Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
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📷 Bengt Nyman from Vaxholm, Sweden· CC BY 2.0Las Palmas; a un paso del verano | 'one step from summer' (year-round boast)
About
Las Palmas, officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands in Spain. With a population of 383,516 as of 2024, it is the ninth-largest city in Spain. It is also the fifth-most populous urban area in Spain and, depending on sources, ninth or tenth most populous metropolitan area in Spain.
Wikipedia →Summary excerpted from the Wikipedia article Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text may be clipped or paraphrased to fit this page.
Why visit
Las Canteras Beach alone justifies a stop; a sheltered curve of golden sand backed by a long pedestrian promenade with restaurants, snorkelling reefs, and surfing breaks. Wander Vegueta's cobbled streets and the Wednesday morning Mercado de Vegueta, tour the Casa de Colón for the Columbus connection, and ride the inter-municipal bus to the volcanic interior; the ancient Caldera de Bandama crater and the spectacular Roque Nublo monolith. Try papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes with mojo sauce) and pejines (tiny salt-cured fish).
When to avoid
Las Palmas summer trade winds can blow strong on Las Canteras beach. The southern resort towns (Maspalomas, Playa del Inglés) get the package-tour crowds; the city itself is more authentic. Petty crime around the port and Vegueta at night merits caution; use registered taxis. The high mountain trails close in the Caldera de Tirajana when wildfire risk peaks. Pre-Lent Carnival (February) packs the city; book ahead. Some restaurants are tourist traps near the beach.
Summer (May to Oct)
The Canaries' famously consistent climate keeps Las Palmas mild even in summer; daytime highs around 25 to 27°C with cooling Atlantic trade winds and rare extreme heat. The ocean stays swimmable at 22 to 23°C. Las Canteras Beach culture peaks. Pack lightweight clothes, reef-safe sunscreen, and a windbreaker for evenings. UV is intense even on cloudy days due to subtropical latitude. The Festival of Saint James (July 25) fills the city with concerts and processions.
Winter (Nov to Apr)
Winters are mild and slightly wetter; daytime highs around 20 to 22°C with cool nights dropping to 14°C and brief showers between November and February. The ocean cools to 19°C; still swimmable for the brave. The mountain interior gets occasional snow on Pico de las Nieves at 1,949 m (yes, Africa's only snow-capped peak this far south). The Carnival of Las Palmas in February to March is one of Spain's largest; booking fills months ahead. Pack a light jacket and rain shell.
The next week in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
7-day forecast from Open-Meteo. UV badges flag days when sun protection matters (3 and above is moderate; 8 and above is risk territory for unprotected fair skin within 30 minutes).
Today
Drizzle
20° / 17°
9.3 mm
UV High
Sat
Drizzle
20° / 17°
4.3 mm
UV Very high
Sun
Drizzle
21° / 17°
5.3 mm
UV Very high
Mon
Drizzle
20° / 16°
1.5 mm
UV Very high
Tue
Drizzle
21° / 17°
UV Very high
Wed
Partly cloudy
22° / 17°
In May 16
JFMAMJJASOND
Air quality
No monitoring station within 25 km.
Weather
27° / 16°
Typical high / low
0 mm rainfall this month
Daylight
13.5h
07:12 – 20:43local
Year-round climate
Monthly highs, lows, and rainfall (long-term averages, NASA POWER).
Airports near Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
2 commercial airports within 100 km. Closest is Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) at 22 km.
Getting around Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Public-transit operators within 8 km of the city center. Click through to each operator’s site for routes, fares, and tickets.
Local transit operators
Operators and modes aggregated by TransitLand from individual transit-agency GTFS feeds. Route classifications (subway / tram / rail / bus / etc) come from each feed’s GTFS route_type codes.
Sister cities
Sources
This page blends public reference data, climate/elevation services, and personal notes. Travel requirements can change, so visa and entry details should be checked again before booking.
- Wikipedia →
Summary, canonical article, and some image fallbacks.
- Wikidata →
Population, area, image, coordinates, and linked identifiers where available.
- NASA POWER →
Monthly temperature and rainfall climatology.
- Open-Meteo historical weather →
1991-2020 temperature and precipitation cross-check for compact climate fields.
- Open-Elevation →
Coordinate-based elevation backfill.
- tz database →
Coordinate-based IANA timezone lookup.
- City flag source →
CC BY-SA 4.0, derivative work.
- Site credits →
Global source notes, map tiles, flags, licenses, and attribution policy.