The Canary Islands are a popular getaway all over Europe – and these days for many Hungarians as well. So it would be a shame to skip the Canary Islands, even if it’s just for a long weekend. But the question quite understandably comes up again and again: when is best to travel to the Canary Islands?
The Climate of the Canary Islands
To answer the question of which time of year is best to visit this beautiful group of islands, it’s worth taking a very quick look at the local climate. No need for anything scientific here – just a single short paragraph.
The Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, lying about 60–185 miles (100–300 km) west of the southwest coast of Morocco in Africa. Because the islands sit at roughly 28 degrees north latitude, they’re only “slightly” north of the Tropic of Cancer.
As I mentioned, this isn’t meant to be a scientific explanation, but there’s one important takeaway it makes easy to understand: on the Canary Islands, the temperature is almost the same all year round.
So When Should You Travel to the Canary Islands?
Based on all this, it’s pretty much worth traveling to the Canary Islands at any time of year. And although this is a slightly personal opinion, I’d mostly recommend the late fall months (October–November) or, alternatively, the winter months (December–February).
Why? You’ll see in just a moment.
It’s Warm Here All Year
Of course, the summer months here are warmer and drier too, but the difference is nowhere near as big as what we’re used to in Hungary. For example, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife the average temperature in the warmest month, July, is about 25 °C (77 °F), while in the coldest month, January, it only cools down to around 18 °C (64 °F).
The number of tourists is also more or less the same in almost every month of the year, so it’s hard to choose the “best” time to travel based on whether there are more or fewer people.
That leaves us with one subjective factor: when you set off from a cool or downright cold Hungarian autumn, it’s an amazing feeling to arrive somewhere pleasantly warm, with a summery vibe that’s not too hot. And in October you can still easily swim in the ocean.
In the winter months the temperature difference between Hungary and the Canary Islands is even more noticeable, so from that point of view winter is also a highly recommended time to visit. You should know, though, that by then the ocean water has usually cooled down to around 18–20 °C (64–68 °F), which, in my experience, is really only swim-friendly for the bravest.
Even so, the islands are gorgeous at this time of year too, and compared with a Hungarian winter, temperatures of 18–20 °C (64–68 °F) and plenty of sunshine feel absolutely wonderful.
So to sum it up, it really is almost completely up to you when you come to the Canary Islands – chances are you’ll have a great time whenever you visit!
