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| Las Palmas: A Popular cruise ship stop |
What to do with your time during a stop off in Las Palmas on a cruise ship? Here's the lowdown on how to get the most out of the city in a short time.
Las Palmas is becoming a major stop off point for cruise ships. In one week in October 2012 23,000 cruise ship passengers will be wandering about. While some don't get past the fast food restaurants in the shopping centre by the dock, Las Palmas is a cool city and it's well worth spending the day seeing its highlights.
A Few Notes
Las Palmas is safe and you are not going to get mugged for walking down the wrong street. It's best not to leave your camera lying on the beach when you go for a swim though.
The food is perfectly safe to eat in all the bars and restaurants. The best lunch deals are in restaurants displaying a "Menu Del Día" sign in Spanish. You get three courses and a drink for less than 10 euros. See below for a link to five excellent restaurants close to the beach.
The cigarettes and booze get cheaper the further away you get from Santa Catalina Square. Head to Big Ben for the best prices and range of tobacco and spirits. It's on Calle Sagasta just by Santa Catalina Square, about 10 minutes from the cruise ship dock. See map here.
The food is perfectly safe to eat in all the bars and restaurants. The best lunch deals are in restaurants displaying a "Menu Del Día" sign in Spanish. You get three courses and a drink for less than 10 euros. See below for a link to five excellent restaurants close to the beach.
The cigarettes and booze get cheaper the further away you get from Santa Catalina Square. Head to Big Ben for the best prices and range of tobacco and spirits. It's on Calle Sagasta just by Santa Catalina Square, about 10 minutes from the cruise ship dock. See map here.
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| Beautiful Canteras Beach in Las Palmas |
The Three Main Options In The City
1. Wander through Santa Catalina Square and down Luis Morote to the beautiful Las Canteras Beach. The promenade is full of cafes and restaurants and there is always space on the sand. The sea is calm behind the reef and the snorkelling is excellent.
2. Head over to Vegueta and Triana for good shopping, cobbled streets and a dose of Canarian history and culture. There are plenty of bars and restaurants and lots of things to do and see. You can either take the bus from the bus station in Santa Catalina Square, or jump in a taxi (one way trip less than 6 euros). The taxis are waiting for cruise passengers right by the dock and are honest.
3. Book a tour, either inside Las Palmas or out to the surrounding area. We recommend Cycle Gran Canaria's Las Palmas City Bike Tour as you get to see the best of the city in a few hours and work off a bit of that buffet chub.
2. Head over to Vegueta and Triana for good shopping, cobbled streets and a dose of Canarian history and culture. There are plenty of bars and restaurants and lots of things to do and see. You can either take the bus from the bus station in Santa Catalina Square, or jump in a taxi (one way trip less than 6 euros). The taxis are waiting for cruise passengers right by the dock and are honest.
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| Touring Las Palmas by bike with Cycle Gran Canaria |
3. Book a tour, either inside Las Palmas or out to the surrounding area. We recommend Cycle Gran Canaria's Las Palmas City Bike Tour as you get to see the best of the city in a few hours and work off a bit of that buffet chub.
For tours outside the city the Bandama crater is impressive and the Jardin Canario Botanical Garden well worth a visit. Other tours whiz you to Teror, the island's prettiest hill town.
More Las Palmas articles on the Sunshine Guide:
Three Things You Should Do In Las Palmas
Five Las Palmas Restaurants The Locals Love
