The Canary Islands
The Canary Islands, in a few days
Lunar volcanoes, golden dunes and a sea that stays mild all year: three islands linked by short flights, with the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.
- Day by day
- 1 Tenerife and Mount Teide Days 1-3
- 2 Lanzarote Days 4-5
- 3 Gran Canaria Days 6-7
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
Day by day
Tenerife and Mount Teide
The largest of the islands, under the cone of Mount Teide, at 3,715 metres the highest peak in Spain, surrounded by a national park of lava fields and craters.
- Teide cable car and national parkHalf day · from €40A ride up to 3,555 metres through a lunar landscape. Going on to the summit itself requires a free permit booked well in advance.
- Teide National Park
- La Gomera (day trip)
- Masca
Lanzarote
The black island shaped by César Manrique: lava fields, art built into the landscape and vines planted in pits of volcanic ash.
- Timanfaya National Park (Montañas del Fuego)Half day · from €30The Fire Mountains, where the ground is still hot enough for water poured into a hole to shoot back up as steam.
- La Geria
Gran Canaria
Often called a continent in miniature: desert dunes in the south, green mountains and deep ravines in the centre.
- Into the mountains (Roque Nublo)Half day · from €35A half-day through white villages and ridgetop viewpoints to the basalt monolith of Roque Nublo, the symbol of the island.
- The dunes of Maspalomas
- Las Palmas and Vegueta
Worth sorting before you go
Island hopping · Short inter-island flights link Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote in under an hour, and ferries run between most of the islands. On each island, a hire car is the easiest way around.
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Papas arrugadas: small potatoes boiled in salty water until the skins wrinkle, served with mojo.
- Mojo: the island sauces, red with chilli and paprika, green with coriander or parsley.
- Gofio: toasted grain flour, a staple since before the Spanish arrived, stirred into soups and desserts.
- Goat's cheese: fresh or smoked, from farms on every island.
- Malvasía from La Geria: white wine from vines grown in volcanic ash on Lanzarote.
- Barraquito: the layered coffee of Tenerife, with condensed milk, a dash of liqueur and cinnamon.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Book the free Teide summit permit weeks ahead and the cable car before you go, and check the forecast: wind or ice close the cable car.
- At 3,500 metres it is cold and the air is thin, even in summer: bring a warm layer and go slowly.
- The Atlantic has strong currents: swim at beaches with lifeguards and respect the flags.
- The Masca gorge trail is capped at a few hundred walkers a day: book online in advance, and leave the car behind, since access is by bus.
Words that help
English ↔ Spanish
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hola |
| Thank you | Gracias |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sí |
| No | No |
| Excuse me | Perdone |
| Goodbye | Adiós |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? |
| I don't understand | No entiendo |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| Where are the toilets? | ¿Dónde están los baños? |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor |
| Help! | ¡Socorro! |
| Cheers! | ¡Salud! |
The practical page
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/canary-islands
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.