The Canary Guide

Canary Islands Resorts & Towns

Where to base yourself — from big, buzzing resorts to pretty harbour towns and historic capitals. Honest guides to the main places to stay.

Gran Canaria

Playa del Inglés

Gran Canaria's original mega-resort, right on the Maspalomas dunes — lively, well-connected and endlessly sunny.

Maspalomas

The greener, calmer side of the south — the famous dunes, a landmark lighthouse and some of the island's best hotels.

Puerto Rico

A sheltered, south-facing resort wrapped around a marina — reliable sun, watersports and easy family beaches.

The marina and canal-laced 'Little Venice' waterfront of Puerto de Mogán, Gran Canaria

Puerto Mogán

The prettiest place in the south — flower-draped canals, a working harbour and a big Friday market.

Arguineguín

A down-to-earth fishing town with a huge Tuesday market and a more local feel than the big resorts.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

A real Spanish city with a superb beach — historic Vegueta, great food and shopping, and life that never depends on tourists.

San Agustín

The calm, grown-up end of the southern resort strip — sheltered dark-sand coves and leafy, established hotels.

Meloneras

The south's smartest address — five-star hotels, a handsome seafront promenade and the Maspalomas lighthouse on your doorstep.

The whitewashed harbour town of Puerto de las Nieves at Agaete, northern Gran Canaria

Agaete & Puerto de las Nieves

A charming north-west town of coffee-growing valleys and a whitewashed fishing port — the green, authentic side of Gran Canaria.

Tejeda

One of Spain's prettiest villages, high in Gran Canaria's mountains — almond blossom, Roque Nublo views and mountain quiet.

Artenara

Gran Canaria's highest village — cave houses, a cave chapel and a grandstand view of Roque Nublo.

The inland village of Mogan among the mountains of southern Gran Canaria

Mogán Village

The peaceful mountain village above Puerto de Mogán — flowers, palms and real Canarian life away from the marina crowds.

Firgas

The little green town behind Gran Canaria's famous mineral water — with a monumental cascading water-staircase.

Moya

A cliff-perched green town beside a rare laurel wood — famous for its cheese and its little sponge biscuits.

The mountain town of Santa Lucia de Tirajana in the highlands of Gran Canaria

Santa Lucía de Tirajana

A palm-fringed white town deep in the southern mountains — a green oasis beneath dramatic rock walls.

Arucas

The northern town with a stone 'cathedral', a historic rum distillery and a handsome old centre amid the banana fields.

Church of Santiago de los Caballeros in the old town of Galdar, Gran Canaria

Gáldar

Once the seat of Gran Canaria's aboriginal kings — a lively northern town built over the astonishing painted cave.

Panorama over the old town of Aguimes with its church, Gran Canaria

Agüimes

One of the island's prettiest old towns — a lovingly restored honey-stone quarter, minutes from the Guayadeque caves.

Costa Adeje

Tenerife's polished resort — five-star hotels, Blue Flag beaches and Siam Park on the doorstep.

Playa de las Américas

Tenerife's original party resort — big beaches, endless bars and the island's liveliest nightlife.

Los Cristianos

The calmer, more Spanish neighbour of Las Américas — a sheltered beach, a real harbour and the ferry port for La Gomera.

Puerto de la Cruz

The characterful north-coast town — historic streets, Manrique's lido, Loro Parque and a very Canarian feel.

San Cristóbal de La Laguna

Tenerife's UNESCO-listed old capital — colourful colonial streets, a buzzing university crowd and superb food.

Los Gigantes

A dramatic west-coast resort under towering sea cliffs — a pretty marina, black-sand beaches and boat trips to the whales.

Icod de los Vinos

A charming historic wine town on the green north coast — home of the famous thousand-year-old dragon tree.

Vilaflor

A pine-scented mountain village high on the road to Teide — Spain's loftiest town, with great wine and walking.

Aerial view of the Los Gigantes cliffs beside Puerto de Santiago on Tenerife

Puerto de Santiago & Playa de la Arena

A sunny, low-key west-coast base beside Los Gigantes — a black-sand Blue Flag beach and a relaxed, local feel.

Los Realejos

A green north-coast town famous for having Spain's most fiestas — spectacular fireworks, old churches and coastal walks.

Granadilla de Abona

A characterful old hill town in the sunny south — the historic heart above El Médano and the windsurfing coast.

Puerto del Carmen

Lanzarote's main resort — a long low-rise strip of sandy beaches, an old harbour and easygoing nightlife.

Playa Blanca

The south's smart, sunny resort — calm town beaches, the Papagayo coves next door and the Fuerteventura ferry.

Costa Teguise

A relaxed, family-friendly resort with sheltered beaches and reliable wind for windsurfing.

Arrecife

Lanzarote's easy-to-miss capital — a lagoon beach, a Manrique-filled castle and everyday island life.

The palm-filled Valley of a Thousand Palms seen from the Mirador de Haria, Lanzarote

Haría

Lanzarote's greenest corner — the palm-filled Valley of a Thousand Palms, a lovely village and Manrique's own home.

Yaiza

Often voted one of Spain's prettiest villages — a spotless white town at the gates of the Timanfaya volcanoes.

Tinajo

A quiet farming town on Timanfaya's doorstep — vineyards, volcanoes and the island's most revered pilgrimage church.

Corralejo

Fuerteventura's liveliest town — beside the great dunes, with Lobos and Lanzarote a short boat ride away.

Caleta de Fuste

The island's easiest family base — a sheltered beach, calm water and the airport just up the road.

Costa Calma

A calm, spread-out resort with the endless Sotavento beach on its doorstep — a windsurfers' and sun-seekers' base.

Morro Jable

The far-south resort beside the magnificent Jandía beaches, with a pretty old town and a Gran Canaria ferry.

La Oliva

Northern Fuerteventura's historic heart — old churches and the grand Casa de los Coroneles, near the surf villages and dunes.

Gran Tarajal

Fuerteventura's most Canarian town — a working port with a palm-lined black beach and barely a tourist in sight.

Lajares

Fuerteventura's boho surf village — craft cafés, artisan shops and easy volcano walks, minutes from the North Shore waves.

Antigua

Fuerteventura's windmill town in the green centre — a restored mill, a cheese museum and a slice of the island's farming past.

Santa Cruz de La Palma

One of the Canaries' prettiest capitals — a historic port of carved balconies and cobbled streets, the gateway to La Palma.

Los Llanos de Aridane

La Palma's sunny western town — leafy plazas, street murals and the handiest base for the Caldera, volcanoes and beaches.

San Sebastián de La Gomera

La Gomera's easygoing capital and ferry port — Columbus's last stop before the New World, and your way onto the island.

Valle Gran Rey

A breathtaking terraced valley falling to the sea — La Gomera's sunny, laid-back base with an alternative soul.

La Restinga

El Hierro's southern fishing village and diving capital — the base for the crystal-clear Mar de las Calmas marine reserve.

Tazacorte

La Palma's sunniest corner — a banana-town and little port beside the island's best black-sand beach.

Hermigua

A green, tranquil valley town of banana terraces on La Gomera's north coast — walking, a sea pool and deep quiet.

Valverde

El Hierro's tiny hill-top capital — the only island capital set inland, and the gateway to the archipelago's quietest island.

Vallehermoso

A lush northern La Gomera valley beneath a great rock spire — terraces, walking trails and deep island quiet.

Fuencaliente

La Palma's sunny southern wine town — the base for the Teneguía volcanoes, the salt pans and dramatic black beaches.

Barlovento

A lush, misty town on La Palma's wild north — beside the La Fajana sea pools and the laurel-forest trails.

Agulo

La Gomera's prettiest village — red roofs on a cliff terrace gazing across to Teide, at the door of Garajonay.

Village street leading to the church in Santo Domingo de Garafia, north-west La Palma

Garafía

La Palma's wild, empty north-west — deep ravines, ancient dragon trees and some of the darkest, most starlit skies anywhere.