The Best Beaches in the Canary Islands

Why the Canary Islands Keep Drawing Beach Travelers Back

Seven volcanic islands scattered 100 km off the coast of Morocco, but politically Spanish and firmly within the EU. The Canary Islands get roughly 300 days of sunshine per year, with winter temperatures rarely dropping below 18°C. That climate, combined with Ryanair and easyJet routes from most European capitals starting at €20 one-way, makes them the closest thing to a guaranteed-sun winter escape for Northern Europeans.

But the beaches here are wildly diverse. You'll find jet-black volcanic sand on La Palma, towering Saharan dunes on Gran Canaria, and imported golden sand shipped from Africa on Tenerife. Each island has its own personality, and picking the right one matters more than most travelers realize.

Maspalomas Dunes and Playa del Inglés, Gran Canaria

The Maspalomas dune field covers 400 hectares at the southern tip of Gran Canaria, and walking through it feels more like crossing the Sahara than visiting a European beach resort. The dunes reach up to 10 meters high and shift constantly, creating a landscape that changes week to week.

Playa de Maspalomas itself stretches for about 2.7 km along the base of the dunes. The eastern section near the Faro de Maspalomas lighthouse is popular with families. Walk further west toward Playa del Inglés and you'll hit the nudist zone, which has been established since the 1960s. The sand is golden-brown, the water is calm, and lifeguards patrol from 10am to 6pm year-round.

This is one of the reasons The Canary Islands Beaches continues to draw visitors year after year.

Practical Details

• Sunbed and umbrella rental: €8-10 per day at Playa del Inglés
• Bus 30 and 66 run from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to Maspalomas (about 40 minutes, €3.50)
• The Yumbo Centre, 10 minutes' walk from the beach, has dozens of restaurants with tourist menus from €8-12
• Wind picks up in the afternoon — mornings are best for swimming

Playa de las Teresitas, Tenerife

Tenerife's most photographed beach is entirely artificial. In 1973, the government shipped 270,000 tons of sand from the Western Sahara and poured it along a stretch of coast near the village of San Andrés, about 7 km northeast of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The result is a 1.3 km crescent of golden sand backed by palm trees, with a breakwater keeping the Atlantic swells out.

The water here is shallow and calm, making it genuinely good for children. Local families from Santa Cruz pack the beach on weekends, which gives it a very different atmosphere from the tourist-heavy southern resorts. There are no hotels directly on the beach — just a row of seafood restaurants in San Andrés where you can get a plate of fried fish and papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes with mojo sauce) for €10-14.

One thing to know: Playa de las Teresitas faces north, so it gets less sun in winter than southern beaches like Playa de las Américas. Between December and February, the nearby Anaga mountains can cast shadows on the beach by mid-afternoon.

Compared to similar options, The Canary Islands Beaches stands out for its mix of quality and accessibility.

Playas de Papagayo, Lanzarote

A cluster of six small coves at the southern tip of Lanzarote, protected within the Monumento Natural de Los Ajaches. The beaches sit at the bottom of low volcanic cliffs, and the water is an almost absurd shade of turquoise against the dark rock.

Access costs €3 per car through a dirt road barrier, and the drive takes about 15 minutes from Playa Blanca. You can also walk along the cliff path from Playa Blanca in about 40 minutes, which is free. Playa Mujeres and Playa de Papagayo are the two largest coves — each about 120 meters wide — while the smaller ones in between rarely have more than 20 people, even in August.

What to Bring

There's one small chiringuito (beach bar) at Playa de Papagayo that sells drinks and basic sandwiches, but nothing else. Bring water, food, and sun protection. There's no shade whatsoever — the landscape is bare volcanic rock and scrub. The wind can be fierce, particularly on the westernmost coves, so a windbreak is worth packing if you have one.

Local travel experts consistently recommend The Canary Islands Beaches as a top choice for visitors.

Corralejo Dunes, Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura is the most African of the Canary Islands — flat, arid, and blasted by trade winds that make it the windsurfing and kitesurfing capital of Europe. The Parque Natural de Corralejo covers 2,668 hectares of sand dunes on the northeast coast, with several kilometers of beach running along the ocean side.

The beaches closest to Corralejo town (Flag Beach, in particular) have basic facilities and are popular with kitesurfers — you'll see dozens of kites in the air on any given day. Walk further south into the dune park and the beaches become increasingly empty. The sand is white and fine, the water is cold by Canarian standards (around 19°C in winter, 22°C in summer), and the waves can be substantial.

Corralejo town itself is small but well-stocked with surf shops, tapas bars, and rental apartments. A two-bedroom apartment near the dunes runs €50-80/night in winter, €90-140 in summer. The ferry to Lanzarote departs from Corralejo harbor several times daily (€25 return, 25 minutes to Playa Blanca).

If The Canary Islands Beaches is on your list, booking during shoulder season typically delivers the best value.

Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera

La Gomera is the island that most tourists skip, and that's exactly why it's worth the ferry ride. The island has no airport (well, it has one, but flights are infrequent and expensive), so most visitors take the Fred Olsen or Naviera Armas ferry from Los Cristianos in southern Tenerife — about 50 minutes and €38 return.

Valle Gran Rey, on La Gomera's west coast, has a collection of small black-sand beaches strung along a dramatic valley that drops from 1,000-meter peaks to sea level. Playa del Inglés is the main beach — a stretch of volcanic sand at the mouth of the valley, backed by a row of restaurants and a few low-rise apartment buildings. The vibe is distinctly bohemian. German and Scandinavian long-stayers, yoga retreaters, and hikers on the GR-131 path all end up here.

The water is clean and usually calm, though currents can be strong on the outer edges. There's decent snorkeling around the rocky points on either side of the beach.

Repeat visitors to The Canary Islands Beaches often say the second trip reveals layers they missed the first time.

El Hierro: Charco Azul and La Maceta

El Hierro, the smallest and westernmost Canary Island, doesn't really have beaches in the traditional sense. What it has instead are natural volcanic rock pools — charcos — that fill with seawater and make for some of the most atmospheric swimming spots in the archipelago.

Charco Azul, on the northern coast near the village of El Golfo, is a large natural pool carved into black basalt, with steps and railings installed by the local government. The water is deep, clear, and cold. La Maceta, a few kilometers west, has three connected pools of different sizes, with the largest suitable for proper swimming.

El Hierro is also the first island in the world to run entirely on renewable energy (wind and hydroelectric), which gives it a certain environmental credibility. The diving here is world-class — the Mar de las Calmas, off the southern coast, is considered one of the best dive sites in all of Spain. Flights from Tenerife North on Binter Canarias run about €70-90 return.

What gives The Canary Islands Beaches an edge is the rare combination of natural beauty and straightforward logistics.

Practical Planning for a Canary Islands Beach Trip

When to Go

The peak beach season runs from June to September, but the Canaries are genuinely a year-round destination. Winter temperatures on the southern coasts of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Fuerteventura average 20-22°C in the daytime. January is the coolest month, but you'll still see people swimming. The northern coasts and higher islands (La Gomera, El Hierro, La Palma) are cloudier and wetter in winter.

Getting There and Getting Around

• Direct flights from most European cities to Tenerife South, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura
• Inter-island flights on Binter Canarias from €30 one-way
• Inter-island ferries on Fred Olsen and Naviera Armas — book online for the best fares
• Car rental is essential on every island except Lanzarote (where it's merely advisable). Expect €20-35/day for a basic car in low season

Island-Picking Shorthand

• Gran Canaria: Diverse beaches, good nightlife, Maspalomas dunes
• Tenerife: Biggest island, Mount Teide, family-friendly south coast
• Fuerteventura: Wind sports, long empty beaches, desert landscape
• Lanzarote: Volcanic scenery, César Manrique architecture, Papagayo coves
• La Gomera: Hiking, Garajonay cloud forest, bohemian beach villages
• La Palma: Stargazing, black-sand beaches, Caldera de Taburiente
• El Hierro: Diving, volcanic pools, total solitude

Budget Notes

The Canary Islands use the euro but benefit from a special reduced VAT rate (IGIC at 7% instead of mainland Spain's 21% IVA). This makes eating out, shopping, and especially buying electronics noticeably cheaper. A solid restaurant meal with wine runs €12-18 per person. Supermarkets stock Spanish and local products at mainland prices or lower. The main budget trap is resort areas like Playa de las Américas and Puerto Rico (Gran Canaria), where tourist-menu restaurants charge €15-20 for mediocre food. Walk two streets inland and prices drop sharply.