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.

It’s all too easy to land in the Canary Islands and, feeling the sun on your face and the breeze in your hair, scurry straight to an idyllic beach resort or quiet rural retreat, not to be heard from again until the morning of your flight out. Yet while we’re sunbathing, swimming, sailing, snorkelling and strolling, the ‘real’ Canaries are chugging along in the background.