Canary Islands: what to see The best tourism plans | spain.info (2024)

How to get toaeroplane

• The Canary Islands have excellent air transport connections, reaching practically anywhere in Europe in 5 hours or less.

• The seven main Canary Islands have their own airports. The airports with the most international traffic are Gran Canaria, Tenerife Sur, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

• There are many daily flights between these airports and to the rest of the islands via the airports of Tenerife Norte, El Hierro, La Palma and La Gomera.

• You can see how to get to your destination on each airport’s information page.

• You can check a table of approximate journey times to the Canary Islands from other parts of Spain.

How to get toboat

• The Canary Islands are a major cruise line destination, and two ports stand out:

• Las Palmas Port (Gran Canaria): just 5 kilometres from the centre of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with regular city bus services.

• Santa Cruz de Tenerife Port (Tenerife): the cruise terminal is very near the city centre and you can walk to Plaza de España, a transport hub with many city buses.

• The Canary Islands have many ferry connections from the Spanish cities of Cadiz and Huelva, mainly to the ports of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, as well as to the Arrecife Port (Lanzarote).

• You can check a table of approximate journey times to the Canary Islands by boat from other parts of Spain.

Practical information

• The best way to explore each island is probably by car.

• The islands of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote, Tenerife and La Palma have airports and ports with plenty of transport connections.

• Gran Canaria and Tenerife are the two largest islands and have many transport options every day, both by plane and ship.

• The island of Gran Canaria also has many daily connections to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

• The island of Tenerife has many daily connections to El Hierro, La Gomera and La Palma.

How to get around inaeroplane

• Most flights between the islands take between 30 minutes and one hour. You can see approximate journey times in “Air connections for exploring Spain”

• There are flights between all the islands, especially between Gran Canaria Airport and Tenerife Norte Airport.

• Gran Canaria Airport also has the most frequent flights to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura airports.

• Tenerife Norte Airport has frequent flights to La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma airports.

How to get around inboat

• Ferries are a common way to travel between the Canary Islands. You will find a range of frequent connections, offering you the option of bringing your vehicle aboard.

• The journey time between islands depends on the distance and type of ship. Journeys range from 35 minutes to ten hours. For example, you can travel between Gran Canaria and Tenerife in about an hour and a half. You can see other journey times in “Spain's main sea connections.”

• Several islands have more than one port for cruise ships and ferries. Check your port of origin and destination carefully when booking tickets.