Canary Islands - Trying to Pick 1 Island to Do 3 or 4 days Post Cruise

[donaldsc]

We are doing a cruise that includes several stops in the Canaries.  The ships stops in Arrecife for 1 day but only from 12 noon to 8 PM, then Santa Cruiz de Tenerife for 2 days and ends in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria.  I want to spend several days post cruise seeing a bit more of the Canaries and I am torn between several choices.

 

1. Spend more time on Gran Canaria.  This would be the easiest since we are already there.  The problem is that looking at some of the excursion sites as as GetYourGuide or Viator there do not seem to be too many interesting excursions there.  It also appears looking at tours that many pf them start from locations that are a distance from the city of Las Palmas where we dock.

2. Spend our days on Fuerteventura which is an island that we have not visited at all.  I really do not know what there is to see and do on Fuerteventura.  

3. Go back to Lanzarote and spend more there as we have not a full day on our cruise stop there. I do have some ideas of what there is to see and do on Lanzarote but and ideas would help.

 

You need to know a few things about us.  We have traveled a lot.  We are into nature, scenery and wine and food excursions.  We are TOTALLY UNINTERESTED  in spending any time at any beach.  We like smaller tours as opposed to a tour on a bus with 40 of our new closest friends.  Plane connections are sort of important since we will be flying home after our Canary visit.  

 

Any thoughts or ideas to help me make a decision would be appreciated.

 

DON

[alserrod]

19 hours ago, donaldsc said:

We are doing a cruise that includes several stops in the Canaries.  The ships stops in Arrecife for 1 day but only from 12 noon to 8 PM, then Santa Cruiz de Tenerife for 2 days and ends in Las Palmas on Gran Canaria.  I want to spend several days post cruise seeing a bit more of the Canaries and I am torn between several choices.

 

1. Spend more time on Gran Canaria.  This would be the easiest since we are already there.  The problem is that looking at some of the excursion sites as as GetYourGuide or Viator there do not seem to be too many interesting excursions there.  It also appears looking at tours that many pf them start from locations that are a distance from the city of Las Palmas where we dock.

2. Spend our days on Fuerteventura which is an island that we have not visited at all.  I really do not know what there is to see and do on Fuerteventura.  

3. Go back to Lanzarote and spend more there as we have not a full day on our cruise stop there. I do have some ideas of what there is to see and do on Lanzarote but and ideas would help.

 

You need to know a few things about us.  We have traveled a lot.  We are into nature, scenery and wine and food excursions.  We are TOTALLY UNINTERESTED  in spending any time at any beach.  We like smaller tours as opposed to a tour on a bus with 40 of our new closest friends.  Plane connections are sort of important since we will be flying home after our Canary visit.  

 

Any thoughts or ideas to help me make a decision would be appreciated.

 

DON

 

 

Hi

 

I can tell you about Fuerteventura

 

It is strongly easy to rent a car and..

 

- Dune beach

Not because a Beach day, but visiting dunes. It is a 18 km road surrounded by dunes

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.6971449,-13.8387675,3a,75y,153.4h,83.24t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sGPMqKBiufkpMskOvLJB_eA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu

 

I would recommend you to stop absolutely anywhere and have a 30 minutes bath in one of the most peaceful beaches

 

- Cofete beach.

It is enough to reach to Cofete viewpoint

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.093708,-14.4338865,3a,75y,80.34h,74.32t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPowEMnJWihBsM96IGS3b5Cn9fWrssVgSoaQSMY!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPowEMnJWihBsM96IGS3b5Cn9fWrssVgSoaQSMY%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi0-ya341.31332-ro-0-fo100!7i8192!8i4096?coh=205409&entry=ttu

 

It is the largest beach in Spain without any building. Not coast line without buildings but sandy beach without buildings.

There's one not far that has a historical and curious history related with WWII (despite Spain wasn't in that war).

 

Not far away, Punta de Jandia

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.0809177,-14.4746711,3a,16.1y,235.69h,93.92t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sOU_yeoB9-KzqnRbxgGXR2Q!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DOU_yeoB9-KzqnRbxgGXR2Q%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D338.4458%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu

 

 

- Betancuria, the first Canary island capital

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Iglesia+de+Santa+María+de+Betancuria/@28.4110349,-14.0505449,14.39z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0xc47bb74e5e7cb5d:0x1afad1b274c9f144!8m2!3d28.4251324!4d-14.0572479!16s%2Fg%2F125n2d9fd?entry=ttu

 

- Ajuy caves

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cuevas+de+Ajuy/@28.4145824,-14.1513699,14.06z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0xc47a5fe3a931359:0x8da74008a38ec5c3!8m2!3d28.40351!4d-14.155507!16s%2Fg%2F11j9ck6q6n?entry=ttu

 

 

and enough for a day visit.

 

The capital, Puerto del Rosario, has absolutely nothing to see. To be honest, it has a former hotel where Unamuno was living there when he was sent to exile to Fuerteventura and before he scaped to France

 

It is the most desert island in Canaries and hasn't big mountains, tough the first vulcano in Canary island was in Fuerteventura (Tindaya, middle north).

 

and you will cross some lava rivers like here

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cuevas+de+Ajuy/@28.4145824,-14.1513699,14.06z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0xc47a5fe3a931359:0x8da74008a38ec5c3!8m2!3d28.40351!4d-14.155507!16s%2Fg%2F11j9ck6q6n?entry=ttu

 

 

[John Bull]

Fuerteventura is featureless, barren & treeless, and no coastal roads other than a couple of short lengths along the west coast

I rate it the least-inviting. 

 

 Gran Canaria has much more interesting & varied scenery.

Ditto Tenerife.

 

But for a variety of sights I rate Lanzarote the best.

 

- Volcanic Timanfaya Park includes a bus trip over the contorted volcanic landscape

- Just beyond, drive across the volcanic plain to where the lava entered the sea, with grotesque formations at Los Hervidoros. And just up the road, the Green Lagoon at El Golfo

-----------

To the north,

- Cesar Manrique's use of the volcanic cavern at Jamea del Agua

- just a couple of miles from there, walk thro a lava tunnel at Cueva de los Verdes- then cross to the west coast and the panorama from the Mirador del Rio

- down to Haria & the house / museum of Cesar Manrique

---------------

Closer to the resorts

- Manrique's cave house & garden at the César Manrique Foundation near Tahiche

- the very busy main town and cruise / ferry port of Arrecife

 

Three main resorts.

Handy to Arrecife & the airport, Puerto del Carmen. Lots of restaurants & bars & facilities on the main one-way boulevard. A good base, but if you rent a car avoid lodgings in the centre without private parking 

In the south, Playa Blanca is more laid-back, a beach backed by a lovely waterfront path with bars & restaurants & such.

In the north Costa Teguise is a purpose-built resort town - we didn't like it when we first visited Lanzarote, and it hasn't grown on us. Sparsely-developed, poor facilities and a bit remote.

 

If you don't rent a car, Puerto del Carmen is probably best-located for excursions, Playa Blanca should be fine too. I think I'd fight shy of Costa Teguise

 

But best to rent a car - inexpensive, driving is pretty easy, the freedom to do your own thing in your own time.

We've always rented from Cicar, a Canarian operator with depots throughout the Canary Islands. Good clean late cars, map & CD, sensible fuel policy, no rip-offs 

 https://www.cicar.com/EN

 

All just MHO

 

JB 🙂

 

 

 

[Harters]

We visit southern Tenerife each winter for three weeks. That's effectively a beach holiday and the south of the island will have little to interest you. However, the north of the island is very different. it has a different climate and is more verdant as a consequence but is also close to the "moonscape" of the Teide national park. So, you have a good mix of nature and scenery. Depending on how long you have available, you could also do a day trip to La Gomera which is very different - basically a big rock in the Atlantic, so has little by way of tourism, so generally shunned by we North Europeans. 

 

Tenerife's bus service is excellent and would be a really good way of getting round the island (although hiring a car would be a more convenient option - and certainly easier to get to the south for the ferry to Gomera).

[alserrod]

I suggested Fuerteventura because he had said I could visit it.

If what you want is an island with a lot of natural heritage to see, Lanzarote is by far the best of all.

[alserrod]

51 minutes ago, Harters said:

We visit southern Tenerife each winter for three weeks. That's effectively a beach holiday and the south of the island will have little to interest you. However, the north of the island is very different. it has a different climate and is more verdant as a consequence but is also close to the "moonscape" of the Teide national park. So, you have a good mix of nature and scenery. Depending on how long you have available, you could also do a day trip to La Gomera which is very different - basically a big rock in the Atlantic, so has little by way of tourism, so generally shunned by we North Europeans. 

 

Tenerife's bus service is excellent and would be a really good way of getting round the island (although hiring a car would be a more convenient option - and certainly easier to get to the south for the ferry to Gomera).

 

 

 

Last time I was in Tenerife I got a ferry to La Gomera. It is an absolutely different island. It is hard to reach there (it barely has two daily flights to Tenerife Norte airport and three-four ferries to Tenerife south port only). But if someone wanna everything except beach, that's his destination.

Specially because it is an island based over a national park and it barely has beaches.

[donaldsc]

Great info.  Many thanks.

 

DON

[Harters]

2 hours ago, alserrod said:

three-four ferries to Tenerife south port only)

There's two ferry companies, each operating three sailings a day. Basically, there's two in the morning, two early afternoon and two early evening. Takes about 45 minutes. 

 

You obviously could stay on Gomera overnight but I think you could cover the major sights in the day. We actually did an organised tour, with guide. It was interesting to actually see the island - we'd been going to the southern resort area for nearly 30 years, looking out to it from  the beach in Tenerife (and you can see the lights of the town at night)

 

 

[alserrod]

Just now, Harters said:

There's two ferry companies, each operating three sailings a day. Basically, there's two in the morning, two early afternoon and two early evening. Takes about 45 minutes. 

 

You obviously could stay on Gomera overnight but I think you could cover the major sights in the day. We actually did an organised tour, with guide. It was interesting to actually see the island - we'd been going to the southern resort area for nearly 30 years, looking out to it from  the beach in Tenerife (and you can see the lights of the town at night)

 

 

 

 

When I was in Tenerife I rented a car with the only company that allows to change the car from island to island.

 

A 4 people with car return ferry costed the same than a excursion pack (ferry and bus with guide), so we decided to do on our own.

On sunday, return ferry from La Gomera is late evening. We did on Sunday to have more time in the island.

 

I remember being in the middle of the national park. We did a short walk around the forest and we told our smaller daughter that there were some fairies around. She requested us to stay in silence, not to disturb fairies.

 

It is an island that corner to corner takes more than 1h and there are barely 50 km by road.... and surely you will not remember it is an island if you stay inside the national park.

 

 

 

 

 

[donaldsc]

You guys have been very helpful.  My plan is to fly to Lanzarote immediately after the cruise and spend maybe 3 days in Lanzarote.  Then fly back to Gran Canaria and spend 2 days there.  Finally fly to Madrid and get a plane home.

 

It is amazing how different the cost of flying to Madrid is from day to day.  Depending upon which day I fly my ticket will cost from $34 to  $160.

 

I do have z quick question about lodging.  I will obviously stay in a hotel in Artifice for my visit to Lanzarote or is that a bad idea?  I do not need fancy but just a comfortable place to sleep.

 

I am trying to figure out where to stay on Gran Canaria.  The cruise ship drops me off in Las Palmas ion the NE corner of the island.  However many of the attractions and many of the tours start in the SW corner.  Any thought here.

 

Thanks for the additional info.

 

DON

[alserrod]

Citizens in Canary island need a plane for almost everything. They just pay 25% of final price (for any flight within Spain, even within islands or mainland)

For that purpose, all airlines have over-offer and yield price tickets can run into so great differences. If a cool price fits to you, buy it. Plane is the same.

[Harters]

11 hours ago, alserrod said:

When I was in Tenerife I rented a car with the only company that allows to change the car from island to island.

The two rental companies consistently recommended on the Tripadvisor forum are Cicar and Autoreisen. And, you're right, I'm pretty sure one allows you to take it to another island, while the other doesnt. Can't recall which is which though. 

 

I think  the late evening ferry on a Sunday is intended to serve the Gomera people who work in Tenerife during the week, giving them as long a weekend with family as possible. 

 

Love the story about fairies. 

[alserrod]

I have always rented with CICAR. It is a local company in the Canary Islands and has many offices throughout the islands, not only at the airport and most in-demand places.

 

- It is the only one that does not penalize you if you return it to an office different from the original one, as long as it is on the same island

 

- It is the only one that allows you, at no additional cost, to change islands with the car as long as you return it to the initial island (it can be returned to another island but with an additional cost)

 

a person explained it to me. Since they have so many offices, it is not a problem for them to have people pick up their car at one and return it at another. There are those who stay at their hotel for several days, rent a car at the end and then return it at the airport. There are those who pick it up at the airport and return it to an office near their hotel to be on the beach for the last few days. It is not a problem for them and allows them to offer this service for free (the rest of the companies charge for them).

 

Regarding islands, changing islands and then returning is not a problem... until you have an accident and have to change cars. If you have an accident on another island, leaving the car there and having to return it by ferry means a lot of cost. That's why they don't allow you, or they charge you an additional cost. The same thing happens in any other place with border crossings. In the case of this company, since it has large fleets on all the islands, it assumes the risk that a car may break down or have an accident. In that case, an office on the other island would keep it and they would fix it for you.

 

That's why... I had no problem putting my car on the ferry, getting to La Gomera and doing a full-day route. It was a Sunday and I had time for an early and quick dinner (according to Spanish schedules) at the Parador de La Gomera.

I was only in La Gomera for one day. You can go a week without problems. People go there wanting everything except the beach (especially because there are hardly any beaches). And they told me that there are more people who come in winter than in summer. In case anyone didn't know, the Canary Islands are known as the "lucky islands" due to their climate. It is never excessively hot despite the location, it is not cold in winter either and the rain is very sporadic.

 

For someone who wants to stay for several days, I recommend moving from the bustling south of the island of Tenerife to the very quiet island of La Gomera. To give us an idea, there are barely 20,000 inhabitants on the entire island and it has all the necessary services. A small hospital, several institutes and schools, all administrations and businesses, etc... only on a smaller scale.

 

 

I leave you some photos of this island.

 

In this, the place where we were eating. It is a cliff of more than 500m. If you look closely, what you see in the center is.... Mount Teide in Tenerife

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This road enters the national park. The vegetation covers it completely. They say that it is very impressive at night, that it looks like a tunnel

 

 

 

 

This is the forest where my little daughter said you had to be quiet so as not to disturb the fairies (and we were totally silent for about ten minutes. I admit it!)

 

 

 

 

This is a viewpoint that is returning to the ferry, completely next to the road

 

 

 

And finally we had dinner at the Parador with these views over Mount Teide (yes, it looks the same or better from La Gomera than from the island of Tenerife itself) before taking the ferry back.

 

 

 

We missed going to the highest point on the island. From there you can see four more islands: El Hierro, La Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria

[John Bull]

10 hours ago, donaldsc said:

.

 

I do have z quick question about lodging.  I will obviously stay in a hotel in Artifice for my visit to Lanzarote or is that a bad idea?  I do not need fancy but just a comfortable place to sleep.

 

DON

 

"Artifice"???? 

Such a poor attempt that I can't even say "nice try" 😜

It's Arrecife

 

Some hotels worth considering on the seafront  along Av. de la Mancomunidad -  there'll certainly be an excursion pick-up point there, but as with anywhere in central Arrecife parking is difficult or expensive or both. 

Arrecife is broadly a working town, not  resort town - you might see that as a plus or a minus.

 

I'd be more inclined to go same-distance (about 5 miles) the other side of the airport to Puerto del Carmen, which you'll you'll find much more visitor-orientated. Huge selection of dining (Spanish, Oriental, western, & international), bars etc along the main boulevard, Av. de las Playas. There'll be several excursion pick-up points, but a reminder of parking in my previous post .

Playa Honda and Los Pocillos are closer to the airport - perhaps just a little too close - and facilities are more limited and more spread-out.

 

BTW we had a half-day port-of-call on La Gomera - at San Sebastian, the island's capital and its only town & port. A lazy half-day sat behind a long cool beer.

The island looks to be mountainous, probably good for exploring on the twisty little mountain roads, but didn't seem worthwhile in our very limited hours ashore.

 

JB 🙂

[alserrod]

BTW.... I am used to see a lot of misspellings when writing Spanish names but...

 

>> Arrécife is not only the capital and main city of Lanzarote.

It also means "reef" (like Great Reef in Australia, for example)

 

>> Artífice is a non-usual word to say "author"

 

Regarding Lanzarote, I have been twice in hotels. Once in Puerto del Carmen (translated as Carmen Port. Carmen is the Virgin patron of sailors and fishers), other one in Playa Blanca (translated as White beach). Both are fine. At the end, Lanzarote is an island to enjoy driving. Rent a car is almost compulsory (I would prefer instead of a guided tour on a bus).... and after dinner, if hotel is big, you will remain there

 

 

 

[Harters]

6 hours ago, alserrod said:

There are those who stay at their hotel for several days, rent a car at the end and then return it at the airport

I know of other Britons who stay in the north but, as with most from the UK have flights going to/from the south. Renting a car for a week is often only a bit more expensive (and sometimes cheaper) than a taxi both ways. And, of course, they have the benefit of the car for the week. 

[alserrod]

2 hours ago, Harters said:

I know of other Britons who stay in the north but, as with most from the UK have flights going to/from the south. Renting a car for a week is often only a bit more expensive (and sometimes cheaper) than a taxi both ways. And, of course, they have the benefit of the car for the week. 

 

 

A bit of history about Tenerife airports...

Nowadays

- all international flights go to Tenerife Sur airport (near the hotels)

- all Canary flights go to Tenerife Norte airport (near the capital)

- flights from Spain mainland are shared between both airports (people who go to hotels or to the capital)

 

...Tenerife Norte was opened in 1929 and its location is awful. Being besides the sea it has a lot of fog and over 600m sea level

In the 1970ish, Tenerife Sur works started

In march 1977, the deadliest accident in all aviation history took place in Tenerife Norte. A Dutch plane (KLM) crashed with a Pan Am plane with 583 casualties

More info:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenerife_airport_disaster

In late 1978 Tenerife Sur opened and Tenerife Norte was released only to small planes for islands.

 

 

After a terminal enlargement (2003), it was opened again to all kind of planes, but international airlines prefer to operate only from Tenerife Sur because holiday destination.

 

 

Last time I was there I arrived to the North (coming from another island) and departed from the south. Thanks to Cicar allowed to return the car in another office, I didn't paid anything.

 

 

Tenerife Sur is not a small airport. It is over the 50 with more passengers in EU, with more passengers than Milan, Venice, Lyon, Glasgow...

 

 

 

 

 

[Harters]

1 hour ago, alserrod said:

In march 1977, the deadliest accident in all aviation history took place in Tenerife Norte.

And three years later, there was the Dan-air crash flying Manchester to the North airport, which crashed in the bad weather conditions, flying into the mountain, killing 146 on board. Almost all the passengers were from my area and a local cemetery has a memorial to them.

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tenerife_Dan-Air_Disaster_memorial.jpg