Coastal Canary Life · Solo Traveller
Solo Traveller Canary Islands
Travel alone. Discover more.
Coming on your own? Good. Honestly, the Canaries are one of the easiest places in the world to travel solo — small islands, friendly people, buses that actually go where you need, and a calm rhythm that lets you do exactly what you feel like.
And travelling alone here doesn’t mean being lonely. You’ll have two kinds of days: the slow, curious ones where you wander and notice everything, and the easy, social ones where you end up chatting to strangers over a beer by the sea. This guide gives you both — with the real, practical stuff so you can actually go and do it.
🧭 Getting around on your own
The buses are your friend
Locals call them guaguas. In Las Palmas the yellow city buses cost a flat €1.40 a ride; the blue Global buses cover the rest of the island and stay cheap (a day out to Teror is under €5).
Paying
Just tell the driver where you’re going — cash or contactless both work. Carry small coins; they won’t change big notes. Travelling a lot? A reloadable bus card saves money.
Apps that actually help
Use Google Maps and Moovit to plan routes, plus the official Guaguas Global app for live times. Download offline maps before you head into the mountains.
Best solo base
If you’re not renting a car, base yourself in Las Palmas: lovely old town, the city beach, and the island’s main bus hub. Two stations — San Telmo (old town) and Santa Catalina (port & Las Canteras).
Road 01
The Curious Traveller
You like getting a little lost. Mountain villages, empty valleys, markets, and walks with no real destination. This is your slow, wide-eyed side.
The Curious Traveller
Mountain village
Artenara
The highest village in Gran Canaria, carved into the rock — cave houses and all. Come for the views over Roque Nublo and Bentayga, stay for a quiet lunch in a cave restaurant.
Getting there: Global bus 220 from San Telmo station, through Teror and Valleseco. A handful run each day — check times and don’t miss the last one back.
Solo tip: go on a clear morning; the cloud rolls in by afternoon.
Hidden valley
Ayagaures
A tiny hamlet by two reservoirs in the south, ringed by palms and mountains. Barely anyone comes here — this is the Gran Canaria the resorts never show you.
Getting there: no real bus. From Maspalomas or Playa del Inglés it’s a short taxi up the valley, or a quiet hike in.
Solo tip: bring water and tell someone your plan — there’s nothing up there but peace.
Slow mornings
Local Markets
Sunday in Teror, the old streets of Vegueta, the famous Sunday market in Teguise over on Lanzarote. Markets are where solo travel feels best — you just drift, taste, and chat to whoever’s behind the stall.
Getting there: Teror is an easy, cheap bus from Las Palmas (under €5 return). Vegueta is right by San Telmo station.
Solo tip: go early — markets wind down by lunch.
No agenda
Walk Without A Plan
Pick an old town — Vegueta in Las Palmas, La Laguna in Tenerife — and just wander. No map, no list. Some of your best Canary moments will come from the corners you didn’t plan to find.
Getting there: Vegueta is walkable from San Telmo; La Laguna is a short tram ride from Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Solo tip: follow the street that smells of coffee.
The best places I know on these islands, I found by getting a little lost on purpose.
— A local’s note
Things to do on your own
The trick to a great solo trip here isn’t filling every hour — it’s picking a few things that are genuinely easy (and fun) to do alone.
Outdoors
Join a group hike
Roque Nublo, Tamadaba, the green ravines — going with a small group means you’re safe, you learn the stories, and you’ll likely make a friend or two on the trail.
Browse hikes →On the water
Boat trip or whale watching
One of the easiest things to do solo — you just turn up and enjoy. The Atlantic here is one of the best places in Europe to spot whales and dolphins.
See boat trips →Learn something
Take a surf lesson
Las Canteras is a gentle place to start, and a surf class is basically an instant friend group for the day. El Médano (Tenerife) is the windsurf version.
Find a lesson →Tasty & social
Canarian cooking class
Learn papas arrugadas and mojo with a small group around a table. Hands down one of the warmest, most sociable things you can do alone.
See classes →After dark
Go stargazing
The skies over Teide and La Palma are some of the clearest on Earth. A guided night under the stars is pure magic — and perfectly nice to do solo.
See stargazing trips →Free & easy
Free walking tour
Las Palmas and La Laguna both run donation-based walking tours — a relaxed, no-pressure way to learn a city and meet other travellers on day one. Just tip what you feel it’s worth.
Eating alone, without the awkward
The number-one solo-travel worry — and honestly, here it’s a non-issue. A few tricks make it easy and even enjoyable.
The golden move
Sit at the bar
At places like Mercado del Puerto, a stool at the counter is the most natural spot in the world to eat solo — and the easiest place to end up chatting.
Eat like a local
Tapas & markets
Order a few small plates instead of one big lonely main. Markets and tapas bars are built for grazing, low-key, and no one bats an eye at a table for one.
Hidden gems
Guachinches
Family-run kitchens in north Tenerife with homemade food and house wine. Communal, friendly, and a quiet thrill to find on your own.
Timing tip
Eat on island time
Locals eat late — lunch from 2pm, dinner from 8.30 or 9. Show up early and you’ll have the place to yourself; show up at local time and you’ll feel the buzz.
How to meet people
Travelling solo only means alone if you want it to. Here’s how people actually connect on these islands.
Easiest win
Stay somewhere social
Las Palmas has a great crop of small, friendly surf hostels near Las Canteras — shared kitchens, rooftops, family dinners, pub crawls and walking tours. Many have female-only dorms too. You’ll have company the minute you drop your bag.
Find a social stay →Shared interests
Join group tours
A hike, a boat trip, a food tour — small-group experiences throw you together with people who like the same stuff. The conversations start on their own.
Browse experiences →Locals & language
Language exchanges & Meetups
Las Palmas has regular language-exchange nights and Meetup groups (hiking, climbing, nomad meet-ups). Great for meeting both travellers and actual islanders.
Find your tribe
Surf & hike crews
Surf schools and hiking groups are naturally social. Sign up once and you’ve usually got people to grab a beer with by sunset.
🛟 Solo & safe
Let me put your mind at ease: the Canaries are one of the safest places in Europe to travel alone, including for solo women. Locals are warm, the police are low-key, and there’s none of the tension you find in bigger cities. You’ll feel comfortable here fast. That said, a little common sense goes a long way:
At night
Stick to well-lit, busy streets, and grab a taxi rather than walking long distances alone after dark. Las Palmas has late-night “luna” buses too.
In crowds
Normal city rule — keep an eye on your bag and phone in busy spots like the beach promenade or markets. Pickpocketing is rare but not zero.
Solo women
Plenty of hostels offer female-only dorms, 24h reception and lockers. Read recent reviews and you’ll find loads of solo women who’ve done exactly your trip.
The real danger: the sun
Honestly the thing most likely to ruin your day. High-factor sunscreen, a hat, and water — especially hiking. The Canarian sun is no joke.
Hiking alone
Tell someone your route, stick to marked trails, and download offline maps — signal vanishes in the mountains and ravines.
Good to know
Emergencies across Spain: 112. Tap water is generally fine in cities; many prefer bottled for taste.
A perfect solo day in Las Palmas
Not sure how it all fits together? Here’s how an easy, happy day on your own can look.
Coffee & the old town
Start with a café con leche in Vegueta, then wander the old streets with no plan — galleries, the cathedral, quiet plazas. Hop a guagua or join a free walking tour.
A stool at Mercado del Puerto
Grab a counter seat, order a few tapas and a glass of wine. Easy, local, and the kind of spot where a solo lunch turns into a chat.
Las Canteras
Walk the promenade, swim in the reef-calmed water, or take a beginner surf lesson. Plenty of solo folks doing exactly the same — easy to fall into company.
Beers on the paseo
Find a beach bar, watch the sun go down over the Atlantic, and let the evening unfold. If you’re in a social hostel, this is when the group plans start.
Dinner on island time
Eat late like the locals — tapas crawl around Santa Catalina, or a proper sit-down around 9. No rush, no pressure, just your own pace.
Solo on the other islands
Island-hopping on your own? Here’s the full lowdown for each one — where to base yourself, how to get around without a car, what’s easy to do solo, and the little secret most people miss.
Lanzarote
Base yourself in Arrecife
Fuerteventura
Base yourself in Corralejo or Puerto del Rosario
La Palma
Base yourself in Santa Cruz de La Palma
La Gomera
Base yourself in San Sebastián
El Hierro
Base yourself in Valverde
Things most tourists never notice
The little things that make you feel less like a visitor and more like you actually live here.
The guagua
That’s the local word for the bus — and it’ll take you almost anywhere, cheaply. Master it and the whole island opens up, no car needed.
Gofio in everything
Toasted ground grain, the islands’ oldest food. You’ll find it in soups, desserts, even ice cream. Order something with gofio and you’ve ordered like a local.
The calima
Now and then a warm Saharan haze turns the sky milky and the air still. Locals just shrug and carry on — it’s not bad weather, it’s the desert saying hello.
Guachinches
Tiny, often unmarked family kitchens, mostly in north Tenerife, serving homemade food and their own wine. Eating at one alone is a quiet little badge of honour.
Plan your solo trip
A few things worth sorting before you go.
Some links here are affiliate links: booking through them costs you nothing extra and helps keep Coastal Canary Life independent. I only point you to things I’d genuinely use myself.
Travel alone. Discover more.
Take the slow road and the easy one. Get a little lost, sit at the bar, miss a bus, find a beach. On these islands, travelling solo isn’t the lonely option — it’s the one where everything is yours to choose.
