Destination: Canary Islands
BLOGGED LOCATIONS
The Canary Islands is a Spanish autonomous community in the Atlantic Ocean 100 kilometres (62 miles) west of Morocco. The islands have a population of 2.3 million people.
The seven main islands are Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro and because of their location, the Canary Islands have historically been considered a link between the four continents of Africa, North America, South America, and Europe.
The Canary Islands, especially Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote, are a major tourist destination, with over 12 million visitors per year.
Average costs in this area
Transportation - You can get around the Canary Islands by ferry or plane. There are 8 major airports and more than 16 large ports. The main transport hubs of the Canary Islands are Tenerife and Gran Canaria. From these 2 islands, you can travel by ferry to the whole archipelago
Accomodation
- 10 Best Towns and Resorts in the Canary Islands;
1. Costa Adeje, Tenerife.
2. Maspalomas, Gran Canaria.
3. Costa Teguise, Lanzarote.
4. Betancuria, Fuerteventura.
5. Los Llanos, La Palma.
6. Teror, Gran Canaria.
7. Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife.
8. Playa de la Arena, Tenerife
9. Arrieta, Lanzarote
10. Puerto del Rosario, Fuertaventura
Food
- The best local dishes to try are;
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1. Papas Arrugadas
‘Arrugadas’ translates as ‘wrinkled’, and the traditional way to serve these potatoes is boiled in their skins, salted and dressed with a generous topping of mojo picón – a delicious spicy sauce made with garlic, olive oil, red or green pepper, cumin, salt and vinegar.
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2. Rancho Canario
A hearty thick noodle soup made with chicken, pork, chick peas, and vegetables.
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3. Ropa Vieja
Ropa Vieja, means ‘old clothes’ but you wont be eating someones old laundry, its a stew made with chicken, pork or beef with vegetables, including garbanzo beans.
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4. Pollo al salmorejo and Conejo al salmorejo
A garlic marinated chicken dish, cooked in white wine and seasoned with cumin, oregano, paprika and thyme.
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5. Baifo
A dish made from marinated goat meat coverd in aromatic herbs including oregano, bay leaves and thyme, with a lot of garlic.
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6. Adobo de Cerdo
Is slow cooked shoulder of pork in a rich marinade of paprika, oregano, garlic, salt and sherry vinegar.
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7. Sancocho anario
A dish is made with a fresh whole-cooked fish, salted and spiced and served with a selection of the foods above.
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8. Queso de Cabra
This is local goats cheese made in Fuerteventura and Queso Palmero, on the island of La Palma.
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9. Bienmesabe
A dessert translated means ``tastes good to me``? made with ground almonds, egg yolk, sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon usually served with ice cream or cream. Made on Gran Canaria, which is famous for its almond trees.
Suggested daily budget – Of course this depends on where you stay, what you do, and where you eat as it all makes a difference. We like to walk the streets to see the ‘real’ stuff going on and to call in at interesting street food vendors for lunch. If many locals eat at a place that means the food is usually good and inexpensive and you should eat there too. Buying from a local grocery store and having a picnic is also an affordable and fun option. Corsica offers one of the most fun. affordable, and safest places to visit in europe.
TIps for first visit
1. Getting Around – What do you want to see or do? Is it going to be a cultural, culinary, or adrenaline junkie trip? How much time do you have? Organized tour for optimizing time, or do-it-yourself to optimize flexibility, or something in between?
2. Get tour and entrance passes – Doing your research in advance, gives you MANY benefits: Allows you to prioritize activities, allows you to know costs in advance for budgeting, and gives you some idea of time needed at each activity. When you know what you want to do, reserve a ticket in advance so that when you turn up you will not be turned away!
3. Check where the locals eat– PRO TIP: If you forgot to make a reservation then this holds true … walk a MINIMUM of THREE blocks away from a tourist attraction. If you still see restaurants with photos of food plastered along their fronts, keep on walking until you dont see them. When you dont see any ‘photo menus’, you have just entered the ‘local’ zone! The food here will be cheaper, better, fresher and you are more likely to meet locals than other tourists. Good food will sell by itself and doesnt need a photo to sell it. These restaurants without the ‘photo menus’ stay in business because the food is good and they want your repeat business, NOT because they have an endless supply of tourists coming through that they dont need to impress.
Do’s and don’ts
Be respectful and be kind. Learn some local lingo. Always remember that you are a GUEST in their country. You are in the Canaries, so .. relax and watch this part of the world open up in front of you. Go for an early walk, have a coffee or sandwich at a corner cafe and people watch. Some of the best times are before and after the work day when you can see food being delivered to restaurants, linens being washed, families going off to activities. Sit, watch, and listen, its free and fun!
What you shouldn't do?
Be smart with your bags and gear. Cars get broken into in each country in the world and not just the Canaries so do advertise to would be car thieves. Carry just enough cash for a couple of days, and use your credit card for as many purchases as possible. Use the local ATM machines to get out more euros when you need them.
Hopefully the tips above will give you enough information to start your own planning. If you want to check out some of the locations we visited in Greece and what we though of them, then click the [EXPLORE LOCATIONS] button below, or select a specific Greek island location from the list on the right
