Practical tips
Getting around without a car, car hire and airports, weather and microclimates, calima and alerts, rainy-day plans, health and travel insurance, legal excursions, travelling with a dog and camping permits.
Roaming, SIM cards and mobile data in the Canary Islands: what to watch out for
The Canary Islands are part of the EU, so your SIM from home works here at domestic prices. There are two situations to watch: if you come for the whole winter, because your operator looks at four months or more, and on a ferry, because the ship's satellite network has no EU prices.
Winter in the Canary Islands: how warm is the sea, and what to pack
Yes, you can swim in the Canary Islands in winter: the buoys show the sea at 22 to 23 degrees in November and around 19 in February and March. But pack more than swimwear: there is frost on Teide in January, the north gets more rain, and the UV is strong in winter too.
Snow on Teide: when it falls and what happens to the roads
Snow on Teide is most likely from December to March. When it falls, the Cabildo closes or regulates the roads into the park, the trails towards the summit are closed, and the cable car may stop too. We show you where to check before you set off and what to prepare for up there.
What to Do in La Palma When It Rains: Indoor Plans and the Tunnel Trick
In La Palma a grey day is hardly ever grey across the whole island: the trade-wind clouds stay in the east, and the Aridane Valley is often drier. Here is when it pays to drive through the La Cumbre tunnel, and what to do indoors: museums, silk, cigars, lava tubes and wine.
What to do in Fuerteventura when it rains: plans for rainy and windy days
It rarely rains in Fuerteventura, and the real bad weather here is usually the wind. For those days the island has a calm plan B: Unamuno's house, the archaeology of Betancuria, majorero cheese, the gofio windmills and the salt pans. And what to know before you cross to Lobos.
What to do in Lanzarote when it rains: plans to save your day
It rarely rains in Lanzarote, but when the sky closes in, the island has a plan B all of its own: lava caves, the houses César Manrique built on the lava, art in a castle, an aquarium and a winery. And what you should know if you were planning to cross to La Graciosa.
What to do in Gran Canaria when it rains: plans to save your day
When the north of Gran Canaria turns grey, the island has a plan B that is no consolation prize: unhurried museums, the painted cave of Gáldar, a huge aquarium, food markets and a rum distillery. And there is a local trick for finding the sun in the south.
Clocks go back on 25 October: what changes in the Canary Islands
Summer time ends in the early hours of Sunday 25 October 2026: in the Canaries 2:00 becomes 1:00, and on the Spanish mainland, at the same instant, 3:00 becomes 2:00. Here's what to watch out for, where "una hora menos" comes from, and whether the clocks will keep changing.
From the airport to your stay: the 8 airports of the Canary Islands
In the Canary Islands, an airport's name doesn't always tell you where it takes you. On Lanzarote, inter-island flights land in a different terminal, on Tenerife the bus company still uses the old names for both airports, and on the small islands the bus waits for the plane.