Erasmus in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria - more than just a holiday location

Everyone who heard that I would spend an Erasmus semester on Grand Canaria reacted the same way: with a laugh. Nobody believed me that you could actually study there instead of spending your holiday there. I could understand the reaction a little bit because the island is known as a holiday location. Everybody knows that there are agreeable temperatures the whole year around and that it is a destination to which many people flee to avoid the cold winter. I was looking forward to my semester abroad. There was, however, still one fear: I was afraid I would only encounter the typical Erasmus-life with one party after another. My motivation to go to the Canary Island was to use the possibilities they offer to be outside and meet new people in the sunshine. And of course the proximity to the ocean and to the mountains at the same time. Of course I love to party sometimes, but parties are also in Germany.; )

Playa Las Canteras in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Before my arrival

I arrived only shortly before the beginning of the semester in Las Palmas, I did not know, if I should look for a flat from Germany. I would have preferred to look once I was there because this is supposedly easier but because there was not much time, I decided for the safe way and found a very nice flat on the internet.

Here you can find apartments and flats

• www.easypiso.com
• www.pisocompartido.com
• in Erasmus facebook groups
• in Erasmus group chats

I recommend living in Guanarteme if you love the ocean, like to surf, love to spend time on the beach or want to go to a bar close to the ocean. I spend an amazing semester there and would not have lived in any other part of the city. There are may possibilities to shop and the relaxed atmosphere is just amazing. Everybody is either on the way to the beach or returning from it. Even I lived only a few meters away from the Atlantic and I could not imagine anything more beautiful. It is ideal for surfer because you can just carry your board the few meters it takes to the beach.

Some preferred to live closer to the university but Guanarteme has a good public transport connection and I can not think of a better place to spend the rest of the day at. If your day finishes early you can watch the sunset on the beach as a start for a night in town.

Here a little bit about the public transport because it seems like a good spot

• Citycleta- bikes for hire, you can rent the bikes in a sub for a month or year and drive around Las Palmas without any problems although you can not use them during the night
• Bus- good public transport system with a cheap rechargeable bus ticket
• Rent a car- the perfect way to discover and explore the island is to rent a car which is also cheap and incredible easy

Studying in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

My main reason for being on this island was to study, so I should talk about it and tell you a bit about the organization of the university. In the Welcome Week is a meeting of all faculties with a trip to one of the villages. They explain what is going to happen in the next week and welcome all Erasmus students. During the following days the different faculties present themselves and you meet your personal coordinator. You go to the International Office where you choose your classes and create your study plan. You are finally a student at the Universidad de las Palmas de Gran Canaria with the imatrikulation and get a online access to the classes where the professors are going to upload information and materials. You can go to your coordinator or to the International Office if you have any questions during the semester and after the final exams. They always helped me, especially when I had problems with acccesing the online platforms at the beginning.

Hiking tour to Playa Güi güi

City life

Everyday you can do something new and exciting. On Mondays, there are Sportsnight at the beach with volleyball, soccer, spike ball and beach ball. On Tuesdays you can go to the Malecon for some Salsa lessons and on Wednesday you can party at Urban. Every Thursday there is Tapas night in the historic quarter Vegueta where you can have a beer, Mojitos and wine with delicious tapas on the street and meet other students. On the weekend there are parties everywhere and on Sunday you can enjoy live-music during the sunset at the Puntilla de la Isleata. Even if you can not do the complete program every week you should not be bored anytime soon.

I have to admit that I spend most of my time on the beach because you could meet a lot of friends without any stress and just relax together. Whatever we would do: surf, have some food, play volleyball or cards or just chill in the sun, the Cicer was my home in Las Palmas. I have to admit that the architecture of the city did not impress me much except Vegueta. It is not especially beautiful but compared with all the other advantages of the city this means very little.

During the sunsets I would skate with my crew (all beginners) behind the auditorium in a small skate park. There is also some workout equipment where you can train by yourself directly at the ocean. There are a lot of those around the city and every sport enthusiast can enjoy him or herself. I think this is an absolute selling point for this city.

To go for some drinks during the evening I loved the Mumbai at the Cicer or the Block. At the harbour is the Kopa which is a mix between bar and disco, however, the fact that there is no roof is the most amazing thing for me. This is perfect to get some fresh air. On Sundays you could go to some salsa classes/ lessons or just watch those that are already really good at it if it becomes to difficult for you to follow the teacher. Additionally, it is a good place to go dancing after a tapas-night on Thursdays.

What else to do on the island

Most tourist drive south as soon as they arrive on Gran Canaria and not without a good reason. At some point along the way you will cross the clouds and arrive in the south where you will likely find some sunshine. While there are sometimes some clouds on the sky in Las Palmas there will be less in Maspalomas, Puerto de Mogan, or Puerto Rico. I sometimes did this if it was to cloudy in Las Palmas which does not really happen that often. One of the clear disadvantages is that there are a lot of tourist in the south. Puerto de Mogan is a cute little fishing village which you can enjoy best by walking through it with some ice cream in your hand.

Sand dunes in Maspalomas

If I did not want to spend the day at the beach and the ocean, I went hiking in the mountains which are no less beautiful. Several times, we went with a bunch of people to an amazing hostel for some days which is really a magical place. From this little secret spot you can make day trips to the Roque nublo or the Pico de las nieves. The name of the hostel is Finca la isa. The hike to both mountain tops for the sunset is worth the trip and if the light is just right you can see the Teide in a red light. During the day you can hike several different amazing routes or jump into the lake to flee the heat.

Hostel Finca la isa

Roque Nublo

A lot of students come to the island to surf which I also did a lot. I was always ready and happy to grab my board and jump into the waves. Most people surf at the Cider which is one part of the city beach where surfing is permitted but there are many surf spots across the island. If it is not your first time on a board, you will find some great breaks in the north of the island which are not as busy as Cider. If the weather and the waves are to strong in the north, there can be some amazing waves in the south.

The other Canary Islands

I went to all canary islands except Lanzarote and La Graciosa during my five month on the Gran Canaria. I had the travel bonification (see further down helpful tips), which made travel to the other island extremely cheap, and every island was breathtaking. You can definitely not say that all the islands are the same: each and everyone of them is special in another way. On Tenerife I hiked to the top of Spain's highest mountain, the volcano el Teide and jumped from the cliffs into the crystal blue water of the ocean. On Fuerteventura I drove along the endless white beaches and on La Gomera I hiked a beautiful waterfall path (close to El Guru). I walked through something like a ranforest and ran into the ocean on empty beaches on La Palma. On el Hierro, I encountered the strangest ocean creatures that I have never seen before while I was snorkeling. Every island is worth a visit and I recommend to spend not just one day on each of them because there is way to much to see.

Waterfall hike on La Gomera

Sunrise on the Pico del Teide (3718 m)

Some final helpful tips

Cofete on Fuerteventura

View of the Teide during a hike (volcano route) on La Palma

Endless beaches on Fuerteventura

The most important thing is that you meet amazing people with whom you can spend this incredible time. I did not know anybody when I came to Las Palmas and in the first week I met friends that I grew close with on the beach. The good bye was very difficult at the end. I would recommend every student to spend their semester abroad in Las Palmas.

El Hierro