Want to visit the Canary Islands? Excellent, but here’s the question: Tenerife or Gran Canaria?
Both islands have a lot to offer: beaches, cliffs, rock formations…
Here’s our photo comparison to help you decide: scenery, conditions, beaches, activities…
This opinion is completely independent, based on our experiences. We visited the region anonymously, making our own choices and paying our bills in full.
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Tenerife vs Gran Canaria? Quick response
If you don’t want to read all the criteria and photos below in the article, here’s our general answer:
- If you want volcanic landscapes, towns with character and a bit of greenery, choose Tenerife.
- If you want a wide variety of landscapes and charming villages, then head for Gran Canaria.
And here are our opinions on the various elements:
- The most beautiful beaches: Tenerife
- Best resort beaches: Gran Canaria
- Luxury resort: Tenerife
- Landscapes: Tenerife has the most impressive and Gran Canaria the most varied
- Climate: equivalent
- Crowds: equivalent, but we felt more spacious in Gran Canaria
- Culture: Tenerife for towns with character, Gran Canaria for archaeological sites
- Gastronomy: equivalent
- Amusement parks: equivalent
- Ease of movement: equivalent
- Our preference: super tough choice. Gran Canaria in total, although seeing Teide on Tenerife was exceptional.
If you’ve made up your mind, see our tips on:
- where to stay in Gran Canaria
- where to stay in Tenerife (coming soon)
And if you can’t decide between more islands, check out our comparison of all the Canary Islands.
Best beaches: Tenerife or Gran Canaria
Tenerife’s most beautiful beaches
Tenerife offers a great variety of beaches: wild beaches and fully-equipped city beaches, black sand and golden sand.
Among our favorites:
- Playa El Medano and its volcano
- Playa de las Teresitas, one of the best-known
- Playa del Duque
- Playa Jimenez and its black sand
- …
See our top 15 most beautiful beaches in Tenerife.
Tenerife also has some beautiful natural pools: see our list
Gran Canaria’s best beaches
The island is also known for its magnificent golden and black sand beaches.
Some are in seaside resorts with all services and facilities, while others are much more isolated and wild.
Our favorites include:
- Playa de Maspalomas, superb for long walks with your feet in the sand
- Playa de Amadores for its shape and colors
- Puerto de Mogan, for its charm and cliffs
- …
To find out more, see our article on Gran Canaria’s best beaches.
Gran Canaria also has some beautiful natural pools: see our list
Winning island
For fully serviced resort beaches, Gran Canaria is the best option.
For beautiful, wilder beaches, Tenerife is the winner.
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Which island has the most beautiful scenery?
Landscapes of Tenerife
Tenerife is particularly famous for its volcanic landscapes and cliffs. It offers spectacular scenery.
- Teide National Park with its volcano at the top of the island
- Anaga forest and green cliffs
- The high cliffs of Los Gigantes
- …
Get a better idea with our article on the most beautiful landscapes in 25 photos.
Landscapes of Gran Canaria
Of all the Canary Islands, Gran Canaria offers the greatest diversity. It doesn’t have the most unforgettable scenery, but it does offer plenty of choice. It’s a mini-continent unto itself. We really enjoyed this mosaic of landscapes:
- Sand dunes
- Mountains
- Arid canyons and greener ones
- Beautiful sandy beaches
- Charming mountain villages
- Fascinating rock formations
- …
Whether you’re an avid hiker, photographer or simply in search of moments of contemplation, you’ll be delighted by the diversity of panoramas offered by this island.
Get a better idea with our article on the most beautiful landscapes in 25 photos.
Winning island
In terms of landscapes, Gran Canaria has the advantage thanks to its diversity.
But if you’re looking for landscapes that will impress, Tenerife is the place for you.
Best hotels
Both islands have a very good hotel offer. Whatever type of hotel you’re looking for, you’re sure to find it.
Best hotels in Tenerife
WHERE TO STAY IN Tenerife
Our independent picks for the accommodation of your dreams:
- Where to stay in Tenerife
- Our favorite: Hotel Corales Beach
Select by hotel type:
- 5-star hotels
- Best boutique-hotels
- Best adults-only hotels (coming soon)
- Best all-inclusive hotels (coming soon)
- Best hotels for families (coming soon)
Select by city:
- Best hotels in Costa Adeje
- Best hotels in Puerto de La Cruz
- Best hotels in Los Gigantes
- Best hotels in Santa Cruz
- Best hotels in Laguna
- Best hotels in Playa de las Americas
- 5-star hotel in Los Cristianos (coming soon)
Best hotels in Gran Canaria
WHERE TO STAY IN Gran Canaria
Our independent picks for the accommodation of your dreams:
- Where to stay in Gran Canaria
- Our favorite: Marina Suites Hotel
Select by hotel type:
- 5-star hotels
- Best boutique-hotels
- Best adults-only hotels (coming soon)
- Best all-inclusive hotels (coming soon)
- Best hotels for families
Select by city:
Cultural attractions – which island offers the most?
Cultural activities in Tenerife
Tenerife’s cultural offering
- Art museums in Santa Cruz
- The historic towns of La Orotava, Garachico…
- Unesco-listed city: San Cristobal de la Laguna
- The pyramids of Güimar
See all Tenerife’s best attractions (not just cultural).
Cultural activities in Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria has a very interesting cultural offering. We particularly like it:
- All the archaeological sites such as the Valeron caves, the Maipes burial mounds…
- Gran Canaria also has a number of fine museums, such as the Museo Canario in the capital, or the Casa de Colon.
- The island also offers a greater variety of architecture. We really enjoyed discovering the different villages and old town centers. Our favourite village is Aguïmes
See all Gran Canaria’s best attractions (not just cultural).
Winning island
No winner. The offer is very different between the two islands, but just as fascinating.
Activities: sports, fun, sensation
Amusement parks and activities in Tenerife
If you’re coming with the family, Tenerife has a wealth of theme parks, especially in the southern half of the island. If that’s what you like, you’ll have plenty of choice. For example:
- Siam Park, one of the world’s best water parks
- Aqualand
- Loro Parque Zoo
- Jungle Park
- …
See Tenerife’s theme parks (coming soon).
And plenty of outdoor activities:
HAVE FUN IN TENERIFE: activities
Amusement parks and activities in Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria also offers a good choice of theme parks for families:
- Aqualand Maspalomas, the big water park – book your skip-the-line tickets
- Holiday World Woodland, for thrill rides – reserve your tickets
- Angry Birds Park, with games for younger children – book your tickets now!
- The famous Poema del Mar Aquarium – book your tickets now
- Mundo Aborigen, find out more about the Guanche people – book your tickets now
- Palmitos Park, the zoo – book your tickets
- …
To find out more, see our article on Gran Canaria’s best theme parks (coming soon).
And plenty of outdoor activities:
FUN in Gran Canaria:activities
Dolphin watching
Buggy / Quad
Snorkeling
Kayaking in the Mogan caves
But also: Canyoning, Horse riding, Via Ferrata, Coasteering… See all options
Winning island
Both islands are rich in theme parks. Gran Canaria’s are perhaps a little more varied.
Driving in Gran Canaria vs Tenerife
Driving in Tenerife
The roads are in good condition. There’s quite a bit of traffic, with more locals than on the other islands.
The only difficulties are some narrower mountain roads and some very, very steep roads on the north-western tip.
Don’t take a car that’s too wide, or smaller cars with limited engine power if you plan to explore everything.
We strongly recommend renting a car to discover all the island’s most beautiful landscapes. See our tips for renting a car in Tenerife.
Our preferred car rental platform is Discovercars: see offers.
Driving in Gran Canaria
Driving around Gran Canaria is easy enough. There’s an expressway that covers a good part of it.
However:
- as soon as you want to go up into the mountains, you find narrower, more winding roads
- there’s a lot of traffic between locals and tourists
We didn’t find any major difficulties, apart from a few roads.
We strongly recommend renting a car to discover all the island’s most beautiful landscapes. See our tips for renting a car in Gran Canaria.
Our preferred car rental platform is Discovercars: see offers.
Winning island
In our opinion, it’s more pleasant to drive in Gran Canaria than in Tenerife.
Gastronomic offer
Because of the Canaries’ shared history and similar weather conditions, you can find similar foods on both islands.
Local cuisine combines seafood and traditional Spanish recipes with Latin American influences.
Gran Canaria and Tenerife are the two islands with the most tourists and the most inhabitants, and their gastronomic offer is well developed.
See our selection of the best restaurants in Gran Canaria.
See our selection of the best restaurants in Tenerife (coming soon).
Climate
Let’s take a look at the travel conditions you can expect on both islands.
Being very close to each other, there are no major differences.
- Generally speaking, the weather is warm and dry all year round.
- Both islands receive slightly more rain (than Lanzarote and Fuerteventura) because the mountains can stop the clouds.
- In winter, we can expect a temperature of around 21°C, while in summer it rises to 28°C – 30°C.
See our article on when to go to Tenerife (coming soon).
See our article on when to go to Gran Canaria.
Combination: visit Gran Canaria and Tenerife
Both islands can be reached by ferry. There are crossings between:
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife
- Agaete on Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife
See ferry options between the two islands.
