According to Businesscarriers, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the largest city on the island of Gran Canaria and the entire Canary archipelago. It is located in the eastern part of the north coast. The city was founded by the Spaniards in 1478, and 15 years later, on the way of his first journey, Christopher Columbus made a stop here. Now Las Palmas is a noisy multinational city, because since ancient times, sailors from all over the world have come to its port. The city is full of hotels, shops and restaurants, in addition, it is considered the center of the island’s nightlife.
The main attractions of Las Palmas are concentrated in the historic quarter of Vegueta, which for the abundance of buildings of the colonial era in 1990 was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In addition to historical sights, the Vegeta quarter houses the best restaurants and bars of the capital. Anne’s Square is dominated by the 16th century Cathedral, which was built to commemorate the victory of the Spanish over the Dutch who were trying to capture the islands. The cathedral is visible from almost every corner of the city. The interior of the cathedral is made in the style of “Atlantic Gothic”. Here you can see the paintings of the most famous artist of the Canary Islands of the 18th century, Juan de Miranda. Close to the Casa de Colon Museum consisting of several buildings. One of the buildings of the end of the 15th century, in memory of the landing of Christopher Columbus in these places, is called the “House of Columbus”, although in reality it was the residence of the governor. The museum tells about the history of the Canary Islands and the discovery of America. Opposite the museum stands the Iglesia de San Antonio Abad church, where, according to legend, Christopher Columbus prayed before sailing to the New World. In addition, the Cathedral is the main museum of the Canary Islands – Museo Canario. It contains cultural objects of the indigenous population of the Guanaches archipelago (mummies, idols, ceramics, etc.), giving an idea of the pre-colonial history of the islands, and the world’s largest collection of Cro-Magnon skulls. The main city museum of modern art located nearby is also interesting – Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderno. The art gallery is housed in an 18th-century building; here you can see works by local and foreign artists and sculptors of the 20th century. Be sure to take a walk along the narrow cobbled streets of the Vegeta district, lined with old houses with carved balconies and churches. A little north of Vegeta, another area extends – Triana, which leads to the city port. Triana is known for its shopping centers and nightclubs, especially in the vicinity of the oldest hotel of the island of Gran Canaria – “Santa Catalina” (1890), where the Casino was located. In Triana, it is also worth visiting one of the oldest churches in the city – Iglesia de San Telmo of the 16th century and the building of the first city theater – Gabinete Literario. Triana is adjacent to the district of parks and mansions – Ciudad Jardin (“Garden City”), where you can have a great rest: walk along the wide alleys laid between the trees, admire the fountains and sculptures. In February, Carnival is held in Las Palmas, which is not inferior in importance to Carnival in Santa Cruz. North of Las Palmas
Several beaches stretch along the coast. The most popular and cleanest beach in the city is Las Canteras beach. It lies on the western side of the narrow isthmus leading to the La Isleta peninsula. The length of the beach is 3 km. The coast is protected by a reef, so the waters are calm. At the northern end of the beach is the place Confital (Confital), where there is a constant wave, so you can surf here. The waves in Confital are considered among the best in Europe for surfing. Along Las Canteras there is a promenade with cafes and shops. On the other side of the isthmus near the city port is the kilometer-long beach of Playa Las Alcaravaneras (Playa Las Alcaravaneras). The port protects this part of the coast from waves, so the waters here are also calm. Near the beach there are many yacht clubs offering yachts for rent. Las Palmas
has several interesting dive sites. This is the underwater cave La Catedral with a length of 45 m; reef protecting Las Canteras beach (located at a depth of 8 m); and wrecks patrolled by flocks of barracudas: Calais, Frigorifica, Arona and Tres Barcos, which can be explored from the inside. At the southern outskirts of Las Palmas on the coast, the quiet fishing village of San Cristobal is interesting.
(San Cristobal). The restaurants here serve the best seafood in town. In addition, here you can look at the ancient fort, built on the coast. Near the village stretches the beach of black volcanic sand La Laja (La Laja).
From Las Palmas you can go further south along the east coast of Gran Canaria: to the ancient towns of Telde (Telde), Ingenio (Ingenio) and Aguimes (Aguimes), where buildings of the colonial era stand on narrow cobbled streets; cave complexes, where in ancient times the Guanache tribes lived; the city of Arinaga and the coast of Playa del Carbon (Playa del Carbon), where the Marine Reserve of the same name is located.
On the southern coast of the island of Gran Canaria are the most popular resorts of the island Maspalomas (Maspalomas), Playa del Ingles (Playa del Ingles), San Agustin (San Agustin), Arguineguin (Arguineguin), Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico) and Puerto de Mogan (Puerto de Mogan).
Excursions are also arranged from Las Palmas to the highest points of the island, located in its center – the volcanic peak of Pico de las Nieves (1949 m) and Mount Roque Nublo (1813 m), on top of which rises a huge stone monolith; the largest volcanic crater of the island – Bandama; and to the western coast of the island, famous for its landscapes, and archaeological complexes near the city of Galdar (Galdar).
