Films and TV series shot in the Canary Islands: discover the locations

For decades, the Canary Islands have been one of the most sought-after filming locations for directors and production companies from around the world. Their volcanic landscapes, endless beaches, golden sand dunes and laurel forests offer a variety hard to find within such a compact territory. If you’ve ever wondered which films and series have been shot in the Canary Islands, exactly where, and on which island, this guide has all the answers.

Why is the Canary Islands a film location favourite?

Few destinations pack so much scenic diversity into so little space. Across the archipelago you’ll find white sand deserts reminiscent of the Sahara, volcanic plains that could pass for another planet, prehistoric-looking cloud forests, and wild coastlines. Add to that an exceptional year-round climate, natural light that cinematographers particularly value, and tax incentives of up to 50% for international productions — among the most competitive in Europe. The result: 154 productions were filmed in the Canary Islands in 2024, with a 50% rise in investment compared with the previous year.

Films and TV series shot in Tenerife

Tenerife is the busiest island for international film shoots. Teide National Park, the colonial villages of the north and the ravines inland have all served as backdrops for major productions.

Famous films shot in Tenerife

Clash of the Titans (2010) / Wrath of the Titans (2012). Teide’s volcanic formations became the world of the Greek gods for these two instalments of epic fantasy. Local companies such as Patea tus Montes run walking tours of the filming locations.

Fast & Furious 6 (2013). The sixth instalment of the franchise filmed several of its action sequences between Tenerife and Gran Canaria. The island provided the infrastructure and locations for the chase scenes the saga is known for.

Jason Bourne (2016). The streets of Tenerife stood in for Greece in this instalment starring Matt Damon. The municipality of Güímar was the setting for one of the film’s most intense chase scenes.

Rambo: Last Blood (2019). Santa Úrsula, Teide, Los Gladiolos and El Rosario doubled as a cross between Arizona and Mexico in the fifth and final film in Sylvester Stallone’s saga.

Day Drinker (Lionsgate, forthcoming). In April 2025, Tenerife hosted the filming of this high-seas thriller directed by Marc Webb — director of The Amazing Spider-Man — starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz. One of the most significant Hollywood productions the island has welcomed in recent years.

TV series shot in Tenerife

Doctor Who (BBC, 2015 and 2019). The long-running sci-fi series has returned to Tenerife on several occasions. The production team has noted that Teide “looks like something from another planet”, while towns such as Garachico provide the colonial character the series needs.

Stags (Paramount+ and Sony, 2023–2024). This British production filmed all six episodes entirely in Tenerife, with a crew of around 180 people over 70 days. The former Abades Leprosarium was one of its main locations, alongside other sites across the island.

Oasis (Netflix, 2026). The most recent — and most talked-about — release. This youth thriller created by Ramón Campos, dubbed by critics “the Canarian White Lotus”, was filmed at the Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora (Guía de Isora), La Jaquita beach, the Abona Leprosarium and the Punta de Abona lighthouse. Available on Netflix since June 2026. Season 2 has already been confirmed, with locations also planned in Fuerteventura and La Palma.

Films and TV series shot in Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria combines historic urban settings, striking dunes and deep ravines, making it an exceptionally versatile filming location.

Famous films shot in Gran Canaria

Moby Dick (1956). The classic directed by John Huston, starring Gregory Peck and Orson Welles, made use of Gran Canaria for its exteriors, specifically Las Canteras beach in Las Palmas — a historic milestone confirming the island’s long cinematic tradition.

Fast & Furious 6 (2013). Alongside Tenerife, Gran Canaria was one of the locations for this Hollywood blockbuster, providing infrastructure for some of the saga’s action sequences.

Palm Trees in the Snow (2015). Mario Casas and Adriana Ugarte filmed on the island for ten weeks. La Finca de Osorio, in Teror, was transformed into a 1950s African cocoa plantation. Filming also took place in Las Palmas, Arucas, Gáldar and Telde. Today it’s a popular destination for fans of the film.

Allied (2016). Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard starred in this story set in 1940s North Africa. The Vegueta district of Las Palmas stood in for Casablanca.

Rough Night (2016). This American comedy starring Demi Moore was filmed in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the old town of Vegueta.

Taxi to Gibraltar (2019). Dani Rovira starred in this comedy filmed in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, whose architecture and urban setting doubled convincingly for the Rock of Gibraltar.

TV series shot in Gran Canaria

The Witcher (Netflix, 2019). The Fataga Ravine, the caves of Acusa Seca, Roque Nublo and the Maspalomas Dunes all appear as backdrops for Geralt of Rivia’s adventures. Guayedra beach, near Agaete, is the legendary Gors Velen beach in the final episode.

Zorro (Amazon Prime Video, 2024). This reinvention of the masked legend, starring Miguel Bernardeau, was filmed entirely in Gran Canaria over eight months. The Gabinete Literario and the Jardines de la Marquesa in Arucas recreated 19th-century California, while the Sioux City theme park in San Bartolomé de Tirajana closed to the public to become the series’ main setting. Available on Amazon Prime Video since January 2024.

Films and TV series shot in Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura’s white sand dunes and wild coastline have made it the go-to island for recreating deserts and sci-fi worlds.

Famous films shot in Fuerteventura

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014). Ridley Scott chose Fuerteventura to recreate the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea. Locations included Cofete, Punta de Jandía, El Cotillo, the ravines of Buen Paso and Los Canarios, Risco del Paso and Tebeto.

Allied (2016). Fuerteventura’s dunes stood in for 1940s North Africa in this film starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard.

Eternals (2021). Marvel Studios chose Fuerteventura for filming this movie starring Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie. The island’s coastal and volcanic landscapes provided the backdrop for the immortal superheroes.

TV series shot in Fuerteventura

Foundation (Apple TV+, 2021). This major production based on Isaac Asimov’s saga, produced by David S. Goyer with an investment of around €10 million on the island, filmed its key scenes in the municipality of Tuineje. Volcanic locations such as the Caldera de los Arrabales and the Granja de Pozo Negro were transformed into settings for a distant future. The series, now with three seasons on Apple TV+, has become one of the most ambitious sci-fi productions in international television.

Doctor Who (BBC, 2015). The show’s production team chose the arid landscapes of southern Fuerteventura for the closing episodes of series nine, adding to the BBC’s list of shoots across the archipelago.

Films and TV series shot in La Palma

La Palma combines laurel forests, volcanoes, a caldera and skies so clear the island has been declared a Biosphere Reserve — all of which has put it on the radar of major international productions.

Famous films shot in La Palma 

The Witcher (Netflix, 2019). The Los Tilos and La Galga forests form the enchanted woodland Princess Ciri flees through. Roque de los Muchachos, the island’s highest point, appears as the Kaer Morhen mountains in the series’ sixth episode. 

TV series shot in La Palma

La Palma (Netflix, 2024). This Norwegian disaster drama, inspired by the risk of volcanic eruption, became one of the platform’s most-watched series in Europe. Filmed entirely in La Palma, the island is both setting and protagonist: its villages, volcanoes and coastlines feature throughout all four episodes. In 2025, La Palma was awarded the Location Award by the European Film Commissions Network (EUFCN), which brings together more than 100 offices from 33 countries, in recognition of this production. 

Other Canary Islands on the film map

Lanzarote has featured in Doctor Who (the episode “Kill the Moon”, with Timanfaya National Park standing in for the lunar surface) and in In the Heart of the Sea (2015), Ron Howard’s film starring Chris Hemsworth.

El Hierro provides the setting for Hierro, Movistar+’s award-winning Spanish series (2019), in which the island becomes a character in its own right within this crime thriller.

Can you visit the locations where these films were shot? 

Many locations are freely accessible: Teide National Park, the Corralejo Dunes, the Caldera de Taburiente in La Palma, the historic Vegueta district in Las Palmas, or the villages of northern Tenerife. Others, such as Timanfaya National Park in Lanzarote, require advance booking due to visitor numbers or environmental protection.

Hotels such as the Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora — the setting for Oasis — are working establishments you can experience as a guest. The Film Commissions of Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura publish location guides that are useful for planning a film-themed route.

Where to stay to discover the film locations of the Canary Islands 

Princess Hotels gives you the perfect base on every island. In Tenerife, choose Guayarmina Princess or Princess Inspire Tenerife. In Gran Canaria, Maspalomas Princess, Mogán Princess & Beach Club or Princess Taurito put you close to the dunes and ravines that have appeared in so many productions. In Fuerteventura, Club Jandía Princess and Fuerteventura Princess place you near the locations used for Star Wars, Marvel and Ridley Scott. In La Palma, La Palma Princess opens the door to the forests and volcanoes that feature in The Witcher and the Norwegian series La Palma.

The Canary Islands are no longer just a sun-and-beach destination — they’re also a film set you can explore for yourself. Which island will you start with?

Discover all the Princess hotels in the Canary Islands.

Categories: Canaries, Travel Tips, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, La Palma, Tenerife