Tenerife
Discover Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands and is a great place to travel. British, Nordic and German tourists come in their tens of thousands every year to visit its spectacular beaches and lively nightlife. It is also very popular among holidaymakers from the Spanish peninsula, especially during Easter time. It offers lush forests, exotic fauna and flora, deserts, mountains, volcanoes, incredibly beautiful coastlines and spectacular beaches. The entire island is a Spanish province named Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which leads to inevitable confusion with the capital city Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The island is divided into 31 municipalities, belonging to three regions with their own distinct climate, history, and appeal.
What to Experience in Tenerife
Taste of Tenerife...
A good summary of Canarian food can be found under Canary Islands#Eat. Local taverns are called guachinches, typical for the Canarias and particularly common on Tenerife and Gran Canaria. They serve their own wine accompanied by homemade traditional food, often grilled fish or roasted meat. Stews of all kinds are very common and only cost a few euros for a portion. This blog keeps an overview of the best guachinches on the island. Fast food is becoming increasingly common on Tenerife, catering to younger demographics and tourists. Restaurants with international cuisine (Indian, Chinese, ...) are abundant in larger cities. Especially in the south of the island, there are plenty of restaurants serving exotic foods such as hamburgers, pizza, fries, etc. There are 15 McDonald's including some on the beaches. In touristic hotspots such as Playa de las Américas, menus are available in numerous languages ranging from English and German to Russian and some Scandinavian languages, making it very easy to choose even if you are not familiar with the local dishes' names or don't understand Spanish. The nicest bars are found in Puerto de la Cruz, La Laguna, and in the capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife. They serve a wide variety of locally produced beers, wines, and liqueurs. The best wines also originate from the north of the island, where cultivation of the malvasia grape variety has a long tradition since export began in the 17th century.
Culture & Religion
Culture
In addition to its natural treasures, the island also has many architectural and cultural highlights. Tenerife has a long history dating back 2 millennia when the first settlers arrived from North Africa. These Guanche cave dwellers left many artifacts and structures, and many of their cave homes are still inhabited today in the southern regions of the island where they are a cooler alternative than above ground habitation. Some of the most remarkable remains predating Spanish colonisation are the 28.320833-16.4136116 stepped pyramids in the Ethnographic Park of Güímar, the most popular archaeological site on Tenerife. Just like their counterparts in Egypt or Latin America, the origin of the pyramids has been the subject of scientific debate, and the museum presents the hypotheses as a series of interactive exhibits. The 6 stepped pyramids and the museum are well worth a visit.
Climate
The Atlantic ocean absorbs heat in summer and releases it in winter, granting Tenerife fairly constant temperatures throughout the year, with typically less than 10° difference between summer and winter. In combination with its proximity to the equator, this results in mild temperatures from fall to spring, and hot temperatures in summer (June to September). Fortunately the ocean winds cool the island down, and at higher elevations the temperatures are very mild even when the low laying parts of the island succumb under a scorching heat. Tenerife receives most of its precipitation during the winter months (November to February), which always falls as rain at sea level and as snow on El Teide. On the south side there is consistent summer, little to no wind, and pretty much perfect beach-weather for much of the year though there have been rare instances of cool to cold weather in the Jan-Feb period.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsAs an island the usual way to arrive is by air. There are two airports, Tenerife South (Reina Sofia) near Los Cristianos and Tenerife North (Los Rodeos) by San Cristóbal de La Laguna. Titsa buses run from both airports to other towns, though you may have to change routes. They stop around midnight and start again around 05:00-06:00. Trasmediterranea run a weekly ferry from Cadiz in Spain which takes two days. For more information on available ferry companies, times and prices between the islands, see Canary Islands#By boat 2, or here specifically for Tenerife. If you are in the possession of a driver's licence, a rental car is the best option for discovering the remote locations on the island—see Canary Islands#By rental car for more information. Most of the road network is in good shape, although roads in the mountains may be less well maintained. Fallen rocks blocking the road are a recurring hazard, especially on roads carved into the mountain side....
Regions
Explore AreasThe entire island is a Spanish province named Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which leads to inevitable confusion with the capital city Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The island is divided into 31 municipalities, be…...
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
If you are in the possession of a driver's licence, a rental car is the best option for discovering the remote locations on the island—see Canary Islands#By rental car for more information. Most of the road network is in good shape, although roads in the mountains may be less well maintained. Fallen rocks blocking the road are a recurring hazard, especially on roads carved into the mountain side. The highways around the island are toll-free and mostly limited to 120 km/h. Everything called "Calle" or "Camino" in the rural and residential areas is likely to be very narrow and potentially steep and curvy. Especially during the weekend, many people come out with their bicycles and motorbikes and use the island's roads for extensive leisure trips. Be particularly cautious and mindful then—everyone wants to enjoy their time. The road network is under active (re)construction. As of 2019, your rental car's built-in navigation system may still be missing some of the newer main roads.
Where to Stay
When booking accommodation, pay close attention to the location. To preserve the authenticity of its historic towns and cities, there are few hotels close to tourist hot spots — hotels like those in Calle San Agustín in San Cristóbal de La Laguna are reserved for the happy few with deep pockets. Instead, authorities have deliberately opted to build accommodation where it's less of an eye sore: in the desert in the south of the island. If you're primarily interested in beaches and nightlife, that's perfectly fine. But otherwise, these are very far away from the locations and attractions of interest to visitors, which are all concentrated in the northern and eastern regions of Tenerife! If the address you have been given points to a location in Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas, or Costa Adeje, you may want to look elsewhere – you'll be one or more hours (depending on whether you're travelling by car or TITSA bus) away from the nearest attractions.
Money & Budget
See Canary Islands#Money for more information on cash, ATMs and credit cards. Opening hours can vary considerably between different places and types of shops. While most supermarkets and shopping centers stay open throughout the day, many smaller shops close for a couple of hours in the afternoon – especially in the less touristy areas. Most stores are closed on Sundays and bank holidays, with certain exceptions in tourist hot spots. If you are interested in local food, fruits and vegetables, go find a local market. Called Mercado Municipal (municipal market) or Mercado/Mercadillo del Agricultor (farmers market), they can be found in many places on the island and it is worth researching their locations and market days.
Language & Talk
The native language is Spanish, more specifically Canarian Spanish. In this local dialect a soft 'c' is pronounced as 's' rather than as 'th' on the Spanish mainland, so cinco (five) is 'sinko', not 'thinko'. Despite the prevalence of tourists on the island, English and other European languages are not understood by many locals, even in larger cities such as La Orotava and San Cristóbal de La Laguna, but rather only spoken around tourist attractions such as El Teide. Staff in hotels and restaurants generally know enough basic English to take your order or help with problems. Many restaurants have a multilingual menu (Spanish/English/German).
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Tenerife is generally a safe place to visit but as always, beware of pickpockets. Do not take electrical devices, credit cards or large amounts of cash to the beach if you plan to leave your goods unattended while swimming. Take note that when walking through Playas De Las Americas, there is a lot of clubs round here and some drunkenness in the night hours. Many mobile phones have already been snatched around the island from drunken lads, especially at night. Taxis are widely available, and not too badly priced. Masca is well known for tourists getting broken into their car and having mobiles and other valuables stolen. Thieves will even try to use stolen mobiles to extract money via credit card or other payment services. Also other crowded tourist spots are prone to such issues. Hence, never leave anything in open sight.
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Tenerife
a scenic view of the mountains and ocean
Sunset in Paradise
Tenerife is the one of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Benijo beach. P. S. If you like my work and want to support me, there is an option to buy a coffee (paypal link in profile). Thank you!
Tenerife
brown and green mountain beside body of water during daytime
brown canyon during daytime
a scenic view of the ocean with mountains in the background
A small coastal town on the Canary Island of Tenerife.
green cactus plant on brown sand during daytime
Tenerife coastline
a scenic view of the mountains and ocean
Sunset in Paradise
Tenerife is the one of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Benijo beach. P. S. If you like my work and want to support me, there is an option to buy a coffee (paypal link in profile). Thank you!