Las Palmas de Gran Canaria offers something that relatively few European holiday destinations can match: a genuine city break and a beach holiday in the same place.
Located in the northeast of Gran Canaria, the city is the largest urban centre in the Canary Islands and combines historic neighbourhoods, busy shopping streets, restaurants, museums and nightlife with one of Europe’s most impressive urban beaches. You can spend the morning wandering through centuries-old streets in Vegueta, have lunch in a traditional Canarian restaurant and still be swimming in the Atlantic at Las Canteras Beach before sunset.
That mixture gives Las Palmas a very different atmosphere from the purpose-built resorts found further south on Gran Canaria. This is not simply a holiday resort. It is a working Spanish city with universities, offices, residential neighbourhoods, markets, theatres, schools and one of the Atlantic’s important ports. Tourism is part of the city, but it does not completely define it.
Las Palmas was founded in 1478, and its position between Europe, Africa and the Americas has influenced the city ever since. Historic connections with Atlantic trade sit alongside modern cultural influences from mainland Spain, Latin America and Africa. Today, that history is particularly visible in the old districts of Vegueta and Triana.
The climate is another major attraction. Gran Canaria’s location and the influence of the Atlantic trade winds give Las Palmas mild conditions for much of the year, making it particularly appealing to northern European travellers looking for winter sunshine without giving up the attractions of city life.
For visitors who want more than a traditional beach holiday, Las Palmas is therefore an excellent introduction to both Gran Canaria and the wider Canary Islands.