The perfect way to see Britain’s favourite winter-sun destination

The Canary Islands are a magnet for cruise ships in colder months, offering the chance to see the best of the archipelago in a single trip

This clutch of Atlantic outposts has long been the archetypal prize for Britons desperate to escape drab weather at home. Autumn is one of the best times to visit, with the seas still warm but the beaches lacking the summer crowds.
Arguably the closest destination to the UK offering an all-important guarantee of winter sunshine and mild temperatures, this Spanish archipelago of seven main islands lends itself to voyages that combine their distinctive flavours.
Tenerife is the undisputed leader of the pack and is generally accompanied in cruise itineraries by its larger sister isles of Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and La Palma. Meanwhile, the sleepier hideaways of La Gomera and El Hierro are more the preserve of smaller ships.
These can be split into those that sail from the UK and fly-cruises that mainly depart from Tenerife on round-trip voyages of the islands. However, you can also find departures from European ports such as Genoa, Barcelona and Lisbon if you’re looking to extend your holiday.
Cruises from the UK are also invariably longer – taking around two weeks or more – and offer a nice slow travel alternative for those that have the luxury of time. This allows for the ships to sail along the Iberian Peninsula, many stopping in Spain, Portugal or the island of Madeira en route.
Allowing for one port call, it takes around five days to reach the Canaries. Ships then usually stop at four islands – of which Santa Cruz in Tenerife is nearly always one, closely followed by Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, Arrecife in Lanzarote and then Santa Cruz in La Palma or Puerto del Rosario in Fuerteventura.
Ships departing Tenerife sometimes spend the first night at the island to give guests who’ve just flown in a full day to explore. During the week, cruises generally visit four other islands, though some sailings may include just a couple of them combined with Madeira. 
There are also options to convert fly-cruises into cruise-and-stays with one-week voyages twinned with hotel stays in Tenerife.
The two relatively unknown Canary Islands of La Gomera and El Hierro are rugged and unspoilt. La Gomera is featured in sailings by midsize vessels from companies including Fred Olsen, Marella Cruises, CroisiEurope and Saga Cruises which call at its historic capital San Sebastian.
El Hierro, which is the least-known of the main isles and the most westerly, is a craggy hub of volcanic landscapes and sheer cliffs that is known for diving and hiking, and is offered by smaller boutique players, such as Seabourn, Noble Caledonia and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
The Canaries also feature as an add-on to some Mediterranean voyages, which on ex-UK sailings takes them up to journeys of 20 days or more. Their location off the coast of North Africa makes them a natural stopping-off point on transatlantic sailings and round-the-world cruises, breaking up the journey before or after the long schlep across the ocean.
The Canary Islands is one of those traditional cruising mainstays featured by nearly all the big names, whether in dedicated sailings or incorporated into longer cruises to other parts of the world.
Fred Olsen, Saga Cruises and Ambassador Cruise Line serve the archipelago from UK ports, while P&O Cruises features the islands in sailings from Southampton and within its popular fly-cruises. 
Most ex-UK departures are from the Hampshire port, though some leave from the likes of Portsmouth, Liverpool, Newcastle, Bristol and Tilbury.
Marella Cruises offers fly-cruises to the islands along with cruise-and-stay packages, while Cunard has Canary Island sailings from the UK. It also includes the islands on selected longer voyages.
Some US lines that base ships at Southampton for the summer, such as Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, MSC Cruises and Princess Cruises, include the Canary Islands as part of their sailing schedule.
Boutique companies featuring the Canaries range from upscale lines such as Seabourn, Silversea and tall ship line Sea Cloud Cruises to premium-plus lines Oceania and Azamara, with many of their cruises calling at La Gomera. French cruise company CroisiEurope, better known for river cruising, also bases one of its two ocean-going ships in the islands during winter.
El Hierro is visited by elegant tall ship operator Sea Cloud Cruises, which also stops at La Gomera, along with French-owned Ponant.
A relative newcomer to the cruise market, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, which has two superyachts Evrima and Ilma, also features the islands sometimes as part of transatlantic Caribbean voyages.
The Canary Islands’ subtropical climate makes it a year-round cruise destination, though temperatures are at their hottest during the summer months. Spring and autumn are regarded as prime times to visit, with September and October still hitting highs of 26-27C. In winter, the region comes into its own with mild temperatures and warm sunshine that make a stark contrast to the much colder weather in northern Europe. Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are prone to more windy conditions than their sister islands.
Avoid the onset of winter by slipping away on a 14-night Canaries round-trip sailing from Southampton with P&O Cruises. Departing on October 17, 2025, it stops at Madeira en route to the islands where it calls at La Palma, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote before returning via Cadiz and Lisbon. From £999pp (0344 338 8003)
Join Fred Olsen’s Canary Islands Christmas & Funchal Fireworks cruise, with Christmas Day and Boxing Day spent at sea on its ship Bolette en-route to the islands. Guests can explore Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Tenerife and La Palma before sailing to Madeira’s capital Funchal on December 31 and ringing in the new year with the island’s famous New Year’s Eve firework celebrations. The round-trip sailing from Liverpool departs on December 22, 2025. From £2,699pp (0330 818 7301)
Spend a week sailing through the Canaries on this round-trip voyage from Tenerife with Marella Cruises, visiting the golden dunes of Gran Canaria, the dramatic topography of La Gomera, the legendary rugged terrain of Lanzarote and the beaches of Fuerteventura, adding on a week’s hotel stay at the end in Tenerife. Price start at £1,422pp, including return flights from Gatwick. Departs November 7, 2025 (020 3451 2688)
A sailing with Ponant promises to scratch beneath the surface of the contrasting islands with a nature tour of El Hierro and a chance to discover the whistling language of La Gomera. The round-trip voyage from Gran Canaria also calls at Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife and La Palma. The one-week sailing, departing April 16, 2025, costs from £3,110pp. Excludes flights (020 7660 4089)
A voyage with Sea Cloud Cruises combines the sultry souks of Morocco with the diverse landscapes of the Canary Islands. This 10-night voyage on square rigger Sea Cloud II, departs Malaga, stopping at the historic city of Cadiz before turning southwards to the Moroccan cities of Tangier, Casablanca and Agadir before reaching Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, where the voyage ends. The 10-night sailing departs November 2, 2025, and costs from £4,967pp (€5,895), excluding flights (0049 4030 959250)
This article was first published in September 2023 and has been revised and updated.

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