10 Best Things to Do
Tenerife is best approached as an island of contrasts that deserve time. The southern coast offers substantial resorts and a concentration of ambitious restaurants, while the north rewards exploration of historic towns, gardens and a different landscape. Above them both, Teide gives the island a dramatic geological centre. Anaga’s mountains and protected habitats provide another perspective, making a single coast an incomplete introduction. A good itinerary balances these settings without turning every day into a long transfer. Stay near the experiences that matter most, and consider dividing a longer visit between north and south. Dining also merits deliberate planning: several of the island’s most individual kitchens are within hotels, but each should be reserved as its own occasion. This guide covers Tenerife as a whole, with actual localities attached to every recommendation. The hotel selection includes both coastal resorts and northern retreats, while the experiences connect volcanic nature with architecture, art and living towns. Allow flexibility for weather, particularly for mountain routes and marine outings, and avoid assuming that conditions at the beach describe those elsewhere on the island.
Teide National Park
Central Tenerife, Spain
Teide National Park offers a landscape whose scale becomes clear through lava fields, changing colours and the presence of the Teide–Pico Viejo volcanic structure. The experience need not depend on reaching the summit: viewpoints and appropriately chosen walks reveal the geological processes that shaped the island. Choose a route suited to your ability and leave time to observe the changing light. This is a high-mountain outing, with conditions distinct from those on Tenerife’s coast.
A volcanic landscape of global importance
Anaga Rural Park
Northeastern Tenerife, Spain
Anaga reveals an older, greener side of Tenerife, with a deeply eroded mountain landscape, wooded ridges and rural settlements. Its protected habitats and exceptional biodiversity make the setting more than a scenic backdrop. Choose a walk that matches your ability, allowing time to notice the changing vegetation and the relationship between paths and villages. A guided outing can help connect the landscape with its natural and cultural history, particularly on a first visit to the northeast.
Forested mountains and living rural landscapes
San Cristóbal de La Laguna Old Town
San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
La Laguna’s historic centre rewards slow exploration of its streets, squares, churches and former houses. The contrast between the original upper settlement and the planned lower town gives the visit a larger story about urban design, recognised through UNESCO inscription. Choose it for a day that places Tenerife’s built heritage at the centre of the itinerary. Look beyond individual façades to how streets and public spaces fit together, leaving time to enter accessible buildings along the way.
Historic streets and urban design
Responsible Whale Watching from Los Gigantes
Los Gigantes, Santiago del Teide, Spain
The waters off southwest Tenerife support resident pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins within a recognised Whale Heritage Area. A responsible trip from Los Gigantes offers a chance to observe these animals in their own environment while learning about the pressures on their habitat. Choose an authorised operator committed to the local sustainability charter and make the quality of observation the priority. Wildlife movements and sea conditions determine the experience, so approach the outing with flexibility rather than a checklist.
Wild cetaceans in protected Atlantic waters
Cueva del Viento Guided Visit
Icod de los Vinos, Spain
Cueva del Viento offers a guided encounter with a lava tube rather than an illuminated show cave. The visit combines an outdoor approach with a helmet-lit underground section, where solidified lava forms explain the movement and cooling of past flows. Choose it for a geological experience that complements the open landscapes around Teide. The route includes uneven ground and steps, making the operator’s participation requirements an important part of deciding whether the visit is suitable.
Volcanic processes below ground
Jardín de Aclimatación de La Orotava
Puerto de la Cruz, Spain
Despite its historic name, the Jardín de Aclimatación de La Orotava is in Puerto de la Cruz. Its tropical and subtropical collections reflect an eighteenth-century project to study and acclimatise plants, giving a garden visit a scientific as well as aesthetic purpose. Mature trees and varied foliage reward close observation rather than a hurried circuit. Choose it for a quieter northern-island outing, particularly if plant collections, conservation and the history of scientific travel interest you.
Historic botanical collections
TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
TEA brings exhibitions, photography, cinema and library spaces into a building designed by Herzog & de Meuron with Virgilio Gutiérrez. Its public route, courtyards and relationship with the neighbouring ravine make the architecture part of the visit, while the programme connects local artistic life with wider conversations. Choose it for a contemporary cultural counterpoint to Tenerife’s historic towns. Review the current exhibitions before arriving, then leave time to appreciate how the building opens into the city.
Contemporary art and civic architecture
A Performance at Auditorio de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
The Auditorio de Tenerife’s sweeping cantilever gives Santa Cruz a memorable waterfront silhouette, but attending a performance provides a fuller reason to visit than an exterior photograph alone. Santiago Calatrava’s expressive architecture has prompted debate, making it interesting to examine with a critical eye. Choose from the venue’s current music, opera and performance programme, allowing time to see the building before taking your seat. The attraction is the encounter between a live cultural event and an individual architectural setting.
Music within a sculptural landmark
La Orotava Historic Centre
La Orotava, Spain
La Orotava’s historic centre brings together substantial houses, churches and gardens in a town closely connected with the surrounding valley. The church of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción and the Casas de los Balcones offer useful focal points, while quieter streets reveal the value of looking beyond a single monument. Choose it for a cultural walk that gives traditional island architecture room to speak, with time to explore craft displays or gardens according to current access.
Traditional houses and cultivated gardens
Garachico Historic Centre
Garachico, Spain
Garachico’s squares, churches and former grand houses preserve the character of a town once central to Tenerife’s maritime trade. A walk from Plaza de la Libertad towards Santa Ana and the San Miguel fortress reveals different aspects of that history without requiring a rushed circuit. Choose it for an unhurried northern-coast day, using the architecture and public spaces to understand the former port. Time spent in the squares is as valuable as collecting individual monument stops.
The heritage of a former Atlantic port