You won’t find many places in Europe that are properly hot until the springtime (if you’re able to go further afield, here are some of our favourite winter sun destinations worldwide). But what you will find, if you look hard enough, are some destinations that are perfectly, pleasantly warm.
We recently compiled a guide to Europe’s warmest winter destinations if you’re in serious need of some Vitamin D to see you through until summer. And guess where came first? The Canary Islands, of course.
The Spanish archipelago is perched off the coast of northwest Africa with the closest point, Punta La Entallada, being just 100 km or so away from the coast of Morocco. You know what that means – warm temperatures and decent prices.
By most accounts, Gran Canaria is the warmest Canary Island in February, with average maximum temperatures of 22C, and typical lows of around 15C.
It’s worth noting that there isn’t too much difference between the islands, but that Gran Canaria comes in first place because it tends to have the warmest evenings compared to Lanzarote, Fuertraventura and Tenerife.
But warm temperatures aren’t everything, and each of the major islands (as well as the smaller islands: La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro) has its own roster of activities and sights. Tenerife is best for nightlife, while Lanzarote is best for hiking; Fuerteventura is the place to be for water sports, while Gran Canaria has a huge variety of cool landscapes.
For more winter travel inspiration, take a look at our roundup of the best places across the world for winter sun, and the best places to travel in February.
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Plus: What is Spain’s ‘tourism ban’? The areas affected and what you need to know.
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