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Travel // Going Around // Canary Islands // Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Travel // Going Around // Canary Islands // Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a bustling city overflowing with Spanish ambience, history and culture. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is one of the largest cities in Spain, and is the largest city in the Canary Islands.
Getting There:
By Plane
Gran Canaria has a modern international airport, Gran Canaria International Airport. The airport receives flights from Madrid, about 2 and a half hours, and from Barcelona and Bilbao, both about 3 hours. UK flights takes about 4 or 4 and a half hours. It operates flights to different destinations, mainly trough Europe and northern Africa.
By Boat
Las Palmas receives ships from all over the world at the Port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and at the Port of Las Nieves in Agaete, about 50 km from Las Palmas where a connection to Santa Cruz de Tenerife through Fred.Olsen is available. Because its strategic position it receives visitors every year from all over Europe, Africa and America. For business or for tourism the port remains as one of the most important ports today and there is a program of further expansion. It operates daily routes to other Canary Islands. To Cádiz on the Spanish mainland, a trip by boat takes about 2 days.
Passenger ferry Naviera Armas operates a fleet to and from Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, Portugal, Madeira and several other islands. Acciona Transmediterránea operates the Las Palmas-Cádiz line and some inter-island lines. Most of the inter-island connections are run by fast ferries. Residents of the Canary Islands receive discounted fares.
Going Around
By Bus
Las Palmas has the best quality bus system in the archipelago and has one of the best in Spain. These are bright yellow buses known simply as guaguas probably because the service is provided by Guaguas Municipales.
The most important bus lines have frequencies of between 3 and 15 minutes during the day and between 10 and 40 minutes at night. Most lines have service throughout the night. Among the most useful lines are:
Line 1 Teatro - Puerto
Line 12 Hoya de la Plata - Puerto
Line 30 Alameda de Colón - Santa Catalina
By Car
Dense traffic on workdays and in certain commercial leisure zones mean that driving is really no fun here. The city street plan is not at all rectilinear, so the streets can confuse even experienced drivers. Parking is also pretty expensive in most places. On the upside, the price of gasoline is significantly cheaper that the rest of Spain and Europe, there are no toll roads. Entrances, exits, main streets and important zones are all well-signposted.
What To See
Playa de Las Canteras - Almost 4 kilometers in length, this beach is the very symbol of the city and its citizens.
Catedral de Santa Ana - Embodying several centuries of history, the cathedral can be seen from almost any point in the city center.
Vegueta - Historical enclave of the city.
Parque Santa Catalina - This is where most of the hot nightlife spots can be found. It's also pretty during the day, although it consists of little more than a few palm trees.
Triana - One of the oldest districts in Las Palmas, and now the city's commercial center.
Alfredo Kraus Auditorium - Concert and music hall with classical philharmonic performances and a building that's worth a visit on its own.
Elder Museum of Science and Technology - Most exhibitions have information in both Spanish and English. When you're in, you can also use the internet computers there, so the entrance fee is pretty decent.
Gáldar - Used to be the capital of Gran Canaria before the Spanish conquered the island.
La Cueva Pintada - (The painted cave) represents a piece of history of the guanche population.
Arucas - Famous for its rum and its Cathedral. The distillery is open to the public and it can be visited for free. The are samples of different alcoholic beverages that can be tested.
Tejeda - Go up to the mountains where you can enjoy spectacular view of the island. You can walk to the "Roque Nublo" by foot through stoned pathways built centuries ago. El Roque Nublo is the symbol of Gran Canaria.
What To Do
As a beach town, Las Palmas is especially popular for ocean side activities. Catch a wave, grab your snorkel, or just soak up some sun (after applying sunscreen, of course!). Or if you feel like exploring terra firma, do as the locals do and make use of the public tourism bus, known affectionately as the guiriguagua.
Events
Carnaval - Almost as famous as that of the neighboring island of Tenerife, yet different and perhaps even better. It is without a doubt quite spectacular.
WOMAD Music Festival - Celebrated in the Santa Catalina Park zone, this festival brings in thousands of spectators every year for quality music free of charge.
Romería de Vegueta - The catholic festival celebrated in the Vegueta area of the city.
What To Buy
Shop in the city center or in one of the department stores like "El Corte Ingles". There are cheap electronic products and souvenirs for sale everywhere. For food items, Hiperdino is a chain of stores that has a good range of products and set prices. Some of these stores also have a decent selection of wine. Check out Mercadona too.
Buy the local rum: Arehucas or Artemi or Armiche (and check out the local Honey Rum "ron miel").
Gastronomy
Many restaurants have menus in an abundance of languages and waiters often will also often be able to converse in your own language. Grab a snack at a park vendor or check out www.citygonow.com for up-to-date user reviews of local restaurants.
Drink
Buy the local rum: Arehucas. Drink clean or with Cola.
Tropical Muelle Deportivo - Sip your tropical drink on the roof deck, looking out over the city.
Las Ranas - A good spot for music and partying, but also a quiet place to have an afternoon drink. Outdoor seating is available.
Pachichi, Martínez de Escobar - A classic for cheap drinks, and a favorite with locals.
Sailor's Bar – It offers free wifi. This can be found on Muelle Deportivo - Pantalán 10
Where To Stay
Some travelers have complained of travel agents reserving rooms for them with windows that provide little or no view. If this happens, check with the front desk of your hotel to see if they have another room available.
Club Vista Serena
☎ 0034.928.762336
Residencia Ibiza
☎ +35 263123.
Alcaravaneras Hostel
Pension Falow
☎ +24 928230627
NH Imperial Playa
☎+34.92.8468854
Hotel Fataga
☎+34928.290614
Safety
If you have a veranda/patio on ground level -don't leave doors or windows open unattended for any period of time.
Stay away from anyone that offers you anything for free -like lottery tickets or a free meal. These are often salespeople who want you to buy potentially worthless "holiday club" memberships or dodgy time-shares. They may seem pleasant at first, but may turn hostile and start threatening you.
Excerpted from Wiki Travel
