The beautiful Spanish island that's 'better than Tenerife' but with no crowds of tourists

Even though Spain remains a firm favourite among Brits, finding an undiscovered gem isn't always easy in this stunning country. However, just two hours from Tenerife lies an uncrowded island with barely any tourists.

While Tenerife received more than 7 million of the Canary Islands' 18 million international and domestic arrivals in 2024, one "spectacular" island was on another scale, having recorded just 120,000 in comparison, according to government and flight data. With its sandy beaches, sunny weather and direct flights, La Palma may be just the answer to the last-minute holiday this year.

Not to be confused with the capital of the popular Balearic Islands, Majorca, La Palma is one of the smaller and more peaceful islands in the Canaries.

Living up to its charming nickname of 'la isla bonita', meaning the beautiful island, La Palma is known for its dramatic volcanic landscapes, including the Cumbre Vieja Volcano, which erupted recently in September 2021.

The landscape extends underwater to make up one of the three marine reserves in the Canary Islands, where visitors can swim among caves and unique species, before heading inland to explore the dense lush forests with fragrant pine trees.

With a lack of light pollution, La Palma is also certified as a Starlight Reserve with clear night skies for awe-inspiring stargazing.

One Brit who was born and raised in Liverpool and who now lives in Tenerife with his partner, Laura, praised La Palma as the prettiest in the Canary Islands.

After a day-trip from Los Cristianos Port to La Palma, Andrew said it was "totally different to Tenerife, and with some gorgeous streets and buildings, particularly in Santa Cruz in the capital".

Reporting back to , they said: "La Palma is visually spectacular and the nicest Canary Island we have visited so far! We have underestimated La Palma.

"I think aesthetically that was probably my favourite island we visited. The town centre was beautiful. Everything was spotlessly clean."

His travel companion added: "It's a beautiful island and some of the places you took us to were really good. Seeing the volcano was unbelievable."

A flight to La Palma takes approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes from the UK.