Things to Do and the Best Beaches in Gran Canary Islands

If you only pick a handful of things, start with the ones that draw visitors from across the islands. Loro Parque, the zoo in Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife's north coast, and Siam Park, the water park by Playa de las Américas in the south, are the two big days out on Tenerife. On Fuerteventura, Lobos Island is the standout: an uninhabited, protected volcanic island reached from Corralejo.

For beaches, two names come up again and again among the best beaches in the Canary Islands. Playa de Las Teresitas lies at San Andrés, just outside Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Cofete is a remote beach and tiny settlement on Fuerteventura, best approached from Costa Calma. They make a good contrast: one an easy city beach, the other properly out on its own.

History lovers have a run of forts to choose from, including San Andrés Castle, Castillo de San Juan Bautista and Castillo de San Cristóbal in Santa Cruz, Castillo de San Felipe in Puerto de la Cruz, and Castillo de San José in Arrecife on Lanzarote.

Tenerife has the deepest list. Santa Cruz de Tenerife combines Playa de Las Teresitas with three castles and the Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre. Puerto de la Cruz, 37 minutes from Tenerife South airport, adds Loro Parque, Lago Martiánez, Castillo de San Felipe and the Archaeological Museum of Puerto de la Cruz. In the south, Playa de las Américas is the base for Siam Park, while Adeje gives access to the Barranco del Infierno protected area and Los Gigantes sits half an hour from the airport on the west coast.

On Fuerteventura, Corralejo, 27 minutes from the airport, is the jumping-off point for Lobos Island, and Costa Calma, 42 minutes away, is the base for Cofete. Gran Canaria visitors usually stay in Maspalomas, 24 minutes from the airport, close to Maspalomas Lighthouse and Palmitos Park, with Telde just 7 minutes from arrivals. On Lanzarote, Arrecife, Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise are all within 10 minutes of the airport, and Arrecife's Castillo de San José is the main cultural visit.

Children tend to rate the Canaries by their animal parks and water slides, and the islands have both. Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz and Palmitos Park near Maspalomas on Gran Canaria are the two zoo-style days out, and Siam Park near Playa de las Américas is the water park most families build a Tenerife fortnight around. Lago Martiánez, also in Puerto de la Cruz, makes an easy add-on to a Loro Parque day.

Short transfers help too. Lanzarote's main resorts are 10 minutes or less from the airport, and Playa de las Américas is 14 minutes from Tenerife South, which matters with tired children after an early flight. For calmer sand, Playa de Las Teresitas near Santa Cruz is a simpler family beach than wild, remote Cofete.

You can compare tours and tickets for these sights directly on this page, alongside hotel prices and car hire. Car hire is worth considering if you want to reach Cofete from Costa Calma or cross Tenerife between the south coast and Puerto de la Cruz, while the island ferry ports at Corralejo, Playa Blanca and Arrecife suit an island-hopping day.

Most British travellers book the Canaries as a package, with flight, hotel and transfers together, and you can compare package deals from several providers here. Prices rise during UK school holidays, so if you can travel outside them, it pays to look early. The best months run almost all year, with February the only shoulder month in the record, when highs sit around 20°C.