Complete Guide to the Canary Islands (Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote & Fuerteventura)

Seven islands share the name “Canary Islands,” and that’s about where the similarity ends. Volcanic moonscape on one island. Cloud forest and cliffs on another. A working Spanish city on a third. Ask five different visitors which one they went to, and the answers rarely match.

This guide sticks to the four Canary Islands that actually show up on Irish package holiday listings: Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. What follows sets out which island fits which trip, how to get between them, how long to stay, and a few ready-made itineraries for anyone short on planning time.

Where are the Canary Islands?

Geographically, the islands sit closer to Morocco than to mainland Spain, level with the Sahara on a map. Politically, they’re fully Spanish: euros, EU rules, Spanish public holidays, the lot. That contrast trips up first-time visitors more than almost anything else about the archipelago.

Flights from Ireland to the Canary Islands run a little over four hours. Three more islands exist beyond the four covered here: La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, all quieter and rarely packaged for the Irish market. Most Irish travellers never hear about them, which is exactly why this guide focuses on the four that actually get booked.

Which Canary Island is Right for You?

Tenerife

Tenerife is the biggest of the four, and it shows. Mount Teide splits the island down the middle: dry resort coast to the south, cloud and green to the north. First-timers gravitate here for good reason, since one island handles beach, hiking and nightlife without much compromise. The Tenerife first-time guide breaks down where to base a trip. There’s a downside, too: more visitors land on Tenerife than anywhere else in the group, and the busiest resorts book out first and feel it every August.

Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria packs dunes, mountains and a real city into one compact island. Maspalomas handles the beach side. Las Palmas takes care of the city side, something none of the other three islands quite manage. Between the two sits a mountainous, forested interior most visitors never see past their transfer bus window. Maspalomas gets busy in peak season, worth knowing if quiet beach time in July or August is the goal.

Lanzarote

Nothing else in the group looks like Lanzarote. Cesar Manrique’s fingerprints are everywhere: low, white buildings, no high-rises, a whole island shaped by his taste as much as by its volcanic history. Timanfaya National Park alone justifies a day trip from any of the other islands. Less green than Tenerife or Gran Canaria, though; anyone picturing palm trees and rainforest for their holidays to Lanzarote should look elsewhere instead. The 24 Hours in Lanzarote itinerary walks through a full day on the island, from Timanfaya through to sunset at Mirador del Río. 

Fuerteventura

Closest to Africa, which explains the wind and the wide-open beaches. Board sports fans base themselves here for exactly that reason. Development has stayed lighter than on the other three islands. Expect fewer restaurants and a quieter evening scene once the sun goes down. The local guide to Fuerteventura has specific towns and beaches worth building a trip around.

Getting Around the Canary Islands

Getting between islands takes more planning than getting to them in the first place.

Flights Between Islands

• Domestic carriers handle the short inter-island hops, usually 30 to 45 minutes in the air.
• Flying is the fastest way to combine two or more islands in one trip.
• Book ahead in peak season, since seats on the smaller routes go quickly.
• Fares generally undercut what an equivalent European short-haul route would cost.

Ferries and Local Transport

• Fred Olsen Express and Naviera Armas connect most of the islands by sea.
• Worth it for anyone bringing a hire car along.
• Local buses and taxis get you around affordably within each island.
• Crossings run anywhere from 25 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on the route.

Car Hire Tips

• Makes sense once past the resort strip, where buses thin out.
• Irish and UK licences are valid without an international permit.
• Reserve early in the high season, especially in Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
• Automatic cars book out first, so reserve one ahead if it matters.

Suggested Itineraries

This section runs through three trip lengths for exploring the Canary Islands: four days, seven, or ten.

4-Day Trip

Four days suits one island, full stop. Split it between a resort base and a single day inland; Mount Teide or Gran Canaria’s mountain villages both work well. Trying to add a second island just eats travel time that could go toward actually seeing the first one.

7-Day Trip

A week opens up real options. Stay on one island and explore it properly, or pair Tenerife with Gran Canaria by ferry or short flight. Fuerteventura and Lanzarote both reward a slower week, with extra days going toward watersports or simply doing nothing at all.

10-Day Island-Hopping Trip

Ten days covers three or four islands using the short inter-island flights, two or three nights on each. Book those flights ahead; Travelodeal packages Canary Islands holidays with flights and hotels together, making multi-island trips like this easier to put together. The smaller routes fill first, and turning up without a reservation usually means a wait at the airport instead of on a beach. The trade-off is obvious: less lounging, more moving. The 24 Hours in Lanzarote itinerary works well as a template for whichever day lands there.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)