Las Palmas

Las Palmas by night

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the capital of the island, is located in the north-eastern part of the island set in a magnificent scenery composed of two bays and their beautiful beaches – Playa de las Canteras and Playa de las Alcaravaneras.Founded in 1478, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria boasts an important historical and cultural heritage, much of which can be found in the district of Vegueta, the oldest quarter of the town, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.Originating from a Castilian military encampment on the right hillside of the ravine Barranco de Guiniguada – where the San Antonio Abad chapel is located today – the first settlement, named Real de Las Palmas, expanded towards the banks of the ravine developing into the quarters of Vegueta and Triana on the right and left bank of the Barranco de Guiniguada. Today these two historic quarters are separated by Las Palmas’ major highway, Calle Juan de Quesada, which crosses the Barranco de Guiniguada and leads out of town to the centre of island.For almost four hundred years the city was limited to the north within the perimeter of the walled quarters of Vegueta and Triana and during the 16th, 17th and 18th century the town grew primarily into the interior of the island as almost all the cities of the archipelago. The quarters Vegueta, Triana, Vega de San José and some small neighbourhoods, inhabited by immigrants and fishermen, mainly constituted the city of Las Palmas. Only in the 19th century – also favoured by the construction of the port Puerto de la Luz – the city started expanding to the north along the coastal strip and the districts of Arenales, Ciudad Jardin, Alcaravaneras, Santa Catalina and La Isleta emerged.Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has a large infrastructure of hotels and apartments and its harbour Puerto de La Luz is one of the most important of all Europe, giving the city a very cosmopolitan image. Under the impulse of tourism and economic activities of the sixties the city was finally consolidated and settled with a population that has doubled in the last 30 years (actually around 400.000 inhabitants).Today Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a bustling city overflowing with Spanish ambiance, history and culture. The Lucha canaria (canarian fight) and the vela latina canaria (Canarian latin sailing) are native sports that originated in the capital of Gran Canaria. Almost every weekend you can observe vela latina canaria regattas going out to the sea.If you want to experience some special festivities in the city of Las Palmas, then come during the carnival period – usually in February/March – or in June (24th) to participate in the San Juan fiestas.