Canary Islands

Not often on the North American's radar and not easy to get to from 'here'. Yes, lovely islands, but we have the Caribbean with better beaches.

Unfortunately, I was fairly unimpressed with Caribbean beaches when I did some island hopping there a few years ago, but I agree the Canary Islands are a very "Europeans only" type of destination, the Germans love it, similar to Sardinia, it has history, food/wine, stunning beaches, mountainous lush inland, but how many Americans go there do you think? My guess is that they are all still at the Cinque Terre.

We have no plans to add any island coverage, whether the Canaries, the Azores, the Channel Islands, or additional islands in the Mediterranean. Rick himself can't sit on a beach for more than half a day at a time. He filmed in Malta mostly "because it was there" while working on his cruise program, taking a cruise that fit his calendar.

When I Iooked into the Canaries in the past, I got the impression they were most visited by resort package-tourists from the UK. But that doesn't mean that you couldn't go and enjoy, perhaps with a Lonely Planet guidebook.

Didn't he cover part of the Balerics in his Spain book? I could be wrong.
Add cruise itineraries to Canaries. Not bad that way but hard to see some interesting parts. There are alternatives to day port visits or AI resorts. One just has to look beyond the advertising. Some interesting pre-Hispanic history and archeology.

I really loved the week I spent exploring Tenerife last fall, but I am based in France, so it's a "mere" four hour flight away. Whether the same blend of islands, forests and volcanic landscapes is worth a long journey for most Americans, who may be closer to Hawaii and the Caribbean, I do not know!

Las Canarias have much to offer, outside of beach resorts, Gran Canaria is nicknamed the "Miniature Continent" because of the diversity of landscapes, from sand dunes to green ravines. It's a paradise if you are into hiking and nature. Gran Canaria also has quite a few picturesque towns like Arucas or Firgas that are worth checking out.

From a cultural standpoint, the island of Tenerife should do the trick, its home to the second largest carnival in the world, after the one in Rio de Janeiro. The charming town of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, a UNESCO Heritage site, makes for a nice day trip too. And one can also check out Teide National Park, another World Heritage Site, which is home to Mount Teide, the third highest volcano in the world. Not to mention all the unique and fascinating history and culture of the local Guanche people.

Sorry if I sound a bit like a tourism agent, but las Canarias are dear to me, I have family who live there and have visited multiple times :)

Hello!
I'm from Gran Canaria and I visited all islands! I'm very happy to live in this beautiful part of the world! Nice weather, culture and food!
I traveled for Europe and part of Asia and I always miss my islands when I'm abroad

For me, the most beatiful island is Lanzarote. Nice views, nice beaches and nice people. If someone wants to visit the island this post has useful information for a quick visit.

Just one thing more, I'm agree with the previous except for this comment:

(...) the largest island, Gran Canaria

Top 3 (size) in order: Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria :)

Cheers!