It is increasingly difficult to find a beach away from the tourist crowd, where, even for a short time, you can quietly forget about what you want to leave behind. Such destinations are either too expensive or unsafe.
One of the havens for sea-view nirvana-seekers, who want to reset on the sand, but out of the reach of blaring music, drunken noise and unbearable crowds, is the 3,1-kilometer-long Playa de Las Canteras, the city beach of Las Palmas.
The capital of Gran Canaria is so far from Belgrade that the geographical distance itself therapeutically dilutes thoughts about the unbearable difficulty of existence in Serbia - almost 4000 kilometers as the crow flies. This is the place "at the end of the world", "behind God's feet"; only 150 kilometers away from the coast of West Africa, as if it is "both in Spain and not in Spain". It feels like being in another dimension.
Gran Canaria also has its own true desert – a six kilometer long protected area of Saharan sand with waves woven from the dunes near Maspalomas, behind which there is a spectacular, endless sandy beach, literally with nowhere as far as the eye can see. It is a reward for those who have crossed the sand sea.
There is no direct flight from Belgrade to this island. One of the variants is via Barcelona: around 2.45 hours of flight, and then another 3.30 hours to Las Palmas. All in all, it takes a whole day to travel. But that's why a return plane ticket can easily be found for 350 euros. My daughters flew via Budapest for less than 150 euros, although only with hand luggage. Accommodation costs as much as in cheaper parts of Greece, for example.
That's the price to get to eternal spring. On December 9, 2025, the air temperature was 21 degrees Celsius, and the Atlantic temperature was 20,9. Cold for the Mediterranean understanding of vacationing, but during the European winter - a real boon.
Let's be clear, Las Palmas is not a cute tourist town, but a city with about 350.000 inhabitants, a port center between Europe and the Caribbean. When you turn from the tame seaside promenade, you can stumble upon the underground of Kreuzberg, the filigree landscape of Florence or merchants who seem to have teleported from an Istanbul bazaar. The capital of Gran Canaria generates only 4,5 percent of tourism revenue, the machinery of mass catering is built in the south of the island.
Even the city beach of Las Palmas is not an area occupied by tourists, but where the life of the locals takes place. There is only one place where sunbeds and umbrellas can be rented, and in a very limited number - there is simply no demand. The beach is so spacious that you can easily find ten square meters all to yourself at any time.
It is beneficial how relaxed everything is, to what extent everyone minds their own business. Especially in the remote part of the beach occupied by surfers. An Aperol shot with a view of the sunset in the cafe "Tiburon" between the two surfing schools of the Italian Francesco, my cousin cites as the decisive reason why she and her family exchanged London life for Las Palmas. The place and the people who visit it exude an unusual serenity. By the way, cocktails along the beach generally cost around five euros. And everything else is noticeably cheaper than in Belgrade, by a free estimate, well over 30 percent.
The natives are completely unburdened when it comes to accuracy. An hour or two up or down means nothing. It's a lifestyle. When Katarina and I, high on the "best in the world" Aperol shot and an equally sensational burger, went to Franćesko on a weekday in the middle of working hours, we found the cafe closed. When I asked him the next day why he didn't work, the answer was: "I was at the beach all day."
On the one hand, the island is clean and safe, public transport comes in a minute, as if drawing on the tradition from 1936, when Francisco Franco was the commander of the Canary Islands based in Las Palmas, from where he set out on an expedition to the whole of Spain. On the other hand, it is wide open to colorful cultural influences, races are mixed, Caribbean restaurants defy Burger King, the southern part of the island is a world-famous gay destination, cookies with more than enough percentage of THC are legalized, here and there a cloud of marijuana floats through the streets.
It's no wonder that one of the craziest, most colorful carnivals in the world is held in Las Palmas at the beginning of every year. Then the whole city becomes the stage for a gigantic party where everyone can turn into what they always wanted to be, but didn't dare. There, away from everything.
