Things to Do in the Canary Islands, Spain: City Guides

The Canary Islands are a volcanic archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 100 kilometres from the northwest coast of Africa, while belonging to Spain. Their appeal lies in the contrast between volcanic landscapes, high mountains, warm coasts, green areas and semi-desert terrain. Neywo offers free audio guides for 11 cities in the Canary Islands, with 277 narrated places in total and 15 walking tours.

The islands stretch from El Hierro in the west to Lanzarote in the east. Tenerife is the largest and most populous, while Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, La Palma and La Gomera each have their own character. La Graciosa is the only other inhabited island, alongside smaller islands, islets and rocks.

What to see and do in the Canary Islands

Discover the volcanic landscapes

Volcanoes created the Canary Islands, shaped by the Canary hotspot. The result is an archipelago of sharp changes in terrain, where warm coastlines give way to high peaks, green areas and semi-desert landscapes. Altitude, sea air and changing rainfall create different environments even within the same island.

Mount Teide, on Tenerife, is Spain’s highest peak and a World Heritage Site. The high mountains also rise above the temperature inversion layer, creating conditions well suited to astronomical observation. Observatories on Tenerife, La Palma and Gran Canaria reflect the islands’ importance for science as well as tourism.

Visit the island capitals

Since 1982, the Canary Islands have had two capitals: Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Together, they form the two political centres of the autonomous community.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is one of Neywo’s most extensive city guides, with 96 narrated places. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria follows with 75. Their points of interest include churches, castles and museums, offering two different ways to explore the history and urban life of the archipelago.

Explore historic towns and old settlements

The Canary Islands’ history reflects connections between Africa, Europe and the Americas. Castilian colonisation began in 1402 with an expedition led by the French explorers Jean de Béthencourt and Gadifer de la Salle. After the conquest, sugarcane became an important crop, followed by wine and later bananas, introduced as an export crop by the British.

Several towns preserve traces of this layered history. In San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Neywo covers 42 narrated places, including the Cathedral of La Laguna, Iglesia de la Concepción, Iglesia de Santo Domingo de Guzmán and Monastery Santa Catalina La Laguna.

Garachico has four narrated places, among them Castillo de San Miguel, Church of Santa Ana (Garachico), the Monument to the Canarian Emigrant and Ermita de San Roque. In Puerto de la Cruz, 22 narrated places include Castillo de San Felipe, Ermita de San Telmo, Casa Miranda and the Archaeological Museum of Puerto de la Cruz.

See the islands’ castles, churches and museums

Fortifications and religious buildings point to the islands’ strategic position in the Atlantic. They also show how communities developed around ports, settlements and local centres.

In San Sebastián de La Gomera, Neywo’s eight narrated places include the Museo Arqueológico de La Gomera, Sagrado Corazón, Torre del Conde and Casa Bencomo. Puerto del Rosario has nine, including Ermita de Nuestra Señora de La Concepción, Ecomuseo La Alcogida, Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Merced and Ermita de San Pedro de Alcántara.

The northern and southern coasts also offer different historic perspectives. Corralejo has 14 narrated places, including La Cilla, Torre del Tostón, Casa de los Coroneles and the Windmill in El Cotillo. Los Cristianos has three, including Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Our Lady of Guadalupe and Parroquia de San Casiano.

Experience island traditions

Carnival is the best-known shared tradition in the Canary Islands. It is celebrated on every island and in every municipality, with festivities filling the streets between February and March. Some of the busiest celebrations take place in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The islands also preserve traditional sports connected to practical island life. In lucha canaria, or Canarian wrestling, two opponents compete in a terrero, using strength and quick movement to throw each other to the ground. Palo canario is a stick-fighting game that may have developed from shepherds’ walking sticks. Salto del pastor, or shepherd’s jump, uses a long stick to vault across open ground.

Canary Islands Day takes place on 30 May and marks the first session of the Canary Islands Parliament. Each island also has festivals linked to its patron saint, adding local traditions to the culture shared across the archipelago.

Learn how the islands connect to the wider world

The Canary Islands have long been a meeting point between continents. Their earlier names included the Fortunate Isles, while the present name Islas Canarias is likely connected to the Latin Canariae Insulae, meaning the Islands of the Dogs. The canary bird was named after the islands, rather than the islands taking their name from the bird.

Today, tourism is central to the economy, alongside tropical agriculture. Bananas and tobacco are sent to Europe and the Americas. Eight airports serve the archipelago, and large and fast ferries connect most of the islands. Roads form an extensive network, although Tenerife and Gran Canaria can experience traffic congestion.

The islands also play a role in space and satellite communications. Maspalomas Station on Gran Canaria supported missions including the Apollo 11 Moon landings and Skylab. It now supports satellite communications as part of the European Space Agency network.

Visit the coast and the island resorts

Beaches, warm weather and natural attractions remain central reasons to visit the Canary Islands. Maspalomas on Gran Canaria and Mount Teide on Tenerife are among the places that draw visitors, but the archipelago’s coastal towns offer different settings across the islands.

For another island perspective, Puerto de Mogán has one narrated place, Molino Quemado. Lanzarote has three narrated places, including Laguna de Valleseco, Paisaje protegido de Las Cumbres and Valleseco.

Explore the Canary Islands with Neywo

Download Neywo’s free audio guide to explore 11 cities in the Canary Islands. The app includes 15 walking tours, 277 narrated places in total and narration in 11 languages. Each story plays as you reach the place, so you can explore at your own pace, with no group and no schedule.

The guide covers cities and towns including Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Puerto de la Cruz, Corralejo and San Sebastián de La Gomera. Start walking, let the app tell you the story of each place as you arrive, and discover the archipelago independently.