Why These Stunning Islands Are My Favorite Winter Getaway In Europe

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We all have locations we love and that we need to go to time and again.

Places the place the climate is at all times good, the individuals are as heat and welcoming because the water, and there’s at all times one thing totally different to see and do.

Woman laying on beach in Playa de la Teresitas. Tenerife, Canaries

For me that place is the Canary Islands. I really like the Canary Islands a lot that I’m at the moment visiting them for the third time in 12 months!

Here’s why these gorgeous islands are my favourite winter getaway in Europe:

Year-Round Sunshine

One of the main attractions of the Canary Islands is that they boast year-round sunshine. This makes them an excellent place to flee to if you wish to get away from the relentlessly chilly winters of Northern Europe and North America!

Even within the coldest months of January and February the temperatures hardly ever drop under 21 levels centigrade (70 levels Fahrenheit) and the ocean temperatures common 22 levels centigrade (72 levels Fahrenheit) so it’s heat sufficient to swim within the sea year-round too.

As an added bonus, the solar rises at round 6.30 am, units at round 7.30 pm, and it hardly ever rains on the Canary Islands.

Despite this winter is the off-season within the Canary Islands so crowd ranges are very low. This signifies that you’ll have most of the finest seashores to your self and you’ll discover with none crowds.

Visiting this week because the winter season begins the climate is gorgeous, the gang ranges are very low, and I haven’t wanted reservations for any of the eating places I needed to eat in or actions I needed to e-book. This consists of snorkeling excursions, browsing classes, and even a camel safari.

Though there are public transport choices out there, I at all times rent a automotive within the Canary Islands. This is as a result of a few of the most stunning seashores may be distant and troublesome to entry with out one.

It additionally offers you the liberty to discover the islands at your individual tempo and to seek out hidden gems which can be off the crushed path.

You can move an indication promoting a famend mountain climbing path, stunning seaside, and even that spontaneous camel journey, and simply flip off if you wish to expertise one thing new.

Bufadero in Gran Canaria is a superb instance of this. This inlet varieties a surprising pure swimming pool at low tide and is the proper place for a seaside day however is finest accessed by automotive.

Popcorn Beach in Corralejo, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain.

Fuerteventura is dwelling to the well-known ‘popcorn beach’, and this will additionally solely be accessed by taking a automotive down a bumpy and slim grime monitor.

This uncommon seaside isn’t lined in sand however in useless algae, which appears to be like prettier than it sounds! It takes on the looks of kernels of popcorn. It’s an incredible pure phenomenon and makes a fab spot for a photograph alternative.

Endless Activities

The Canary Islands are an excellent location for lively adventurers and every island affords one thing barely totally different.

surfer riding waves on the island of fuerteventura

I really like Fuerteventura as a result of it affords the perfect browsing in Europe, particularly through the winter when surfers descend on the island to catch its highest waves.

Corralejo is taken into account the island’s surf capital and Fuerteventura’s north shore is known as Europe’s Hawaii because of its enormous swells. The surf neighborhood in Fuerteventura is big and extremely welcoming, even to enthusiastic newcomers.

If you’re a newbie eager to take to the waves then attempt Protest Surf School which is without doubt one of the most extremely regarded on the island. The teacher I labored with was pleasant and humorous and made me really feel extremely comfy.

Tenerife is the island finest for hikers and it has probably the most marked trails too. All of the Canary Islands are volcanic which signifies that the landscapes are exceptionally rugged and delightful for hikers and walkers.

volcanic landscape with cacti in lanzarote

Lanzarote is dwelling to Europe’s first underwater sculpture museum which I’m reliably knowledgeable is unbelievable for scuba divers.

Lanzarote is probably the most well-known of the Canary Islands for divers and the underwater sculpture gallery is a singular expertise away from the norm that you simply would possibly count on when diving. But you’ll additionally discover a spectacular array of underwater fauna to discover should you’re searching for one thing extra conventional.

Inter-Island Travel

There are 8 main Canary Islands however solely 4 of those are thought-about massive vacationer hubs. These are Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Tenerife. Tenerife is the biggest island within the chain.

The islands are well-connected and straightforward to journey between. There are common inter-island flights however probably the most economical and infrequently quickest method to journey is by ferry.

Woman enjoying the panoramic view from the ferry Canary Islands

The journey between Fuerteventura and Lanzarote is a superb instance of this. These two islands are extremely shut collectively, which means the ferry journey takes simply 25 minutes and costs vary between 20-35 euros ($21-37 USD) relying on the operator you select.

You can journey between islands for day journeys or select a couple of trip spot, permitting you to see as a lot of the Canary Islands are potential in a comparatively brief time frame.

If you’re staying in Fuerteventura then one in every of my favourite actions is to take the ferry from Corralejo to Timanfaya National Park on Lanzarote to go to the lively volcano.

This is a well-liked tour possibility and lets you expertise two of the totally different Canary Islands in a comparatively brief trip.

Long Beach in Fuerteventura Canary Islands

Although the Canary Islands are formally part of Spain geographically they sit near the African coast. This explains why the climate is far hotter right here than on mainland Spain and why the islands are also known as “the eternal spring.”

There’s nowhere I’d somewhat go to flee a protracted and chilly winter.

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