Best Time to Visit Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Mild all year, with a few shades of it

Las Palmas doesn't really have a bad month. Winter is the coolest stretch, from December to March, with highs around 19 to 20°C. It's jacket-in-the-evening weather, not coat weather. December is the wettest month, but even then rain falls on only about five days. Showers are usually short.

Summer runs from July to October and feels warmer and stickier. August, September and October share the top highs of 24°C. Humidity peaks in July and August at 84%, so afternoons can feel close. September is the sunniest month, at 7.5 hours a day. Spring, from April to June, sits in between: warm, dry and fairly bright.

Which month for which trip

Want beach days? Playa de Las Canteras, the long city beach, works nearly all year. The sea is at its warmest in late summer and autumn. September and October are your best bet for sun and swimming together.

Prefer walking and sightseeing? Aim for April to June. It's dry and not too hot, which suits wandering Vegueta, the old colonial quarter, and the Catedral de Santa Ana. It also suits a day trip into the island's mountains around Roque Nublo. Note that the city can be sunny while the highlands sit in cloud, so check before you drive up.

Escaping a cold winter at home? January and February still give you mild evenings and mostly dry days. Just don't expect many hours of sun. It's about five a day.

Crowds and events

High season is winter, roughly November to March, when northern Europeans arrive for the warmth. Easter week and the summer school holidays, mainly July and August, bring Spanish families. Late spring and September are quieter.

Carnaval is the big event. It usually lands in February or early March, with parades, costumes and the Gala Drag Queen night on the Parque Santa Catalina stage. Hotels fill up, so it's worth sorting your bed early for that one. In June, the city celebrates its founding with the Fiestas Fundacionales around Vegueta. In late autumn, Las Palmas hosts the Atlántida film festival and a big opera season, both well loved locally.

If you hate crowds, pick May or late September. You'll still get warm days and room on Las Canteras.