At those times of the year when Mallorca, Ibiza & Co aren’t yet warm enough or have already cooled off too much, British tourists head to the Canary Islands like a flock of migratory birds. But British tourists are as diverse and manifold as the UK’s population at large and fall into all sorts of different categories. While the Canaries are already well known for their resorts and all-inclusive hotels, the Islands offer so much more. With seven islands to chose from, where should you go and why? We’ve put together a comparative overview of the individual islands, highlighting what makes each of them wonderful and, to a lesser degree, what they are already famous for. Read on to find out which is the perfect island for you.
The Canaries are located in the Atlantic Ocean, further south than the Balearic Islands and off of the west coast of Africa. The pleasant subtropical climate is a unifying factor, but each island is unique in its own right.
The ‘a little bit of everything’ island – Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands at 2034 square kilometres (roughly the size of Devon, if that helps anyone…). Many tourists say that it is also the most varied islands in the Spanish archipelago. A chalk-and-cheese affair. The fact that there are two airports, one in the North and one in the South, already illustrates how this island is often thought of as a two for one.
The north part of the island has a higher rainfall resulting in vivid greenery and stunning landscapes. While sandy beaches can be found here, they are fairly limited when compared to the south. This is made up for by luscious, dense forests and an enormous diversity of plant life starkly contrasted with stretches of barren lava-sculptured landscapes. The highlight of the North is Pico del Teide, the highest mountain in Spain. With a height of 3718 meters, it is visible from afar and a perfect landmark by which to keep yourself orientated. This is important as all around its volcanic cone are rolling landscapes that are a dream for anyone with even the most fleeting interest in hiking.
As you traverse the quietly bizarre lava coast, it’s hard to believe that the island’s sandy beaches are abuzz with holidaymakers tanning or the sun or ordering the next pool-side cocktail e.g Playa de Los Cristianos in the South or Santa Cruz’s Playa de las Teresitas, in the North.
While the North offers a more local feeling with authentic cafes, bars and restaurants at which to relax after days full of nature bound activity, the South is all about the good life: beach holidays drenched in the Spanish sun, sand, promenades, nightlife galore and resort accommodation ranging from the budget to the luxurious. If you’re lucky, you can also tick a big one off of the bucket list by watching whales off of the south coast of Tenerife.
Cheap flights to Tenerife South
Tenerife is, therefore, the best Canary Island for one of two kinds of people, or perhaps, a hybrid of both. If you are a sporty nature lover, who seeks activity – hiking, cycling or paragliding, etc. – and adventure on your holiday then Tenerife is perfect for you. On the flip side, for those of you who want a home away from home, a tourist-centric beach paradise where it’ll be as easy to find the tastes of home as it will be to lounge by the pool all day, but under the searing Spanish sun, then this is also the place for you. And if you want a balance of the two? Well, enough said.
The ‘beach bum’ island – Fuerteventura
When compared to the lush greenery and the beaches of Tenerife, landing at Fuerteventura might initially come as a shock. When you leave the airport building to take a transfer bus or taxi to your accommodation, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve disembarked on some alien planet rather than on the second largest of the Canary Islands.
Luckily, as the journey progresses the paradise opens up to you like a flower unfurling, with the final impact hitting at the same time as you first see the brilliant sandy beaches (all in all around 65 miles worth). Particularly beautiful is the area located south of the northern town of Corralejo, or the protected natural reserve Parque Natural De Jandìa with its rolling dunes that stretches between Costa Calma and the town of Jandìa in the south-east.
If you are looking for absolute freedom, hire a car and drive out to any number of secluded bays, or through the beautiful hillsides of the hinterland which give unsurpassable views over the island and out to sea. Kite and windsurfers love the island breezes, which blow strong or ‘fuerte’ here, giving the perfect kick to all wind-based sports.
Find cheap flights to Puerto del Rosario
If exploring mile upon mile of seemingly never-ending beaches (with the occasional flash of green for good balance) seems like your cup of tea, and you want to really feel like you’re away from the madding crowds while doing so, Fuerteventura is the right Canary Island for you.
The ‘glamorous holidaymaker’ island – Gran Canaria
It’s already a foregone conclusion; Gran Canaria is THE holiday island par excellence. You’ll find practically everything here – hidden corners of surprising beauty and the equivalent accommodations, incredibly grandiose boutique hotels and promenades, 17th-century castles and non-stop party packages that keep you rocking til dawn. This is the island that has something for everyone.
The South has earned its lush reputation due to its hotel giants, sprawling resorts and the matching lifestyle – parties, water sports, nightlife and beaches galore; check out Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas especially – but even in the midst of the glamour you can have a quick escape and a mental reset. Head to the heart of the island where you’ll marvel at the gorgeous palm-filled surrounds; beautiful mountain countryside, populated with ancient villages, picturesque Barrancos and dams. All ingredients for a successful detox hike.
If shopping is part of your holiday checklist, you’ll find what you are looking for in Las Palmas, which, with some 379,000 inhabitants, is the largest city of the Canaries and is located in the north-east of the island. In the old town of Vegueta and the districts of Santa Catalina and Tirana, you can stroll streets of boutiques, shopping until proverbially dropping. The (drier, sunny, warmer) south is also very popular with families.
Gran Canaria is the right Canary Island for you if you like either beach life, outdoor adventures, golfing, shopping and nightlife. Or all of them in one place! You can’t go wrong with this island.
The ‘exotic sunbather’ island – Lanzarote
One thing is clear in our comparison of the Canaries: Lanzarote tends to polarise people. Fuerteventura’s barren yet noble landscape is rimmed by golden sands – yet the primary colour of the third largest, Northeastern island is black. The landscape offers an unreal picture. Here the volcanism of the archipelago becomes quite obvious with its fields shaped by aeons-past lava flows. This is beautifully offset by the architecture, upmarket bars and fantastic restaurants to be found here.
Most beaches, therefore, offer dark sand, even if there is the occasional Playa with a brighter grain. In Timanfaya National Park with its fire mountains, the Montañas del Fuego, you can almost convince yourself that you’ve somehow been transported back to a land before time.
Something else worth noting is the particularly un-British aspect of the island, being largely spared by the rainstorms sometimes found in the region. This contributes to the otherworldly landscape when compared to some of the other greener, more mountainous islands.
An absolute must-see is the Museo Atlántico found just off the coast of Las Coloradas. It’s an underwater sculpture park, 12 metres deep, that can only be seen during a dive or from a glass-bottom boat. The exhibits are by the British artist Jason deCaires Taylor.
Lanzarote is the right Canary Island for you if rugged and spartan landscapes excite you. If you’re not intimidated by black crater fields, you’re interested in volcanoes, like to walk wild yet still sun-drenched and gorgeous beaches, or wish to hire a car and drive from vantage point to vantage point down the largely deserted roads crisscrossing the island, then start planning your Lanzarote trip right now.
The ‘intrepid hiker’ – La Palma
La Palma is not only the greenest island; it is THE hiking island. The population is about 85,000, inhabiting about 275 square miles yet accommodating 330 miles worth of hiking trails. To take a truly unforgettable trek head to the jungles of Los Tilos and the forests and waterfalls of Caldera de Taburiente, the national park of the island.
San Andrés, in most people’s opinion the most beautiful village on the island, is located in the northeast. You aren’t gonna find beaches and parties and glamour and crowds here. There are only a handful of resorts, and the island and its capital, Santa Cruz de La Palma, embrace their differences to some of the more touristy islands. In fact, if you want to escape the usual tourists altogether this may be the best place to come to.
La Palma is your Canary Island if what you seek is peace and quiet and the need to walk and walk and walk.
Stay in Santa Cruz de La Palma
The ‘free spirit’ island – La Gomera
La Gomera is the place to reconnect with yourself or connect with your travel companion(s). Plus it’s one of the only islands that need a connection. The closest flight lands in Tenerife South, from there you have to take a ferry – either a fast boat or the car ferry – to San Sebastián de La Gomera. This keeps the masses at bay and lends itself to the island’s sleepiness. If you’re lucky, you’ll start your journey by seeing a few dolphins at play on the crossing!
Much of the coastline is made up of steep declines falling towards the sea, meaning no unsightly hotel blocks. While a few hotels are available most visitors to the island choose to stay in a range of intimate holiday homes, farmhouses and other unique holiday rentals.
In the Valle Gran Rey, the sunset is accompanied by a symphony of bongos, guitars and a peaceful dreaminess; La Gomera is a popular destination amongst the more bohemian crowd. The unspoilt nature attracts the unconventional mind.
Something you should ensure you don’t miss is the Garajonay National Park. The approximately 40-square kilometre area surrounding the islands highest mountain, Alto de Garajonay (1487 metres), is under protection and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1986. It’s this unique ecosystem that houses the Laurel Forest, a kind of subtropical forest populated with broadleaf, evergreen trees where communing with nature is as easy as the forest is beautiful.
La Gomera is the right Canary Island for you if you’re a touch hippyish, need some space away from the rat race and find that immersing yourself in nature is the ultimate way you re-energise.
The adventurer – The smallest of the Islands: El Hierro
One island has to be the smallest, and that responsibility falls to El Hierro, the most western and the most original of the Canary Islands. In fact, in 2000 it was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and is 100% self-sufficient using only renewable energy.
There is little tourism here compared to the bigger islands- beach holidays, party and shopping are extremely hard to come by. When you do find a beach, due to the strong surf only sunbathing is recommended. But here, landscape is king and nature lovers will have plenty to discover. Forests of trees and wild juniper, steep mountain cliff and green fields are in abundance in every direction you look, and the island plays host to 46 dive sites, each boasting an incredible marine ecosystem (thriving again after an underwater volcanic eruption in 2012). That doesn’t mean that the small towns are any less worthy when it comes to food and festivities.
El Hierro is the right Canary Island for you if you like to feel you’re at the ends of the earth. If you’re a hiker, it’s wonderful! If you’re a diver, even better. The local landscape both above and underwater is one of the most spectacular in Spain but will only be appreciated by the true adventurers amongst you.
So, do you find yourself inspired by one island more than the others? Which one will it be? Feel free to share what you think is the island for you in the comment section below.
Originally published 02 2017, updated 05 2022.
