Things to do in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria (our experience)

One of the advantages of making a getaway to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria It is the great diversity of attractions that this city offers its visitors.

It's not just about seeing monuments, historical areas or shopping streets, but you have a wide range of tourist activities.

Of course on your trip you must visit the most interesting places, but from the experience of my various trips to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, one piece of advice is that you should enjoy the environment you live in, its great cultural activity, as well as its various tourist activities.

Best leisure activities to do in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Below we are going to propose various cultural and leisure activities what you should enjoy during your getaway to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Canarian folklore concerts in Pueblo Canario

If you like the canarian folklore, as is my case, on your visit to the city on Sunday mornings you have an appointment at the Canarian town.

After the renovations that have been carried out in recent times, in the patio of this venue you can enjoy this cultural activity during that period that was taking place in the nearby Doramas Park.

Likewise, in the amphitheater of this park throughout the year there are concerts of all types of music, so you must be attentive to its programming.

And of course, another place where you can enjoy concerts and other cultural activities throughout the year is the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium, located at the end of the Las Canteras beach.

Sail on a sailboat through the bay of Las Palmas

The city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – City Life, History & Island VibesAs an important seaport, it is traditionally home to important nautical events, such as the ARC International Regatta whose departure takes place from its leisure port every November.

But an interesting nautical activity that you can sign up for is sail a sailboat through the bay of Las Palmas.

aboard a J80 sailing boat 8 meters in length, ideal for regattas, and from the hand of the young champion in sailing competition Yoel Hernandez, you will sail for a couple of hours, and you will learn tricks to handle this type of boat.

Of course, you will lend a hand when making the various turns, and you will discover the secrets to moving forward even with the wind against you.

This activity can be enjoyed by two people in the Varadero Maritime Club, which you find in the Sports Pier from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and the price is 100 euros.

Visit the Puerto and Vegueta Markets in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

If you are already readers of Travel Guides, you know our opinion that a visit to a big city is not complete if you do not know its main market.

In this regard we are going to offer you two options.

On one hand, the Vegueta Market, typical traditional market in the historic neighborhood of the city, where you will be able to see attractive showcases of food products, among which the very colorful tropical fruit stalls.

Another alternative with a different style is the Port Market, located next to the port and the La Isleta neighborhood.

It is a building built at the beginning of the 20th century by a construction company. Eiffel with the characteristic wrought iron structure.

In its time it was a very popular market for the residents of this popular neighborhood, and in the decades of the 50s and 60s it was frequented by the sailors of the fishing boats of the Russian, Japanese and Korean fleets who went to fish the Saharan Canary Bank and that they docked in the Port of Las Palmas.

On Port MarketIn addition to food products, you could also buy clothing or technology products.

Nowadays it has become a Gastromercado and in a crowded leisure Center de la ciudad.

When you visit, it was curious to see that the stalls are decorated with black and white photos that reflect the atmosphere in the first half of the 20th century, with the presence of the English who already came to the Las Canteras beach.

It is also curious in the Port Market that, in addition to tapas main course, offer skewers, something typical on the peninsula, but not in the Canary Islands.

Hiking in La Isleta and Confital in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

On your visit to the city ​​of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, you may be surprised to know that you can also go hiking in nature areas.

When you arrive in Las Palmas, you will soon see that the city stretches out along the seafront, and that its northernmost side opens up a peninsula with a volcanic landscape.

Is The Islet, a place that in ancient times was an islet that, after several volcanic eruptions, joined the main island where the city is now located, creating the isthmus of the Las Canteras beach.

The Islet currently it is a protected natural landscape, part of which in 1898 became a military area after being expropriated to establish defenses during the Cuban War.

It features three main volcanoes, The watchman (219 meters), El Faro (240 meters) and red mountain (239 meters), although there are up to 16 volcanic hotspotsthe most recent being about 36.000 years old.

En The Islet In addition, a notable archaeological and ethnographic heritage.

Now, on the western slope of the La Isleta peninsula is the Confital beachwhich you can learn about during your getaway to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria hiking through the area known as Blue Trail of Las Canteras.

You will start this excursion at the northernmost area of ​​Las Canteras beach, known as The lace.

That's where it begins promenade that will take you to the Confital beach.

From Las Canteras, after walking just 50 meters, you will reach the Roque de la Cruz viewpoint, from where you have a cliff landscape next to which the houses of the La Isleta neighborhood extend.

It is an old working-class neighborhood from which the development of the city began at the beginning of the 20th century, which accelerated with the tourist boom of the 60s.

It is currently the most popular neighborhood in the port area, although it is becoming fashionable and is experiencing an urban boom.

This area known as the Route of the viewpoints, will take you towards the Pepe the shoeshine boy's square and until the Confital beach along a route equipped with wooden platforms that facilitate hiking.

The Confital is an example of fossil beach, with similar characteristics to the Ajuy beach in Fuerteventura.

Your name from Confital It comes from petrified seaweed, samples of which you can now find on the beach, and which you will recognize because they will look like popcorn.

Throughout this area in the 70s and 80s there were shacks where marginalized people lived, but after being completely rehabilitated by the Las Palmas City CouncilIt is currently a natural haven ideal for walks.

Once the Confital beachAnd leaving the city view behind you, you will enter an area characteristic of a volcanic belt.

There you can see remains of the structure of old batteries built in 1941, due to the threat of a possible British invasion during the Second World War.

You'll also see fenced-off areas where there used to be old fish drying shedsand also by the sea, some natural salt flats.

This final part of the route runs at the foot of the viewpoints in the Las Coloradas neighborhood.

This is an ideal place to go up to see the sunsetwhich you can do in your rental car or in a taxi going through the La Isleta neighborhood.

It should be noted that in The Coloradas is The Godfather, one of the most popular restaurants in the city where you can sample a wide variety of canarian food.

Hiking in Bandama in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

If in your city ​​break in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria If you're looking for a special natural spot for hiking, you shouldn't miss this. climb to the viewpoint of Pico de Bandama.

In fact, this enclave in the municipality of Las Palmas should always be a must-see, as from the viewpoint you have spectacular views of the city and its surroundings.

In the opposite direction, from the Bandama Peak Located at a height of 569 meters, you will see the enormous Bandama boilerwhich may look like a crater, when in reality it is a volcanic sinkhole.

With a diameter of one kilometer and a depth of 200 meters, in the Bandama boiler you have two paths to practice the Hiking, an activity that is recommended to do first thing in the morning.

On the one hand, you have the path that completely surrounds the caldera along its edge, which will take you an hour's walk.

And you also have the option of go down to the bottom of it, where you can reach the houses of an old winery, with a round trip lasting an hour and a half.

Guiniguada Trail in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Another alternative you have for hiking for a corner of nature in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is the Guiniguada Trail.

It is a pedestrian route of just over 7 kilometers in length that starts from the historic Vegueta district and takes you to the Jardín Botánico.

Specifically, it begins in some banana plantations located at the foot of the San Roque Cliff, a place that will catch your attention because of the group of houses with colorful facades that extend along the hillside of the ravine.

You can do it well walking or cycling, and runs through the Guiniguada Ravine between agricultural and livestock farms and with a palm tree landscape.

After a journey of approximately 2 hours, you will be able to end up visiting the aforementioned Jardín Botánico, also known as Canary Garden, a place that will catch your attention because of its native flora of the island.

Best viewpoints to visit in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Another attraction of visiting the city is to see it from one of its terraces and viewpoints.

Without a doubt, you have the broadest vision from the aforementioned Bandama Peak Viewpoint, but you also have viewpoints in closer places in the city.

Highlights the Altavista Viewpoint located on the English Quarter, or also the Viewpoint of the Díaz Casanova urbanization, with a spectacular view of the Las Canteras beach and La Isleta peninsula.

In the same urban area you can go up to the terraces of some hotels, highlighting without a doubt that of the historic Santa Catalina HotelWhose rooftop bar It is open to the public from 17,30:XNUMX p.m.

How and where to visit a winery in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Another surprise that the visit of the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is that in your municipality you can visit a winery.

Specifically, in the area of tafira you have the San Juan Winery, which is surrounded by vineyards with native grapes and where they produce ecological wine.

This winery, whose activity began in 2017, only produces one young wine from the DO Gran Canaria, with diverse grapes such as the list y negramoll.

During the visit to the Finca Moncanal of Bodega San JuanIn addition to the barrel area, you can see a small museum with a spindle press and various traditional utensils, in addition to tasting their wines on a pleasant outdoor terrace.

The guided tours They are throughout the week, at 10,30:12,30 and XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.

Other alternatives for visiting this inner area of ​​the city are the Los Lirios Winery and La Caldera Winery.