Spain: El Hierro

Overview

El Hierro is the smallest of the inhabited islands with around 10,000 inhabitants (and once the farthest westerly point known to man) with an area of 278km2 (107mi2). The main town is Valverder, the only Canary island capital that’s situated inland, while the island’s beaches are located along the southern, inaccessible coastline (El Julan). Its dramatic landscape is wild and remote, containing a massive crater, and the island is almost totally undeveloped and rarely visited by tourists. Cattle and livestock farming are the mainstays of the local economy and the island produces wine (considered the best in the islands). El Hierro has a small airport offering flights to Tenerife and Gran Canaria only. There’s a daily ferry service between the island and Tenerife.

Property on La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro: The property market on all three islands has grown in recent years, although resale property is in short supply and new construction is limited. Prices have risen and are expected to do so for the immediate future, and are higher on La Palma where prices have risen considerably over the last two years. A two-bedroom apartment costs from €90,000 (€125,000 on La Palma) and a country property with a large plot costs from €250,000.

© Survival Books Limited 2005

“Buying a Home in Spain 2006” 5th Edition, David Hampshire.

Reproduced with the permission of Survival Books Limited.

Further information on this topic can be found in “Buying a Home in Spain 2006” 5th edition, by David Hampshire.

For extensive, annually updated information about buying a property in Spain, you can purchase this book at www.survivalbooks.net