Canary Islands holidays in 2024: The ultimate guide

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An archipelago of seven sun-drenched islands 100 miles off the north-west shoulder of Africa make up the Canary Islands on the Atlantic Ocean.

Chiefly celebrated for year-round vitamin D and playas that rival the Balearics, a geology lesson of landscapes inland transcend even the brilliant lights of the string of coastal resorts.

The Spanish islands, every as dynamic as the following, provide limitless energetic pursuits, seashores from which to wash in the ocean and cultural adventures to cement their fashionable place as the place to get away for Brits – 5 are even listed as Unesco biosphere reserves for his or her uncommon natural world.

Whether tucking into elevated plates of tapas, mountaineering steep lava fields or performing some severe stargazing, the Canaries masterfully stability finances journey with Michelin-quality luxurious for journeys which might be positive to shock you.

From vacation hotspot Lanzarote to under-the-radar La Gomera, right here’s the place and easy methods to discover winter solar and summer time vacation getaways on the Canary Islands – simply over a four-hour flight from the UK.

Read extra on Canary Islands journey:

Tenerife

Tenerife is sandwiched between the Sahara and the Atlantic, with tropical forest trails in Parque Nacional Las Cañadas del Teide, journeys into the arteries of a dormant volcano, Mount Teide and Europe’s first Whale Heritage Site, house to twenty-eight species of cetacean. All could be explored throughout 4 seasons of solar.

Though well-catered for budget-friendly package deal holidays, the Canary Island disputes its bitter rep as an affordable spot primed for British pubs and tomfoolery with its leafy cover and wild west coast that stay comparatively untouched by tourism. It’s additionally the perfect spot to see the celebs, with clear skies, clear air and excessive altitudes. Tenerife is aware of easy methods to appeal to Brits, with golden sands imported from Western Sahara for sprawling seashore fronts, and the favored Siam Park even opening in winter for solar seekers visiting the most important of the Canaries.

Where to remain

Royal Hideaway Corales Suites presents a house from house for holidaymakers in the fishing village of La Caleta. The resort has luxe suites on the seashore, three heated saltwater swimming pools and Michelin-starred restaurant El Rincón de Juan Carlos – all designed by native architect Leonardo Omar to imitate a sea cave.

Gran Canaria

Known because the “miniature continent” for its distinction of volcanic calderas, city seashores and imposing heights, Gran Canaria sits in the centre of the Canary Islands archipelago. Black and white southern sands dot Playa del Inglés, Puerto de Mogán and Puerto Rico, and the trendy Meloneras waterfront presents an oasis for holidaymakers procuring, consuming and watching the solar go down.

To bounce in ft first, the 75km Gran Canaria Camino path walks coast to coast from Maspalomas in the south to Santiago de los Caballeros in the north crossing dunes and luxurious forest as you tread the diameter of the round island – enviable temperatures (a median each day excessive of 24C) and recent banana snacks are positive to assist with the journey.

Where to remain

Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel is an lodge daing again to 1890, constructed in Santa Catalina’s distinctive pink. It’s only a quick stroll from the previous city, Vegueta, and town’s most important seashore. Neoclassical rooms function wood balconies, ambient lighting and cozy beds for some R&R earlier than tucking into an extravagant breakfast buffet.

Lanzarote

With clear, shallow waters, palm-lined promenades and rows of parasols, Lanzarote has smartened up its picture from cheesy tourism to luxurious journey. Famed as the preferred Canary for holidaymakers, a brand new wave of stylish boutiques, clear seashores and well-equipped resorts awash with worldwide eating places now sit beneath the island’s dramatic crimson mountains.

Visit Papagayo Beach on the island’s southern tip for a tan top-up by powder sand and emerald waters or tour Timanfaya National Park’s lunar landscapes for otherwordly views of your complete island. Playa Blanca, Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise are perfect for households visiting the normally rain-free isle however hidden in rural whitewashed villages are the jewels in Lanzarote’s crown. Peppered with hamlets, nation bodegas and the winery belt of La Geria, vacationers are interested in the lava subject panorama and benign local weather inland and on the glowing coast in each season.

Where to remain

H10 Rubicón Palace, in the center of Playa Blanca, is a family-friendly resort with 5 totally different eating venues, spacious suites to sleep your complete clan and a village environment. A hotspot for sunsets, nightly reveals, multi-sports courts and themed meals greet visitors heading for the white sand stretch of Lanzarote.

Fuerteventura

Travellers flock to the coast of the Canary’s oldest island, Fuerteventura, year-round for browsing and watersports. Swathes of holiday-brochure sand line the coast shaped over 22 million years in the past, and the isle is blessed with breaks and swells for using the waves and a relaxed vibe to match the surf scene.

On the southwest tip, Sotavento Beach’s 9km stretch is a hub of wind and kite browsing, and well-known north shore breaks in beach-chic Corralejo are hailed as Europe’s reply to Hawaii for browsing.

Beneath the volcanic mountains, the hills are scattered with conventional windmills, Aztec-inspired church buildings and ochre colonial mansions. Think kitesurfing, buggy driving, and mountain hikes to volcanic wine cellars on a Fuerteventura vacation.

Where to remain

If trendy boutique inns accented with white and blue, a sheltered seashore and a basic Spanish restaurant are what you need from a Fuerteventura vacation, then the Avanti Lifestyle Hotel ought to match the invoice. Originally opened in 1969, 14 terraced bedrooms can be found for adults solely to sit back in Corralejo after days spent diving into watersports.

La Palma

The isle bonita, the “pretty island”, of La Palma is a subtropical paradise marked by lava scars from its energetic Tajogaite volcano. Since its final eruption devastated Palermos in 2021, the ashy shore has discovered its place in the archipelago’s tourism area with seismic volcano-themed excursions and cruises round its corrugated coast.

The lushest of the Canaries and thought of one of many world’s steepest islands, this naturally numerous vacation spot is finest appreciated on foot, with excessive altitude mountaineering on La Palma’s central peaks a precedence over lounging shoreside and the wild nightlife you’ll discover in Tenerife or Lanzarote.

However, for a break out of your step rely, Los Cancajos, a small resort close to the island’s enticing capital Santa Cruz de La Palma (essentially the most established vacationer city), is dotted with black sand seashores, shallow bays and bistros serving papas bonitas (wrinkled potatoes with Canarian mojo verde sauce) for a style of a basic postcard vacation.

Where to remain

Hotel San Telmo in Santa Cruz de La Palma options charming Seventeenth-century decor with Twenty first-century consolation and it’s ideally located for a countryside hike. Reading in the backyard solarium and feasting on freshly ready bread at breakfast are additionally on the itinerary for visitors. 

La Gomera

La Gomera, a peaceable land of strolling and whistling, is the second smallest of the primary isles, and the hiker’s haven is a dream for a winter strolling vacation. Only 15 miles huge, the “little sister” to Tenerife (which is a 50-minute boat journey away) packs a punch with its breathtaking vary of surroundings. In truth, the gorges are so steep on the island that the El Silbo whistling language developed on La Gomera so farmers may talk throughout its deep ravines.

The island is studded with palms on its west coast, black sands at Valle Gran Rey, lush inexperienced valleys and fruit plantations in the north, and mountaineering trails by means of the misty Garajonay forest that tops a tenth of La Gomera, and this Canary is shortly changing into a foodie hotspot. Imaginative culinary delights, from melon lobster to marmalade rabbit, put a twist on Spanish classics, with goat cheese and dried figs drizzled with palm honey and cazuela, a herb-heavy fish stew, additionally making the menu. The playground for dolphins has distinctive native fish choices of sama, cherne and tuna, whereas terraced vineyards surrounding Vallehermoso and Hermigua take centre stage for pours pairing whites with the native bites.

Where to remain

The four-star Hotel Jardín Tecina presents an outside pool, sizzling tub and terraced rooms laid out like a standard Canarian village. It’s only a quick drive from world-class golf programs, and the tranquil flower gardens convey in views of Mount Teide – all simply steps from Santiago Beach.

El Hierro

The smallest and most distant Canary Island, El Hierro is a ferry or flight from Tenerife and the sting of Europe isle was as soon as seen because the “end of Earth”. Not normally a magnet for mass tourism, this tiny island is scattered with dramatic volcanic deserts, historical forests, lava fields, banana plantations and wind farms – aiding ambitions for self-sufficient vitality.

Now a protected Unesco biosphere reserve, El Hierro’s unpolluted waters are a paradise for scuba diving, with the crystalline depths of Mar de Las Calmas attracting all method of marine life. In the coastal villages of La Caleta and El Tamaduste, pure swimming pools for swimming are backdropped by a rugged cliffside with vacation cottages nestled atop for panoramic views from the southernmost level of Spain.

On land, mountaineering, mountain biking and la lucha Canaria (Canarian wrestling) meet the quadrennial competition Bajada de la Virgen de los Reyes – an 18-mile pilgrimage winding the tracks of Valverde since 1741 – to ask for rain in a drought by carrying the Virgin of Los Reyes (the island’s patron saint) in a full of life procession to the capital.

Where to remain

On the coast of El Golfo Bay, Balneario Pozo de la Salud backed by excessive cliffs oozes calm and rest. At the laid-back lodging, there’s a spa that options scientific and aesthetic therapies, plus sprawling sea views of the Atlantic from trendy suites and the on-site restaurant.

Read extra of our finest Lanzarote lodge evaluations