Canary Islands Tourism

Most visitors to the islands arrive by plane, with many charter airlines having regular timetables to the major airports. In addition, Easyjet have scheduled flights to Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and Tenerife South. If you are flying to Tenerife and are going to be based in the south, then try to select a flight to that airport as it can be a lengthy journey from Tenerife North if you should land there. The three smaller islands also have airports and the local airline, Binter Airways, operates many flights between them all each day if you want to ‘island hop’. There is an additional local carrier, Islas Airways, which has similar flights.

There are various ferry services between the islands that offer a cheaper alternative to flying and most of them cater for both foot passengers and those with cars.

Once on the islands you will discover that the largest of them have major motorways connecting the airports with the main tourist areas and roads in and around towns are generally of a good standard. Mountain roads, however, can sometimes be rather daunting until you are used to them and take note, Canarian drivers are far worse than their mainland counterparts. Some people might find that hard to believe but it is, regrettably, true.
There are no rail services on the islands but they all have frequent, cheap bus services – it is best to have a season ticket if you intend to travel on them frequently; they are known as bonos and can save you as much as 50% of your fare.

Top Destinations in the Canary Islands

Gran Canaria and Tenerife are the two most popular destinations with visitors and they are perhaps the two most similar of all the Canary Islands. Both have their major centres of population in the north of the island, a very attractive and green mountainous interior, and huge resorts in the south. Both islands also have areas – such as Puerto Rico in Gran Canaria – that originally catered for the budget end of the market but are now trying to reinvent themselves by adding some all-inclusive and higher quality hotels. The two islands have perhaps suffered in many ways because of their ‘cheap and cheerful’ reputations but they can offer much to the most discerning of travellers. The interiors are quite spectacular, dotted with attractive villages clinging to the mountain sides, and both have capital cities with architecture and atmosphere that can rival similar cities in mainland Spain. Meandering through the old town of Tenerife or along the spectacular city beach, Las Canteras, in Las Palmas can prove to be a rewarding experience.

The westward islands are true paradises for walkers and nature lovers. La Palma, with its wonderfully scenics walks around the volcanoes in the south or the Caldera, the enormous crater that dominates the north of the island, is known as ‘La Isla Bonita’ and there really cannot be many more beautiful places in the world. Driving around can require strong nerves and a good sense of direction but even if you do get lost the island is only 50km by 25km at its widest so it won’t take too long to orientate yourself. All three of these smaller islands, Hierro, La Gomera and La Palma, offer peaceful holidays a million years away from the popular Canary Island image.

Fuerteventura has some spectacular wide, sandy beaches and is a delight for water sport enthusiasts. As the name implies, wind surfing and kite boarding are immensely popular here – with regular World Championship events being held.

Lanzarote – unfairly referred to as Lanzagrotty at one time – is, in many ways, a good example of well-controlled tourism. Because of the influence of the artist and architect César Manrique, strict regulations were introduced – still in place today – to govern the development of the island. There are no high rise buildings in Lanzarote and strict rules to follow about where and what developments can be built. Manrique’s influence is all around the island – sculptures on roundabouts; his fascinating house built into the volcanic landscape; the incredible Jameos del Agua, with an underground concert hall constructed in a volcanic ‘bubble’; and the Mirador el Rio, overlooking the nearby island of La Graciosa. More than anything, though, the abiding memory of Lanzarote will be of the lunar landscape and the astonishing Timanfaya National Park.

Local Tourist Activities

Windsurfers, kite boarders, mountain climbers, walkers, cyclists, divers, golfers, bird watchers, naturists, sea fishermen – these are just a few of the many activities available in the islands. The respective island tourist boards have assembled excellent guides for walkers and tourist trails for those with varied interests. The ideal aspect for many, of course, is that these activities are possible throughout the year – there is no real ‘off season’ here.

Local Festivals in the Canary Islands

The Carnivals of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – both of which stretch over three weekends in February or March – are famous throughout Spain because of their vibrant atmospheres. Because the weather permits, these are truly spectacular occasions. Maspalomas, in Gran Canaria, also has a Carnival worth seeing, if only for the unforgettable Carnival Drag Queen festivities.

Las Palmas has an annual Womad festival in the autumn that attracts many international artists and both of the main islands have an impressive array of Jazz and Classical Music Festivals each year.

Food and Drink of the Canaries

The Canary Islands’ two most notable additions to Spanish cuisine are mojo and gofio. Mojo is a very spicy sauce made from garlic and peppers. It is usually red but you can also have a green version. It is served with most fish dishes here but also with the ubiquitous Canarian potatoes known as papas arrugadas. This literally means ‘wrinkled potatoes’, because they have been boiled in their jackets in very salty water until they are wrinkled. Gofio is a roasted mixture of wheat and grain or barley. Canarians tend to eat this with everything – as a breakfast cereal or just pouring it on soups or stews. It is an acquired taste and my recommendation would be to have it as a dessert, usually as Mousse de Gofio, where it has a pleasant rather rich and nutty taste.

Other Canarian dishes include watercress Soup (Potaje de berros) and a lovely broth known as Ranch Canario. Spanish speakers might be surprised to see Ropa Viejo - old clothes – on local menus. This was formerly a peasant dish made up of all the left over meat and vegetables from previous meals but is now often put on as a tapas speciality.

Obviously, fish is plentiful and fresh here but there is also plenty of pork, rabbit and goat to be had and the goats’ cheese can be delicious. For many, though, the sheer freshness and tastiness of locally grown avocadoes, mangos, oranges, tomatoes, strawberries, etc grown all through the year and available at local markets is what really attracts about Canarian eating.

There is wine grown on the islands, which has a distinctive flavour because of the volcanic nature of the soil. Best known are the wines of Lanzarote, especially El Grifo, a clean, crisp dry white wine that deserves a wider reputation.

Many residents drink locally produced rum – a thriving remnant of the sugar industry. You might well be given a small glass of ron miel, the native honey rum, at the end of a meal. If you are, then I hope you have a sweet tooth!