I’m Laura Leyshon and I’m Las Palmas’ resident property expert. I work for RE/MAX Cony Overseas, one of the city’s oldest estate agencies and the first RE/MAX office to open in Europe. Cony Overseas has an excellent local reputation and has helped hundreds of foreign buyers and sellers in Las Palmas and all over Gran […]
Moving To Las Palmas: Really Useful Resources
Here’s the list of useful websites that I always recommend to people moving to Las Palmas.
Las Palmas events
The LPA Info Facebook group publishes a great range of local and expat events in Las Palmas.
La Brujula is an excellent Spanish resource for local Las Palmas events.
Property rental
Most residential property in Las Palmas is handled by estate agencies and they all advertise their properties on Idealista.com, Vibbo.com (which was SegundaMano.com), and Fotocasa.com.
If you are looking for shorter-term rentals, then check AirBnB, or talk to Laura from La Casita de Laura. Laura also offers immersive Spanish courses.
Language Exchanges and learning Spanish
The best way to give your Spanish language skills a boost is with the LEG: Gran Canaria’s best language exchange network. Their free and informal events let you get to meet locals and other foreign residents and practise your Spanish.
Las Palmas’ official language school is a good option if you have time to learn Spanish every day.
Finding a job
Lots of companies advertise their jobs online and in Facebook groups. Jobs & Help GC, Gran Canaria Jobs, and Jobs Wanted & Offered in Gran Canaria are good places to look. Teachers should also check English Teaching Jobs In Gran Canaria.
Read this or more info on finding a job in Gran Canaria.
If you’re looking for office space, consider renting a room or a desk at a coworking site like The House (Triana) or CoWorkingC (Port district).
Doctors & chemists
You can book appointments with the health service online, but it’s much easier to call 012.
To find the nearest open chemists at the weekend or during a fiesta, see this website.
Gran Canaria Info
Gran Canaria’s most read and most useful English website has an excellent guide to every Gran Canaria beach. Its Top Ten section is an excellent introduction to the highlights of Gran Canaria.
Read my guide to Las Palmas’ property areas on Gran Canaria Info.
Gran Canaria Guru
While Gran Canaria Info focuses on holidays in Gra Canaria, Guru focuses on what it’s like to live here. It’s packed with useful info about how to get a job in Gran Canaria, apply for residencia, change to a Spanish driving license, get a mortgage, get insurance, etc.
Here’s a great guide to all the discounts that Gran Canaria residents can claim, and a guide to getting a local mortgage.
The weather
El Tiempo has a reliable(ish) long-range weather forecast, and the Spanish Weather Service (AEMET) issues weather alerts and a dust forecast.
Gran Canaria Info publishes a regular and reliable Gran Canaria weather forecast.
Local news
The Canary News is Gran Canaria’s local paper in English and its website is updated most days. Canarias 7 covers local events in Spanish and is free online, while La Provincia is a better read but charges 35 euros per year for a digital subscription.
Checking the beach and the surf
The excellent local website Mi Playa de Las Canteras has four webcams along the beach that let you check the tide, weather, and surf at any time.
If as Palmas is cloudy and you want to know where to go for the sunshine, check out Gran Canaria Info’s webcam page.
Tráfico for fines and driving licenses
It’s almost impossible these days to turn up and do anything at tráfico without an appointment. For example, you need a cita previa to renew or modify a driving license or appeal a traffic fine.
Here’s where you go to book a cita previa.
You can (surprise surprise) pay your Las Palmas traffic fines online.
Ayuntamiento for town hall issues
The same applies to anything you need to do at the ayuntamiento. Book a cita previa with the Las Palmas town hall here.
If you want a certificate that entitles you to the 50% discount for travel, you don’t have to go to the ayuntamiento because you can order your ‘certificado de residencia para bonificación de viajes’ online.
Spread the sunshine
I'm Laura Leyshon and I help foreign property buyers and sellers in Gran Canaria. I work with RE/MAX Cony Overseas, one of the island's oldest and most prestigious agencies, and I offer a complete, professional service with a personal touch. If you want to buy or sell property in Gran Canaria and want to work with one good agent, please get in touch.
