3 Months in the Canary Islands

THREE MONTHS IN THE CANARY ISLANDS

I'm lucky to have spent the first three months of the year in the Canary Islands, half working, half discovering. There is a total of 8 inhabited islands and we spent a minimum of two weeks at 5 of them. That's why below, besides my pictures, I jotted down a few tips on where to go (from beaches to restaurants), in case you ever decide to go as well. A couple of general tips first, though:

1. Which island to pick? Read on, but Tenerife and Gran Canaria are the most versatile in terms of activities, Lanzarote is the prettiest (white houses, breathtaking sceneries, great for surfing), La Gomera/La Palma/El Hierro are the least touristy, very hidden and chilled, a bit harder to get to (need to take a ferry or a local flight). I didn't like Fuerteventura that much.

2. You'll find all COVID-related info here. A good source for information normally only available in Spanish.

3. The best car rental service? CICAR. Relatively cheap (gets cheaper with long-term rentals), all fully insured, they're on every island.

4. How to travel between the islands? Either take a ferry (Fred Olsen/Naviera Armas) or a flight (Binter or Air Europa)

5. What to eat and drink? Cortados (similar to an espresso macchiatto) and cañas (0.3l draught beet everyone drinks), virtually any fish, gambas al ajillo (prawns in garlic oil), papas arrugadas (local potatoes), pan con mojo (bread with local dips), sopa de pescado (fish soup), bocadillos (sandwiches). Eat lots of fruits (papayas, melons), buy large water bottles for home (tap water is not drinkable). As for the supermarkets, I liked HiperDinos the best.

6. Accommodation? Best practice is to book the first few nights via Airbnb or booking.com (plenty of apartments on any of the islands), then chat directly with the owner on WhatsApp, you'll very likely get a 15-20% discount when prolonging.

7. Let me know in case you have any specific questions!

GRAN CANARIA

TL;DR: Book a place in Las Palmas for a week, rent a car for half the stay, and either keep discovering the city or make day trips. Avoid the south (very touristy).

Absolute must-go spots: El Confital (great for sunset beers and chills), Las Canteras beach, Pico de las Nieves (sunset and hikes around the area are beautiful), Charco Azul (a natural pool with a small waterfall).

Other cool places: Maspalomas dunes (leave right after the sunset or the mosquitos will kill you), Güigüí beach (2 hours there, 2 hours back, the hike is better than the beach itself, have enough water to drink), Teror or Tejeda (nice towns worthy of a half-day trip and a bite).

Restaurants and coffee: Bodegón Pachichi (get the chorizo al infierno and papas arrugadas con mojo), Dos Amigos (super local, one meal on the menu, great for a late night bite and a chat with a local), El Gamonal (really enjoyed the Gambas al ajillo), Caracolillo Coffee (easily the best café in town, one of two specialty coffee spots in the Canary Islands), Pizzadillo.

TENERIFE

TL;DR: Try to avoid the south (very touristy), focus on the north instead (Taganana, Teide, Santa Cruz), for a real, local experience. That being said, Tenerife is probably the most versatile island (hiking, beaches, cities, surfing).

Absolute must-go spots: Taganana (picturesque landscape & town, close to a surfing beach in Benijo), Masca & Garachico (lovely little towns, loved the Plaza de la Liberdad in Garachico).

Other cool places: Santa Cruz (capital town, lots of local restaurants, a short drive to a swimming-friendly beach called Playa de las Teresitas, Teide (Spain's tallest mountain, you'll need the following permit to go to the very top. Make sure to either be physically ready (the hike up and down took us 10 hours), or make sure you select a day on which the cable car does actually run. I'd recommend hiking up and taking the cable car back. Generally it's just a stunning experience, start hiking shortly after the sunrise (a total beaut), but make sure you have enough food, water, sunscreen, hiking shoes ready for snow, a jacket, etc.). El Médano is great for wind/kitesurfing, Playa de las Americas for surfing.

Restaurants and coffee: Casa Picar, Bibi y Mana, Playa Casa Africa, and Las Nieves in/close to Taganana, Strasse Park in Santa Cruz (great for cocktails, I definitely enojoyed the Negroni), but literally any place in Santa Cruz will make you a tasty cortado for around a Euro, Casa Requelme in Masca.

LA GOMERA

TL;DR: Valle Gran Rey is the place to be. I'd just spend a week or two chilling down there, no need to go anywhere else, besides the rainforest. Learn about the whistling culture of La Gomera, or perhaps even watch this movie.

Absolute must-go spots: Playa del Inglés (the picture below, sunsets are an absolute wow), Playa Valle Gran Rey.

Other cool places: Garajonay National Park (pick any hike and go), Montaña El Cepo (Mars-like mountain with a view over the Teide, this is where the short hike starts), San Sebastián (perhaps a half day trip, a scroll around, coffee at Kiosco las Carabelas and lunch at Los Laureles - great sopa de pescado), Playa De Chinguarime (that's where people go live like cavemen for a few weeks, super interesting to see and stay for sunset).

Restaurants and coffee: All in Valle Gran Rey: Noah's Ark (great breakfast and bread), Pandería Pan de Vueltas (get the chocolate croissant), Donde Aitor (best cortado and great breakfasts), Café der besonderen Art (great for chess players), and then coffee anywhere at Paseo Las Palmeras (funny how everyday you meet the same people).

LANZAROTE

TL;DR: Follow the steps of César Manrique (that's the guy who helped make sure all the houses stay white and no tall hotels are built) and spend a lot of time in Caleta de Famara (great vibe, a surfer's paradise). The island is small, so you can easily drive around to discover.

Absolute must-go spots: Playa de Famara (I recommend a walk/run all the way to the end, great sunsets), a trip to LA GRACIOSA (an island with no cars, take a ferry from Órzola and do a day trip, rent a bike when you get there), Playa de Órzola, Mirador del Río (and other César Manrique places, like Jameos del Agua or the Foundation - make sure it's open), the LZ-1 road from Jameos del Agua to Órzola is a beauty.

Other cool places: Charco Verde, Playa del Paso, Playa del Pozo, Timanfaya National Park (12 EUR to enter), Teguise (markets each Sunday).

Restaurants and coffee: All in Caleta de Famara: Teleclub (beer, dinner, skating, ping pong, drinks, everything you'll think of), La Hamburgueseria (get the Black Angus burger), Yokomosurf (an all right place for working), Grill La Posada (cheap bocadillos for breakfast).

FUERTEVENTURA

TL;DR: IMHO the least impressive island, could be nice for surfing (Playa del Castillo is amazing). It's pretty long in size, so the drives get draggy. Still beautiful if it's the only island you go to, but there just are better ones.

Absolute must-go spots: Playa del Castillo (the very last picture) is lovely. You can park above the beach and take a sunset walk.

Other cool places: Playa de Cofete (a super long beach, the 1-hour offroad drive to get there is a bit tricky, pack some patience), Playa del Viejo Rey, Playa de Jandia (first picture, touristy, but kids- and swimming-friendly), Ajuy (nice little town, you can hike to a cave), natural pools next to Playa del Valle, piscina natural close to Castillo Caleta de Fuste. The beaches south of Corralejo might be nice, haven't been, though.

Restaurants and coffee: Bar Cafetería Aguayre, Mana Café.