Easter carnival.
You should have no problem arriving at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as it has a large modern airport which is served by flights from all over Europe and Scandinavia. Picking up your Rhino hire car from the airport will save you having to wait for public transport and lug your baggage about in the hot weather which attracts so many people to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
It is also easy to reach Las Palmas de Gran Canaria by boat from mainland Spain or the other popular Canary Islands such as Tenerife and Lanzarote. Once you have arrived you will find Las Palmas de Gran Canaria easy to drive around as it is well served by major roads referred to as the GC 1, GC 2, GC 3 and GC 4.
That said, make an effort to void driving during peak hours when Las Palmas de Gran Canaria residents will be driving to work. Should you do that you will be pleased to find that the price of petrol is a bit cheaper than on main land Europe and there are no toll roads. Parking is not always easy or cheap but the roads are well sign posted even if there are quite a few one way roads. Still, parking and walking around the city centre will serve you well.