Best Canary Island. Which is the most beautiful Canary Island?

Which is the best Canary Island to go to? Possibly the most difficult question we have to answer in this blog. Maybe we have to approach the question in another way, that is, which is the best Canary Island for families or the best Canary Island for older couples or the best Canary Island for hiking or the best Canary Island for foodies and so on. The best island to visit in Canary Islands depends on what for, since they are all different and each one has its attractions. We are lucky to have visited them all. So, below we are going to give you a brief summary of the Islands so that you can choose which Canary Island is best to visit.

Canary Islands things to do

First of all, before deciding the nicest Canary Island for you, you should know that the Canary archipelago is made up of eight islands: La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and La Graciosa. There are also several islets such as Lobos (visitable), Alegranza, Montaña Clara and several smaller rocks. The Canary Islands have belonged to Spain since the fifteenth century, the date on which the Crown of Castile conquered the Canarian aborigines. But where are the Canary Islands? Geographically they are located in the Atlantic Ocean, a few kilometers from the coast of West Africa, in front of Morocco and the Sahara. That is, about 2 hours and a half flight from the Peninsula.

The climate in the Canary Islands is subtropical with mild temperatures all year round. So you do not have to worry looking for the best Canary Island in November or December. It doesn’t usually rain much and, luckily, there are no tornadoes or earthquakes here. Still, you should know that the islands are small miniature continents. That is, in the mountainous areas there can be temperatures below zero (only in winter) and, at the same time, on the southern beaches it can be more than 20 degrees. In any case, we believe that the best months to visit are from October to May, since it is still cold in Europe and the entire northern hemisphere.

Best places in Canary Islands & Best Canary Island to visit

If what you are looking for is sun , you will find it in all of them. However, if you want to know which Canary island has the best beaches, you should know that the eastern islands are more sandy (paradise beaches). On the other hand, the western islands are more rocky (cliffs). In Gran Canaria you can find both types of landscapes. In any case, in the following lines we will detail the essential places and outstanding activities of each island so that you can decide for yourself which is the best Canary Island for you.

1. Gran Canaria: beaches, hiking and wide cultural and gastronomic offer

• Its capital, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is the most populous city in the Canary Islands with a wide cultural offer. Discover here all the places to visit in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
• Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria and Risco Caído, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Dunes of Maspalomas and its kilometric beach
• Nublo Rural Park and Roque Nublo Natural Monument, symbol of the island
• Las Canteras beach, one of the best urban beaches in the world
• Beaches and bathing areas of different types: golden sand, black sand, stones and seawater pools
• Wide range of nightlife, one of the best Canary Island for partying
• Large network of trails in Gran Canaria and MTB routes.
• Good wines and wineries to visit
• Wide gastronomic offer, including three Michelin Star restaurants. Best Canary Island for foodies
• One of the nicest Canary Island for families: Poema del Mar Aquarium and Holiday World Maspalomas
• It has crowded tourist areas: mainly Playa del Inglés beach and Puerto Rico
• It is the second most populated Canary Island
• It has an international airport

You already know that we have a blog about the island of Gran Canaria because we live here, if you would like to know more about the places we like the most on the island, you can take a quick look at the following article.

2. Tenerife: beaches, hiking and wide cultural and gastronomic offer

• El Teide National Park
• City of La Laguna, World Heritage Site by UNESCO
• Whale watching, whales and dolphins all year round
• Anaga Rural Park
• Most beautiful Canary Island for astronomical tourism. Here is the highest peak in Spain with an altitude of 3,718m (Teide).
• Beaches and bathing areas of different types: golden sand, black sand, stones and seawater pools
• Large network of trails and MTB routes
• Good wines and wineries to visit
• Wide range of nightlife, best Canary Island for partying
• Network of guachinches, homemade Canarian food places at a good price
• Wide gastronomic offer, including four Michelin Star restaurants
• Good leisure offer for families: Loro Parque, Siam Park water park and best family all inclusive resorts Canary Islands
• It has crowded tourist areas: mainly Las Américas beach and Puerto de La Cruz
• It is the most populated Canary Island
• It has two airports: one in the south mainly for international flights and another in the north for national and island flights.

We have a super article with recommendations of places to visit in Tenerife to get to know its most authentic side, with recommendations of restaurants, hotels and tips. It is the Canary Island that we have visited the most due to its proximity to Gran Canaria and being, at the same time, one of the most complete.

3. Lanzarote, one of the best holiday destinations Canary Islands

• Paradisiacal beaches and coves with white and golden sand and crystal clear waters, being one of the favorite islands to travel by sailboat
• Timanfaya National Park
• Jameos del Agua
• Papagayo Beaches
• Cesar Manrique Foundation
• Good wines and wineries to visit
• Good gastronomic offer
• It has crowded tourist areas: mainly Puerto del Carmen
• Practically flat island with little attraction for mountain sports
• It has an international airport
• Less than an hour by boat from La Graciosa (recommended day trip if you visit this island)

4. La Graciosa, beaches and disconnection from civilization

• Paradisiacal beaches and coves with golden sand and crystal clear waters
• It is the smallest island of the archipelago, so it is sparsely populated.
• It has a limited leisure offer, ideal for disconnecting
• Streets and “roads” of sand, there are hardly any cars
• It preserves 100% its authenticity throughout the territory, that is, without overcrowding. However, it is not the best Canary Island in August as it triples its population with local tourism. If you can, visit it from October to June and avoid Easter
• No airport, La Graciosa can only be reached by ferry from Lanzarote or by private boat

5. Fuerteventura, the best Canary Island for windsurfing

• Kilometric and paradisiacal beaches of white, golden sand and crystal clear waters
• Cofete beach
• Jandia Beaches
• Dunes of Corralejo
• Paradise for water sports, mainly windsurfing and surfing (Sotavento beach).
• Known for its award-winning cheeses
• Possibility of visiting the islet of Lobos on a boat trip, since it is less than an hour away (it is not possible to spend the night)
• Practically flat island with little attraction for mountain sports
• It has an international airport

6. La Gomera, best Canary Islands to avoid the crowds

• Garajonay National Park
• Good network of trails and MTB routes
• The Canarian almogrote originates from here
• Los Organos Cliffs
• Stone and black sand beaches. It also has some seawater pools
• Sparsely populated island with little leisure offer, ideal for disconnecting. In fact, it has locations for retreats, yoga and meditation
• It preserves 100% its authenticity throughout the territory, without overcrowding
• The airport is small and only for flights from Tenerife or Gran Canaria. It can also be reached by boat from other Canary Islands (the closest ones)

You can find out more about this destination in our complete guide to La Gomera with 10 amazing places to visit, restaurants and tips on how to organise your trip. We holiday on this island and my mother and grandparents are from here, so we have a lot of information to share.

7. El Hierro, the best Canary Island for diving

• La Restinga-Mar de las Calmas Marine Reserve, ideal for diving
• The Sabina of El Hierro
• Stone and black sand beaches. It also has natural pools and seawater pools
• Good gastronomic offer, mainly fish and seafood
• Sparsely populated island with little leisure offer, ideal for disconnecting
• It preserves 100% its authenticity throughout the territory, without overcrowding
• Good network of trails and MTB routes
• Garoe tree
• Old meridian 0
• The airport is small and only for flights from Tenerife or Gran Canaria. It can also be reached by boat from other Canary Islands (the closest ones)

We invite you to get to know El Hierro better in our specific article about this destination with more information about places to visit, where to eat, where to stay, etc. We have been there four times already!

8. La Palma, the best hiking Canary Island

• Volcano tourism, mainly as a result of the erosion of the La Palma Cumbre Vieja volcano in 2021
• Good network of trails and MTB routes, best island to visit in Canary Islands for hiking
• Caldera de Taburiente National Park
• Astronomical tourism, Roque de Los Muchachos
• Stone and black sand beaches. It also has some seawater pools
• Good gastronomic offer
• It preserves 100% its authenticity throughout the territory, without overcrowding
• International Airport

Which is the most beautiful Canary Island?

In short, as you may have seen, it is impossible to say which is the prettiest Canary Island, since not all of us like the same thing. However, we hope that after highlighting the main characteristics of each island, you will be able to answer the question which Canary Island should I visit according to your preferences.

Possibly, if you want to be away from the masses, the best island in the Canary Islands to go to in summer is one of the less touristy ones. These are El Hierro, La Gomera and La Palma. On the other hand, if you want to know which is the nicest Canary Island to visit in winter, any one is worth it depending on your tastes. The climate in all of them is quite similar and the whole year the temperatures are great.

Which is the cheapest Canary Island?

Finally, another question that usually comes up in all the forums is which is the cheapest Canary Island to visit. In principle they are all similar, but the most populated have a greater offer of accommodation and restaurants, so there is more competitiveness in prices.

In addition, they are better connected, so you can save a lot on flights. In any case, as they are more populated, they have a greater offer of leisure and activities, so spending at the destination can be higher. The same happens with the question which is the cheapest Canary Island to live, for sure the rental housing will be cheaper in the less populated islands, but you have also less leisure options here. So you have to choose once again according to your way of life.

In any case, if you choose Gran Canaria, we invite you to take a look at our digital guides to get to know the most authentic side of the island on your own without wasting time organizing your trip.