Fuerteventura (FUE) – Flight Connections: Arriving on the Wind Flights to Fuerteventura You land, and feel it at once: the wind. It greets you on the jet bridge, warm and dry, as though the island had been impatiently waiting. Fuerteventura…
If you want to travel safely, make sure you have the most important emergency numbers for Fuerteventura to hand. This is particularly important for travellers with reduced mobility – because in an emergency, every minute counts.
Some stretches of beach on Fuerteventura are characterised by strong surf, which is often accompanied by undercurrents that are difficult to assess. Very rough seas and strong currents are particularly common along the western coast. It is advisable to exercise caution, especially on unguarded stretches of coastline.
Forget the usual suspects. Forget the crammed island centres, the run-of-the-mill beach promenades, the same old menu of sangria and sun cream. Antigua on Fuerteventura is the chapter in the travel guide that most people skip over – and that's exactly why it's the best.
There are moments when you stand at the edge of a dune, feel the warm trade winds on your face, and realise that freedom is not a question of physical ability. Fuerteventura, the second-largest of the Canary Islands, invites you to experience precisely this freedom – even if you use a wheelchair, can only move slowly or require special assistance. After all, accessible travel on Fuerteventura is no longer just a pipe dream, but an increasingly common reality.
Anyone familiar with Fuerteventura will first think of endless beaches, dunes and surfers' paradises. But if you venture deeper into the island's interior, you'll come across something unexpected: Betancuria, the former capital of the island, which lies quietly and steadfastly in a sheltered valley at the geographical centre of the island. Here, the Atlantic wind gives way to an almost Mediterranean tranquillity. Here, you can breathe in history.
The sun beats down, the salty wind whistles across the cape – and anyone who sets foot on the Jandía Peninsula realises straight away: this is no ordinary holiday destination. Pájara, Fuerteventura's largest municipality by area, stretches across the entire southern part of the island. Rugged, vast, unpretentious. That's exactly what makes it so damn special.
For anyone travelling around Fuerteventura who wants to escape the hustle and bustle of the large resorts, a whole new world opens up in the north of the island. A world of black rock, whitewashed walls and a horizon so vast that you get the feeling time has stood still. In the midst of this ancient expanse lies La Oliva – a place that appears quiet and unassuming, yet harbours a history that is greater than its narrow streets would suggest.
Fuerteventura has beaches, wind and wide open spaces. What most people don't know is that it also has a capital city that's really worth a visit. Puerto del Rosario lies on the island's east coast, between La Oliva in the north and Betancuria in the south – and at first glance seems rather unspectacular. That's precisely the point.
If you simply carry on driving your hire car – southwards, until the FV-20 and the FV-30 meet – you'll end up in Tuineje. And suddenly, Fuerteventura feels like a completely different island. No rows of hotels. No queues of people taking selfies. Just wind, lava, white houses and the feeling of having arrived somewhere that not everyone has discovered yet.
There's that moment, just before you board the plane – when the excitement starts to outweigh the length of your checklist. Anyone planning a trip to Fuerteventura can enjoy this moment to the full, provided they've familiarised themselves with the key travel information beforehand.
Fuerteventura welcomes visitors with white dunes, endless skies and the gentle sound of the Atlantic. But for those who wish to delve deeper into the soul of this Canary Island – its history, its hidden corners, its festivals and traditions – the Fuerteventura Tourist Board is the ideal starting point.
Fuerteventura welcomes you with wind, light and wide open spaces. But if you’re well prepared, you’ll have a better trip – and that includes knowing about safety, emergency services and the police on Fuerteventura.
The island is vast, the wind never stops, and the roads wind through a landscape that makes you feel as though you’ve reached the end of the world. If you don’t have a hire car on Fuerteventura – or have deliberately chosen not to hire one – you don’t have to be stuck in one place. The public transport network on Fuerteventura is straightforward but functional: with the Tiadhe buses and the ferry connections to the neighbouring islands, you can get a long way – if you know how.
Arrival at Fuerteventura Airport. Outside, the air shimmers over the tarmac; the wind smells of salt and volcanic rock; and your first thought isn’t of the beach – but of the question: how do I get to my hotel now? If you haven’t booked a hire car on Fuerteventura, the island’s taxis offer a reliable and hassle-free alternative. Taxi ranks are located in every major town on the island as well as right at FUE Airport – so you won’t have to search for long.
There are journeys you undertake with a guidebook – and journeys you only truly understand once you’ve learnt to decipher the unspoken codes of a culture. Spain undoubtedly falls into the second category. Anyone who has ever strolled through the narrow alleyways of an Andalusian old town, anyone who has breathed in the scent of fresh café con leche and the evening air, will sense that things work differently here. And the people even more so.
The roads of Fuerteventura are waiting. They wind through lava fields, past secluded lighthouses and down to coves that no coach will ever reach. If you really want to explore the island, you’ll need a hire car on Fuerteventura – and that’s where the journey begins, even before you’ve driven a single kilometre: namely, when you make your booking.