The things to do in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria come down to two names: Vegueta, the historic quarter, and Las Canteras, the city beach. Add a third, the Poema del Mar aquarium, and you have a full day. Las Palmas is the island's capital and, with 380,436 inhabitants, the most populous city in the Canary Islands.
The city has two ends linked by buses: Vegueta and Triana, with the San Telmo bus station, and Santa Catalina, with the port and Las Canteras. Stay at whichever end you will use most. And if you were looking for La Palma, that's a different island: La Palma.
Our pick
1
Poema del Mar without the queue
The city's indoor option, next to the cruise quay; a visit of around an hour.
GetYourGuide
Poema del Mar Skip-the-Line Entry at the ticket counter
4.8 (4,555 reviews)
from €29Check availability
2
Vegueta with tapas
A private walking tour of the old town with tapas; for anyone who wants context and good food at the same time.
GetYourGuide2.5 hours
Las Palmas: Private Old Town Walking Tour with a Tapa
4.7 (218 reviews)
from €55Check availability
3
Snorkelling at Las Canteras
The rock bar shelters the beach: calm water for a first guided snorkel.
GetYourGuide2.5 hours
Las Palmas: Las Canteras Beach Snorkelling Trip
4.5 (449 reviews)
from €39Check availability
4
Vegueta in an hour
A guided walk round the old town at a rock-bottom price; English only.
GetYourGuide1 hour
Vegueta Old Town Walking Tour in Las Palmas (Only in English)
4.1 (305 reviews)
from €9Check availability
Things to do in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in 1, 2 or 3 days
In one day. Morning in Vegueta: the Casa de Colón, El Museo Canario and the square in front of Santa Ana cathedral. Lunch, then a whole afternoon at Las Canteras, strolling along the promenade until sunset. At weekends, start early: El Museo Canario closes at 14:00.
In two days. Add Poema del Mar (around an hour) and the sightseeing bus, or a morning walking down into the Caldera de Bandama crater.
In three days. Head out of the city: Teror (lines 216 and 229) and Arucas (the 234, direct) are €1.90–2.30 by bus from San Telmo. The Arehucas distillery doesn't open at weekends. Inland routes in Gran Canaria day trips.
With kids, the short route is Poema del Mar plus Las Canteras at low tide; on the sightseeing bus, under-5s ride free.
Half a day from a cruise ship
Poema del Mar is on the Muelle Sanapú, next to the cruise terminal, and Las Canteras is a short walk away. With four or five hours ashore, that's the stress-free plan: aquarium and beach on foot. Vegueta is at the other end of the city: take a city bus (€1.40) or a taxi, and keep an eye on the time to get back to the ship.
Vegueta and Triana: the old town and its museums
Vegueta and Las Canteras are among the island tourist board's ten must-sees. Triana, right next to Vegueta, is the district with the San Telmo bus station, where the airport and southern buses stop; you can explore both on foot.
| Visit | Price | Opening hours |
|---|---|---|
| Casa de Colón | €4, reduced €2, free on Sundays | Monday to Saturday 10:00–18:00; Sundays and public holidays 10:00–15:00 |
| El Museo Canario (Calle Doctor Verneau 2) | €6 (residents €5, reduced €3) | Monday to Friday 10:00–20:00; Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 10:00–14:00 |
| Museo Elder (Parque Santa Catalina) | €8 (residents €6) | Tuesday to Saturday 10:00–20:00; Sunday 10:00–18:00; closed Monday |
El Museo Canario has been undergoing extension works for years and is not adapted for people with reduced mobility: if you use a wheelchair, phone ahead. Both close on 1 January and 25 December, and the Casa de Colón also on 6 January, 1 May and 24 and 31 December.
Different prices are quoted for the tower of Santa Ana cathedral: check at the cathedral itself.
Las Canteras beach
Las Canteras stretches for just over 3 km in three arcs and has one big advantage: La Barra, a reef about 2 km long some 200 m offshore that shelters almost the whole beach. At low tide, in the lagoon behind it, you can ‘walk on water’. The promenade runs from the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus to El Confital.
At the southern end, La Cícer is the surf zone; El Confital is for experienced surfers. For snorkelling or a try dive, there are guided trips from the beach itself (more in watersports in Gran Canaria). At Christmas the beach hosts a sand nativity scene made by international sculptors, every year since 2006.
Poema del Mar aquarium: price and tickets
Poema del Mar opens every day of the year from 09:30 to 17:30 on the Muelle Sanapú. It has more than 350 species in three zones (Jungle, Reef and Deep Ocean), and a curved acrylic window 36 m long and 7 m high. A visit takes around an hour.
| Where | Ticket | Rating | Price | Where to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuide | Poema del Mar Skip-the-Line Entry at the ticket counter | 4.8 (4,555) | €29 | View on GetYourGuide |
| Tiqets | Poema del Mar - Aquarium Gran Canaria: Skip The Line Ticket | 4.7 (1,458) | €29 | View on Tiqets |
Adult prices checked on 2 October 2026. They may vary by date; each site confirms the final price.
The ticket costs the same everywhere: €29 for adults and €19 for children aged 3 to 11 on the aquarium's website, and €29 on GetYourGuide and Tiqets. What differs is cancellation: on Tiqets you can't cancel or change the date. Canary Islands residents pay less, but only on the official website (€19 / €13.50), and visitors can't use that rate. For other parks on the island, see Aqualand Maspalomas.
Las Palmas hop-on hop-off bus
City Sightseeing's tour bus does a full loop in 80 minutes, comes every 40 minutes and has its main stop in Parque Santa Catalina.
- 24 hours: €25 adult, €15 child aged 5 to 15; under-5s free.
- 24 hours with a 60-minute boat trip and the Museo Elder: €35 / €25.
- 48 hours with museums: €45 / €35.
| Where | Ticket | Rating | Price | Where to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuide | Las Palmas: City Sightseeing Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus Tour | 3.7 (1,019) | €25 | View on GetYourGuide |
| Tiqets | Hop-on Hop-off Bus Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | 3.3 (13) | €25 | View on Tiqets |
| Official website | City Sightseeing Las Palmas, 24-hour ticket | — | €25 | Official site ↗ |
Adult prices checked on 2 October 2026. They may vary by date; each site confirms the final price.
It costs €25 everywhere, so a booking platform saves you nothing, and the reviews are lukewarm (3.7 out of 5 on GetYourGuide, 3.3 on Tiqets). If you just want to get around, the LIVE card for the city buses is far cheaper.
Near Las Palmas: the Caldera de Bandama and the Jardín Canario
Anyone looking for a ‘volcano’ near Las Palmas has the Caldera de Bandama, a crater 216 m deep and about 1,100 m across, formed some 5,000 years ago. A trail goes down to the bottom, and the Pico de Bandama viewpoint is reached by road through the Tafira vineyards. Line 311 runs there from San Telmo for €1.55. Gran Canaria has no active volcanoes: see Canary Islands volcanoes.
The Jardín Canario, in Tafira, is the botanical garden founded in 1952 by Eric R. Sventenius. It opens on weekdays from 07:30 to 19:00 (April–September) or 18:00 (October–March), and at weekends and on public holidays from 10:00 to 18:00. Access from the hillside is currently closed for works: the only way in is from the Dragonal road, km 7 (GC-310), with no bus stop near the main entrance. Check jardincanario.grancanaria.com before you go.
Getting to Las Palmas and around the city
- 1VeguetasightDirections ↗
- 2Las CanterasbeachDirections ↗
- 3Las Palmas de Gran CanariaportDirections ↗
- 4Caldera de Bandamanature areaDirections ↗
- 5Aeropuerto de Gran Canaria (LPA)airportDirections ↗
- 6TerortownDirections ↗
- 7ArucastownDirections ↗
From the airport. Global's line 60 is direct and runs every 30 minutes; from the airport, the first leaves at 06:15. It costs €2.30 to San Telmo and €2.95 to Santa Catalina: get off at the station nearest your hotel, not the cheapest. Lines 1, 5, 11 and 91 also connect. By taxi, use only the official rank: €3.85 flag fall by day, €1.35 per km and a €2.10 airport supplement.
From the south. From Faro de Maspalomas, lines 30 (direct) and 50, €6.15; from Playa del Inglés, lines 1, 5 and 30, €5.60; from Puerto Rico and Puerto de Mogán, the 91 (€7.55 and €8.75).
Within the city. City buses (guaguas) charge €1.40 per journey. The LIVE card (€5 for 24 h, €12 for 72 h) pays for itself from the fourth journey of the day; for longer stays, the contactless Bono Guagua works out at €0.42 a journey.
The rest of the island is in the Gran Canaria guide; to carry on to Tenerife, see ferries and flights between the islands.
Booking tours and trips from Las Palmas
GetYourGuide
Poema del Mar Skip-the-Line Entry at the ticket counter
4.8 (4,555 reviews)
from €29Check availability
GetYourGuide1 day
Las Palmas: City Sightseeing Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus Tour
3.7 (1,019 reviews)
from €25Check availability
GetYourGuide7.5 hours
From Las Palmas: Pico de las Nieves & Roque Nublo Full-Day Trip
4.7 (1,266 reviews)
from €48Check availability
GetYourGuide7.5 hours
From Las Palmas: Highlights of Gran Canaria Day Tour
4.6 (715 reviews)
from €48Check availability
GetYourGuide2.5 hours
Las Palmas: Las Canteras Beach Snorkelling Trip
4.5 (449 reviews)
from €39Check availability
GetYourGuide7.5 hours
From Las Palmas: Full-Day Tour of the North
4.6 (270 reviews)
from €48Check availability
See all options on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 2 October 2026
More tours in the Las Palmas selection.
Frequently asked questions
What can you see in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in one day?
Vegueta in the morning (Casa de Colón and El Museo Canario) and Las Canteras in the afternoon until sunset. If you have time left, Poema del Mar, which is open until 17:30.
How much is the Las Palmas hop-on hop-off bus?
€25 for adults and €15 for children aged 5 to 15 for 24 hours, the same on the official website and on the platforms. With the boat trip and the Museo Elder, €35 and €25.
How much is a ticket to Poema del Mar?
€29 for adults and €19 for children aged 3 to 11, the same price on the official website and on the platforms. It opens every day from 09:30 to 17:30.
Which museums are free in Las Palmas?
The Casa de Colón is free every Sunday, from 10:00 to 15:00. The rest of the week it costs €4.
How do you get from the airport to Las Palmas by bus?
On line 60, direct and every 30 minutes: €2.30 to San Telmo and €2.95 to Santa Catalina.
How do you get to Vegueta?
Vegueta is next to San Telmo bus station, where the line 60 from the airport and the buses from the south stop. From Las Canteras, a city bus costs €1.40.
