Explore Playa de Las Canteras

The Playa de Las Canteras (Las Canteras beach; 'Beach of the Quarries') is the main urban beach of the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Gran Canaria, Canary Islands), one of the most important beaches of the Canary Islands. Las Canteras has an Environmental Management System certified according to the UNE-EN ISO 14001 norm and a Universal Accessibility Certificate for bathing services for people with reduced mobility, certified by the same organization. Playa de Las Canteras has just hoisted the Q for Tourism Quality flag and has been awarded the European Union Blue Flag, the ISO Environmental Management Certificate and the Universal Accessibility Certificate, making it one of the most highly valued beaches in Spain. The awards "Travellers' Choice Playas 2013" places Las Canteras in the number 10 position in Spain, after a study that has recognized the quality of 276 beaches located in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Middle East and US, among which is Playa de Cofete, in Fuerteventura, in the number 6 position, and headed by the Playa de Las Catedrales in Ribadeo. The name of the beach has always been linked to "La Barra" (The Bar), a sedimentary rock of sandstone and calcareous depositions that runs parallel to the shore, providing shelter from the north swell and giving it a personality of its own. Formerly it was known as "Playa del Arrecife" (Reef Beach), because La Barra emerged from the water like a reef. Later, it was exploited as a quarry (Spanish: cantera) to extract the rock that was used, among other uses, for numerous constructions in the city, such as the Cathedral of the Canary Islands. In memory of this practice, now abandoned, the name of Playa de Las Canteras (Beach of the Quarries) survives today.