Canary Islands (IC)
The Canary Islands are Spain's Atlantic autonomous community: Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa.
Country Profile
Everything you need to know before you arrive.
The Canary Islands are Spain's Atlantic autonomous community: Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa. For expats, the islands combine Spanish and EU residence rules with a distinct island administration, Atlantic timezone, year-round mild climate, lower IGIC sales tax, strong tourism economy, growing remote-work communities, and practical realities that differ from mainland Spain: island-by-island housing pressure, inter-island logistics, wildfire and calima planning, and public services run through the Gobierno de Canarias, island cabildos and local ayuntamientos.
Climate
March-May: 18-25 C at sea level, mild evenings, good hiking conditions. North-facing areas can be greener and cloudier; south coasts are drier and sunnier.
June-August: 24-32 C on the coast, hotter during calima episodes or heat alerts. Trade winds moderate temperatures but UV is intense. Inland and high-altitude areas can change quickly.
September-November: warm seas, 22-29 C, occasional heavy rain events and tropical-storm remnants. It is one of the best seasons for settling because tourism pressure is lower outside school holidays.
December-February: 17-23 C on most coasts, cool nights in the mountains, snow possible on Teide. Northern slopes receive more cloud and rain; south Tenerife, south Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura remain drier.
Demographics
Religion
Social Culture & Etiquette
Warm greetings are normal: "buenos dias", "buenas tardes", a handshake in formal settings and two cheek kisses between acquaintances when socially appropriate. Canarians often communicate more softly and indirectly than mainland stereotypes suggest.
Administrative appointments, ferries, flights and medical visits should be treated as punctual. Social life is more relaxed, especially around family meals, local fiestas and beach plans.
Beachwear belongs at the beach. In towns, banks, ayuntamientos and restaurants, light but neat clothing is expected. Bring a light jacket for evenings and mountain villages.
- ✕ Do not treat the islands as interchangeable; island identity is strong and local differences matter.
- ✕ Avoid calling Canarians "mainland Spanish" or assuming mainland rules apply to taxes, imports and transport.
- ✕ Do not joke about wildfire risk, water scarcity, volcanic damage on La Palma, or migration routes from West Africa.
- ✕ Do not enter protected dunes, lava fields or marine reserves outside marked paths.
- ✕ Do not assume everyone in tourism areas speaks English; Spanish is essential for bureaucracy and local integration.
- ✓ Lunch is usually the main meal and dinner is late by northern European standards, though resort areas adapt to tourist hours.
- ✓ Island life is relationship-based. Polite greetings, patience and face-to-face follow-up help with landlords, tradespeople and offices.
- ✓ Guagua means bus in the Canaries. Using the local word is appreciated.
- ✓ Local fiestas and romerias matter. Expect closures, traffic changes and fireworks around island and municipal holidays.
- ✓ Tipping is modest: round up at cafes, EUR 1-3 in restaurants if service is good, and small change for taxis.
🍽️ Traditional Food & Drink
Small salted potatoes boiled until wrinkled, served with red mojo picon or green coriander mojo. The everyday Canarian classic.
Toasted grain flour used in escaldon, desserts, milk, stews and breakfast bowls. A core Canarian food with Indigenous roots.
Chickpea, meat and potato stew, different from the Cuban version and common in family restaurants.
Grilled local goat or mixed cheese served with mojo, palm honey or jam. Especially common in La Palma, El Hierro and rural Tenerife.
Salted fish with potatoes, sweet potato and mojo, traditionally eaten around Easter and family gatherings.
Almond, honey, egg yolk and lemon dessert, usually served with ice cream or sponge cake.
Volcanic-soil wines from Tenerife, Lanzarote, La Palma, Gran Canaria and El Hierro. Look for Listan Negro, Malvasia volcanica and Tacoronte-Acentejo.
Layered coffee with condensed milk, espresso, milk foam, cinnamon, lemon peel and Licor 43. Strongly associated with Tenerife.
Honey rum served as a small digestif. Sweet, local and common after meals.
The two iconic island beers: Dorada in Tenerife and Tropical in Gran Canaria.
Gran Canaria rum brand from Arucas, widely used in mixed drinks and local desserts.
📍 Tourist Highlights
UNESCO-listed volcanic landscape around Spain's highest peak. Permits are needed for the final summit trail; weather can change fast.
Urban beach with reef-protected swimming, surfing sections, long promenade and year-round city life.
Lanzarote's dramatic volcanic fields, geothermal demonstrations and protected lava landscapes.
Large dune system and turquoise-water beaches facing Lobos Island.
Ancient laurel forest and misty hiking trails, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
High-altitude observatory area with some of Europe's clearest skies.
Quiet island life, diving at La Restinga and strong sustainability culture.
📖 Brief History
The islands were inhabited by Indigenous Canarian peoples before Castilian conquest in the 15th century. Their Atlantic position made them a key bridge between Europe, Africa and the Americas, shaping trade, migration, agriculture and port cities such as Las Palmas and Santa Cruz. The modern autonomous community was created under Spain's 1978 Constitution and has a distinctive economic and fiscal regime, including the Canary Islands Special Zone and IGIC instead of mainland IVA. Today the archipelago is a Spanish, EU and Schengen territory but outside the EU VAT area, which affects imports, shopping, business invoicing and online orders.