Aqualand Waterpark (Gran Canaria)
: The WeSwap community spent upwards of £38 million around the world last year. That works out at roughly 1.2 transactions every minute. We’ve taken that data, crunched it and created a series of travel money spending guides, based on how actual travellers travel and spend abroad.
The Canary Islands – AKA the Canaries – are loved by some, and loathed by others. But whatever your opinion, holiday-makers continue to visit in their droves. Only 100km off the coast of Africa, one of the main reasons is year-round sun at affordable prices. This is our guide to budgeting your Euros for a trip to Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria or Lanzarote – the most popular of the islands.
Average daily spend by real travellers in the Canary Islands: €103
This reflects what everyday travellers tend to spend when in the Canaries. Think mid-range – most of the major attractions, a few cab rides, maybe a big night out, and a bit of shopping on the side. It doesn’t include the cost of hotels or car hire as these are often booked in advance.
- Eating Out: €47 per day
- Entertainment (bars, tours & attractions): €48 per day
- Transport: €30 per day
- Shopping: €42 per day
Want to see where it all goes? Read on!
Cost of Entertainment in the Canary Islands
Using real traveller data, we’ve picked out the most popular source of entertainment on all of the most-visited Canary Islands.
Real Traveller Average Daily Spend: €48
- Teneriffe pick – Teleferico Del Teide (Tenerife) – €13.50
- Lanzarote Team – Rancho Texas Lanzarote Park (Lanzarote) – €25
- Aqualand Maspalomas (La Palma) – €26
- Surf or SUP in Fuerteventura – (Fuerteventura) from €35
- Buggy Tour (Grand Canaria) from €85
The Teide Volcano on Teneriffe is the highest point in all of Spain and the highest point above sea level in the islands of the Atlantic. The most popular trip for WeSwap travellers in all of the Canary Islands is the cable car that takes visitors to the top. If it’s winter then pack warm, it gets cold up there.
The Rancho Park is a family day out, especially popular with kids. Dolphins? Tick. Comono Dragons? Tick. Water Park? Tick. Triple win and decent food options. All atsuper affordablee prices.
Entry into the Aqualand Maspalomas waterpark is €28 online but keep an eye out for a voucher that will knock €3 off. Not bad if you’re in a group of five. This is a proper water park with white-knuckle slides for thrill seekers and a wave pool as well as more relaxed options for less confident swimmers and children.
Fuerteventura is the windiest of the Canary Islands and therefore the best for water sports. There are several surf schools to be found online but this is a great place to learn how to surf with friendly English-speaking instructors. You’re also not likely to get in the way of advanced surfers which can be an issue with surfing. Bondi Beach for example, is an embarrassing place to learn.
The Grand Canaria buggy tour is a great way to get out and see the island. Go on and off-road and take a passenger with you too. These are not difficult to drive and are actually much safer than quad bikes. You’ll need a full driving license.
Cost of food and drink in the Canary Islands
Real Traveller Average Daily Spend: €47
- Restaurante Mirador de Sotavento – (Grand Canaria) – Meal for two with wine – €50
- Bogavante (Lanzarote) – Meal for two with wine – €40
- Sabor Canario, La Orotava (Teneriffe) – Meal for two with wine – €30
- Glass of wine/beer in the bar (all islands) – €2
- Cup of coffee – (all islands) – €1.50
The Canaries are known for being cheap and sure enough, you can always find a pub selling cheap bear. But culturally they don’t get the credit they deserve. Teneriffe is leading the way with several Michelin star restaurants now on the island.
Restaurante Mirador de Sotavento (La Palma) is not an easy place to find (you’ll need a car or a taxi) but it’s worth the search. Top quality food, lovely atmosphere, great host and the best thing about it? The sunset. Make sure you see the sunset in this romantic little restaurant. The octopus is super-fresh and comes recommended.
Alongside the extraordinary volcanic beach at El Golfo, Bogavante (Lanzarote) is right by the sea on the southern tip of the island. All you need for a blissful afternoon is to order paella, and a bottle of chilled white wine.
Sabor Canario, La Orotava (Teneriffe) is a 16th century merchant’s house oozing Canarian autheticity. Start with the papas arrugadas (Canarian baked potatoes) served with mojo, a tangy sauce made from piquant red peppers. The food takes about half an hour to arrive, a mark of it’s freshness. It’s open every day apart from sundays and most mains are under €10 which is really great value for the standard.
Cost of Transport in Tenerife
We haven’t broken this down island by island but gone with the most popular island – Tenerife. All the rest of the info can be found easily enough with a Google though. We thought it best to get one island right at least…
Real Traveller Average Daily Spend: €30
- Taxi from North airport to South resorts – €60
- Taxi from South airport to South resorts – €15
- Bus from North airport to South resorts – €11
- Bus from South airport to South resorts – €3.25
- Bus fare anytime €1.35