Take a short bus or taxi ride from Las Palmas tourist area and you will enter a different world: Las Palmas Old Town, Vegueta.
Quiet cobbled streets, old stone quarters and residential areas clinging to the hills give this oldest part of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria a very special flavour.
Vegueta, Las Palmas Old Town
Walk in the old areas of Triana and Vegueta, starting from the central square Parque de San Telmo. That is where taxis and buses from central Las Palmas normally take you.
Las Palmas Old Town Map
Map of the old town of Las Palmas and a walking itinerary to see it
The map shows the old town of Las Palmas (Triana and Vegueta) and a walking itinerary in the old quarters. Next to the old town center are the Las Palmas Hills, an area you should also go and see.
Las Palmas Old Town Hills
Las Palmas Old Town, Gran Canaria
Big parts of the old town climb the hills west of Triana and Vegueta.
You can climb up the stairs and explore this special area where so many locals live. Or you can just look at the hills at a distance.
Click on the small photos and you will see them all in a slideshow.
If you prefer taking a bus up the hills, the bus leaves from Parque San Telmo. Take the bus up and walk back down the stairs, or walk both ways.
Now we area back in the lower city Vegueta:
Local life in Vegueta and Triana
Vegueta, Las Palmas
The old town of Las Palmas is much less touristic than the new city. Here local families gather with family and friends and sit in outdoor cafes watching football games.
Spend some time with Las Palmas locals and taste some tapas and wine. The best tapas time in Spain is late afternoon and early evening.
There is also the busy shopping street of Calle Mayor de Triana. Calle Mayor de Triana starts in Parque de San Telmo and goes though the old town. We went shopping a little bit and instantly made some good bargains. Recommend!
Narrow Streets and Small Squares
A Vegueta plaza, walking in the old town of Las Palmas
As you wander the winding alleys you will come to the Museo Canario that tells about the history of the Canary Islands.
Another museum worth a visit is the museum of Casa Colón. That’s the exact place where Christopher Columbus stayed in 1492, planning his coming trip to the New World, America.
Some more sights: go and visit the tiny San Telmo Chapel and the huge Catedral de Santa Ana.
Cathedral of Santa Ana
Cathedral of Santa Ana, Las Palmas
This is La Catedral de Santa Ana in evening light, seen from the pretty square in front. Can you believe, it took as long as 400 years to build this church!
Take a lift to the top of Santa Ana’s south tower and you will get a panorama of the whole Las Palmas Old Town from above the roofs.
As you have now seen the top places of this oldest part of Las Palmas, isn’t it time for Spanish tapas in a Vegueta bar?
Hope you enjoyed walking Las Palmas with me. This walk is an easy half day trip from the tourist areas and harbor of Las Palmas. As you need to walk on cobbled streets, take good shoes if you can.
How to get from Las Palmas to Vegueta, Las Palmas Old Town
Parque San Telmo in the oldes part of Las Palmas
This oldest part of Las Palmas is 6 km south of the city center. To get to Las Palmas Old Town take a bus from Parque de Santa Catalina in central Las Palmas to Parque de San Telmo that is located in Triana.
Buses are called guagua in Las Palmas. You can find Las Palmas guagua route maps and timetables behind these links, only in Spanish:
- Las Palmas bus map
- The buses run all the time so you might not need any timetables. If you yet want to check bus times you will find them here. Use the search box Planea tu ruta.
A Las Palmas bus trip costs EUR 1,40 one way (2016). A taxi costs maybe EUR 5.
Car Trips from Las Palmas
Mountain trip from Las Palmas: the mountain town of Teror
If you want to make car trips out from Las Palmas, check out my Gran Canaria car trip ideas:
- Cave House Trip to the central island
- Car trip to the northern mountains
- The southern mountains of Gran Canaria by car
If local buses are your thing, this is where you will find Gran Canaria bus routes and timetables:
Good Day,
We will be arriving by cruise ship on 29/2/2016 at 09:00, leaving again at 18:00. we are interested in your walking tour, but how do we get from the cruise terminal to your meeting point in town
Thank you
Nadeen
Hi Nadeen, thanks for your question. I guess your cruise goes to the terminal near Parque de Santa Catalina. I recommend you take a taxi, the distance is a few kilometres. There are also frequent buses from the bus stop or the underground bus station in Santa Catalina to Parque to San Telmo but you save your time by taking a taxi and you can do it straight from the terminal. Taxis in Las Palmas are cheap.
Hope you enjoy your cruise and your day in Las Palmas! Liisa
Las Palmas Top 10 Attractions
While paying a visit in Las Palmas there are quite a few places of interest that you should be aware of to possibly plan into your trip. The popular Spain vicinity of Spain has sights and sounds you may know and others which aren’t that familiar to non local locals of Las Palmas we have collected a list of 10 to help you:
1. Playa de Las Canteras
2. Vegueta
3. Jardin Canario
4. Caldera de Bandama
5. Casa de Colon
6. Calle Triana
7. Parque de Santa Catalina
8. Catedral de Santa Ana
9. Doramas Park
10. Playa del Confital
This collection are just to get you going if you have taken a quality guide book you with discover these more and if you have long enough in Las Palmas. You will discover other enjoyable locations and attractions about the Las Palmas area of Spain.
I love this old district in Las Palmas. It is like travelling back in time when you step on the cobblestones. This post is fun. Thanks.