Naked in the Canaries: Which Island Is Right for You?

Naturist vacation options are plenty in Europe. At least, if you’re happy with travelling between roughly May and mid-October. Outside of that window, the options become a lot fewer. One major exception is the Canary Islands, which can easily be nicknamed Europe’s Naked Winter Capital.

Technically, the islands are a part of Spain. But their location closer to central Morocco than to any part of Europe creates an ideal climate with lots of sun and temperatures regularly hitting the mid-twenties (°C), even in the middle of winter.

That sounds like the easiest travel planning job ever, until you realise that each Canary Island has its own distinct naturist scene.

If you did a bit of research on the Canary Islands before, you may already have discovered that the whole archipelago of seven islands doesn’t have more than a handful of official nude beaches and naturist resorts. Which is a bit odd for a “Naked Capital”. Only a deeper search will uncover the variety of beaches that don’t have signage but where nudity is considered completely normal.

This is partially thanks to the Spanish laws that have formally decriminalised public nudity since 1988, which theoretically makes every beach clothing-optional. But even before that, during the 1960s and 1970s in particular, the Canary Islands have seen an uprise in German tourism. Many of these tourists brought along the FKK mentality, and local municipalities realised that there are real economic benefits from welcoming those naked Germans.

As a result, the golden rule on the Canary Islands today is that it’s totally fine to sunbathe or swim naked as long as you stay a bit away from town centres or popular tourist beaches.

Ask ten people who have been on a naked vacation to the Canaries, and probably eight will tell you they were at Gran Canaria. That is largely because of the dunes of Maspalomas. This endless stretch of coast and sand, dotted with beach bars, is often considered one of the premium nude beaches in the world. And it has been for decades.

The naked accommodation sector on the island is largely focused on this beach, and several naturist resorts can be found in Maspalomas town and Playa del Inglès.

Important to note here is that this part of Gran Canaria has also been seeing a fast-growing swinger/lifestyle scene. As a consequence, during an evening stroll through the dunes you may encounter scenes that are usually reserved for late-night movies. The lifestyle resorts then again sometimes adopt terms like “clothing-optional” or “FKK”, so you might want to double-check their policies before booking.

If a very busy and lively nude beach is not your kind of thing, a trip along the east coast of the island brings you to a variety of other nude beaches. The Montaña Arena coves are still quite popular but without the Maspalomas party vibe. Medio Almud is then again even more relaxed. And the remote beaches of Veneguera or Güigüí are for those days when you really want to be naked in nature all by yourself.

Where the most popular nude beach of the Canaries is located right in the middle of Gran Canaria’s tourist centre, this is totally not the case on Tenerife, that other famous island. On the whole holiday strip from Los Cristianos until past Adeje, you’re unlikely to find a single spot to get naked.

Instead, most nude beaches are located in the south-east part of the island, near Tenerife South Airport. Montaña Roja, the famous red mountain that marks your arrival on Tenerife through the aeroplane window, is also the waypoint to follow when you want to get naked. Playa de la Tejita, right at the foot of the mountain, is the most famous nude beach. Head in either direction and you’ll find more secluded coves.

In the south-west, only one beach really stands out: Playa Diego Hernández. Getting there requires a steep decline along the side of a cliff, so it’s not for the faint-hearted or the not-so-mobile, but those who do manage to get all the way down are rewarded with a very nude scene and alternative vibe.

Long story short, if you prefer easy access and sunbeds, head towards Playa de la Tejita. If this would feel a bit too mainstream for your likes and you don’t mind a bit of a climb, move over to Diego Hernández.

Generally speaking, Fuerteventura is often considered the most nude-friendly island of the archipelago, because you can easily find nude beaches all around. The centre of naked vacations is Costa Calma in the south. This town has a large hotel zone with plenty of textile accommodation and BHH Naturist Resort, and from here you’re just a walk away from Playa Esmeralda, the most popular nude beach in the area. If you walk or drive further south, you’ll discover nude spot after nude spot all the way down to Jandia.

But it doesn’t stop there. Another popular area for naked tourism is up in the northeast, around the town of El Cotillo, where most beaches are considered very nude-friendly. And yet another one is at the dunes of Corralejo. If you’re up for something much wilder, put Cofete beach on your bucket list. It’s a tough drive to get there, but we find this the most spectacular beach on the Canary Islands.

A downside of Fuerteventura is the wind, which can be pretty strong and can quickly turn an afternoon of sunbathing into a sandblasting session. Wind is common on all of the islands, but in our experience, more on this one. But since great nude beaches are spread all along the coast, you can plan your days according to the direction of the winds.

Lanzarote feels like you’re on a different planet. The whole island is volcanic, and if you manage to find a tree, someone must have planted it there (and is watering it as well). We find this very impressive, others say it’s a bit dull. That’s personal preference.

What makes Lanzarote stand out as a naked vacation destination is Charco del Palo, the naturist village. As the name suggests, it’s a village where you can comfortably walk the streets naked without getting a single frown. If you’ve been to other naked villages like Vera Playa or Cap d’Agde, you may find Charco del Palo a bit sleepy. There’s no abundance of shops and restaurants and no party scene. To many regular visitors, that’s exactly what they are looking for.

The downside of Charco del Palo is that it doesn’t have a sandy beach. If you want that, take the short drive towards the Playas de Papagayo in the south. This is a series of beaches, some of which are very nude-friendly and others are more for mainstream tourism. If you’re planning to get naked (which you probably are, since you’re reading this blog), avoid the beach that’s actually called Papagayo, but aim for Playa Mujeres, Playa del Pozo, or Caleta del Congrio instead.

What we like a lot about Lanzarote is its small size. Wherever you are, you can usually get to the complete other side in less than an hour’s drive. This makes it easy to combine beach time with sightseeing.

We’ll put the last three islands into one section of this blog because their setup is very similar, naturism-wise. None of them attracts mainstream tourism, and they are the least inhabited of the group. If you read the part about acceptance of public nudity earlier, you know that this means that you’ll get a variety of beaches where you can be naked.

La Palma does have an official nude beach in Tazacorte, and La Gomera has a few rather popular spots to get naked near Valle Gran Rey and Playa Santiago, but for each of these three islands, the true joy is in discovering your own nude spots.

If you’re planning a trip to the Canaries, hopefully this blog has given you some indication of which island(s) to look at first. In our opinion, your eventual choice will depend completely on what exactly you’re looking for in a naked vacation.

If you like popular nude beaches and staying in naturist resorts, Gran Canaria will deliver. If you want to combine mainstream tourist sites with an afternoon on the nude beach now and then, Tenerife might well be your thing.

For endless sandy beaches, wild coastal landscapes, and a large variety of nude beaches to choose from, have a look at Fuerteventura. For something similar but on a smaller scale and the chance to stay in a naked town, there’s Lanzarote.

And if you want to get away from all the tourists, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro should be pinned on your map. El Hierro is the least touristy of all, and La Gomera is an excellent choice if you want to combine your naked time with extensive hiking.

Let us know in the comments, which island seems the most appealing to you?