Snazzy Spanish stays needn’t have a hefty price tag, just because you’ve set your sights on a city. In Las Palmas, the colour-clad capital of Gran Canaria, you’ll find oodles of value-for-money goodness, whether you’re stomping the pavements or chomping on tapas.

So, if you’re needing to be a little savvy with your annual leave, we can’t recommend booking a long weekend to this sun-splashed stunner enough. To lend a helping hand, here are some musts for your itinerary...

Sprawl out on the sand

Life’s a beach in Las Canteras, the main coastal swathe of the city. While the smaller, nearby Alcaravaneras is another chill-here choice, plonking down and unfurling a towel on the soft, champagne sands, overlooking La Barra nature reserve, is your best bet.

Las Canteras puts the ‘play’ in ‘playa’, as it’s a surfer’s paradise. With young and old carving up the waves either during lessons or out on their own, you’ll see fins and wetsuits punctuating the turquoise horizon within moments. Why not have a go yourself? There are bookable classes to fit in with your schedule!

When only low-key lazing will do, this super-long stretch always has space for you to lounge on – no matter how busy it is. And trust us, it stays popular all year round, thanks to the warm Canarian climate. Be sure to lather on the suncream and pop on a hat, if you’re topping up the tan. And don’t panic about getting sandy – there are handy water fountains towards the entry/exit points for washing off the golden grains.

Venture to Vegueta

Crowned by Plaza de Santa Ana, which houses the district’s imposing cathedral, Vegueta is a part of Las Palmas that oozes traditional Canarian history and heritage. Peer inside the building and you’re sure to be wowed, or simply behold its architectural majesty from the exterior. The perimeter’s lined with pavement eateries and palm trees, and the pastel-hued pockets of pretty buildings that neighbour the area invite you to continue wandering.

Corn-yellows and smooth cobbles will guide you towards the old town’s second major draw: Vegueta Market. Follow your nose along stalls selling apples, bananas, oranges and more, and onwards to even more nibble-worthy fresh produce.

After some retail therapy? Grand façades in peachy-pinks, sky-blues and mint-greens stand proud along Calle Mayor, a pedestrianised shopping street that goes from Vegueta and smudges into the boundaries of Triana. This is another of the time-treasured towns on the outskirts of the city centre, so relish the walk there.

Hop on a bus

As cities go, this is a seriously well-connected one. Sure, you can get about as you please on foot – or even hire a bike if you’d prefer to pedal. But being crafty with your time on a long weekend is well worth it, so safeguard your seconds by checking the local bus routes, grabbing a ticket and jumping aboard.

While many buses are direct, you may have to do a bit of chopping and changing, to catch ones to suit the journey you want to do. Going straight to enchanting, colonial-style towns such as Arucas can be done in one trip, though you’ll have to dot-to-dot a bit to reach the dramatic peaks around Roque Nublo.

Agaete’s surrounding leafy greenery is the stuff of postcards, and you can bet bigwig resort faves like Maspalomas, Meloneras and Puerto Mogan should all be up for consideration by bus, if your time permits!

Dine like a local

However you fill your days, chews wisely and frame them around food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner never looked so delicious – especially as Las Palmas is teeming with tapas eateries. Pull up a sea-view pew and glug your way through a light lager or fruity sangria, as plates come out when they’re cooked. If, like us, you’re all about variety, you’re in luck – you’ll be able to find menus specialising in everything from croquettes full of molten cheese or shredded courgette to ultra-garlicky prawns. And don’t miss the native papas arrugadas – AKA salt-wrinkled potatoes covered in lashings of fiery red pepper mojo sauce.

Naturally, this shimmering shorefront postcode hauls in a bounty of net-fresh seafood, which means octopus, sardines and squid are easy to come by. Keen to sample something different? Look out for St. Peter’s fish (a type of tilapia) and cherne, among others from the Canaries.

And of course, we’ve got the inside scoop on desserts. Yep, you can bank on Las Palmas being primed for the cone connoisseurs among you. Between pistachio and yoghurt, chocolate and strawberry, the ice cream vendors’ picks range from nutty to tangy. Yum!