Gran Canaria is the warmest Canary Island in winter, but only just. Averaged over November to March, its southern resorts average 22.5°C by day, against 21.9°C on Lanzarote and 21.4°C on Fuerteventura: about 1°C between the warmest and the coolest of the four main holiday islands. The bigger difference is the sea. Tenerife has the warmest water all winter, and the gap to Fuerteventura is about 1°C.
So pick the island for the holiday you want, then pick the resort for the sun. Below: the four islands compared on 10 years of weather data, a month-by-month answer from November to March, and what each island is like when you get there.
The Four Islands Compared, November to March
These are averages for every day from 2016 to 2025, from ECMWF reanalysis (ERA5) in the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, taken at each island's main southern or eastern resort area: Costa Adeje on Tenerife, Maspalomas on Gran Canaria, Puerto del Carmen on Lanzarote and Corralejo on Fuerteventura. Sea temperatures cover 2023 to 2025.
| Island | Day high | Night low | Sea | Rain, Nov to Mar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Canaria | 22.5°C | 16.2°C | 21.0°C | 117 mm |
| Lanzarote | 21.9°C | 15.9°C | 20.2°C | 56 mm |
| Tenerife | 21.9°C | 16.0°C | 21.4°C | 66 mm |
| Fuerteventura | 21.4°C | 16.2°C | 20.1°C | 54 mm |
A reanalysis averages the weather over a grid 10 to 25 km across, so treat a difference of a few tenths of a degree as a tie. What the numbers do show clearly: all four are in the low to mid 20s by day all winter, nights stay in the mid-teens, and it rarely rains in the resorts.
Save your Canary Islands shortlist to a map in Dream Trip and compare the hotels and beaches you have found on each island side by side.
Which Canary Island Is Warmest, Month by Month
November: Gran Canaria is warmest by day at 24.7°C, 1.1°C ahead of Fuerteventura. Tenerife has the warmest sea, at 23.3°C.
December: Gran Canaria is warmest by day at 22.2°C, less than a degree ahead of Fuerteventura. Tenerife has the warmest sea, at 22.1°C.
January: Gran Canaria is warmest by day at 21.5°C, 1.1°C ahead of Fuerteventura. Tenerife has the warmest sea, at 21.0°C.
February: Gran Canaria is warmest by day at 22.0°C, 1.5°C ahead of Fuerteventura. Tenerife has the warmest sea, at 20.3°C.
March: Gran Canaria is warmest by day at 22.3°C, 1.2°C ahead of Fuerteventura. Tenerife has the warmest sea, at 20.4°C.
Gran Canaria has the warmest days in every month from November to March, and Tenerife has the warmest sea in every month from November to March. In this data, Gran Canaria is the wettest of the four over the winter, at 117 mm in five months, and Fuerteventura and Lanzarote the driest, at 54 mm and 56 mm. For the full picture of where else is hot, see where is hot in December and where is hot in January.
December: the Christmas question
| Island | Day high | Night low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Canaria | 22.2°C | 16.3°C | 21.5°C | 16 mm |
| Tenerife | 22.0°C | 16.5°C | 22.1°C | 16 mm |
| Lanzarote | 21.5°C | 16.1°C | 20.8°C | 9 mm |
| Fuerteventura | 21.3°C | 16.5°C | 20.4°C | 10 mm |
Every island averages at least 21.3°C by day in December. If the sea matters, Tenerife is the pick, at 22.1°C. Our Christmas sun holidays guide compares the Canaries with Madeira, Egypt, Cape Verde and long haul.
January: the coolest days
| Island | Day high | Night low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Canaria | 21.5°C | 15.2°C | 20.7°C | 22 mm |
| Tenerife | 20.9°C | 15.3°C | 21.0°C | 11 mm |
| Lanzarote | 20.7°C | 15.1°C | 20.0°C | 6 mm |
| Fuerteventura | 20.4°C | 15.4°C | 19.7°C | 9 mm |
January has the lowest daytime highs of the year on every island, from 20.4°C to 21.5°C. That is still warm enough for lunch outside and a sunbed in a sheltered spot, but not for long evenings in a T-shirt. See January holidays from the UK for warmer, longer-haul options.
Tenerife: Warm Sea, Big Mountain
Tenerife's south coast, from Los Cristianos to Costa Adeje, averages 21.9°C by day over the winter. The sea averages 21°C or more in November, December and January, then turns bracing.
Tenerife has a two-sided climate. The north-east trade winds bring cloud and rain to the north of the island, which is greener and cooler, while the south is drier and sunnier (Web Tenerife). For winter sun, stay in the south. Teide, at 3,715 m the highest peak in Spain (Teide), gives you a day trip into a different climate altogether: Teide National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007 (IUCN World Heritage Outlook).
Best for: families, swimmers and anyone who wants a mountain day as well as a beach. See Tenerife weather in January.
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Gran Canaria: Warmest Days in the South
Gran Canaria's Maspalomas averages 22.5°C by day over the winter, the highest of the four in every winter month. The sea averages 21°C or more in November and December, then turns bracing. It is also the wettest of the four in this data, at 117 mm over five months, though that is still very little rain.
The south of the island is warmer, sunnier and more arid than the green north-west. The Maspalomas Dunes, about 400 hectares of beach, dunes, palm grove and lagoon, are protected as a nature reserve (Hello Canary Islands). Las Palmas, the capital in the north-east, is a real city with its own beach, Las Canteras, so you can mix a city break with the sunbeds.
Best for: the warmest days, and groups who want a city and a resort on one island. See Gran Canaria weather in December.
Lanzarote: Dry and Volcanic
Puerto del Carmen averages 21.9°C by day over the winter, with only 56 mm of rain in five months. The sea averages 21°C or more in November, then turns bracing.
Lanzarote is the island for landscape. Timanfaya National Park, in the south-west, was shaped by eruptions from 1730 to 1736 and is Spain's only entirely geological national park (Timanfaya National Park). Access is strictly regulated to protect it, so plan your visit around the official routes.
Best for: couples, walkers and slow weeks of long lunches. See Lanzarote weather in February.
Fuerteventura: Beaches and Wind
Corralejo, in the north, averages 21.4°C by day over the winter, and Fuerteventura is the coolest of the four by a small margin. The sea averages 21°C or more in November, then turns bracing.
Fuerteventura is the beach island. The dunes of Corralejo Natural Park, about 2,670 hectares of sand, run south along the north-east coast from the beaches of Corralejo (Spain.info). The trade winds that make it a windsurfing destination (Surf Magazin) also make a breezy beach day feel cooler than the thermometer says, so look for a sheltered bay or a hotel with windbreaks.
Best for: long sandy beaches and windsurfing. See Fuerteventura weather in November.
Getting There From the UK
All four islands are about four to four and three-quarter hours from London, and they keep UK time all year: the Canaries use Western European Time in winter, the same as GMT, and change their clocks on the same dates as the UK (timeanddate.com). That makes them one of the easiest winter-sun choices with young children.
Scheduled direct flights from Gatwick this winter take about 4h 15m to 4h 20m to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and about 4h 30m to 4h 40m to Gran Canaria and Tenerife. Check your own booking, because timetables vary by day and airport. If you can stretch to 5 hours, our 4-hour flights from the UK and 5-hour flights from the UK guides list the alternatives.
How to Choose
- Warmest days: Gran Canaria, in the south around Maspalomas.
- Warmest sea: Tenerife, on the south coast.
- Driest: Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, about level, though every island is dry in the resorts.
- Scenery and quiet: Lanzarote.
- Beaches and watersports: Fuerteventura.
- A mountain and a beach in one trip: Tenerife.
For the wider choice of warm places from November to March, see our winter sun holidays from the UK guide, or browse the Canary Islands weather by month.
Plan It in Dream Trip
Choosing between islands usually means a dozen TikToks, a few saved Instagram posts and a hotel shortlist in the notes app. Dream Trip puts them on one map.
- Save what you find: send the beaches, hotels and restaurants you see on TikTok, Instagram and Google Maps to one map.
- Compare islands: see your Tenerife and Lanzarote saves side by side before you book.
- Plan the days: once you have picked, let Dream Trip's AI draft a day-by-day plan on a live map, and share the trip with whoever you are going with.
Dream Trip is an iPhone app. Dream Trip is free to download, and using it requires a Dream Trip Pro subscription after you sign in. Pro is billed weekly or yearly through the App Store: the yearly plan includes a free trial for eligible new subscribers, and the weekly plan has no trial. Current prices and trial terms are shown in the app and on the App Store before you buy, and can vary by country.
Start your Canary Islands shortlist in Dream Trip.
FAQ
Which Canary Island is hottest in December?
Gran Canaria is warmest by day at 22.2°C, less than a degree ahead of Fuerteventura. Tenerife has the warmest sea, at 22.1°C. The four main islands are within about a degree of each other, so choose by resort and sea rather than by the air temperature alone.
Which Canary Island is hottest in January?
Gran Canaria is warmest by day at 21.5°C, 1.1°C ahead of Fuerteventura. Tenerife has the warmest sea, at 21.0°C. January has the coolest days of the year on every island.
Which Canary Island is warmest in November?
Gran Canaria is warmest by day at 24.7°C, 1.1°C ahead of Fuerteventura. Tenerife has the warmest sea, at 23.3°C. November is the warmest of the winter months, with the sea still holding its summer heat.
What is the average temperature in the Canary Islands in December?
Across the four main islands, December averages 21.8°C by day and 16.4°C at night, with the sea at 21.2°C. See Canary Islands weather in December.
Is it warm enough to swim in the Canary Islands in winter?
In November, yes: the sea averages 22.1°C to 23.3°C. By December it is 20.4°C to 22.1°C, and by February around 19.6°C, which most people find bracing. We use 21°C as the line for comfortable swimming without a wetsuit. Tenerife keeps the warmest water all winter.
