These islands outside the coast of Africa, have a climate that attracts travellers from all over Europe, especially in the winter. Almost every day have at least 8 hours of sunshine, and a temperature between 18 and 26 degrees throughout the winter. For the summer it’s quitly hotter, but even then the climate is well suited for relaxing holidays.
The two most visited islands are Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Gran Canaria with the famous towns like Playa del Ingles, Puerto Rico or Puerto de Mogan in the south are perfect for sunbathing and beachlife. Tenerife with towns like Playa de las Americas, Los Christianos or Puerto de la Cruz have maybe some more nature to offer, and here you can find the highest mountain in Spain, Teide with it’s 3.717 meters.
My favorite on each of the two islands have to be the small beach of Melenara on the east side of Gran Canaria, here it’s hardly any tourists and if you want to experience the real canarian beachlife, this is one of the best beaches on the island, black sand but a great atmosphere with some small bars and live music on the weekends.
On Tenerife you have to visit the small town of Santa Ursula, just up the hill from Puerto de la Cruz. This is not the place to work on your tan, because here you will see a lot of clouds, but this is a nice place to get away from the mass tourism you see in all the resorts. A lazy small town with some excellent tapas-bars.
Wherever you want to go, and whatever resort you are staying in, don’t forget to explore some other places in these fantastic islands. There are a lot more to see than just the hotels and beaches. Hire a car for a day or two, and enjoy the fantastic scenery up in the mountains or in the small towns outside the humm and the buzz from the bars and the discos.
