No. 2 - Its Gran Canaria Magazine

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DISCOVER GRAN CANARIA I DESCUBRE GRAN CANARIA Nº 2
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is located to the northwest of Gran Canaria,
and is both the island’s capital and the most densely populated
city in the Canary Islands. It is a privileged enclave, enjoying an
average annual temperature of 21 degrees centigrade, meaning that
visitors can come to its many kilometres of beaches at any time of
the year.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is noted for the beauty of its coastline, its
extraordinary environmental conditions and culture, and for its unique
and historical locations. These characteristics made it the cradle
for the tourist industry in the Canary Islands, and this continues to
be true today, with the city consolidating itself as a top tourist destination.
From an historic point of view, the Port of La Luz and Las Palmas
played an important role in this process, and today the capital displays
its richest identity through the port. It is connected to no less
than 180 other ports around the world through 30 maritime routes,
and is a benchmark destination for tourist cruises, attracting some
800,000 travellers to the city every year, figures that endorse its
great relevance.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a city for everyone, an enclave whose
landscapes and architecture all tell their own story. It is packed full
of leisure and culture facilities, embraces its people and basks in tourism.
So get ready to wander around its streets with us, get to know
its most emblematic monuments and cool off in the Atlantic waters
that merge seamlessly into its five unique urban beaches along its
coastline.
The beaches
Las Canteras beach is the most important urban tourist beach in the
archipelago and is one of the most outstanding in Europe. This natural
setting comprises a strip of three kilometres of golden sands
that hug the capital’s coastline, with some unique features including
its ecosystem and a reef called La Barra, which runs parallel to the
beach and acts as a wave breaker, resulting in water lapping gently
up to the beach.
The beach is flanked by the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium, the Plaza de la
Música and La Cícer at one end, and La Puntilla at the other, although
visitors can continue walking as far as the wild and natural setting
of El Confital, an extension of Las Canteras. Its pleasant promenade
joins the two points together and enables us to walk along the entire
bay, stopping off to enjoy a whole range of services along the way,
making it a truly authentic tourist attraction in the city.
Another of the main attractions are the rest of the beaches: Las Alcaravaneras,
with golden sands and calm waters, is located beside
the sports harbour and is part of the Port of La Luz. It is bordered
by a promenade and two of the capital’s nautical clubs; La Laja is at
the southern entrance to the city and is noted for its black sand and
clean water, although it can be hazardous due to its currents. There
are some natural salt-water pools which provide a safer place for a
swim, as well as views over the horizon and a long promenade to
enjoy a pleasant stroll.
We finally come to San Cristóbal, overlooked by the Castillo de San
Cristóbal, a small stone and pebble beach, located in the fishing dis-
Playa de Las Canteras