Tenerife or Gran Canaria, which one should you choose? Which one’s warmer, cheaper and better?

Which Canary Island to choose? If you are planning a holiday in the Canary Islands and don’t yet know which island to choose, then we’ll try to help you settle this one. Tenerife or Gran Canaria? Which one’s warmer, has better beaches, lower prices and is generally the better choice?

 

Which one is cheaper? Tenerife or Gran Canaria?

Where to go for cheaper holidays?

 

It is thankfully quite easy to compare prices if you’re looking for the cheaper holidays. Take, for instance, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Shop prices of these two towns are very comparable, Tenerife has a minimal advantage, like 10%. When it comes to excursion prices, Tenerife’s again the winner, but also by a tiny margin. Of the 5 cheapest excursions we found for Gran Canaria and Tenerife, 3 of them were cheaper in Tenerife. Prices in restaurants are rather similar.

The first point therefore goes to Tenerife, which is marginally cheaper.

 

Which one has better beaches?

Better spots for swims and lounges

 

Both islands have really beautiful beaches.

In Tenerife, you can go to the sandy Playa de las Teresitas, the volcanic Playa La Tejita, Playa de los Gigantes or Playa Jardín.

In Gran Canaria, you can find the sandy Anfi del Mar, Amadores, Playa de San Agustín
and Maspalomas.

Which island has more interesting and better beaches? Tenerife or Gran Canaria? We personally liked the ones in Gran Canaria better, but that’s literally by a hair. You can always take advantage of the charm of both islands and use the ferry between Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

 

Which one has the more interesting places to visit?

Better attractions

 

Many people think of Gran Canaria as a beach resort where people get really horrendously loud at night in clubs, but that’s hardly the only wonderful thing that you can experience there. There are also plenty of small charming towns like Puerto de Mogán and Teror.

Tenerife also has a lot to offer, from its National Parks, great hiking trails and equally charming towns. In our opinion, there is no favourite here and we have a tie in this category.

 

Which one’s warmer?

Better weather

 

Here the data is thankfully quite clear and leaves no room for unsatisfying ties – the answer is Gran Canaria. On average, the temperature can be about 1 – 2 degrees higher in Gran Canaria during the season.

Tenerife also has more rain on average, though don’t expect shocking floods in one and droughts in another. They’re still comparable, understandably so given their proximity. Another downside for Tenerife, however, is the Teide volcano, which can attract more clouds.

 

Which one should you choose?

Tenerife or Gran Canaria?

 

Given that both are made to be little pocket paradises for tourists, both have a lot to offer and we couldn’t blame you for choosing either. Whichever one you will choose, you’ll have a great time, but we can at least propose that:

If you are looking for better beaches, choose Gran Canaria.

If you want a cheaper holiday, choose Tenerife.

If you are looking for a warmer place, choose Gran Canaria.

The contents are great in both, so don’t worry about that too much. Wherever you’ll end up, we hope you’ll have a great holiday and bring back many beautiful memories from either Tenerife or Gran Canaria.

 

See also:

• What should you see in Tenerife? Top 11 best attractions of Tenerife
• Tenerife in winter? Weather in December, January and February in Tenerife, worth it?
• Winter in Gran Canaria, weather for November, December and January. Worth it?