Verdict: The summer months in the Balearics are just as hot as the Canaries, but as winter draws in it does get much milder. If you're looking for a winter break, we recommend heading to one of the Canary Islands.

Yes, the Canary Islands are consistently warmer than the Balearic Islands, especially during the winter and shoulder seasons. This is due to their geographical location off the coast of northwest Africa, near the Sahara Desert, which gives them a subtropical climate. While the Balearics (Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca) experience a classic Mediterranean climate with mild but cool winters (average highs of 15°C in January), the Canaries (Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote) enjoy "eternal spring" with winter highs usually reaching 20°C to 23°C. In the summer, both are hot, but the Canaries are often moderated by the "trade winds," preventing the extreme humidity sometimes found in the Mediterranean. For a beach holiday between November and April, the Canary Islands are the only viable European territory with swimming weather, as the Balearics are significantly chillier and see much more rainfall during the winter months.