La Graciosa: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria brings together marine worlds, historic buildings, green spaces, markets and varied paths. At the Acuario Natural at Playa de Las Canteras, five clearly distinguishable marine environments can be seen, from the surface to depths of more than 50 metres. Poema del Mar presents 35 marine and river ecosystems; the Poema del Mar Aquarium takes visitors through three areas: the exotic habitats of the earth, the tropical habitat of the oceans and the secrets of the dark ocean.

The coast itself is also home to distinctive habitats. La Barra is a limestone reef more than 100,000 years old that acts as a natural breakwater and supports a diverse marine ecosystem with different habitats, as well as species-rich endemic marine flora and fauna. El Confital is a protected natural landscape; its beach and bay are designated as Special Areas of Conservation (ZEC).

Culture

Vegueta developed around a military camp founded in 1478 by an army sent by the Crown of Castile and became the founding district of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Walks through Vegueta offer the chance to experience the city’s history, gastronomy, art, music and performing arts. The Museo Canario preserves significant remains of the pre-Hispanic culture of the Guanches; its collection is of great archaeological and anthropological value.

The Catedral de Santa Ana is a National Historic-Artistic Monument. It was built in several phases, including from 1497 to 1570 and from 1781 to the present day, and combines Late Gothic, Renaissance and Neoclassical styles. The south tower offers panoramic views over Las Palmas de Gran Canaria; the tower can be reached by lift and via a flight of stairs.

The Fundación de Arte y Pensamiento Martín Chirino, opened on 28 March 2015, is located in the Castillo de la Luz. It is an active centre for intellectual and humanities activities, reflection and debate. The Museo Diocesano de Arte Sacro preserves an important collection of the city’s religious heritage, particularly paintings, sculptures and goldsmiths’ work. The Néstor, modernismo y neocanario route is a self-guided tour of significant examples of modernist architecture in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Paths

Several paths in El Confital provide access to geological, ethnographic and historical features, including a former indigenous settlement and earlier defensive installations with bunkers, remnants of batteries and a trench system. El Confital can be reached on foot via the promenade along the sea from La Puntilla and from the Las Coloradas district.

The Sendero del barranco de Guiniguada runs for 7.5 kilometres from the city’s historic centre to the Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo. It is a three-metre-wide path for pedestrians and cyclists and passes artificial caves from pre-Hispanic times, watermills, irrigation channels, cultivation terraces and traditional houses. The Sendero litoral de la Bahía de Las Palmas is an approximately 10-kilometre-long coastal promenade parallel to Avenida Marítima that can be travelled on foot or by bicycle.

The Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo covers 27 hectares and displays the flora of the Canary Islands, as well as endemic plants of Macaronesia and related vegetation from other regions. Visitors can walk through laurel forest, thermophilous forest and Canarian pine forest, and explore succulent and coastal vegetation areas. In the middle of the city, Parque Doramas features lush gardens, fountains, ponds and old palm trees.

City, Sea and Stages

Playa de Las Canteras offers lifeguard and beach patrol services, adapted toilets, assisted bathing, an accessible path, tourist information and sports areas. Surfing and bodyboarding events take place at Playa de Las Canteras throughout the year, including high-level competitions with surfers from the world federation circuit.

The Auditorio José Antonio Ramos in Parque Doramas is an open-air amphitheatre with a year-round programme of cultural activities. The Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la Tecnología has exhibition rooms with interactive modules, a planetarium, a greenhouse with Canarian ecosystems, a large-format cinema and conference rooms. Mathematics, physics, biology, computer science, engineering and art are presented.

Markets

Mercado del Puerto combines a modernist wrought-iron building protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest with a varied gastronomic offering. Mercado de Vegueta offers local produce as well as wines and cheeses from the Canary Islands and is the oldest food market in the Canary Islands.

Those choosing La Graciosa as a travel destination can plan their stay with the intention of renting a holiday apartment there.

For the higher-level travel overview: Canary Islands.

Other destinations

Other places within the same destination:

Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, Lanzarote, El Hierro.