Getting Around Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Getting Around Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is the capital and largest city of the Canary Islands, set on the northeastern coast of Gran Canaria. For a visitor, the good news is that the city is compact enough to explore on foot in its central areas, and it is backed up by a well-regarded local bus network, an island-wide bus system, taxis, and ferries and flights linking it to the rest of the archipelago and beyond. This guide explains the practical options.

How Tourists Move Around the City

Most visitors will find themselves relying on a combination of walking and the city's bright yellow local buses, known locally as guaguas. The city's main visitor areas — the historic old town around Vegueta and Triana, and the northern beach and port area around Las Canteras and Santa Catalina — are each walkable in themselves, but they sit some distance apart, so you will likely use a bus or taxi to move between them.

Two apps are worth installing before you arrive: Google Maps and Moovit both cover the city and the wider island, and can help you find the right bus line for your destination.

Rail, Metro and Tram

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has no rail, metro or tram network. Getting around the city and the island is done by road (bus, taxi or car) or by sea. Plan your trip around buses, taxis and walking rather than expecting a train system.

Buses and Other Public Transport

There are two distinct bus systems you need to know about, and they serve different purposes.

• City buses (Guaguas Municipales): These are the bright yellow buses that run within Las Palmas itself. The service is provided by Guaguas Municipales and is widely considered the best bus system in the archipelago. You pay a simple fare directly to the driver, and a single trip covers travel in one direction only — you cannot stay on for a circular journey.
• Island buses (Global): Global is the only company operating interurban lines on Gran Canaria, and most of its routes have Las Palmas as either their origin or their destination. These are the blue interisland buses, and they are what you use to reach other parts of Gran Canaria.

The city has two main bus stations, and knowing which one you need matters:

• San Telmo Station — in the city centre, close to the historic Vegueta and Triana old-town areas.
• Santa Catalina Interchange — near the city's port, and also served by the municipal bus system and by taxis.

Buying Tickets and Passes

How you pay has changed in recent years, so it pays to sort out a card rather than assume you can hand over cash.

• At times, cash purchases from bus drivers have not been permitted, and single journey tickets have not been available — instead you buy one of the various plastic top-up cards in advance.
• These cards can be bought online or at Guagua booths at Santa Catalina Park, San Telmo Station or Teatro.
• The least expensive option is a two-journey city bus ticket, which you validate once when getting on the bus.
• A ten-ride bus card is also available, plus a one-time fee for the rechargeable plastic card itself — this is described as the best deal for city bus travel if you don't want to deal with lots of paperwork.
• Cards can be recharged at machines in places such as libraries, malls and bus stations, and at various store kiosks around the city, for a minimum top-up. Machines and kiosks accept cash, credit or debit cards, as do the official bus station card vendors for initial purchases and top-ups.
• Family passes are available for further discounts, and children under six travel free — but don't tap or pay for them, as refunds are not possible and cards are charged for every tap.
• Students, seniors and families (up to five people) can get additional discounts by presenting valid ID at purchase and filling out the applicable forms online beforehand or at the official vendors in the bus stations when they are open.
• If you are over 70 and staying longer, you can apply for a Senior Citizens Pass at the bus station in San Telmo, which gives a discount on longer bus trips. You will need passport photos and a small fee.

Note that most city bus systems will not allow you to buy tickets on board with cash, so it is worth purchasing any onward public transport tickets online in advance — particularly if you are arriving by ferry and continuing your journey.

Luggage and Bicycles on Buses

Rules differ between the two systems, and it is worth knowing them before you turn up with bags.

• Global interisland buses allow you to place luggage underneath the bus. Standing is not permitted on Global buses, so if there is no space you must wait for the next one.
• On city Guagua buses, you must be able to carry and secure your luggage with you while standing or seated, if space permits. Standing is allowed on city buses.
• On either type of bus, you are responsible for loading your luggage and telling the driver if you need to unload at a stop earlier than a station where unloading is normally facilitated.
• Bicycles can only be carried on buses if they are in a bag or box, and they must be carried by their owner.
• City buses may refuse luggage or bicycles depending on the driver and how many passengers there are; the same applies to Global interisland buses, other than the airport express line.
• Carry-on luggage must fit on your lap.

Taxis and Ride-Hailing

Taxis are described as the most efficient way to travel, but also the most expensive. Official island taxis use a taximeter that shows the fare during the journey, and prices are per taxi and per route, set at official rates approved by the Government of the Canary Islands. Taxis can accept cash or most credit and debit cards.

At the airport, taxis can only pick up at designated queues, and the official taxi service there is Socomtaxi. Socomtaxi offers, by reservation, wheelchair-adapted and disabled-access taxis, vehicles for up to seven people, baby car seats, and credit card payment. Radio Taxi San Juan, based in Telde, is another local operator.

A reserved taxi or private tour hire car ride between the city and the airport costs around €30. Private tours and car hires can be cheaper but must be arranged with the drivers in advance, and most hotels and hostels can book these for you.

Walkability

Walking is a genuinely practical way to enjoy Las Palmas, particularly along the waterfront. The city has four main beaches — Las Canteras, Las Alcaravaneras, La Laja and El Confital — and several of them are linked by promenades.

• Las Canteras is the largest beach in the city and is popular year-round with locals and foreign visitors alike. A wide pedestrian boardwalk, the Paseo de Las Canteras, runs parallel to the beach from near the Auditorio Alfredo Kraus to the area known as "Puntilla" and on to Playa del Confital.
• Las Alcaravaneras is served by a promenade that starts at the beach, connects with Playa de San Cristóbal, and continues to Playa de La Laja to the south. This promenade is one of the city's recreational areas and is popular with people walking, running, playing sports or cycling.
• La Laja has benefited from a boardwalk that has significantly improved pedestrian access.
• El Confital is a narrower, mostly hard volcanic beach equipped with comfortable foot paths and large, slanted stone slabs suitable for relaxing, exercising and sunbathing.

The historic districts of Vegueta and Triana, near San Telmo Station, are also well suited to exploring on foot, and the Colón House museum in Vegueta is a notable stop.

Getting from the Airport into the City

Gran Canaria International Airport (LPA) sits near the town of Telde, south of Las Palmas. There are flights from many airports in Northern, Western and Central Europe, mainland Spain, Italy, other Canary Islands, and a couple from Africa. Several options connect the airport to the city.

By Bus

The Global interisland blue buses are the public transport option from the airport. Several routes travel from the airport into Las Palmas, and two of them are the airport–city express lines. All airport and city buses travel to one of the two main city bus stations: San Telmo Park (central, near the Vegueta and Triana historic old town) or Santa Catalina Park (further north, near the port, marina and the main city beach of Las Canteras).

• Airport–city buses run approximately every 30 minutes, all day and night.
• The express lines normally run between roughly 06:15 and 20:50.
• You must press the bus stop button to indicate your stop, or the driver may continue past stops or stations without stopping.
• Fares vary depending on the bus route and time of day, with the express lines being the cheapest option.
• Global interisland buses allow you to place luggage under the bus, but standing is not permitted, so you may have to wait for the next bus if it is full.

By Taxi

A reserved taxi or private hire car to the city costs around €30. Taxis can only pick up at designated queues at the airport, and they accept cash or most credit and debit cards. As noted above, Socomtaxi is the official airport taxi service and can arrange accessible vehicles, larger vehicles and baby seats by reservation.

By Rental Car

Rental cars are the main option for most groups looking to save money, and car rental is also available for independent travel around the island. A few practical cautions:

• Drivers must generally be over 23 to 25, hold a valid driver's licence (and in some cases an international permit), and be able to drive a manual transmission vehicle.
• Almost all companies must be booked online prior to arrival.
• Always rent direct through the specific car company's website. There are many third-party insurance and rental scams in Spain, including at point-of-rental desk bookings and with rental car bookings sold as part of a flight package deal. Expect additional fees and charges when not dealing direct with a rental company.
• Expect pricing changes and vehicle switching, and don't expect a fee refund — there is no viable complaint mechanism.

Arriving by Boat

The Port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria receives ships from all over the world and is one of the most important ports today, with a programme of further expansion. There are many daily ferries from Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife and smaller islands. Naviera Armas and Fred Olsen are the largest operators, with several smaller companies as well.

• Fred Olsen ferries arrive at the nearby town of Agaete rather than in Las Palmas city itself.
• Each ferry arriving at Gran Canaria operates a passenger bus to take walk-on passengers from the ferry dock to near the Santa Catalina bus station in Las Palmas — and the same applies in reverse to reach the ferry.
• Walk-on passengers must select the passenger bus connection when booking their ferry tickets. If you didn't book it, go to the nearest ferry company ticket office and ask them to help you book the shuttle for your ferry. Shuttle departure is normally one hour before the scheduled sailing time, from the designated ferry shuttle bus stop.
• Missing the ferry connection shuttle can cost a lot of time and money, as the ferry docking ports are a great distance from any public transit options.
• Be sure to purchase online any additional public transit tickets you need to travel onward from the ferry passenger bus drop-off points, as most city bus systems will not allow on-bus ticket purchases with cash.
• Naviera Armas ferries arrive at their own pier, where no public transport is available — but the company provides free shuttle buses from the El Muelle shopping mall beside their main office building, near the Santa Catalina Park underground interisland bus station connection. Fred Olsen's passenger shuttle bus departs from near the children's park in the Santa Catalina Park outdoor city bus station section, near their Fred Olsen office.
• From mainland Spain, there is one weekly sailing every Saturday from Cádiz operated by Transmediterránea, taking about 40 hours.

Arriving by Car

If you are driving to Las Palmas, several highways serve the city:

• GC-1 cuts through the city, connecting it with the airport and other important municipalities to the south.
• GC-2 connects the city with the North Zone, extending up to Agaete.
• GC-3 circles the city and connects the other three highways.
• GC-4 connects Las Palmas with the communities in the centre of the island.

Practical Summary

For most visitors, the workable combination is: walk the central districts and the beachfront promenades; use the yellow city guaguas for longer hops within Las Palmas, buying a rechargeable top-up card rather than expecting to pay cash on board; use Global blue buses for the airport and for trips elsewhere on the island; and fall back on taxis when you need speed or are carrying luggage. Remember that there is no rail or tram network, that the two main bus stations serve different parts of the city, and that buying your tickets or cards in advance — especially for ferry connections — will save you both time and money.