Canary Islands holidays from the UK: which island and when to go

Canary Islands holidays from the UK differ more in rain than in heat. At the airport weather stations we read, Fuerteventura gets 98 mm of rain a year and Lanzarote 111 mm, against 369 mm on La Palma and 520 mm at Tenerife Norte.

This guide reads the Spanish weather agency AEMET, Canary Islands Tourism, Tenerife's tourism site and the FCDO entry requirements for Spain. It prints no flight time, because no official page we could read gives one, it names no price and it sells nothing: this site is a guide. For other warm places month by month, see our guides to hot places in December and January, or the holiday ideas hub.

The driest islands are the eastern ones. The Fuerteventura airport station averages 98 mm of rain a year and the Lanzarote airport station 111 mm, and both show 0 mm for each of June, July and August. Gran Canaria's airport and Tenerife Sur, in the south, sit between 132 and 151 mm.

The west and the high ground are wetter. Tenerife Norte airport, at 632 m above sea level, averages 520 mm a year over 64 days of 1 mm of rain or more. La Palma's airport records 369 mm and El Hierro's 206 mm. Tenerife's own tourism site puts the split plainly: "the north tends to be more humid and green, with a greater presence of low cloud, whilst the south enjoys more hours of sunshine and a drier atmosphere throughout the year."

Heat varies less than rain. In January the average daytime high runs from 20.6°C to 21.7°C at the four airports on the dry side, and in August from 27.5°C to 29.1°C. Higher up at Tenerife Norte it is 16.0°C in January and 25.7°C in August.

Where AEMET gives an annual sunshine total, it is 2,986 hours at Lanzarote and 2,836 at Fuerteventura, against 2,382 at El Hierro and 2,106 at La Palma. The tourism board advises "Avoid sunbathing between 12pm. and 4pm." and "Renew the sunscreen every 2 hours and when you come out of the water."

December is the wettest month at all four stations below: 26 mm at Fuerteventura, 30 mm at Tenerife Sur, 82 mm at Tenerife Norte and 80 mm at La Palma. June, July and August are the driest, with 0 to 11 mm in any of them.

The number of wet days follows the same pattern. In December AEMET counts 3.2 days of 1 mm of rain or more at Fuerteventura and 3.5 at Tenerife Sur, against 8.8 at Tenerife Norte and 7.9 at La Palma.

Canary Islands Tourism describes the archipelago as "a Spanish archipelago of seven islands", and its island menu also lists La Graciosa. The table sets each of the seven beside the way the official site describes it, in its own words.

La Graciosa has its own page on the site, which puts it "Just a half an hour from Lanzarote" by boat and describes it as "Small, quiet, with no paved roads or pollution". Set against the weather table, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are the two driest of the seven airport stations, while La Palma, called green "in all its shades", is the second wettest.

We found no official page that gives a flight time from the UK, so none is printed here. Fuerteventura's tourism site says flights connect the archipelago "with most of the countries of the European Union and the United Kingdom in just a few hours". The archipelago page adds that the islands "share the time zone (UTC) with countries such as the United Kingdom and Ireland".

Tenerife's tourism site says the island has "two international airports" and is "well connected to the main European airports, particularly from the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy, amongst others". Airlines publish their own schedules by departure airport, so check the timetable of the airline that flies from yours before you plan the week.

Between the islands, Canary Islands Tourism says "The archipelago is served by 8 airports connecting all the islands" and that "In all cases the flying time is less than an hour". Boats link the islands too, run by several companies.

No visa is needed for a short stay. The FCDO's entry requirements for Spain, which do not name the Canary Islands, say you can travel to the Schengen area, which includes Spain, without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period as a tourist. Canary Islands Tourism calls the islands "a Spanish archipelago". The FCDO's Spain advice was updated on 28 October 2026 and was still current at 4 November 2026.

The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) is being implemented across the Schengen area. The FCDO says you may be asked to register fingerprints and a photo, that it is replacing the manual stamping of passports, and that you should "be prepared to wait longer than usual at the border". For vaccinations it points to TravelHealthPro's Spain guide.

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  Passport issue date: Count back 10 years from the day you land. A passport renewed before 1 October 2018 can fail the test.
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  Passport expiry date: It must run at least 3 months beyond the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
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  Days already used: Visits to Schengen countries in the 180 days before you travel count towards your 90 days.
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  Time at the border: Allow longer than usual on arrival and again at departure because the new system may take each passenger extra time.

Canary Islands Tourism reports that on 25 December 2021, after 85 days of activity, the authorities declared the end of the Cumbre Vieja eruption on La Palma. It says life on the island continues as normal "with the exception of some areas of the municipalities of El Paso, Los Llanos de Aridane and Tazacorte".

On the water, the FCDO safety page for Spain warns that "Some beaches, especially around Spanish islands, may have strong undercurrents" and that "a red flag means you must not enter the water". It also says "Wildfires happen often in Spain, including on the islands, during the summer months." For altitude it says sickness "may be a risk in some of the higher mountain ranges in Spain, particularly in the regions of Granada, Huesca and Tenerife".

Tenerife's tourism site adds that around the Teide, "at more than 3,700 metres above sea level, snowfall can even occur in winter".

• Do I need a visa for the Canary Islands?

  No, not for a short stay. The FCDO says British passport holders can travel to the Schengen area, which includes Spain, without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The passport must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive.

• Which Canary island is driest?

  Of the seven airport stations in our table, Fuerteventura is the driest at 98 mm of rain a year, ahead of Lanzarote at 111 mm, according to AEMET’s 1981 to 2010 averages.

• Which Canary island is greenest and wettest?

  Tenerife Norte airport, at 632 m, averages 520 mm a year, and La Palma, which the tourism site calls green "in all its shades", 369 mm. We found no AEMET table for La Gomera.

• Which month is wettest in the Canary Islands?

  December at all four stations in our monthly table, with 26 mm at Fuerteventura and 82 mm at Tenerife Norte. June to August are the driest.

• How many Canary Islands are there?

  Canary Islands Tourism describes "a Spanish archipelago of seven islands", and its island menu also lists La Graciosa.

• Do the Canary Islands share the UK time zone?

  The tourism board says they "share the time zone (UTC) with countries such as the United Kingdom and Ireland".

• Is the La Palma volcano still erupting?

  No. The authorities declared the end of the eruption on 25 December 2021. The tourism board says some areas of El Paso, Los Llanos de Aridane and Tazacorte are still affected by the aftermath.

• How do you travel between the islands?

  The tourism board says 8 airports connect all the islands, with a flying time of less than an hour in all cases, and that boats connect them too.

• What is the EU Entry/Exit System?

  It registers short-stay visitors to the Schengen area, which may include fingerprints and a photo. The FCDO says there is no cost for the registration and that it may take extra time at the border.