Canary Islands
Table of Contents: Regions / Culture and History / Get around By car By train Buses to Canary Islands By taxi By ship Flights to Canary Islands, airtickets / Canary Islands attractions and sightseeing / City tours / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Canary Islands nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Stay safe More from Spain: Andalucia, Aragon, Aranjuez, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Basque Country-1, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Catalonia, Ceuta, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja (Spain), Madrid, Melilla, Murcia (region), Navarra, Peñiscola, Segovia, Valencia (region) More from Iberia: Andorra, Gibraltar, Spain More from Mediterranean Europe: Albania, Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Iberia, Italy, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Northern Cyprus, San Marino, Serbia, Turkey, Vatican City More from Europe: Alps, Central Europe, Danube, Eastern Europe, European Union, Mediterranean Europe, Rhine, Western Europe |
The Canary Islands (Spanish: Islas Canarias) are an Atlantic territory of Spain on the west coast of Africa, near Morocco, Cape Verde and the archipelagos of the Azores Islands and Madeira Islands, both Portuguese territories.
Regions
The following major islands make up the Canary chain:
- El Hierro - The edge of the world
- Fuerteventura - windsurfer's mecca
- Gran Canaria
- La Gomera - The Magic Isle - walker's paradise
- La Palma
- Lanzarote - low lying and arid, with a spectacular volcanic landscape in the west of the island. The capital is Arrecife and has its own airport (ACE code).
- Tenerife - The biggest island of the Canaries. The Capital city is Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The island has two different airports. The highest mountain of Spain, El Teide. (Volcano 3718 meters high)
Minor islands of note:
Culture and History
The islands have a population of 2 million. Since the Canary Islands are a major European tourist destination, all the major islands have well-developed communication systems, airports, and ports.
Ethnically the population is mostly a mix of Spanish, European and Portuguese, with an increasing number of African and Eastern European immigrants and an important number of Europeans.
Pico del Teide (on Tenerife) at 3718 metres above sea level is the highest point in both the Canary Islands and Spanish territory.
Get around
By car
A hire car is the best option for discovering the remote wilderness regions. Reputable companies include CICAR, Payless, Cabrera Medina.
By train
A tram linking Santa Cruz and La Laguna is due to enter service in 2007.
There are also tentative plans for a train linking Santa Cruz and Los Cristianos.
Buses to Canary Islands
Buses are the most common method of public transportation around the islands. Mile per mile they are expensive while compared to mainland Spain but you are not going to travel really far away. We are, after all, islands. Most buses in touristic routes are adequate. Do not expect the drivers to know more than a couple of sentences in English or German, though they would try to be helpful.
By taxi
Taxis can be expensive, and inside a city they are not worth the money unless you are in a real hurry or can't balance yourself after a shopping day. It is unlikely that you would be cheated.
By ship
If you want to travel between the islands a good option might be to take a ship if you are in any particular hurry, specially between close by islands. Most ferries are now quite modern and cheap. The most important companies are Fred Olsen, Transmediterránea and Armas.
Flights to Canary Islands, airtickets
If you are afraid of the sea, or get sick just by staring at a ship, then a plane is what you need, and that usually means a turboprop ATR-72 by one of the local airlines like Binter or Islas Airways. They are perfectly safe and adequately fast as you are likely to spend more time at the airport than in the plane itself.
Canary Islands attractions and sightseeing
City tours
Lanzarote: There is a bustling nightlife in four main resorts... Arrecife, Costa Teguise, Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca. Useful listings can be found by googling "Canary Nightlife".
Gran Canaria: The main resorts on the Island are Las Palmas, Puerto Rico and Playa del Ingles.
Tenerife: The main resorts are Santa Cruz, Puerto de la Cruz, and Playa de las Americas.
Fuerteventura: The main resorts of Fuerteventura are Corralejo, Caleta de Fuste and Morro Jable.
Good restaurants and cheap meals
Fish definitely, Papas Arrugadas -- potatoes boiled in very salt water until they are "wrinkly" -- hence the name -- and served with mojo picon, a spicy cold red sauce made with chili and garlic. These are often served as a tapa.
Canary Islands nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
Stay safe
112 is the common emergency number.
More from Spain: Andalucia, Aragon, Aranjuez, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Basque Country-1, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Catalonia, Ceuta, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja (Spain), Madrid, Melilla, Murcia (region), Navarra, Peñiscola, Segovia, Valencia (region) More from Iberia: Andorra, Gibraltar, Spain More from Mediterranean Europe: Albania, Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Iberia, Italy, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Northern Cyprus, San Marino, Serbia, Turkey, Vatican City More from Europe: Alps, Central Europe, Danube, Eastern Europe, European Union, Mediterranean Europe, Rhine, Western Europe |
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