SPAIN · CANARY ISLANDS GUIDE
Canary Islands Travel Guide
The Canary Islands are a Spanish Atlantic archipelago where the first planning decision is which island to choose. A week based beside a beach in Fuerteventura is a different trip from walking through La Gomera's forests, exploring Lanzarote's volcanic landscapes or combining Tenerife with a second island. This guide helps you choose the right combination before booking flights, accommodation and activities.
There are eight inhabited islands to consider: Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa. They share a regional identity, but their terrain, resort development and transport options vary considerably. La Graciosa belongs in the comparison even though it has no airport and is usually approached by boat from Lanzarote.
Start with the island, then choose your base
Choose the experience you want most, then check how it fits your arrival airport and accommodation. Tenerife and Gran Canaria offer a broad mix of towns, beaches and inland excursions. Lanzarote suits a trip combining volcanic scenery, art and wine; Fuerteventura gives more space to beaches and wind sports. La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro reward travellers who put walking, landscapes or a quieter pace ahead of a large resort scene.
These are starting points rather than fixed labels. A busy resort and a quiet village on the same island may have less in common than two bases on different islands. Before paying for a room, compare the immediate neighbourhood, evening food options and the journey to the activities you actually intend to do. A low room rate can lose its advantage if every outing requires a long drive.
| Your main priority | Start your comparison with | Decision to check next |
|---|---|---|
| A varied first visit | Tenerife or Gran Canaria | Beach resort versus northern town or city base |
| Volcanic scenery and design | Lanzarote | Transport between cultural sites and the coast |
| Long beaches and wind sports | Fuerteventura | Swimming conditions versus the needs of your chosen sport |
| Forest walks and mountain landscapes | La Gomera or La Palma | Trail access, gradients and driving time |
| A quieter coastal and nature trip | El Hierro | Flight or ferry connections and activity availability |
| A small-island addition to Lanzarote | La Graciosa | Boat crossing, onward walking and overnight capacity |
Use the detailed Which Island to Visit comparison to narrow the choice. It focuses on where to go and what kind of base works; the Hotels guide addresses individual properties.
For a resort-led Tenerife stay, check Bahía del Duque dates and room options on Booking.com, then compare its Costa Adeje location with the other bases in our Hotels guide. We may earn a commission if you book through this link.
How long should you spend?
For a short break, keep the trip on one island. On a week-long holiday, one well-chosen base can support beach time and several excursions without changing hotels. A second base can be useful on an island where your priorities are split between distant areas, but it also adds packing and check-in time. Two islands become more attractive when the crossing is straightforward and each stop contributes something different.
For ten to fourteen days, compare a deeper single-island visit with a two-island combination. Do not treat the archipelago as a list to finish. Ferry check-in, travel to the port, the sailing itself, collecting a vehicle and reaching the next hotel all belong in the schedule. A flight also includes airport journeys and waiting time. The shortest advertised crossing is only one part of a transfer day.
Itineraries: choose a realistic route for your time
For a first week, stay on one main island and group nearby visits. The plans below include arrival and departure days, so seven days normally means six nights rather than seven full sightseeing days. Days are a suggested order, not a weather forecast or a bookable package: swap an outdoor day when conditions change, then recheck any timed entry.
Each route starts with a suggested base and explains the transport trade-off. The two-island plans explicitly allow transfer time and a final night back on the departure island. They assume an international arrival and departure on the first island; different flights can change the best sequence. See Where to Stay before fixing hotels, and use Attractions and Things to Do for the individual visits and activities.
Seven days on Tenerife: coast, historic streets and a mountain day
Best fit: a varied first visit with one mountain outing and time by the coast. Base: choose the Los Cristianos/Costa Adeje area for a southern resort-led week, or a northern town/city base if La Laguna and northern landscapes matter more. The example below assumes one southern base for all six nights; it accepts a longer northbound day rather than adding a hotel move.
| Day | Plan and practical detail |
|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive and stay local. Check into your accommodation and take a short promenade or neighbourhood walk. Choose a nearby meal; do not depend on reaching a timed attraction after an uncertain arrival. |
| 2 | Give the coast an unhurried day. Choose a beach or promenade close to your base, with facilities that suit your group. A coastal photograph is not a swimming-safety recommendation: check the actual flags and conditions. |
| 3 | La Laguna, with a limited Anaga option. Make the historic centre your main visit. If using a car and conditions permit, add the Cruz del Carmen area rather than a long unfamiliar forest hike. Without a car, keep La Laguna as the main day unless the actual onward and return bus connections work. |
| 4 | Teide as the main outing. Choose a plateau landscape visit, an organised excursion or a specific authorised trail. Cable-car operation, route permission and the road journey are separate checks. Keep the evening close to your accommodation. |
| 5 | One chosen sea activity or another local coastal day. Compare an authorised wildlife excursion from the actual departure port, or keep a shore-based day if time at sea does not suit your group. Do not add a distant northern booking immediately afterwards. |
| 6 | Keep a weather reserve. Use this day if the Teide visit has to move; otherwise choose a local walk, a relaxed meal or one activity you missed. If staying south, resist using the spare day to fit every northern town into one drive. |
| 7 | Depart with a practical margin. Match the transfer to the airport on your booking—Tenerife South and Tenerife North are different destinations. Allow for collection/return of a rental car if relevant. |
Make it work without a car: choose accommodation around the actual bus links you need, and consider a properly described excursion for the mountain day. Check the TITSA journey information for your date instead of assuming all attractions have convenient direct connections. If you prefer a northern base, put La Laguna/Anaga on separate relaxed days and reduce southern resort driving; do not treat both versions as the same timetable.
Seven days on Lanzarote with a separate La Graciosa day
Best fit: volcanic scenery, design and a slower small-island day. Base: a central/eastern base such as Arrecife, Costa Teguise or Puerto del Carmen supports this balance; Playa Blanca favours the south but makes the Órzola day a longer island journey. Keep all six nights on Lanzarote for this version. A car or carefully selected excursion makes the spread of visitor sites easier to manage.
| Day | Plan and practical detail |
|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive, settle in and explore locally. Check the next day’s access and transport, then enjoy your own coastal base. A late arrival does not need a cross-island sightseeing drive. |
| 2 | Keep the volcanic south together. Make the managed Timanfaya visitor experience the main outing. Add a southern village or coastal stop only if the admission process and journey leave enough time; a ticket does not authorise independent roaming over lava. |
| 3 | Plan a focused cultural day. Choose a small number of nearby design or museum visits. Check each operator and any timed entry; do not assume everything associated with César Manrique is included in one ticket. |
| 4 | Explore the north at a measured pace. Pair Haría with one main northern site such as Jameos del Agua or Cueva de los Verdes. If the cave is your priority, place the village visit around the actual booked session. Save room for a meal rather than racing between every centre. |
| 5 | Give La Graciosa its own day. Travel to Órzola, cross to Caleta del Sebo and start with the village. Add only a manageable authorised walk or bike route. Confirm your return crossing before going farther; the sea crossing is only one part of the door-to-door journey. |
| 6 | Keep the flexible day on Lanzarote. If sea conditions change, move the La Graciosa day here only when its return still fits comfortably. Otherwise choose a beach, Famara village area or an arranged winery visit. Plan transport before tasting wine. |
| 7 | Depart from Lanzarote. Keep the final morning compatible with your airport transfer and car-return arrangements. Avoid treating an island crossing as a last-minute extension before the flight. |
La Graciosa logistics: Órzola is the Lanzarote departure port; Caleta del Sebo is the arrival point on La Graciosa. Consult the operator’s current route information and your date-specific sailing confirmation. A rental car on Lanzarote does not give you a vehicle connection for this day. Walking/cycling plans should follow the official public-use routes, with sun, unpaved surfaces and the ferry return in mind.
Seven days on Gran Canaria: a city-and-coast week with one inland day
Best fit: combining city culture, coast and highland landscapes without changing islands. Base: Las Palmas for a city-led week, or the Maspalomas/Meloneras area for a southern beach-led version. The example below assumes Las Palmas for six nights. If staying south, put the southern coast on local days and consolidate the Las Palmas visit instead of repeatedly crossing the island.
| Day | Plan and practical detail |
|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive and get to know your neighbourhood. Take a short walk near your accommodation and leave the evening simple. Decide how the next day’s museum opening fits your plans. |
| 2 | Vegueta and a selected interior. Combine the historic streets with Casa de Colón or Museo Canario according to your interests, then continue towards Triana if you want more urban walking. Each museum is a separate visit. |
| 3 | Stay near the city coast. Spend a slower day around Las Canteras or another local choice appropriate to conditions. Keep this as the low-driving day rather than adding the southern dunes automatically. |
| 4 | Make the highlands the day’s main journey. Plan Tejeda and a limited scenic route when conditions suit. Add a Roque Nublo approach only after checking the current reservation/transport rules and walking effort; a distant viewpoint and the actual approach are different plans. |
| 5 | Choose one northern focus. A Gáldar/Cueva Pintada visit works as a history-led outing; choose Agaete instead if a different coastal-and-village day is your priority. Do not turn the day into a compulsory circuit of every northern settlement. |
| 6 | Choose a southern-coast excursion or a reserve day. If the highland day needs moving, use this margin first. Otherwise, plan a focused Maspalomas outing with the return journey included, or stay near your base for a genuinely relaxed final day. |
| 7 | Transfer to the airport and depart. Keep rental-car return and any separate bus/taxi arrangements in the plan. A distant last morning stop can remove the flexibility you deliberately left in the week. |
Transport trade-off: a city base makes local culture and coast easier without a car, while the highland day still needs realistic transport. The official Tejeda information explains the inland setting and public-transport approach; verify current services for your actual day. Choose a guided excursion or a shorter cultural plan if rural connections do not fit, rather than treating the car itinerary as a ready-made bus timetable.
Ten to fourteen days across two islands: count transfers and nights first
Two islands become more rewarding when each stay is long enough to establish a rhythm. The examples below include a return to the first island because that is where the assumed international flight departs. Day ranges include the transfer at the beginning of a new stay; they are not additional full sightseeing days. Separate ferry and airline bookings should not be treated as protected through connections.
Ten days: Tenerife and La Gomera, with a final Tenerife night
Suggested allocation: four Tenerife nights, four La Gomera nights, then one final Tenerife night: nine nights across ten calendar days. This suits travellers who want Tenerife’s varied coast/mountain options and a more focused forest-and-village stay on La Gomera.
| Day | Plan and practical detail |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | Start on Tenerife: nights 1–4. Use arrival day locally, then choose a coastal day, one Teide outing and one additional cultural or sea experience. This is a shorter Tenerife stay than the seven-day example: leave something out instead of compressing that whole week. |
| 5 | Transfer to La Gomera: night 5. Travel to Los Cristianos for the crossing to San Sebastián de La Gomera. Check the exact sailing, boarding requirement and onward travel to your accommodation. Keep the first afternoon local rather than adding a remote walk. |
| 6–8 | Give La Gomera three main days: nights 6–8. Plan one selected Garajonay route, one northern village/cultural day and one flexible day matched to your chosen base. A return to San Sebastián every evening is a different plan from staying in Valle Gran Rey or another part of the island; compare road journeys before reserving. |
| 9 | Return to Tenerife: night 9. Use the confirmed San Sebastián–Los Cristianos sailing and stay somewhere compatible with your next day’s airport transfer. This removes a planned same-day ferry-to-international-flight dependency, but is not a guarantee against disruption. |
| 10 | Depart from Tenerife. Use the correct airport and allow for the transfer from the final-night accommodation. |
Before paying: verify the Los Cristianos–San Sebastián route for your date and whether any hire vehicle is allowed to cross under its actual rental agreement. Separate island rentals may fit better than assuming a ferry ticket settles insurance or collection/return rules. For fourteen days, add unhurried nights on each island and retain the final departure-island night; do not automatically add a third island.
Fourteen days: Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, with a return to Lanzarote
Suggested allocation: six Lanzarote nights, six Fuerteventura nights, then one final Lanzarote night: thirteen nights across fourteen calendar days. Use this if the aim is a volcanic/design stay followed by a slower beach or wind-sport stay. It is a two-base idea with a practical final return, not a promise that every beach or village fits.
| Day | Plan and practical detail |
|---|---|
| 1–6 | Explore Lanzarote: nights 1–6. Arrival is day 1; use the following days for a focused volcanic south, northern/cultural visits and flexible coastal time. A La Graciosa day remains optional rather than an obligation to visit a third island. |
| 7 | Transfer to Fuerteventura: night 7. Use the Playa Blanca–Corralejo crossing, then continue to the base you actually booked. A north-Fuerteventura base such as Corralejo suits this arrival; a Jandía-area stay is a different onward journey and should not be treated as just arriving at the resort. |
| 8–12 | Stay on Fuerteventura: nights 8–12. Alternate locally appropriate coastal days with a single inland/history outing, such as Betancuria if transport works. If taking a wind-sport course, give its rescheduling needs room. Choose the north or south emphasis before booking accommodation rather than driving the length of the island repeatedly. |
| 13 | Return to Lanzarote: night 13. Travel back to the actual Corralejo departure point and cross to Playa Blanca. Arrange the final night and next day’s airport transfer together. Keep this as a travel day with a simple evening. |
| 14 | Depart from Lanzarote. Leave time for the road transfer across Lanzarote to the airport and any vehicle return; the ferry arrival port and airport are not the same place. |
The operator’s route page confirms Playa Blanca and Corralejo as the connecting ports. Check the actual date, ticket type and vehicle agreement; a short advertised sea crossing is not the total time needed to change accommodation. With ten days, reduce the number of outings and allocate, for example, four nights on each island plus a final first-island night. Do not keep all the fourteen-day activities.
Adapt the route before you book
Only three or four days? Choose one island and one base, one main excursion and a local coast/culture day around arrival and departure. Travelling without a car? Check the actual outward and return bus/ferry links before choosing a remote base, then reduce the number of far-apart stops. Children, mixed abilities or a slower pace? Shorten the core day and keep the rest optional; a panoramic photo does not show every step, gradient or boarding arrangement.
Booking order: establish arrival/departure airports and nights, verify the island crossing if relevant, then reserve any essential route authorisation or timed visit before filling flexible days. Keep outdoor plans changeable for conditions, and recheck opening days after swapping the sequence. These examples deliberately omit guaranteed prices and driving times: your actual base, access arrangements and travel date determine them.
Continue to Island Hopping & Ferries for connections, Car Rental for vehicle questions and When to Visit for activity-based seasonal choices.
Choose a season around your activities
The Canaries support travel throughout the year, but that does not mean every beach, trail or sea activity is equally suitable every day. Coastal sunshine does not describe conditions high on a mountain. Wind can be welcome for one sport and inconvenient for a beach afternoon. A southern resort forecast may also differ from the north of the same island.
Choose dates around the activity that matters most, then use the Best Time to Visit guide to compare trade-offs. For a walking holiday, check trail conditions and reserve any controlled route. For a family beach stay, select the beach itself and review local swimming information. For astronomy, consider the moon, cloud and transport as well as the destination's reputation for dark skies.
Experiences worth planning separately
Volcanoes, national parks and forest walks deserve more preparation than a general sightseeing list. Choose an outing that matches the least experienced person in your group. A viewpoint, a cable-car journey and a summit hike are different experiences with different access requirements. Use Volcanoes & National Parks for the distinctions.
Natural pools are another characteristic experience, but their name is not a promise of sheltered water. Read the local notice, look at the state of the sea and respect closures. The Natural Pools section helps distinguish a scenic stop from a swimming plan.
Other interests have their own practical questions: stargazing requires a night-time return plan; marine wildlife watching calls for a responsible operator; and surfing, windsurfing and diving should be matched to your level and local conditions.
An optional organised evening is the Teide sunset and stargazing experience on GetYourGuide. Compare the meeting point, transport option and return time; clear skies and summit access are not included promises. We may earn a commission if you book through our GetYourGuide links.
Make room for island food and culture
Leave time away from the main resort strip. Food markets, local restaurants, historic towns and craft workshops introduce different sides of the islands. Read Food & Drink before ordering, and use Shopping to choose gifts by origin and practicality rather than souvenir slogans. Check what can legally travel to your home destination before buying fresh food, plants or animal products.
The About guide provides cultural context. Local festivals can change accommodation demand, road access and the character of an evening, so consult the current organiser's programme instead of assuming that last year's dates apply.
A useful booking order
- Choose an island and the kind of base you need.
- Check the actual arrival airport or port and the onward journey.
- Compare accommodation location, cancellation terms and room type.
- Reserve any date-sensitive access or activity that is central to the trip.
- Arrange a vehicle only for the days and journeys where it adds value.
- Leave space for local conditions and an alternative to your main outdoor day.
Before departure, use Travel Essentials for entry preparation, money, safety and useful contacts. The islands belong to Spain, so entry advice must be checked against the traveller's nationality and itinerary. Geographical proximity to Africa does not create a separate Canary Islands visa.
If your plans include scattered villages or trailheads, compare car rental options on Booking.com. Enter your actual island, collection point and dates: this opens the car-search service rather than a preselected offer. Read our Car Rental guide for deposits, insurance and ferry restrictions. We may earn a commission if you book through this link.
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