5 museums in Las Palmas you can’t miss
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is not a typical sun and beach destination, as there are many reasons to visit the capital of Gran Canaria.
This is a city where culture, history and art are so important that it would be a sin not to visit its museums.
Below we offer a varied selection of museums in the capital that won’t leave you indifferent.
1. Museo Néstor
Within the Pueblo Canario in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, this museum and art gallery was built on the architectural site in 1956 in the neo-Canarian style and houses most of Néstor Martín-Fernández de la Torre’s work, one of the most famous Canary Islands artists and their main modernist painter.
The gallery holds many of his most important paintingsand portraits, and also his stage and costume design work.
This space has 12 rooms and offers both temporary exhibitions and the permanent collection where visitors can see his most significant pieces: Epitalamio, El Niño Arquero and two collections comprising the Poema de los Elementos.
The Museo Néstor holds the artist’s most famous series of paintings called the “Poema del Mar” (name given to one of the most avant-garde aquariums in Europe) and “Poema de la Tierra”, but the surrounding Pueblo Canario is also one of the artist’s greatests work, designed as a space for art and tourism.
Finally, the museum also runs a series of guided visits, so you can learn more about all the details of his work.
2. Casa de Colón
Another of the top museums in Las Palmas is located in the historic centre of the city, in the Vegueta district.
This colonial-style mansion is open to the public every day and contains three rooms featuring exhibits about the history of the Canary Islands and their relationship with Americas.
Undoubtedly, it’s the best place to learn about both the pre-Hispanic culture of the Canaries and the Americas before the arrival of the Europeans and about Columbus and other explorers’ journeys of discovery across the ocean.
The Casa de Colón belonged to the first governors of Gran Canaria and was where Columbus stayed during his stops in the Canary Islands on his way to the Americas.
The building and its interior courtyards alone, icons of Vegueta old town, make it a must see on any trip to the capital of the island.
3. Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno (CAAM)
As in the previous case, this important museum is in the historical quarter of Vegueta. The CAAM (Atlantic Centre of Modern Art) has become a benchmark museum of contemporary art in the Canary Islands.
What singles it out is its vocation of dealing with the critical thought and artistic culture of three continents: Africa, America and Europe. All this makes it one of the best museums in Las Palmas.
Thus, it’s a very comprehensive tour that combines paintings, drawings, sculpture, graphics, mail art and interesting exhibition projects that deal with the three-continent topic.
This art centre –with free admission for everyone– provides visitors with a full programme of exhibitions and an intense calendar of informational activities linked to contemporary culture.
Its library, with nearly 57,000 volumes on specialised art, has an extensive collection dedicated to art and African and Latin American creators.
Furthermore, there is also a shop that sells a wide variety of articles relating to the different artistic disciplines: books, postcards, jewellery, bags and stationery and decorative items – perfect as a souvenir of this fabulous tour.
4. Museo Canario
Founded at the start of the XIX century, the Museo Canario is in Vegueta old town and can be visited at the same time as a wander around its charming cobbled streets.
It hosts a large collection of prehistoric artifacts from the whole Canarian archipelago that are displayed in a series of exhibition rooms and are fascinating for anyone curious about the history of the Canary Islands.
The collection of mummies and skeletons is of particular interest and are the most photographed exhibits (no flash allowed). Enter the mummy room and feel like you are in an old-fashioned laboratory.
It’s among the best museums in Las Palmas and opens every day except for Saturdays and Sundays afternoon and has a gift shop selling art, maps and souvenirs.
5. Museo Elder
This museum located in the capital of the island of Gran Canaria is all about science and technology and not touching the exhibits is banned.
In fact, the Museo Elder is an interactive experience which explains concepts with physical experiments and informative panels.
The kids will love discovering the wonders of science, making the Elder a must-visit in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Take a photo in the cockpit of a genuine fighter jet, or look at a XIX century train inside the museum.
A 3D cinema and modern greenhouse complete the experience, along with the jointed Robocoaster.
The Museo Elder, that opens Tuesday to Sunday, is in the central Santa Catalina Park and can easily be combined with a visit to the city’s most cosmopolitan area, the isthmus, a few minutes from our emblematic Acuario Lifestyle Hotel.
In short, the museums in Las Palmas are an excellent option that will complement the sun and beach holidays of all visitors to the island.
