Want to visit the Canary Islands? Excellent, but here’s the question: Gran Canaria or Fuerteventura?
Both islands have a lot to offer: beaches, cliffs, natural pools…
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.
Gran Canaria vs Fuerteventura? 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 a wide variety of landscapes and activities, then head for Gran Canaria.
- If you want beach vacations, wind sports, wide open spaces and peace and quiet, go to Fuerteventura.
And here are our opinions on the various elements:
- The best wild beaches: Fuerteventura
- The best resort beaches: Gran Canaria
- The most beautiful landscapes: Gran Canaria
- Top attractions: Gran Canaria
- Climate: equivalent
- Fewer crowds in Fuerteventura
- Culture: Gran Canaria
- Gastronomy: Gran Canaria
- Easy to get around: It’s easier to drive in Fuerteventura
- Easy access: more flights to Gran Canaria
If you’ve made up your mind, see our tips on:
- where to stay in Gran Canaria (coming soon)
- where to stay in Fuerteventura
And if you can’t decide between more islands, check out our comparison of all the Canary Islands.
Best beaches: Gran Canaria or Fuerteventura?
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 (coming soon).
Fuerteventura’s best beaches
To start with, Fuerteventura is renowned for having the most beautiful beaches in the Canary Islands. It has plenty of big ones, with fewer tourists, so you can enjoy some of the quieter corners of the beach.
Only Corralejo has small beaches right in the middle of town.
Among our favorites:
- Playa Sotavento de Jandia, the famous wild lagoon
- Playa del Viejo Reyes with its magnificent cliffs
- Playa Tierra Dorada (Mal Nombre), unique
- Playa del Matorral, the large beach of Morro Jable
- The beaches of the Corralejo dunes
You can easily find the beach that suits your mood.
Find out more in our article on the best beaches in Fuerteventura.
Winning island
For fully serviced resort beaches, Gran Canaria is the best option.
For beautiful, wilder beaches, Fuerteventura is the winner.
OUR TIPS FOR RENTING A CAR IN THE Canary Islands
- Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars – one of the best rated sites.
- Choose a motor powerful enough for Tenerife and La Gomera. A small car is sufficient for the other islands
- But you can also choose a larger one if you wish, as the parking spaces are rather large.
- There’s a lot of demand and these are islands, so book early.
Which island has the most beautiful scenery?
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
- Dry canyons
- Greener canyons
- 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 (coming soon).
Fuerteventura landscapes
In Fuerteventura, the landscape is much less volcanic:
- Fascinating unvegetated mountains in shades of orange, pink and brown
- White sand dunes in Corralejo Natural Park
- Impressive cliffs in the south-west at the famous Cofete (accessible only by bumpy track)
- Ancient cliffs and caves at Ajuy
- Fascinating sand lagoon at Jandia in southeastern Spain
Winning island
In terms of landscapes, Gran Canaria has the advantage thanks to its diversity.
But if you’re looking for wide open spaces, Fuerteventura is the place for you.
A LITTLE MORE patience
All the photos, maps, information and addresses you need to make your stay in the Canaries a success will soon be available in a single ebook!
If you’d like to be notified when our guide to the Canaries is published, please subscribe:
Best hotels
Both islands have a very good hotel offer.
Gran Canaria’s is larger and offers more variety.
Among the 5-star hotels, the clear winner is Gran Canaria.
Best hotels in Gran Canaria
See our selection of the most beautiful hotels in Gran Canaria (coming soon).
Best hotels in Fuerteventura
See our selection of the most beautiful hotels in Fuerteventura.
CHOOSING A HOTEL IN Fuerteventura
Choosing where to stay:
Choose by hotel type:
- 5-star hotels
- Best boutique-hotels
- Best adults-only hotels
- Best all-inclusive hotels
- Best hotels for families
- Best resorts (quiet or lively)
Our favorite: Hotel INNSide – See prices, photos and availability
Select by city:
Cultural attractions – which island offers the most?
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
Cultural activities in Fuerteventura
Next to Windward Island, you can discover..:
- Pastoral history and cheese-making(Museo del Queso Majorero)
- The charm of historic villages like Betancuria
- The salt marshes
- The use of windmills on the island
- See our list of the best museums.
Winning island
Gran Canaria has a more developed offering for those seeking cultural activities.
Activities: sports, fun, sensation
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).
HAVE FUN WITH THESE activities in Gran Canaria
Dolphin watching
Buggy / Quad
Horseback riding
Snorkeling
Canyoning
Via Ferrata
Coasteering in Agaete
Kayaking in the Mogan caves
Amusement parks and activities in Fuerteventura
On the island of Fuertenvetura, you’ll find..:
- Acua Waterpark in Fuertenvetura – Book your tickets
- Exotic animals in Oasis Park – Book your tickets
HAVE FUN WITH THESE activities
- Dolphin watching
- Boat to Lobos Island
- Buggy tour
- But also; surfing lessons, 4WD tour in Cofete, windsurfing, scuba diving…
Dolphin watching.
On both islands you can also take a boat trip to see dolphins and whales.
Whether in Fuerteventura or Gran Canaria, we were able to find them.
Sightings are never guaranteed, but in this corner of Gran Canaria, the chances are excellent on both islands.
Winning island
Gran Canaria has a wider choice of amusement parks and activities (thanks to the changing terrain).
Driving in Fuerteventura vs Gran Canaria
Roads on both islands are in fairly good condition. We drive on the right.
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.
We strongly recommend renting a car to discover all the island’s most beautiful landscapes.
Our preferred car rental platform is Discovercars: see offers.
Driving in Fuerteventura
In Fuerteventura, the roads are very easy.
There’s a major freeway from north to south and very little traffic, even in the towns.
The only difficulties are a few places where the roads are unpaved, such as the Cofete cliffs.
We strongly recommend renting a car to discover all the island’s most beautiful landscapes. See our tips for renting a car in Fuerteventura.
Our preferred car rental platform is Discovercars: see offers.
Winning island
It’s clearly more pleasant to drive in Fuerteventura than in Gran Canaria.
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.
As Gran Canaria is a more touristic island, with more inhabitants, the gastronomic offer is more developed.
See our selection of the best restaurants in Gran Canaria (coming soon).
See our selection of the best restaurants in Fuerteventura.
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 are windy, but Fuerteventura is considered to have more wind.
- Gran Canaria receives a little more rain because its 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 Gran Canaria (coming soon).
See our article on when to go to Fuerteventura.
Combination: visit Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura
Both islands can be reached by ferry.
There are crossings between:
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Puerto del Rosario in 6 hours
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Morro Jable in 2 hours
See ferry options between the two islands.
DISCOVER THE Canary Islands
- Which Canary Island to choose?
- Most beautiful beaches in the Canary Islands (coming soon)
- Most beautiful hotels in the Canary Islands (coming soon)
- When to visit the Canary Islands (coming soon)
- Lanzarote or Fuerteventura
- Gran Canaria or Fuerteventura
- Gran Canaria or Lanzarote
