Frequently asked questions

Any time of year works, because the temperature stays mild through all four seasons. Summer is the warmest and driest stretch, while winter stays gentle, though the north of the islands sees more rain then. Spring and autumn usually hit the sweet spot: good weather, and noticeably fewer people.

It comes down to what you want from the trip. Tenerife and Gran Canaria offer the most of everything and are the easiest to reach, with plenty going on. Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are the ones for volcanic scenery and long beaches. If you are after nature, walking and quiet, head for La Palma, La Gomera or El Hierro. La Graciosa is the smallest and plainest of the lot, in the best sense.

You can manage without one, but it opens up the inland areas. Every island has a bus network, called guaguas here, linking the main towns, though services thin out in the countryside. For viewpoints, mountain villages and out-of-the-way beaches, a car changes everything; our guide lists car rental companies across the islands.

Ferry or plane. Fred. Olsen Express, Naviera Armas and Trasmediterránea run the sea routes, while Binter Canarias and Canaryfly fly the hops, which take anywhere from twenty to forty-five minutes. Take the ferry if you want your hire car with you; fly if the islands are far apart. Our transport section gathers the ways of getting around the archipelago.

It is Saharan dust carried over the islands on the wind. The sky turns milky, visibility drops and the temperature usually climbs with it. When it settles in properly, keep the windows shut, drink plenty of water, and if you have asthma or allergies, save the hiking for another day.

Green means you can swim as usual. Yellow means take care and stay close in. Red means the sea is genuinely dangerous, and then it is not only swimming that is off: stay away from the shoreline altogether. In rough conditions the waves sweep straight over jetties, rocks and seafront promenades, and stopping to look or take photos on a rocky shore can cost you your life. Whatever the flag, do what the lifeguards tell you. You will find the beaches of each island in our guide.

Yes. The sea sits somewhere between 19 and 23 degrees all year, coolest at the tail end of winter and warmest as summer closes. Plenty of people swim in every season; in the cooler months the first few seconds are simply a matter of nerve.

For the very last stretch, yes. The path from La Rambleta up to the crater requires a permit, which is free but has to be booked ahead through the National Parks reservation system. Everything else in Teide National Park is open without one, including the trails and the cable car as far as La Rambleta. Our guide collects hiking routes across all the islands.

The Canaries are part of Spain and of the European Union, so the trip counts as travel to Spain like any other. Coming from an EU country, an identity card or passport is enough. Coming from outside the EU, check the entry rules that currently apply to Spain for your nationality before you book.

The islands run one hour behind mainland Spain, all year. Midday in Madrid is eleven in the morning here. The clocks change for summer and winter on the same dates as the rest of the country.

Not the Spanish VAT. The islands have their own indirect tax instead, the IGIC, and its standard rate is lower than mainland VAT. That is the reason electronics, perfume and similar goods often carry a smaller price tag here than on the mainland.

That depends almost entirely on how you travel. Accommodation and booked excursions eat up most of the budget. Eating at guachinches and neighbourhood bars, getting around by bus and spending your days on beaches, at viewpoints and on the trails costs very little. A good share of what makes these islands worth the trip is free. You can search restaurants island by island in our guide.