ES
Tenerife
Spain’s highest peak and year-round sun
Spain’s highest peak and year-round sun
A UNESCO World Heritage volcanic wonderland around Spain’s highest peak — lava fields, craters and a cable car near the summit, with some of the world’s clearest night skies.
💡 A cable car climbs near the top; a permit is needed for the final summit path.
The characterful old resort town of the green north, with historic streets, the Lago Martíanez sea pools and a lively seafront.
💡 A more authentic, Canarian base than the big southern resorts.
Colossal sea cliffs plunging hundreds of metres into the Atlantic on the west coast — best seen from a boat or the marina, and a launch point for whale-watching.
💡 Whale and dolphin trips from here are among Europe’s best and most reliable.
A gorgeous golden-sand beach near Santa Cruz — palm-fringed and sheltered, made with sand shipped from the Sahara, and a local favourite.
💡 Most Tenerife beaches are black volcanic sand — this golden one is a rarity.
The lively capital Santa Cruz and the UNESCO-listed old university city of La Laguna offer culture, architecture, markets and a famous February carnival.
💡 Santa Cruz’s carnival is one of the world’s largest after Rio.
Canarian food is simple, fresh and delicious. The island’s signature is papas arrugadas — salt-wrinkled little potatoes — served with fiery red and green mojo sauces. Seafood is superb (try vieja fish or grilled cherne), and inland you’ll find hearty stews, goat, and local Tenerife wines from volcanic-soil vineyards, once praised by Shakespeare. Seek out a guachinche — a rustic, seasonal family eatery serving home cooking and young wine — for the most authentic experience, especially in the north. The resort areas offer everything international, but for the real Tenerife head to a harbourside marisquería or a mountain village restaurant. Finish with a barraquito, the island’s layered coffee.
Tenerife has two airports (Tenerife South for most holiday flights, Tenerife North for inter-island and mainland). A rental car is the best way to see the island’s variety, from Teide to the coasts, and roads are good (though the mountain routes are winding). The green public buses (guaguas, run by TITSA) are cheap, extensive and reliable, linking resorts, towns and even Teide; a Ten+ travel card saves money. Taxis are plentiful. Frequent ferries connect Tenerife to the other Canary Islands (La Gomera is under an hour away). Driving is on the right.
Drive up to the national park, ride the cable car and explore the volcanic landscape.
Puerto de la Cruz, La Laguna and the green north, plus a beach at Las Teresitas.
Los Gigantes cliffs and a whale-watching boat trip, then a southern beach.
The final summit path needs a free permit booked well ahead — or ride the cable car below it.
The south is sunnier and resort-focused; the green north is cooler, cloudier and more authentic.
Resident whales and dolphins off the southwest make for superb, reliable boat trips.
Teide has some of the world’s clearest skies — a stargazing tour is unforgettable.
Quick answers to the questions travellers most often ask before visiting Tenerife.
Very much — it combines Spain’s highest peak and the volcanic Teide National Park with black- and golden-sand beaches, whale-watching, historic towns like La Laguna and Puerto de la Cruz, and warm weather year-round, offering far more variety than a typical beach island.
Yes — a cable car carries you to near the top, and you can walk the surrounding trails freely. Reaching the actual 3,715m summit requires a free permit booked in advance, as numbers are limited to protect the peak.
Any time — Tenerife has warm, spring-like weather all year. Spring and autumn are ideal and less crowded; summer is hottest and busiest; winter is mild and popular for sun. February brings the spectacular Santa Cruz carnival.
The south (Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos) is sunniest with the big resorts and beaches; the north (Puerto de la Cruz) is greener, cooler and more traditional; Santa Cruz suits city and culture lovers. Choose by whether you want beaches or authenticity.
Tenerife’s Mount Teide, Gran Canaria’s dunes and city, Lanzarote’s volcanic wine country and Fuerteventura’s beaches — the four great Canary Islands.