La Gomera vs La Palma: Choosing the Quiet Clothes-Free Canary Island
Remote clothes-free coves on La Gomera, or easier access and an official nude beach on La Palma.
why this matters
making the choice
Some Canary Islands come with big resorts and busy promenades. These two do not. La Gomera and La Palma are the quiet end of the archipelago, with volcanic coastlines and small towns, and beaches where you can often swim without a crowd.
That is why the choice is hard. Both islands suit travellers who want fewer people and a rougher coast. Both have little mass tourism and few beach facilities. Yet they ask different things of you.
La Gomera asks for effort, in the form of a ferry, slow roads and long walks to the best coves. La Palma is easier to reach and has one officially designated nude beach, but it is a bigger island with more ground to cover.
This page compares travel effort, beach character and what else there is to do, so you can pick the island that fits your trip.
La Gomera
La Gomera is the smaller and wilder choice. Its clothes-free beaches are black sand and pebble coves on a volcanic coast, reached on foot or along narrow roads. It attracts hikers and solitude seekers. A 50-minute ferry from Tenerife brings you to an island of about 22,000 residents, with no official nude beach and no facilities at any beach.
La Palma
La Palma is the bigger island and the easier one to reach. It has one officially designated nude beach at Tazacorte, plus coves and lava-framed beaches for those who like a short hike. It suits travellers who want quiet scenery with a few more comforts. An international airport serves an island of about 84,000 residents.
side by side
how they compare
Option ALa Gomera
Option BLa Palma
Travel Effort
La Gomera takes two steps. Tenerife is the nearest international airport, and the island itself has only local inter-island flights. From Los Cristianos, the ferry crosses in about 50 minutes, with around six sailings a day.
On the island, distances look short on the map. The roads are narrow and wind through steep ravines, so drives can take significantly longer than you expect.
La Palma has its own international airport, so you can fly in without changing islands. Direct flights run from Amsterdam, Frankfurt and London, and Binter Canarias links the island with Tenerife. From Tenerife, you can also take a ferry which takes about 2.5 hours.
The roads are winding and steep but manageable. Driving from Tazacorte to Santa Cruz takes about half an hour.
Nude Beach Character
La Gomera’s beaches are black sand, rock shelves and pebbles, with volcanic walls behind them. Playa del Ingles is the most social, with a bohemian feel and a short footpath from a small car park. Breakers are strong and the slope is steep.
Playa del Medio has caves where people live long term. El Cabrito has no road at all and needs a trail of roughly ten kilometres. The path to the Bay of Pigs closed after a rockfall in early 2025, so check locally before you go.
La Palma’s beaches vary. Tazacorte is flat black sand with a marked clothes-free section. Playa de Nogales is a long volcanic beach framed by lava walls, reached by a zigzag trail from a clifftop car park.
Charco Azul has a natural sea pool and quieter coves, where round rocks give privacy. Echentive has a photogenic lagoon at the island’s southern tip. The Atlantic is often strong here too.
Clothes-Free Culture
La Gomera has no official nude beach designations. Nudity is accepted wherever you are away from crowds, and the relaxed, bohemian mood at Playa del Ingles makes it the easiest place to start.
Signs at one spot ban nudity, but visitors openly ignore them. You read each beach rather than follow a sign, and you can expect small numbers of clothes-free swimmers.
La Palma has one official nude beach. Tazacorte was designated in 2014 and has a clearly marked clothes-free section, so nudity is the norm there, though it is never required. Its marked section borders a dog beach.
Nogales and Charco Verde are not designated, yet nudity is tolerated at both. Echentive works best toward its edges.
Facilities and Access
La Gomera has no toilets, food or shade structures at any beach. Expect to be fully self-sufficient, because everything you need, you carry in.
Playa del Ingles is a short, easy walk from its car park. The best coves need a longer walk, and El Cabrito is a full day on foot, with the same trail back at the end.
La Palma varies by beach. Tazacorte has cafes and showers in town. Charco Verde is the best equipped, with showers, toilets, a kiosk and a picnic area, and its water is calmer than most. Nogales and Echentive have nothing.
Beyond the Beaches
La Gomera is a hiking island, with more than 600 kilometres of marked trails. Garajonay National Park is UNESCO listed. Whale and dolphin trips leave from Valle Gran Rey.
The island is also home to Silbo Gomero, a whistled language recognised by UNESCO. There are no highways and no mass tourism, so days tend to move slowly.
La Palma looks upward and inland. The Roque de los Muchachos observatory and Caldera de Taburiente National Park draw visitors into the mountains, and the Starlight Reserve makes night skies a reason to visit.
Cumbre Vieja trails cross lava from the 2021 eruption. The island has been a Biosphere Reserve since 2002.
←
→
swipe or use arrows
←
→
swipe or use arrows
pick your favourite
chosing the best for you
Choose La Gomera if...
- you want a beach you reach on foot, after a good hike
- you like informal beaches with no designation and few other swimmers
- you like the adventure of ferry crossings and slow, winding roads
- you want forest trails and whale watching between beach days
Choose La Palma if...
- you want your first clothes-free beach day on an official, signposted beach
- you prefer to fly in without a ferry crossing
- you like having a cafe, shower or toilet within reach on some beach days
- you want stargazing and volcano trails alongside your beach time
practical
what to know
getting there
Most travellers reach both islands through Tenerife, but the routes differ.
For La Gomera, fly to Tenerife, the nearest international airport. The island itself has only local inter-island flights, so most visitors take the ferry from Los Cristianos. The crossing takes about 50 minutes, with around six sailings a day. Binter Canarias also flies the route in about 30 minutes, twice a day.
La Palma has its own international airport. Direct flights come from Amsterdam, Frankfurt and London, and Binter Canarias connects the island with Tenerife. La Palma can also be reached by ferry from Tenerife, the trip takes about 2.5 hours.
A car is essential on La Gomera. On La Palma, every beach except Tazacorte needs one.
Where to Stay
On La Gomera, Valle Gran Rey has hotels and apartments from around 100 USD a night. Playa del Medio lies east of Playa Santiago. At El Cabrito, one small hotel is served by a shuttle boat.
On La Palma, Tazacorte has budget accommodation from around 50 USD a night at time of writing. Its nude beach is a short walk from town, so you can stay there without renting a car for the beach.
when to go
Both islands are warm all year. La Gomera stays in the low 20s Celsius even in winter. February and March bring sunshine and manageable wind. July and August are busier, but never crowded by Canary Islands standards. Plan on warm days at any time.
La Palma is best from March to May and from September to October, when it is warm, less windy and has fewer visitors.
March works well for both islands. On either one, the sea can be rough at any time of year.
what to know
Bring water, food, sun protection and a towel, because few beaches have any facilities. Sturdy footwear helps on the trails, and water shoes help on rocky entries and volcanic pebbles. Take extra water for long walks such as El Cabrito.
The Atlantic is strong on both islands. Check the entry point before you swim. Playa del Ingles has strong breakers, and Tazacorte can have strong currents.
Shade at Playa de Nogales falls early in the afternoon. Before you head for the Bay of Pigs, check whether the path has reopened.
leave prepared
all the essentials
Find flightsBook Find flights
Find ferriesBook Find ferries
Rent a carBook Rent a car
Book a tourBook Book a tour
