Canary Islands

Getting there & away

Sea

Just about everyone flies to the Canaries. The only other alternative (apart from a very long swim!) is to take the Acciona Trasmediterránea (902 45 46 45; www.trasmediterranea.com) ferry, which carries passengers, supplies and cars to the islands twice a week. The Cádiz–Tenerife route sets out from the Spanish mainland at 1am on Sunday (yes, the middle of the night!) and, after a long and often bumpy voyage, it arrives at Tenerife at 9am on Monday. The return trip leaves at 3pm on Monday and arrives at 9am on Wednesday. Another boat leaves Cádiz at 6pm on Wednesday and arrives at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria at 12.30am Friday. After a half-hour stop, it continues on to Lanzarote, which it reaches at 1.45pm Friday. The return trip leaves Lanzarote at 3pm on Friday and heads straight back to Cádiz, ­arriving at 7pm on Saturday.

Unless you particularly like rough ocean voyages for their own sake, or have a car that you simply must get to the islands, you’re much better off just hopping on a plane.

Ferry fares range from €250 to €880 per person depending on the type of cabin and – we should hope so at such prices – include all meals. A car up to 3m long costs €190 one way, a motorcycle costs €90 and bi­cycles are free. You generally need to book at least a month in advance if you want to get a car aboard.

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Entering the destination

Entering the canary islands

Citizens of the European Union (EU) member states and Switzerland can travel to the Canary Islands with just their national identity card. Nationals of the UK have to carry a full passport (UK visitor passports are not acceptable), and all other nationalities must have a full valid passport.

Check that your passport’s expiry date is at least some months away, or you may not be granted a visa, should you need one.

By law you are supposed to have your identity card or passport with you at all times in the Canaries, in case the police ask to see it. In practice, this is unlikely to cause trouble. You might want to carry a photocopy of your documentation instead of the real thing. You often need to flash one of these documents (the original, not the photocopy) for registration when you take a hotel room.

As unfortunate as it is, white Europeans will encounter far less hassle at immigration than black Europeans or Africans. In general, though, you are likely to find the whole deal of flying into a Canary Islands airport remarkably lackadaisical.

Flights and tours can be booked online at www.lonelyplanet.com/travel_services.

From africa

There are daily flights from Morocco with Royal Air Maroc (www.royalairmaroc.com). Binter Canarias (www.binternet.com) offers regular flights to Nouakchott, Mauritania and to both Laâyoune (El-Aaiún) and Marrakech in Morocco.

From the americas

There are no direct flights from the United States, Canada, Central or Southern America to the islands. To reach the Canaries, you’ll need to travel via a European hub. The thing to do is work out the best possible route/fare combination; a direct flight to London combined with an onward charter or package can often work out to be the cheapest and simplest method of reaching the Canaries. It is also worth considering getting a cheap flight to Europe and then finding a package deal or charter flight to the Canaries from there.

If your European trip is not going to be confined to the islands, consult your travel agent about how best to incorporate them into your vacation.

From australia & new zealand

There are no direct flights from Australia to the Canaries, so you’ll have to book connecting flights via Madrid, Barcelona or another European capital. From New Zealand, flights to Europe are via the USA and Asia. You can also fly from Auckland to pick up a connecting flight in either Melbourne or Sydney.

From continental europe

There are plenty of packages and flights available in continental Europe for the ­­­Canary Islands. Munich is a haven for discount travel agents and more mainstream budget-travel outlets. Dutch and Belgian tour operators may also offer good deals.

From Spain, Air Europa (902 40 15 01; www.aireuropa.com), Iberia (902 40 05 00; www.iberia.com) and Spanair (902 13 14 15; www.spanair.com) all fly to the Canary Islands. They connect the islands with international destinations, usually via Madrid or Barcelona.

You’ll have no trouble getting to the islands from Germany. Both Condor (928 57 92 93; www.condor.com) and Air Berlin (www.airberlin.com) offer frequent flights connecting major (and minor) German cities with the islands. Numerous charter flights make the trip as well.

Amsterdam is another popular departure point. Martinair (www.martinair.com) flies to Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, while Transavia Airlines (www.transavia.com) flies to the same airports as well as La Palma.

From the uk & ireland

Discount air travel is big business in London. Check the weekend broadsheet papers for special deals, many of which include a hotel or apartment with half-board and even car rental in the final price. Low-season prices can work out to be ridiculously cheap, especially if you’re heading to one of the islands’ major tourist centres.

Monarch (0870 040 5040; www.monarch-airlines.com), which is principally a charter company, flies from London Gatwick to Tenerife Sur and Lanzarote. Other airlines linking the UK and the Canary Islands include British Airways (www.ba.com) and Flyjet (www.fly-jet.com). You needn’t necessarily fly from London; many good deals are just as easily available from other major centres in the UK.

If you’re having trouble finding a good deal, you might try calling the Air Travel Advisory Bureau (020-7636 5000). If you tell the bureau your destination, it’ll provide a list of relevant discount travel agents.

If you’re travelling from Ireland, several charter flights leave every weekend for the Canary Islands. Check them out, then perhaps compare what is available with prices from London – getting across to London first might save you a few euro. Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) flies every other day between Dublin and Tenerife Sur.

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Air

Airports & airlines

Dozens of airlines, many of which you’ll never have heard of, fly into the Canary Islands. All seven islands have airports. Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and, increasingly, La Palma absorb nearly all the direct international flights and those from mainland Spain, while the others are principally for inter-island hops.

There are two main airports on Tenerife. Tenerife Norte (Los Rodeos) handles just about all inter-island flights and most of those to the Spanish mainland. The remainder of the scheduled flights, and virtually all charter flights to the island, are channelled to the more modern Tenerife Sur (Reina Sofía).

Gran Canaria’s airport is 16km south of Las Palmas. Lanzarote’s Guasimeta airport lies a convenient 6km southwest of the capital, Arrecife.

The bulk of international flights serving the islands directly are charters. Remember that for charter flights you are obliged to ring to confirm your flight within 72 hours of departure.

Student deals

Students and those under 26 years of age can benefit from travel deals offered by companies like STA Travel (www.statravel.com). Depending on where you live, there may be a country-specific youth travel agency, like Ireland’s USIT (www.usit.ie).

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