Playa de La Laja, Urban beach in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.

Playa de La Laja is a black sand beach in Las Palmas stretching approximately 1.2 kilometers along the coast. Breakwaters positioned in the central and southern sections protect the shoreline, while mountains rise prominently in the background.

In the 1990s a breakwater was built at the southern end of the beach, reducing the danger of its currents. In the same decade the Ministry of the Environment added sand dredged from nearby seabeds. A seafront promenade built in recent years improved pedestrian access.

La Laja gives its name to the surrounding neighbourhood of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. From April to October, its southern end serves each weekend as the starting point for the weekly lateen-sail boat race, when traditional Canarian sailing boats set off from the shore.

Municipal bus lines 9 and 12, plus night line L1, end at Hoya de La Plata, about 800 m from the beach on foot; interurban lines heading south of the island also stop at Playa de la Laja. A car park sits near the beach, and a seafront promenade now gives pedestrian access. Lifeguard, rescue and first-aid cover runs from 1 July to 30 September.

The southern breakwater built around the 1990s calmed the currents that once made swimming risky. Between April and October, the southern end of the beach is the starting point for a weekly lateen-sail boat race, a local sailing tradition visitors can watch from the sand.