Even if you have never personally been to the Canary Islands, you might know some people who actually have, given this Spanish-owned archipelago’s perceived popularity with Brits.
It certainly helps that, as reported by PlanetWare, average temperatures in the Canary Islands vary by just 14 degrees throughout the year — making for a perpetually spring-like climate.
However, once you have arrived in the Canaries, which parts of them should you prioritise seeing?
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Tenerife is the most famous of the Canary Islands, and its capital is rich in cosmopolitan attractions.
For a start, you could catch a show at the live venue Auditorio de Tenerife, where world-class music acts perform. Meanwhile, the Museum of Fine Arts displays pieces by Spanish and Flemish painters.
Then there is the Museum of Nature and Man, which teaches about what Tenerife was like before European settlers arrived.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
This seaside town was founded in 1478, and the intriguing history of the place is very much reflected in its attractions.
Just take a look at the 16th-century Cathedral of Santa Ana. Meanwhile, the 15th-century Casa de Colon is where Christopher Columbus stayed on his way to the New World. The house is an especially good place to get an idea of Canarian architecture from the period.
Caldera de Taburiente National Park, La Palma
La Palma is notable for the amount of greenery it contains — and, online, you can get the best P&O cruises that stop at what has otherwise been referred to as the Isla Bonita (Beautiful Island).
One especially powerful incentive for you to book one of those cruises would be the chance to see Caldera de Taburiente National Park, which has volcanic peaks measuring up to 2,400 metres tall.
Loro Park, Tenerife
This wildlife park situated near Puerto de la Cruz has a huge collection of parrots. However, you might be even more impressed by the park’s immense aquarium where you are able to walk through an underwater tunnel and watch as sharks — yes, really — swim overhead.
The other fascinating features at Loro Park include a bat cave (no, not quite the type Bruce Wayne secretly has) as well as a gorilla jungle.
Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote
This is Lanzarote’s largest tourist town — and you might not be too surprised that it is, once you have caught sight of the more than six kilometres of sandy beaches surrounding it.
Also, if you know that you will be in Puerto del Carmen during the first two weeks of August, check out the Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen, a religious festival honouring the fishing village’s patron saint.
Cuchillos de Vigan, Fuerteventura
Global Grasshopper has described these mountains as “one of the most spectacular natural attractions on the island of Fuerteventura as well as being home to a significant amount of flora and fauna that are indigenous to the island.”
Millions of years of erosion have resulted in wide valleys you would be able to hike among for some appreciable exercise.
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