Tenerife: This is what you must see on your trip to the Canary Islands is written by Per Wium.
The beautiful island with the countless experiences
We came sailing to the beautiful island of Tenerife in mid-January. In fact, our winter journey already started in mid-December Gran Canaria, but now we had reached the next stop on the journey: Tenerife. We took the trip from Gran Canaria, where you can sail from the northwestern town of Agaete to Santa Cruz, which is the capital of Tenerife.
The sailing trip is a pleasant experience and can be recommended if you would like to visit several of them the Canary Islands. All in all, there are plenty of transport options between the Canary Islands, so it is obvious to combine a holiday on several of the beautiful islands.
We spent a total of 38 days on Tenerife, where we got around the entire beautiful island. It wasn't the first time we were in Tenerife and it certainly won't be the last.
Here are the best experiences and the nicest towns on the island that are definitely worth a visit when you go to Spain.
Gastronomy on your trip to Tenerife: Tapas and red wine
There are so many good options when it comes to food and drink in Tenerife, and that actually applies to all the Canary Islands. There is everything from fine restaurants to small street kitchens.
Tapas is a fundamentally good concept here and comes in numerous versions so there is something for everyone. Tapas are always very tasty, and it is perfect for the atmosphere and climate of the island.
A couple can typically share three small tapas dishes, and then you are full in a nice way. If you are solo, two small tapas dishes can be a great option for a good meal.
If you want beer with the food, one of the really good beer brands here is Estrella. It is a bit reminiscent of Danish classic beer, but just a little better. It is absolutely perfect to enjoy at the water's edge.
A really nice wine that can be recommended for tapas is Ribera del Duero. The Spaniards themselves are very happy about it. It is available in all price ranges from just under 5 euros per bottle and can be bought in most supermarkets.
Water is not drunk from the tap in Tenerife, but can be bought in large plastic bottles or cans, which are available in all supermarkets and kiosks.
Playa San Juan and Alcala
In the middle of the west coast of Tenerife, at the opposite end of Santa Cruz, the two towns of Playa San Juan and Alcalá are quite close to each other. Both are basically ordinary towns with post offices, car repair shops, furniture stores and butchers.
Many Canarians live in the two cities, and the locals live a lovely outdoor life. As we stroll through the streets, elderly men sit and converse on the benches, while children and young people play and play ball in the town squares. Here there is also life and fun in the cafés.
Of the two towns, Playa San Juan in particular is largely a tourist town. There are many holiday apartments and you hear several languages on the streets and in the restaurants along the seafront.
The beach area is cozy, and it is a good idea to wear beach shoes for swimming in the clear water. There are quite a few stones, but this can be solved with the right footwear. You can find the beach shoes everywhere, and they make the bathing experience a little nicer.
The town of Alcalá is surrounded by banana plantations and the traffic through the only main street is heavy. At the harbor area, many people bathe in the beautiful sea. It's easy, because there are several ladders down into the lovely water.
North of the city are the most beautiful 'piscina' - natural pools formed by solidified lava. For practical reasons, a few cement walls have been built in the otherwise natural pools, but you feel like you are swimming in a completely natural pool when you splash around in the clear water.
The natural pools are filled twice daily with fresh salt water – and sometimes small fish – so it feels like swimming in havet.
It is worth noting that you must remember to find out when it is high and low tide around Alcalá. When it is low tide, there is no water in the piscina, and when it is high tide the waves are often violent and the area is blocked off.
So if you want to visit the natural pools, do it between high and low tide; luckily you can google yourself to find out when it is.
Near the piscina is the largest hotel I have ever seen: Gran Melia Palacio de Isora Resort & Spa. I think it will take half an hour to walk around the hotel, that's how big it is. It is almost worth a visit in itself.
The Teide Plain – a must on your trip to Tenerife
A drive up to the Teide plain is definitely a highlight in more ways than one when in Tenerife. With its 3175 meters, Teide is both Spain's highest mountain, and it is also a magnificent experience. It is often clear weather up at the 2300 meter altitude on the Teide plain, although there may be clouds further down the mountain.
There are five approaches to Teide; from the north, northeast, east, south and from the west.
The western ramp is very easy to hit from the towns of Playa San Juan and Alcalá, so if you're staying in one of those towns, it's clearly the best route to take.
Taking a trip on Teide is one of the experiences that make Tenerife stand out from the other Canary Islands and can be recommended.
Bajamar and Punta del Hidalgo
Bajamar and Punta del Hidalgo are located close to each other in the easternmost part of Tenerife's north coast at the foot of the great Anaga mountains, which make up the north-eastern part of the island. They are not far from the capital Santa Cruz, so they are easy to get to if you pass by the capital.
The Anaga Mountains in the north are definitely worth a visit. The weather can change completely within ten minutes, but the breathtaking views are always great. The mountain range can be reached from Santa Cruz or from the old capital of La Laguna, but you can also go there from Bajamar and the Hidalgo area.
Punta del Hidalgo is a distinctive holiday town with cozy restaurants and bars, and the town has the nicest Swimmingpool. Bajamar is more of an ordinary town, but it also has holiday apartments, so here you also meet many different nationalities.
In Bajamar there are two large piscinas located in a very large area right next to it Atlantic Sea. The area is a good base for excursions by car or bus both to the Anaga mountains, but also to a large extent to the beautiful north coast.
A good tip is to write the city names El Pris and Mesa del Mar on your list of sights in Tenerife, because there are definitely great experiences waiting in these two cities.
Puertito de Guimar and Candelaria
You will find the towns of Puertito de Güímar and Candelaria on the east coast south of the capital Santa Cruz, and they are both right next to havet.
Candelaria, known for the lovely suburb of Punta Larga, is both an ordinary town and a popular holiday area at the same time. If you are in Candelaria, the church Basílica de Nuestra Señora in the center is definitely worth a visit.
A few kilometers to the south is the cozy town of Puertito de Güímar. There is a very special atmosphere in the fantastic and rather small town, and there are many bathing opportunities, regardless of whether you want to go into the water from the beach or go down the ladders from the large pier into the beautiful sea.
In reality, Puertito is a small suburb of the much larger town of Güímar, located eight kilometers inland. You should definitely visit it if you are in these parts. There are so many nice places, and it's also interesting to see where the locals live.
The cookies
The last days of our trip to Tenerife we stayed in a town we only knew sporadically from short visits on previous trips to the island. The town of Las Galletas lies to the south, and is a town with predominantly local residents.
Las Galletas was originally a fishing town, and fishing still plays a big role in the town. This is clearly seen in the small fishing boats in the harbour, the daily fish market and the many delicious fish dishes in the city's restaurants.
In relation to its size, there are an unusually large number of restaurants and cafes in Las Galletas. There is life and atmosphere in the evening in the small streets that form the center of the small town. The number of permanent residents in the city is just 4000 people, but you can't tell.
There is a hotel in town which is actually only partially a hotel as half the rooms are private apartments. The hotel is called Alborada Ora, and it fills up well in the small town.
As a special attraction, the hotel has a huge pool with sea water, i.e. a kind of artificial piscina. Here we ended the most recent 38-day trip to Tenerife, which was full of experiences, well-being, energy and sun.
Did you know: Here are editor Anna's 7 overlooked favorite islands in Thailand!
7: Koh Mai Thon south of Phuket
6: Koh Lao Lading at Krabi
Get numbers 1-5 immediately by signing up for the newsletter, and look in the welcome email:
Calima and heat on Tenerife
Our trip to Tenerife was to prove to offer a lot of sun and heat, but also a lot haze.
Calima is sand dust that blows over from the Sahara desert and usually there is a calima for a few days or three during the winter season. But this winter the calima lasted about three weeks.
When the sandstorm is most powerful, it bothers the eyes and mucous membranes, so if you have breathing problems, you should not be outdoors when the calima is at its worst. Fortunately, however, it often passes quickly.
Bump in the road on our trip to Tenerife
Tenerife is beautiful, full of possibilities and you will never finish exploring the breathtaking areas all over the island.
But Tenerife is an island, and that also brings challenges, as there are when you travel in high season. In short, there are too many cars and too few buses. At least that's how it seemed when we were there last time. Traffic is heavy and parking in cities is often a challenge.
The buses are good and run everywhere on the island, which is great. The problem is that they are often full, and it happens that the drivers have to drive past the stops without taking the waiting passengers with them - simply because there is no space.
Unfortunately, another challenge is the behavior of certain tourists. It is not so appropriate to walk around shops bare-chested, but there are more people who need to learn. However, it has been banned in more and more places, so hopefully this is a problem that will go away by itself.
All in all, Tenerife is a beautiful and lovely island that must definitely be experienced. There is everything from lovely towns like Santa Cruz and Las Galletas, good food, and fantastic nature experiences at Teide and the beaches.
Really good trip to one of the most beautiful Canary Islands, good trip to Tenerife.
You must see this on your trip to Tenerife
- The Teide Plain
- The cookies
- Piscina – natural pools formed from solidified lava.
- The Church of the Basilica of Nuestra Señora in Candelaria
- Anaga Mountains
- The capital of Santa Cruz
- The town of Puertito de Güímar
Did you know: Here are the 7 cities in Europe with the most hours of sunshine
7: Nice in France – 342 hours/month
6: Valencia in Spain – 343 hours/month
Get numbers 1-5 immediately by signing up for the newsletter, and look in the welcome email:
Add comment