Practical information Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura is known to be a very safe travel destination.
Money
The currency on Fuerteventura is the Euro. Most places allow payment by debit card. The availability of ATMs is sufficient, especially in towns. Some of these charge an extra fee though, so pay attention.
Generally, prices are similar to those in the UK.
Smoking
Smoking is prohibited in public buildings. The smoking ban also applies to public indoor spaces in hotels, restaurants, cafes and bars. Smoking is allowed in the outdoor areas of cafes and restaurants.
Mobile phone coverage
The mobile phone signal is generally good all over the island, except for a few small places on the far west coast.
When calling a telephone number (mobile or landline) in Great Britain from Fuerteventura, dial: 0044.
When calling a number (mobile or landline) in the Republic of Ireland from Fuerteventura, dial: 00353.
When calling a number (mobile or landline) in Spain from the UK, dial 0034.
Nowadays, you can use your European mobile phone data in Spain, incl. the Canary Islands, without having to pay roaming fees.
Time difference
There is no time difference between the UK and Fuerteventura.
Drinking water
There is a lot of chlorine in the tap water on Fuerteventura. You can use tap water for washing and brushing your teeth, but we wouldn’t advise you to drink it (unless you’re used to drinking chlorinated tap water). Better buy bottled water to quench your thirst!
National holidays
Most of the national holidays celebrated in the northern hemisphere, like Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Labour Day (May 1st) and Assumption Day (August 15th) are also adhered to on Fuerteventura. In addition to those, the island has a few national holidays of its own.
Carnival is one of the island’s biggest festivities. Each town and village has its own kind of celebrations in February and March. There’s a different theme to carnival every year.
May 30th is Canary Islands’ Day. On May 30th 1983, the first Parliament of the Canary Islands had its first meeting. So May 30th is rather like Independence Day.
October 12th is a national holiday in the whole of Spain, commemorating the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.
December 6th: Constitution Day, commemorating the Spanish constitutional referendum in 1978.
Shops
In Puerto del Rosario and other places where the locals do their shopping, shops close for three to four hours due to siesta – a well-known Spanish tradition. In most holiday places, however, shops remain open the whole day.