In short
For warmth, choose Tenerife: around 20°C by day in winter, with week-long Canary Islands cruises from December to March, often calling at Madeira or Morocco. It is a 4.5-hour flight, plus an hour to the port. Barcelona is closer and has sailings all winter, but at around 15°C it is a city cruise, not a suntan.
Sailings by month
- Busiest months
- Jan, Feb, Mar
- Where ships go
- Canary Islands and Madeira
- Usual length
- 6–9 nights
- Round trips
- most
Which port suits you
You want warmth and islands
Around 20°C in January, the sea at about 19°C and a week around the Canaries: Gran Canaria, La Palma, Lanzarote, often Madeira or Agadir too. Most sailings run from January to March. Allow 4.5 hours in the air and about an hour from Tenerife South to the port.
Tenerife port guide →You want a short trip and great cities
Two hours in the air, half an hour from the airport to the ship and week-long cruises all winter: Marseille, Genoa, Rome, Naples — without the summer crowds. Daytime highs are around 15°C, so pack a jacket rather than swimwear. In November, Atlantic crossings leave from here too.
Barcelona port guide →Point by point
| What we compare | Tenerife | Barcelona |
|---|---|---|
| Getting there from the Netherlands and Belgium | Direct flights from Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Brussels take about 4.5 hours, almost all to Tenerife South. The clock is one hour behind home. | Direct flights from Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Brussels take about 2 hours. By train via Paris, around 11–12 hours from Amsterdam. |
| Airport to ship | Tenerife South is about 60 km away: 45–60 minutes by taxi, or about an hour on bus 111. Tenerife North is 20 minutes from the port, but flights there are mainly from within Spain. | From El Prat airport, about half an hour by taxi; cheaper is the Aerobus, the metro to Drassanes and the Cruise Bus. |
| Terminal to city centre | The terminal on the Ribera quay faces Plaza de España, a few minutes on foot from the centre. From the far Muelle Sur it is about 2 km, with a port shuttle. | The Moll Adossat is 2–3 km from La Rambla: 10–15 minutes by taxi, or about 10 minutes on the Cruise Bus from the World Trade Center. |
| Winter weather | Around 20–22°C by day and the sea at about 19°C — fresh, but swimmable. The sun is strong even in January, and the trade winds blow across the deck. | Around 15°C by day, with cool evenings. The sea is too cold for swimming — this is weather for exploring cities. |
| Season | December to March, busiest from January to March; November and April open and close the season. Hardly any sailings in summer. | All year. Winter has fewer sailings than spring and autumn, but week-long cruises leave every month, and November brings the most Atlantic crossings. |
| Typical winter itineraries | 7 nights around the Canaries, back to Tenerife, often with Madeira or Agadir; a few crossings to South America in November and one-way voyages to the Mediterranean in April. | 7 nights in the Western Mediterranean: Marseille, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Naples, Palma; Atlantic crossings of 15 nights or longer in November; the odd voyage to the Canaries. |
| City before or after | Santa Cruz is small and relaxed: Plaza de España, the market, the Auditorio. La Laguna and Las Teresitas beach are close by; Mount Teide takes a full day. | La Rambla, the Gothic Quarter, Gaudí — with far fewer visitors than in summer. Barcelona is worth a couple of days in its own right. |
| Where to stay | Central Santa Cruz, a walk from the terminal; La Laguna, 15–20 minutes by taxi; the south coast by the sea, about an hour from the port. | Port Vell, Barceloneta, the Gothic Quarter or Eixample: 10–15 minutes by taxi to the terminal in the morning. |
A Canary winter or a Mediterranean winter
The real difference is not the port but the sea. The Canaries are a winter destination: ships arrive for a season from November to April and spend the summer in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. Barcelona works all year, and a winter cruise from there follows the same routes through France and Italy — just cooler, calmer and without the crowds on excursions.
- The warmth is in the Canaries. In January Tenerife sees around 20°C, and Madeira and Agadir much the same. In Barcelona, Marseille and Genoa it is around 15°C by day with cool evenings: no sunbathing on deck, but lovely weather for walking around cities. More on island itineraries in our guide to the Canary Islands.
- Islands or cities. A week around the Canaries means volcanoes, beaches and small harbours, often with a call at Madeira or Morocco. A week from Barcelona means Marseille, Genoa, Rome, Naples and Palma de Mallorca: museums, cathedrals and markets that are far quieter in winter than in summer.
- November and April are the in-between months. In November Barcelona has its most Atlantic crossings of the year, while Tenerife's season is just starting, with the occasional voyage to South America. In April it is the other way round: the Canary season ends, ships head one-way to the Mediterranean, and spring begins in Barcelona.
- The holidays work from both. Ships leave both Tenerife and Barcelona over Christmas and New Year. If you want to celebrate in a T-shirt, choose Tenerife, at around 21°C in December. The festive dates are the first to sell out.
Want Barcelona and the Canaries?
You can have both: a couple of days in Barcelona, then a direct flight of just over three hours to Tenerife and a week-long island cruise. Book your flight home from Tenerife, as a round trip ends where it started. Now and then Barcelona itself has cruises to the Canaries of 7–14 nights, but they include more days at sea. And you can often join the same island cruise on Gran Canaria, where the airport is closer to the port.
Common questions
Where is it warmer in winter, Tenerife or Barcelona?
Tenerife: in January it is around 20–22°C by day, with the sea at about 19°C. Barcelona is around 15°C by day in winter, and the sea is too cold for swimming, so a winter cruise from there is about exploring cities rather than the beach.
Are there cruises from both ports in January and February?
Yes. For Tenerife this is the heart of the season: week-long Canary Islands cruises, often with Madeira or Morocco. From Barcelona, week-long Western Mediterranean cruises sail in winter too — fewer than in spring and autumn, but every month.
Can I cruise to the Canaries from Barcelona?
Sometimes: from November to April a few cruises of 7–14 nights head from Barcelona to the Canaries, usually calling at places such as Málaga, Casablanca or Madeira. They include more days at sea, so for a week among the islands it is easier to fly to Tenerife.
Which is better for Christmas and New Year?
Both ports have festive sailings. For warmth, choose Tenerife, at around 21°C in December. Barcelona is cooler, but in December the Santa Llúcia Christmas market fills the square by the cathedral. The festive dates sell out first, so book early.
How the club fits in
Cruises from Tenerife and Barcelona that are available in the club work on the same terms as any other route. You choose one way to pay per booking: the member price (INsider Pricing), roughly 17% below the listed price, or your Reward Points, which can cover up to half of the cruise price. They do not add up. To pay up to 100% with points, you need to have accumulated enough points and book 270 days or more before departure.
Not every cruise line can be booked through the club: check the specific sailing in the club's search, or ask us and we will tell you which Tenerife and Barcelona dates are available in the month you have in mind.
How booking with points works →
Seasons and destinations are summarised from cruise line schedules for 2026–2027 and may change; check the current itinerary and terminal information before you travel. Percentages describe the club's rules and are indicative. Reislite is an independent information site run by partners, not a website of inCruises.