Top 11 Beaches in the Canary Islands

The Canary Islands are back on the UK’s travel corridors list, which means that from 4 am Sunday 25 October, travellers returning from the Canaries won’t have to quarantine for 14 days. Our guide to the best beaches in the Canaries will help you plan a Winter escape.

• Corralejo, Fuerteventura
• Playa Barca, Fuerteventura
• Isla Graciosa, Lanzarote
• Teresitas, Tenerife
• Playa el Bullullo, Tenerife
• Playa del Duque, Tenerife
• Playa del Verodal, El Hierro
• Playa de las Vueltas, La Gomera
• Playa de Puerto Naos, La Palma
• Maspalomas, Gran Canaria
• Playa de Guigui, Gran Canaria

1. Isla Graciosa, Lanzarote

Including an entire island may seem like a cheat, but the island of Graciosa, just off the north coast of Lanzarote, does feel a bit like one big beach, with the sand encroaching from all angles. Even the roads here are sand. Take a walk (or a bike) around the island to find your own secluded spot or simply head straight for Playa de la Cochina in the south or Playa de las Conchas in the north to find the finest sands. Lineas Romero operate ferries across from Orzola.

2. Corralejo, Fuerteventura

You won’t have to venture far from your hotel or your favourite restaurant to hit the beach in Corralejo, Fuerteventura. The main street turns into sand just metres from the centre of the resort. Here at Town Beach you can paddle in the shallow surf, watch the ferries come and go (over to Lanzarote) and let the kids explore in sheltered safety. Try Waikike Beach Club for cocktails, with your toes in the sand.

3. Playa el Bollullo, Tenerife

If you truly want to escape the crowds on Tenerife, this is the beach to head for. This natural half-moon of black sand is surrounded by towering cliffs with no distractions other than a simple beach café. You can walk along the coast to the neighbouring sands of Los Patos and El Pozo too, and there are plenty of hidden coves for naturists to shed their, ahem, inhibitions.

4. Teresitas, Tenerife

One of the best beaches in the Canary islands is in Tenerife! Don’t like the black sand Tenerife is known for? Make a beeline for this sandy strand, its golden grains imported from the Sahara and swept in a curve along the underbelly of the Anaga mountains. The result is simply stunning, and the chance to swim looking up at the laurel forests and palm trees. Keep your visit to weekdays though, this beauty is a little too popular on weekends.

5. Playa de las Vueltas, La Gomera

Watch the fishing boats come and go at this sheltered beach, where the water is about as calm and the soft black sands are more sheltered than most you’ll find on this rugged and often windswept island. There are a couple of beach bars here too, try freshly squeezed juices and generous tapas (usually served 4–10pm).

6. Playa del Duque, Tenerife

Playa del Duque may just be Tenerife’s most exclusive beach. It is after all backed by some of the island’s most luxurious hotels and covered with perfect golden sands shipped in from, you’ve guessed it, the Sahara. Here you can sip cocktails on your lounger, promenade along the palm-lined seafront or get stuck in to beach volleyball or the array of watersports on offer.

7. Playa del Verodal, El Hierro

The waves can be a little strong here, even if it’s too choppy for a swim this beach well off the beaten track is worth the 1 km hike in from the main road (park on Carretera La Montana) not least of all for the natural red sands. A hidden gem, you’ll most likely have it to yourself.

8. Playa Barca, Fuerteventura

A sandy spit marks out a shallow lagoon at Playa Barca, creating a swirl of white sand and turquoise waters that is almost dry at low tide – also making it one of the islands’ safest paddling beaches. It is also known as one of Europe’s best windsurfing spots and each summer the Windsurf World Cup is held here.

9. Playa de Puerto Naos, La Palma

Recline under the palm trees on this idyllic black beach and feel your cares melt away. You’re in one of La Palma’s two tourist centres but you would hardly know it – all is quiet in this low-key fishing village. It’s sheltered by tall cliffs too so tends to be a sun trap and the sunsets are renowned throughout the isles. Don’t forget to bring a camera.

10. Playa de Guigui, Gran Canaria

One for the intrepid, Playa de Guigui is the sort of beach even the locals don’t know about. That’s mostly because it’s at least a two-hour walk to its dark sands and volcanic rocks from the nearest road (at Tasartico). There are no facilities here, just the Atlantic Ocean and a freshwater stream that can refill those water bottles. Sound like too much effort? You could take a water taxi here from Puerto de las Nieves or Puerto de La Aldea, but wouldn’t that be cheating?

11. Maspalomas, Gran Canaria

The sand dunes at Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, could easily stand in for the Sahara desert. Their wind-sculpted, undulating bulk shifting across an area some 400 hectares in size. They run down to a jaw-dropping sandy beach that stretches off into the distance as far as the eye can see.