Travel with Angela Lansbury: The Canary Islands - wine and bananas on Gran Canaria (plus El Hierro)

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

The Canary Islands - wine and bananas on Gran Canaria (plus El Hierro)

The Canary islands, so many of them. Seven. Nothing to do with canaries. The names is connected with dogs, canine, but never mind. Just watch out that typing canaries plural without the word islands may bring up advertisements for buying pet birds.

The Canary Islands - Getting There And Getting Around

You can fly to one of the islands and fly or ferry to another. Only four and a half hours flight from England. P & O run cruises.

We decided that two island in one trip of maximum two weeks, our time budget, was enough. Follow up with a second trip to the other two main islands. One winter trip, one summer trip.

Why Go To The Canaries?

They speak Spanish. That's a plus point, because it is the easiest language to pick up if you are an English speaker.

Summer sun, and winter sun. Sun all year. The ancient Greeks called the islands the blessed or fortunate islands.

The Canary Islands Alphabetically

El-Hierro, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, La Palma, Lanzarote, Tenerife.

|The Canary Island West to East

The Canary Islands are

El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, and La Graciosa.

A simple summary

El-hierro, so small, a a hideaway.

El-hierro

The logical place to start, but the island which as a tourist I shall ignore, is the tiny island of El-hierro. The name is Spanish for iron. I had trouble with the spelling. Does it start he or hi. Then I thought of say hi to hierro, and don't make an error

The little island features traffic-free villages, fresh fish, sunsets and early nights, hikes and views of the sea and clean water. Plant life rather than nightlife.

For now, when I still have to visit the bigger islands, I'll just read about it on the internet and admire it from afar. For me, as a photographer, the most memorable landmark is a rock archway, unfortunately reached by what appears to be a scramble over the rocks. Not for me. Not now. Later.

Let's move on east.

Here are the main tourist destinations which I am considering visiting on two trips, possibly one to escape the British winter, one in the summertime.

Gran Canaria

Capital Las Palmas, plural, is also joint capital of the group of islands. It's the most populous (populated) city. A grand place, lots of people, varied landscape and weather with dunes in the south and snow capped mountain in the middle, bananas and vines.

Arehucas Rum Distillery

Buggy tour/ Camel/ convertible car (optional open top)/Quad/Segway/Three wheeler motorbike/

Banana tour (Banana World, Banana Museum)

Columbus House.

Dunes (Maspalomas Dunes)

Winery