With their exceptional sunshine and beautiful settings, the Canary Islands attract more and more travelers every year.
Beaches, mountains, sports activities, historical sites each of the seven main islands of the Canaries offer a different face, and making a choice is not easy.
In this post, we will see together which Canary Island to choose for your stay, according to your desires.
What are the 7 main Canary Islands?
The Canary Islands archipelago, off the northwest coast of Africa, is made up of seven volcanic islands, each with its own special atmosphere to offer travelers.
- Tenerife: parties, shopping, traditional villages and volcanic landscapes
- Gran Canaria: picturesque villages, mountains and archaeological sites
- Lanzarote: volcanoes, nature and art
- Fuerteventura: dream beaches and aquatic activities
- La Palma: hiking and extreme adventures
- La Gomera: mountains and gastronomy
- El Hierro: forest excursions and scuba diving
Tenerife – parties and traditions
Tenerife, the island of a thousand experiences, is certainly the most famous of the Canary Archipelago.
Together with Gran Canaria, Tenerife is the most touristic island of the archipelago.
The richness of its cultural heritage is accompanied by incredibly varied natural landscapes.
You will be able to go hiking on the numerous paths that crisscross the island, play golf, shop in the numerous boutiques, visit the water parks, go whale watching, and of course enjoy the beautiful beaches.
Get away from the seaside resorts and visit small traditional villages that are particularly charming.
In addition to all this, you will also have the opportunity to discover El Teide, the third highest volcano in the world and the highest peak in Spain, with 3718 m of altitude.
You can discover the Pico de Teide on a beautiful hike, or take the cable car to its summit.
Gran Canaria – nature, culture and history
Between mountains, deserts, canyons, and seashores, Gran Canaria’s diversity attracts many travelers, making it one of the most touristic islands of the Canary archipelago.
This island is the largest of the Canary Islands.
It is probably here that you can make the greatest variety of discoveries.
Hiking, relaxing, cultural visits, and sports activities you will have plenty of choices to keep you busy during your stay in Gran Canaria.
Trekking in Gran Canaria will allow you to discover great landscapes, starting with the dunes of Maspalomas, a unique natural space with a Sahara-like atmosphere, and a great variety of ecosystems.
Inland, the landscape is wild and mountainous, and you will be able to make beautiful excursions in nature to appreciate the pine forests, the lakes, and the volcanic landscapes.
You will also have the opportunity to discover the ancestral culture of the Guanches, the indigenous people of the Canary Islands, by visiting the different museums of the island and discovering beautiful painted caves like the Cueva Pintada.
In the capital, Las Palmas, you can visit Vegueta, a medieval neighborhood with many monuments and museums.
In Triana, the other historical part of the city, you will find many bars, restaurants, and stores.
If you don’t mind very touristy places, Gran Canaria will be the perfect destination to spend a pleasant and varied stay in the Canary Islands.
Find the best places to stay in Gran Canaria in our dedicated article: Where to Stay in Gran Canaria? 10 Best Areas
Lanzarote – the volcanic island
With its hundreds of volcanoes and its immense lava fields, the oldest of the Canary Islands offers travelers a lunar and exotic panorama.
Lanzarote is distinguished from the other Canary Islands by its volcanic activity.
Everywhere in the southern part of this island, you can see volcanoes, lava fields, and large beaches of black sand and pebbles.
In the National Park of Timanfaya, you will discover impressive lunar landscapes, shaped by volcanic activity.
It is the ideal place for hiking in the heart of the Timanfaya National Park and its “Montañas del Fuego”, touring the Caldera Blanca, or in the wine valley of La Geria.
Lanzarote also fascinates for its cultural identity very marked by the artist Cesar Manrique, who influenced the architecture of the typical white villages of the island.
Everywhere you go you can admire outdoor sculptures that blend in with nature, and you will also have the opportunity to visit outstanding museums such as the Cesar Manrique Contemporary Art Museum and the Museo Atlantico, with its underwater sculptures.
In addition to the volcanic beaches, you can find some very nice unspoiled beaches in Lanzarote, such as Punta del Papagayo and Playa del Risco.
From the north of Lanzarote, you can also easily reach Isla Graciosa, a real little paradise on earth.
Fuerteventura – the star of the seaside vacations
If you are looking for a seaside vacation, then Fuerteventura is perhaps the best place to go in the Canary Islands archipelago.
This island is often referred to as “the beach of the Canaries”.
With its large expanses of white sand and crystal clear water, this island will delight those who love to relax, but also those who want to enjoy the water for sports activities such as surfing, kitesurfing, or windsurfing.
In the north of the island, the conditions are perfect for the practice of these sports.
You can easily find places to rent the necessary equipment, and even to take lessons if you are a beginner.
This island is the second largest of the archipelago, but it is less touristy.
It is home to only 4 seaside resorts, and you will have the opportunity to get away from the most animated places to make beautiful outings in nature, on foot or by mountain bike.
La Palma – the adventure in the middle of nature
Wild, green and incredibly flowery, La Palma is not called the “Isla Bonita” for nothing.
Travelers appreciate its beauty and tranquility, which allows them to enjoy the Canary Islands off the beaten path.
La Palma is located in the west of the archipelago, known for being home to the Caldera de Taburiente National Park.
It is the greenest island of the Canaries, you can find mountains and hills covered by pine forests, more tropical areas, and in the south of the island, you can discover a much more rocky and volcanic landscape.
In the park or in the south, on the Ruta de Los Volcanes, you can find a large number of trails to go on a nature excursion and enjoy the view.
La Palma is also a perfect destination for the practice of many sports activities, sometimes very strong in sensations, such as kayaking, paragliding, or speleology.
On the highest peak of the island, the Roque de las Muchachos is the observatory that has the largest optical telescope in the world.
At certain times of the year, this observatory opens its doors to visitors.
If you want to go to a destination less frequented than many others in the Canary Islands, to spend an active and rich in discoveries, La Palma is waiting for you.
La Gomera, mountain excursions and local flavors
The green pearl of the Canary Islands with its exuberant vegetation, La Gomera is a real sanctuary for walkers.
Its majestic primeval forest of altitude shelters a remarkable and preserved ecosystem, which often earns it the nickname of “magic island”.
Like La Palma, La Gomera is another green and relatively unspoiled island, which will delight nature lovers.
Its landscapes, composed of ravines, palm tree valleys, black sand beaches and thousand-year-old woods, can be discovered on foot, during a hike.
This island is one of the smallest and least touristy of the archipelago.
It is in Gomera that you will be able to discover one of the most impressive protected natural spaces of the Canaries, the National Park of Garajonay.
This park is known for its high-altitude laurisilva forests, primordial forests where the environment has remained intact since the dawn of time.
In this park and everywhere else on this mountainous volcanic island, you will find marked paths to discover amazing landscapes.
You can visit this island in one day from Tenerife, but if you like hiking in the mountains, then it is probably worth your while.
Accommodations are quite rare on this island, here even more than elsewhere, you will have to book early to be able to find accommodation.
El Hierro, the little wild paradise for hikers and divers
Located in the extreme southeast of the Canaries, this island was once considered the last land before the end of the world.
El Hierro is the smallest island of the archipelago.
This small island is home to an amazing variety of landscapes, with natural pools, fertile forests, and dark volcanic cliffs.
On the island of El Hierro, you can find ancestral paths, such as the Camino de la Virgen or the Camino de Jinama, to make memorable hikes and discover impressive landscapes.
El Hierro is also a very popular place for diving enthusiasts.
Around this island, the waters are calm and warm, and under the sea, you can discover real treasures.
Just off the fishing port of La Restinga, you will find the Mar de la Calmas marine reserve, known worldwide for its incredibly clear waters and exceptional seabed, with rich fauna and varied volcanic relief.
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