Time in Canaries: a short but handy article for those planning a vacation here on the Canary Islands, covering the time aspect. I’ll not only talk about the time zone and the time difference with cities in Europe, Asia, and the USA but also how establishments and shops operate, how locals perceive time, and how punctual they are. The information from the article will help you better prepare for your trip.

Time on the Canaries: Time Zone, and Time Difference

At first glance, it might seem like just a couple of sentences, but there are interesting points to note.

  • The Canary Islands belong to Spain. However, if you look at a map of Europe (photo below), you’ll see that the Canaries are over 1000 km away from mainland Europe. You can find more details about this in the article: “Canary Islands on the World Map.“
  • The Canary Islands even have their own time zone identifier – “Atlantic/Canary.”
  • The Canary Islands are in the UTC 0 time zone, like London.
  • Mainland Spain, with its capital Madrid, is in the UTC +1 zone, like most EU countries.
canaries time difference
The blue vertical line represents the UTC +1 time zone, and the dark blue color highlights European countries in this time zone, including Spain. To minimize the time difference with Madrid, the Canaries follow a time zone as close to Madrid’s as possible.

Key points to know:

Here are two interesting points. Geographically, the Canaries fall right in the center of the UTC -1 time zone. However, for business and economic convenience, it’s better when there’s not a significant time difference between mainland Spain and the Canaries. So, the Canaries are placed in a time zone that doesn’t exactly match theirs, to keep the difference with Madrid minimal. Read below for the second interesting point.

Daylight Saving Time in Canaries

Historically, clocks worldwide are changed for daylight saving time to adapt daylight hours to human activities. This has psychological and economic benefits, reducing electricity consumption when there’s more daylight in the evenings.

A very brief theory:

The closer a country is to the equator, the less the length of daylight changes throughout the year, and vice versa. So, in equatorial countries, it gets dark early year-round, with 12-hour days and nights. At the equator, it gets dark at 7 pm, and sunrise is at 7 am, all year round.

The Canaries are at 28 degrees north latitude, the southernmost part of Europe. The equator is not far away. Technically, the Canaries don’t need to change their clocks, and neither do other countries at the same latitude; none of them do. But Spain and all of Europe do, and to avoid confusion and keep the time difference with Madrid at 1 hour year-round, the Canaries also change their clocks for daylight saving time, following mainland Spain.

What you need to know about this:

  • Clocks are set forward by an hour on the last Sunday in March for daylight saving time.
  • Clocks are set back by an hour on the last Sunday in October for standard time.
  • With Spain, Italy, and most of Europe, the time difference is 1 hour year-round. It’s an hour later in Europe.
  • New York – 5 hours
  • Los Angeles – 8 hours
  • Warsaw – 1 hour
  • Istanbul – 2 hours
  • Beijing – 7 hours
what time in canaries
Time on the Canaries is a somewhat abstract concept, and it flows much slower here. The photo shows the trail to Nogales Beach on La Palma Island.

Very important:

If you’re not used to changing your clocks, be careful, especially if you have a ferry or flight during those dates. There have been cases where tourists missed their transport due to clock changings.

General information about time on the Canaries

Very brief:

  • In Spain, the siesta is very popular, with most establishments, shops, and even offices closing for about 3 hours during the day. However, on the Canaries, the siesta isn’t as popular or widespread as in mainland Spain. It definitely won’t interfere with your vacation.
  • The Canaries are for early birds. Everything opens early and closes early. Even wine tastings at wineries are usually over by 3 pm. If you arrive at such a place around 4-5 pm, everything will likely be closed.
time in the canary islands
Spar store hours: 8:30 am to 8:30 pm, closed on Sundays. By 9 pm, everything is usually closed, and you won’t find anything to buy. Larger supermarkets may still be open, but not everywhere.
  • It’s important to understand that each island has its own administration. Identical stores in the same retail chain can have completely different opening hours. Often, unless they’re big stores in major resorts, Sundays are off. When you arrive at your resort, check the opening hours of the establishments you’re interested in to avoid surprises later. All about stores, markets, and shopping in the Canaries, as well as Tax Free refunds.

About the Locals’ Attitude Towards Time

The two most important words in every Spaniard’s life speak volumes for themselves. You’ll hear them quite often: Mañana and Tranquila.

  • Mañana – translates to “tomorrow.”
  • Tranquila – an expressive phrase that means “relax,” “calm down,” “don’t worry,” everything’s fine, and life is beautiful.
  • Everything about language on the Canaries for tourists, minimal vocabulary, whether they know English, and many useful facts.
canary time zone
The photo was taken in mainland Spain, not on the Canaries, but the essence, I think, is clear: tired – lie down and rest. One of the main local rules.

To me personally, Spanish mañana and tranquila remind me of the Zanzibar saying “Hakuna Matata,” the meaning and principle are the same: why do it today when you can do it tomorrow. Or: you’ve come again today? We’ve told you numerous times – come tomorrow.

  • In some cases, Spanish mañana can also mean – never.

Important note:

In addition to this aspect of the locals’ mentality, there are over 14 million tourists per year on the Canary Islands, for 2 million residents. There are plenty of tourists year-round, and it’s just packed during the season, with everyone needing a car, a tour, and so on. To the locals’ relaxed attitude adds a large influx of tourists, so they end up not getting everything done, service quality drops, and agreements aren’t always met. But overall, if you agree on something with the locals in advance, they keep their promises and agreements, albeit not always promptly.
  • Always book everything (accommodation, car, tour) in advance, don’t wait until the last minute. If you leave it until the last moment, you’ll create a bunch of problems for yourself. All about the season on the Canaries: when there are the most tourists, and when it’s best to visit the islands.

About the population of the Canary Islands, about the Guanches and Canarians, about interesting features, read in the article via the link.

In conclusion: the time on the Canary Islands is always 1 hour less than Central European Time. And remember the two main Spanish words, Mañana and Tranquila, you can insert them in any order in any conversation :). And time on the Canaries flows slower than at home, but you’ll quickly get used to it.

Useful links to help you plan your dream trip to Canary Islands:

  • Car Rental: LocalRent or DiscoverCars – the most popular car rental platforms.

  • Accommodation:
    • Trip.com – the largest accommodation booking platform.

    • or TripAdvisor – to compare prices among other platforms and choose the best one.

  • Budget-friendly vacation packages to Spain and Canary Islands: CheapOair.

  • Tours and activities: GetYourGuide or Viator – hundreds of offers, whales and dolphins, entrance tickets with discounts.

  • eSIM and internet: Airalo.

  • Flights: WayAway compares prices among dozens of companies.

  • Travel Insurance: EKTA.