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Shopping in Las Palmas is, nowadays, an activity that attracts locals as well as tourists. Las Palmas is the capital of the eastern Canary Islands, with about 400.000 inhabitants. This gives you enormous shopping possibilities. To tackle all the great shopping areas in Las Palmas, you will definitely need a good pair of walking shoes!

First we take a little look at some locally produced goods worth shopping. Second, we list the mayor comercial areas of the Las Palmas area.

Local products

Rum: The Canary Islands produce a huge quantity of rum each year, and they are very proud of their product. This is what they drink at local fiestas, without a doubt. Brands like Ron Arehucas, Artemi and Cocal fill up the liquor shelves in each and every store. There is also a sweet honey rum, Ron Miel. All of this you can buy at a very low price.

Electronics: The Canary Islands have a lower VAT than on the spanish mainland. This means that certain products are cheaper. In Las Palmas you'll find a lot of Bazaars selling electronics, and you should always compare their prices with the ones of the larger chains like Mediamarkt and Corte Ingl's.

Cigars: The Canary Islands have always been known for its tobacco production and you'll find a huge offer of cigars and cigarettes. And these products are indeed very cheap, definitely among the lowest prices in Europe.

Wine: Even though the Canary Islands are not internationally known for its wine production, local wine is produced in all islands. Look for Vi'a Frontera (El Hierro), Malvasia (Lanzarote) and El Monte (Gran Canaria).

Food: Well, the list of food worth buying is abundant. The Canary Islands have always had better meat than their fellow spaniards, since the port of Las Palmas received the south american cargo boats shipping the meat straight from Argentina and Uruguay. The canary island banana, or 'pl'tano' as it's called, is much sweeter and tasty than its central american counterparts.

Clothing: Spain has always been keen on fashion, and surely you'll find the clothing you're after. Spanish chains like Massimo Dutti, Zara, Cortefiel, Mango, Springfield offer an incredible amount of good shopping. Not to mention the shoes. Even though chinese shoe production is gaining market shares, the spanish shoe production is still significant.

Mayor shopping areas of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Almost all of the shopping centers below are easily accessed by car or by bus. Every mall but Mesa y L'pez offers abundant free parking as well. The places described below are not in tourist areas, thereby granting you the same excellent shopping possibilities as natives.

Mesa y L'pez: This is a huge shopping street in Las Palmas where you find stores like El Corte Ingl's, Zara, Cortefiel, Zapatos Navarro, Quesada' I can recommend La Oca, a fantastic store for home decoration.

Triana: A traditional shopping area for pedestrians. Stroll along this beautiful street, sit down to have a 'cortado' (small espresso with milk) and just enjoy life.

Corte Ingl's: They have two high street stores in Las Palmas, one in Mesa y L'pez, and one in 7 Palmas. They have about everything you need, as well as a lot of staff that help you find what you need.

7 Palmas: This is a fairly new area of Las Palmas, integrating residential areas and great shopping. Here you find Media Markt, which is the largest electronics mega store in the islands. You also find Zara, Cortefiel, hair dressers and a nice caf' at the bottom floor. Tip: In the garage you can have your car washed and pressed while you go shopping. And its very cheap too!

La Ballena: This was the first mall of Las Palmas, constructed in the late 80's. They have all the shops that you need, as well as a cinema complex.

Las Arenas: Inaugurated around 5 years ago, this is a really nice shopping area, located not more than 100 meters from the world famous Las Canteras Beach of Las Palmas. Here you'll also find Carrefour, definitely one of the bigger supermarkets on the island. Don't forget to stroll down the beach afterwards!

El Muelle: This is the newest one of them all, situated in the Port area of Las Palmas, not far from the famous Santa Catalina Park. The place is huge and offers everything. Tip: After some frenetic shopping, sit down outside by the wodden deck to have a cold 'ca'ita', a small beer.

La Estrella: This one is situated next to the highway south of Las Palmas. They offer an enormous supermarket, Alcampo, as well as Leroy Merlin, an outlet for home decoration and construction. On the other side of the road is Decathlon, a giant sports outlet.

Atl'ntico: Further down south along the highway, in Vecindario, you'll find this gigantic mall, offering all the known shops and a huge Carrefour Supermarket. There is also a McDonalds situated just outside the mall, one of not too many hamburger restaurants in the island.

As you can see, Las Palmas is a shopper's paradise, with enough shopping to satisfy any interest. Don't forget the walking shoes though!