With so much to see in the Canary Islands – and so far to travel to get there – you don’t want to return home without having seen as much as possible. Each island has something different to offer. Not only that, the journey from the UK to the Canary Islands is something rather special – it almost seems a shame to miss it on a boring five hour flight. If you’ve got a couple of weeks for a holiday, and you really want to make it special, a cruise is the way to go.
One of the most popular cruise ships, the Queen Victoria departs from Southampton for an epic voyage that takes you to within spitting distance of Saharan Africa. Watching the world change as you descend the latitudes is something very special.
The first couple of days are spent traversing the choppy Atlantic waters that meet the Celtic Sea, away from the Bay of Biscay and onward to Funchal, on the island of Madeira. The city boasts some beautiful botanical gardens high above the urban landscape. The rest of Madeira has much of historical interest, and some world-renowned Madeira wine. Such a beautiful place, your only complaint will be that the single night docked here was too brief.
Setting back off into the Atlantic and heading towards the Moroccan coast, you reach the main destination, the Canary Islands. Docking first in Santa Cruz on Tenerife, you’ll have plenty of time to explore the volcanic landscape beyond the city, before spending a night on the tiles. Tenerife has a number of pretty villages hidden among the mountain forests and fruit plantations.
Onward to Lanzarote, the culmination of the outward journey, and the Queen Victoria docks at this strange, volcanic island. From here, you make the journey home to Britain. En route, a stop at Oporto is a surprise highlight. This ancient port at the mouth of the Duoro is where the famous port wine comes from. The Cathedral dates back to the 1100s, and provides an ideal watchpoint from which to see the city. This is the final stop before a few days cruising back to Southampton.
Visit Thomas Cook’s website for some great deals on a Lanzarote holiday (starting from only £255 per person), Fuerteventura and a whole raft of Canary Island cruises.
