Which Canary Island to choose
All seven islands get sold as if they were the same thing, and they're nothing alike. Choosing wrong is the difference between a great week and a week in the car.
First: the weather isn't the same across one island
This is the most common mistake. On Tenerife and Gran Canaria the north is cloudy many days because of the trade winds while the south is sunny. It isn't a small difference: you can have 18 degrees and mist in La Laguna and 26 with full sun in the south on the same day. If you're going for sun, check which side your accommodation is on before booking.
Tenerife: the all-rounder
The most complete island, with the most of everything: Mount Teide, laurel forest in the north, beaches in the south and cities with real life. The best first choice if you've never been. The trade-off is that it's also the most built up and the busiest with traffic.
Gran Canaria: variety in a small space
They call it a miniature continent, and rightly: dunes, mountains, ravines and forest within short distances. Las Palmas has one of Spain's best urban beaches. A very good option if you want to combine city and nature without much driving.
Lanzarote: volcano and design
Volcanic landscape unlike anywhere else, with César Manrique's mark across the island. Good beaches and less crowding than on the two big islands. Little vegetation and frequent wind: if you want green, it isn't your island.
Fuerteventura: the beach one
The best beaches in the archipelago, long and pale-sanded, and the reference point for surf and kite. Also the windiest, which is wonderful if you're there for sport and annoying if you want to lie down.
La Palma: the mountain one
The greenest and steepest, with the Caldera de Taburiente and serious hiking. Protected skies for stargazing. Few beaches and black sand: this is an island for walking, not sunbathing.
La Gomera and El Hierro: the quiet ones
The two least touristed. La Gomera has the Garajonay forest, which feels otherworldly, and El Hierro is the best diving in the archipelago. Both need a car and patience with winding roads. Not for everyone, but those who choose them come back.
How many islands per trip
With a week, one island only. Ferries eat half a day per crossing and internal flights, though cheap, mean repacking and changing accommodation. Combining two makes sense from ten days up, and the logical pairing is one big island with a small one nearby.
Budget and best time
A full day runs 65 to 100 euros per person, varying a lot by area. And here's the best thing about the Canaries: they work all twelve months. The priciest weeks are Christmas, Easter and August; the rest of the year the value is hard to beat in Europe.
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