How to get around in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Public transports, taxis and foot passengers
Las Palmas is the capital of Gran Canaria and as such it is a proper city. Not comparable with London, but still of a remarkable size. Charlie was in a coliving The Roof in Ciudad Jardin near the harbour and the beach Alcaravaneras. On foot, it was about 40 minutes to the old town Vegueta, 20 minutes to Plaza de España in the commercial centre of the city and 30 minutes to La Cicer, the surf break at Las Canteras beach. All the important parts could be reached on foot.
There is also a bike rental with Sitycleta available almost anywhere in Las Palmas. You register via the app and you can hire a bike at any of the stations. You will see them along the road.
Getting a cab
On days when Charlie didn’t have enough time to walk to Las Canteras in between work meetings and surf lessons, she took a cab. There is no Uber in Las Palmas, things still work the traditional way. You wait in the street and once you see a taxi with a green light, you give the driver a sign. They stop, you hop in, and you tell them where you want to go. Whenever Charlie took a cab in Las Palmas, the drivers always knew where a particular street was. Impressive! Uber drivers in London would be totally lost without their GPS.
Taxi rank on the side of the road in Gran Canaria.
You can pay by card in the taxis as long as there is a data connection. Since The Roof was opposite the town hall, the internet signal was often blocked. It is always recommended to have some cash. Wherever Charlie went to from The Roof, be it Vegueta or Las Canteras the price was always around €5. For the cab ride from and to the harbour, it was €9.
Public transport
Gran Canaria also has a good public transport network and Google Maps works well to show bus times and connections. The local buses in the Canary Islands are called “Guaguas” and there are two different ones: The yellow Guaguas are only operating within Las Palmas, the blue ones go around the whole island. You can pay by card in either of them.
Buses “Guaguas” in Gran Canaria
The main bus station in Las Palmas is at Plaza San Telmo, half-way between The Roof and the old town. From there, you can reach any point on the island that is connected to the network. Charlie took a Guagua a few times, for example to the market in Teror, and the price was between €1.40 and €2.50, depending on the destination. It is important that you know where you’re going because you have to tell the driver when you get onboard. Google Maps can tell you exactly the name of the bus stop at your destination.
image: Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash
