Tenerife Travel Guide: Everything We'd Tell a Friend Before They Book

We spent a month on Tenerife living as remote workers, which gave us time most visitors don't get: hiking the Anaga forests without rushing, watching sunrise from the summit of Mount Teide, and enjoying a slow day on a black sand beach. The Canary Islands digital nomad boom made the island absurdly popular for freelancers, so we couldn’t miss an opportunity to see for ourselves how it feels to live and work in such a breathtaking place on Earth.

This guide covers what to do in Tenerife​, the best places to visit, the most gorgeous trails to hike, and important things to know before traveling to Tenerife​.

Key takeaways:

• Area: 2,034 km² (785 sq mi), the largest of the Canary Islands
• Population: about 964,000, the most populated island in Spain
• Highest point: Mount Teide, 3,715 m (12,188 ft), the highest peak in Spain
• Capital: Santa Cruz de Tenerife
• Tourist tax: none island-wide as of September 2026, unlike Barcelona or the Balearic Islands
• Airports: two, Tenerife South (TFS) near the resorts and Tenerife North (TFN) close to Santa Cruz

We filmed our whole month on the island, from the Anaga cloud forest to the descent through Masca Gorge. It captures the trip's atmosphere, the sunrise on Teide, and the luxury resort life of Las Américas set against the slow rhythm of the island's small villages. That contrast is easier to see on camera than to describe in writing.

Where is Tenerife island​ located?

Tenerife is one of Spain's Canary Islands, sitting in the Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of Africa, roughly 300 km (185 miles) west of Morocco and about 1,300 km (800 miles) southwest of mainland Spain. It's the archipelago's largest of seven islands and home to Mount Teide, Spain's highest peak.

It also sits close to its neighboring islands: La Palma is about 130 km (80 miles) to the northwest, roughly a 30-45 minute flight or a 2.5-3 hour ferry away, and Gran Canaria is around 58 km (36 miles) to the southeast at the closest point between the two islands.

Santa Cruz, San Andrés, and Candelaria

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital, which is a busy seaport where colonial streets blend with modern architecture on the coast. One of the most notable buildings in the entire city is the Auditorio de Tenerife, the city's concert hall.

The Castillo de San Juan Bautista is located close to it. It was built of volcanic stone and marks the site where the British forces led by Admiral Nelson tried unsuccessfully to capture the city in 1797.

San Andrés 

If you want to swim without leaving the capital area, San Andrés is a small, colorful fishing town a short drive away, home to Playa de Las Teresitas: a long stretch of imported golden sand protected by a breakwater that keeps the water unusually calm for the Atlantic.

Candelaria

We based ourselves further south in Candelaria, the island's spiritual center and home to the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, patron saint of the Canary Islands and one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in Spain.

Outside the basilica, a row of statues honors the nine Guanche kings who ruled the island before the Spanish conquest in the 15th century, a reminder that the Canarian culture you see today is a blend of that Indigenous history and centuries of Spanish rule.

Pirámides de Güímar

Güímar is within a short driving distance of Candelaria and contains one of the most unusual sites in Tenerife, namely six-stone structures called the Pirámides de Güímar. There has been much debate as to their purpose, and while some scholars consider them to be used for agriculture, others have suggested they had either ceremonial or astronomical functions.

The Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl, famous for traveling by primitive rafts across the Pacific and Atlantic to prove ancient migration theories, became interested in the pyramids in the early 1990s.

The park, which includes a museum on Heyerdahl's expeditions and a botanical garden, is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00 (closed 1 January and 25 December), with a full-access adult ticket at €26.

Just outside town, Malpaís de Güímar is a nature reserve worth a shorter stop if you want a close look at volcanic cones and basaltic lava fields without committing to a full hike.

Anaga Rural Park

For our first real hike on the island, we headed north into Anaga Rural Park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve protecting laurisilva forest, a type of cloud forest that has existed on the Canary Islands for around 7 million years. The trees capture moisture from Atlantic winds and release it slowly into the soil, which is part of why the island's north stays noticeably greener and cooler than the south.

To be honest, we made one mistake. We went on our way without downloading an offline map, thinking that we would have an internet connection there. We didn't, and it cost us some time backtracking on muddy paths to find the right route.

Benijo Beach

On the northeast tip of the island, the road to Benijo Beach ends where the cliffs start. It's one of the more remote beaches on Tenerife, reachable only by a footpath down from the parking area, and that distance keeps the crowds thinner than beaches closer to town. The Atlantic swell here is genuinely strong, better for watching than swimming unless you know what you're doing in open water.

Las Américas and Adeje: the south coast resorts

Playa de Las Américas is Tenerife's main tourist hub: hotels, bars, and nightlife strung along roughly 3 km (1.9 miles) of coastline split across six main beaches.

Most of it, including the sand itself, is man-made. The beaches were built up in the mid-20th century to give the resort a tourist-brochure look, with lighter sand imported to sit next to the island's natural black volcanic stone.

If you're not surfing, the contrast between the imported white sand and the natural black volcanic sand nearby is worth seeing on its own, a small, visible reminder of how much of this coastline was engineered for tourism.

Climbing Mount Teide: permits, cable car, and the eco-tax

Mount Teide is the highest peak in Spain, and the third-highest volcanic structure on Earth measured from its base on the ocean floor. Reaching the true summit at 3,715 m (12,188 ft) requires a free timed permit, but as of 19 January 2026, the Cabildo de Tenerife added an eco-tax on top of it for non-residents, a change that came after we filmed our own hike, when park access was still free for everyone.

If you decide to hike Mount Teide at sunrise or sunset, book permits through the Tenerife ON platform. Slots fill fast, so book as early as the system allows. The total number of individuals per day permitted on the peak trail is limited to 300, and a maximum of 50 per time slot; failing to have a valid permit and identification at hand incurs a fine of up to €600.

Those who wish not to go climbing may take the cable car to Mount Teide from the base station and back. Tickets without a guide cost from €43.00 for adults. Residents of the Canary Islands pay reduced prices. Operating times vary based on season, being either 9:00 to 17:00 or 18:40.

Puerto de la Cruz: natural pools and Canarian woodcarving

Puerto de la Cruz is an old resort town, and its natural volcanic-rock pools are the reason to visit: seawater flows in naturally, so swimming here feels like the ocean without the full force of the Atlantic. Nearby, the artist César Manrique's Lago Martiánez complex reworks the same idea into a more artistic, landscaped version.

The old town's real character shows in its architecture. Tenerife has carved wood into balconies, doors, and altarpieces since the 16th and 17th centuries, using the local Canary pine, a wood that's unusually resistant to insects and fire. You'll see the clearest examples of the style around Plaza del Charco, the square at the heart of town, and at the 17th-century Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia nearby.

A short walk from the center, Batería de Santa Bárbara is an 18th-century coastal fort built to defend the town from pirate raids. Only the stone walls and a few cannons remain, but the ocean view from the site is worth the short detour.

Sanatorio de Abona: an abandoned leprosy sanatorium

Sanatorio de Abona is a leprosarium on the island’s south coast. It was built in 1943 for a disease that was on the decline on the island at the time of construction. The facility was not used for its intended purpose due to the advent of new drugs before its opening to patients. After serving its purpose as a military building for a while, it became private property.

The site has real significance–it tells one more story of the island besides those related to its beaches and resorts.

However, visit with caution. It’s unsupervised, and there are no official safety measures on-site: no lighting, no marked hazards, and structurally uncertain in places.

Masca Valley and the Masca Gorge Trail

The village of Masca is nestled deeply into the mountains of northwest Tenerife, right on the rim of an impressive canyon that is so remote that, according to local lore, pirates used it as a hiding place. You can get there by car, but it will be challenging as the road is narrow and steep.

To reach the Los Gigantes cliff from the Masca Gorge Trail (Camino del Barranco de Masca), you need to descend about 5 km (3.1 miles) to reach the coast from an elevation of roughly 750 meters (2,460 feet). After being eroded for years by the unregulated crowds of hikers, the trail has been transformed into a paid one since 2025. No permits––no hike.

Book through the official Masca Gorge site well ahead of your trip, wear proper hiking shoes (rangers even check the soil), and arrive at least 30 minutes early for the security check. From the beach, most hikers take the boat to Los Gigantes rather than the return shuttle, which adds its own cost and needs booking within a few hours of your descent slot. We took that boat and didn’t regret it––the ticket cost was worth the views.

Montaña Roja: sunset near El Médano

Montaña Roja, a volcanic mountain of red color standing out against the surf resort of El Médano, is a natural reserve that offers some of the best sunset points in the Canary Islands. It is free to access, with a simple trail along the beach leading to the foot of the mountain, and a more difficult one leading up to its top. We had a fantastic hour there, watching the sun go down over the ocean.

3 things to know before traveling to Tenerife​

Beyond the places themselves, a few practical details can help you have a smooth trip.

1. When to go to Tenerife

Tenerife's north and south coasts run almost like two different climates. The north, where Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz sit, is cooler, cloudier, and catches most of the island's rain: around 515 mm (20.3 in) a year. The south, where the resort towns cluster, sits in the rain shadow of the mountains and gets closer to 115 mm (4.5 in) a year, with sun most days even in winter.

May to mid-October is the most reliable stretch for beach weather, with August the warmest month at around 28-29°C (82-84°F) on the coast. If you're coming for surf, the island splits by season too: November to February brings the big Atlantic swell to Playa de Las Américas, better suited to experienced surfers, while March to August is calmer and friendlier for beginners.

2. Getting there and around

It all depends on which area you decide to stay in; Tenerife South (Reina Sofía) is closer to the southern holiday resorts of Las Américas and Adeje, whereas Tenerife North (Los Rodeos) is closer to Santa Cruz and the north coast. Our budget red-eye flight landed us at the southern airport after having traveled from Portugal almost without sleep since we left just a few hours after dawn. If your time of arrival is flexible, an afternoon arrival is much better than one at dawn.

The local public buses, operated by Titsa and nicknamed guaguas, are pretty reliable. The ticket price depends on the distance, and for a ten+ card (€2 for the card), you can top up with a cheaper fare compared to cash; the price of the daily pass for the entire network will be €10. However, for hikes that require early departure or go to far destinations (such as Anaga or Teide), it would be much more convenient to rent a car. That's what we did for most of the month. We even spent a night in it during the Teide hike.

3. A note on safety

Some of the routes on Tenerife require actual ascents, exposed areas, or permits at certain stages along the way. The conditions, costs, and permits on the trails of Tenerife have been revised several times in the past two years, so it is wise to double-check all of this information prior to your departure.

Summing up: is Tenerife Spain travel​ worth the effort?

Tenerife rewards people who go beyond the resort strip: a sunrise above the clouds on Teide, a muddy trail through ancient Anaga forest, an abandoned sanatorium with a strange history, a beach at the end of a road that gives you relief. Book your permits for Teide and Masca Gorge as early as you can, since both fill up fast, and leave enough slack in your plans so that a change in the weather or a sold-out time slot doesn't derail the trip. Whichever routes you choose, your journey will be unique and memorable, because Tenerife is made for exploration and adventure.