Must see attractions in Canary Islands

To see the largest number of splendid mansions standing cheek to jowl, wander along Calle San Agustín. Look for the metal plaques outside the noble…

This sand and seashell beach is a picture, with its gentle curve and protected, calm turquoise waters. There are steps down into the water from the…

This excellent museum is housed in a former 16th-century monastery with diverse exhibits ranging from Guanche skulls to cupboards of sad stuffed birds,…

Located by the roadside between San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Tejeda, this superb viewpoint gives you vistas, in two directions, of the Caldera de…

Playa de Los Cristianos’ grand swathe of pale golden sand is flanked to the west by Puerto de Los Cristianos, a harbour that is home to fishing boats,…

Hemmed in by the punta's craggy cliffs, deliciously unspoilt and protected Playa del Papagayo is one of Lanzarote's loveliest beaches, with pale-gold sand…

One of Lanzarote's most magical beaches, wild, sandy, dark-gold Caleta de Famara is a sweeping all-natural throwback, where surfers tackle some of the…

Calling this mountain ‘Old Peak’ is something of a slight misnomer considering it was actually the last of Tenerife’s volcanoes to have erupted on a grand…

The greenish-grey stone cross from which this spot takes its name marks the centre of Gran Canaria and its historic caminos reales (king’s highways),…

In the late 19th century, the Spanish armed forces set up gun batteries overlooking El Río (the strait separating Lanzarote from Isla Graciosa), 2km north…

On a little islet just off the seafront promenade, reached via the 18th-century Puente de las Bolas or a more recent Franco-era bridge, the 16th-century…

A few kilometres south of El Teide peak, across from the Parador Nacional, lies this geological freak show of twisted lava pinnacles, christened with…

When Plato mistook the Canary Islands for Atlantis, it must have been because of places like Punta de Teno. This beautiful spot, jutting into the Atlantic…

The first ancient petroglyphs found on the archipelago were discovered at this site in 1752. A 300m trail that winds around various cave dwellings …

Built into an old quarry, just north of tiny Guatiza, the Jardín de Cactus is said to have been Manrique’s favourite personal creation. Opened in 1991, it…

Locals are justifiably proud of native son Antonio Padrón who, in the 1960s, was just starting to gain serious recognition in the European art world when…

At the end of the dirt road from Morro Jable, the asphalt returns for a smooth ride to this lighthouse positioned over thundering Atlantic waves. The…

Made all the more intriguing by the long history and strong tradition behind it, this whitewashed, rust-roofed, pine-fringed 18th-century chapel conceals…

Located in tiny La Ampuyenta, the 17th-century Ermita de San Pedro de Alcántara is surrounded by a stout protective wall built by the French from the…

This museum, located in a traditional Canarian country house in El Sauzal, is devoted to wine and its production and also offers wine tasting for a…