Tenerife Holidays

The Anaga mountains are made for walking, with paths cutting through old laurel forest before opening onto ridges and Atlantic views. Routes around Benijo and the smaller villages can be surprisingly quiet, while shorter trails near Cruz del Carmen suit an easier day out.

High in Corona Forestal Natural Park, mountain bikers can follow gravel tracks and forest roads through pine woodland and volcanic country. There are five official routes in the area, including the 13.78 kilometre BC-5 route, with options for both casual riders and experienced cyclists.

Tenerife’s north coast has some of the island’s more demanding surf. Punta del Hidalgo is known for powerful waves and faster conditions around its volcanic shoreline, while beginners are better suited to gentler spots such as El Socorro de Güímar.

Some paragliding flights begin around 2,200 metres near the edge of Teide National Park. From that height, Mount Teide fills the first part of the view before the flight continues over forests, hills and villages towards Tenerife’s northern coastline.

El Médano has long been Tenerife’s centre for windsurfing and kitesurfing. Reliable winds, specialist schools and international competitions keep the beach busy with everyone from first-timers to professional riders, with Montaña Roja forming the familiar backdrop at the end of the bay.

Kayaking beneath the cliffs of Los Gigantes puts their sheer size into perspective. Trips follow Tenerife’s western coast past steep volcanic walls, small bays and sea caves, with sections of the shoreline only properly visible from a kayak or boat.

Cyclists looking for a serious climb usually head towards Mount Teide. Several roads reach the mountain from different sides of Tenerife, rising from the coast to around 2,300 metres. Some routes involve close to 50 kilometres of almost continuous uphill riding.

Tenerife has a strong trail-running scene, helped by mountain paths that move quickly between pine forest, exposed volcanic ground and the coast. Routes around Santa Cruz and Los Catalanes can involve steep descents, while organised races cater for several distances and ability levels.

The sheltered water at Las Teresitas makes it a popular place to try stand-up paddleboarding. Its breakwaters keep much of the stronger swell away from the beach, creating calmer conditions close to Santa Cruz, with the Anaga mountains visible beyond the bay.

At Los Arcos, canyoning takes place among volcanic formations shaped by Tenerife’s eruptive past. The route involves scrambling through rocky sections and abseiling down lava walls, making it one of the more hands-on ways to experience the island’s volcanic terrain.

Tenerife’s Guanche past has not disappeared completely from island life. One example is the Beñesmen Guanche Pilgrimage at La Vera, held around a traditional tagoror, the type of meeting place once used by the island’s indigenous communities.

La Laguna was founded in 1496, and its carefully planned streets went on to influence colonial towns built by the Spanish in the Americas. That unusual piece of urban history is central to the old city’s recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Garachico was Tenerife’s leading commercial port until the 1706 volcanic eruption changed its coastline and brought much of that activity to an end. San Miguel Fortress, built in the 16th century to protect the harbour, was among the structures that survived.

Known locally as the Black Castle, San Juan Bautista Castle has guarded the Santa Cruz coastline since the 17th century. It was later rebuilt following damage from the sea and remains one of the best-preserved historic fortifications on the island.

The Lercaro family, Genoese merchants who settled in Tenerife after the Spanish conquest, built this La Laguna palace in the 16th century. Its stone entrance and central courtyard survive today as part of Tenerife’s History and Anthropology Museum.

Candelaria has been an important place of pilgrimage for centuries. A temple dedicated to the Virgin opened here in 1672 but was destroyed by fire in 1789. The present basilica was completed in 1959 and remains dedicated to the patron saint of the Canary Islands. 

Tenerife’s carnival season is one of the island’s most distinctive annual traditions, bringing a Rio-style spirit to the period before Easter. It gives the island a completely different rhythm, with celebration becoming as much a part of the experience as beaches and volcanic scenery.

Guachinches began as simple places where vineyard owners in northern Tenerife could sell their own wine directly to customers. Many still pair local wine with unfussy Canarian cooking, giving visitors a far more grounded taste of island life than a polished resort restaurant can offer.

La Orotava’s Corpus celebrations turn an old religious tradition into something wonderfully visual. Between May and June, streets are decorated with carefully made carpets using flowers and coloured volcanic sand from Teide, creating temporary works of local craftsmanship that remain closely tied to the town’s cultural calendar.

The Virgin of Candelaria is the patron saint of the Canary Islands, and her summer celebrations remain an important part of Tenerife’s religious culture. Festivities centre on the seaside town of Candelaria on 15 August, drawing attention to a tradition with deep island significance.

Traditional Canarian music and dance still have a visible place in Tenerife’s cultural calendar. Tegueste’s 7 Islands Folklore Festival brings groups from across the archipelago together, while events in Arona introduce visitors to the melodies, costumes and regional traditions that continue across the islands.

Canarian food is at its best when it stays simple and local. Papas arrugadas with red or green mojo are a staple, alongside goat’s cheese, marinated tuna, chickpea stews, tomatoes and island wines, all reflecting ingredients that have long shaped everyday cooking in Tenerife.

Tenerife Espacio de las Artes gives Santa Cruz a contemporary counterpoint to the island’s older traditions. The complex combines modern art, photography and library spaces, while its distinctive architecture makes the building itself part of the experience rather than merely a container for exhibitions.

Santa Cruz’s Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín is as memorable for its architecture as for what happens inside. Its sweeping roof has become a city landmark, while the programme brings music and live performance to a waterfront setting that feels especially striking after dark.

Auditorio Infanta Leonor in Arona offers a more traditional evening of performance, with acoustics designed for theatre, concerts and cinema. Its programme can range from ballet and flamenco to orchestral music, giving the south of Tenerife an option beyond bars and resort nightlife.

Night-time at Teide feels far removed from Tenerife’s coastal resorts. Stargazing experiences in the national park use professional guides and powerful telescopes to make sense of the sky, while the high mountain setting adds a quiet, almost otherworldly atmosphere once daylight disappears.

Playa de las Américas carries much of Tenerife’s livelier after-dark energy. The area mixes live music, show bars, restaurants and late-night venues, with places such as Papagayo Beach Club adding beachfront drinks and music for evenings that can easily stretch well beyond dinner.

Puerto de la Cruz takes a softer approach to nightlife. Small bars spill onto streets and squares, local music drifts through the centre, and an evening can be built around outdoor drinks rather than clubs, making the atmosphere sociable without feeling entirely shaped by tourism.

Castillo San Miguel turns dinner into full-scale theatre, using a medieval-style castle setting for staged jousting, sword fighting and tournament entertainment. The evening continues beyond the arena in the Grand Ballroom, making it a deliberately theatrical alternative to Tenerife’s usual bars and live-music venues.

Brahms and Liszt Showbar in Playa de las Américas has long centred its evenings on live entertainment rather than clubbing alone. Cabaret, comedy, music and jazz-style performances create an easy-going night out where the show matters just as much as the drinks.

For several weeks, Santa Cruz swaps everyday life for costumes, music and packed streets. Carnival brings together elaborate parades, comparsas, satirical murgas and the famous Carnival Queen Gala, before the celebrations close with the theatrical Burial of the Sardine.

Holy Week takes on a much quieter character in La Laguna. Processions pass through the UNESCO-listed historic centre carrying centuries-old religious images, with Good Friday among the most important moments. The setting gives the ceremonies an atmosphere quite different from Tenerife’s livelier festivals.

La Orotava’s streets become temporary works of art for Corpus Christi. Local families and artists create intricate carpets from flower petals and coloured volcanic sand, with some of the finest displays gathered around Plaza del Ayuntamiento before the religious procession passes through town.

Held on 3 May, this traditional celebration fills neighbourhoods in Santa Cruz, Los Realejos and La Laguna with crosses decorated in flowers, fabrics and greenery. Los Realejos is particularly known for combining the religious tradition with one of Tenerife’s biggest annual fireworks displays.

The night of 23 June is one of Tenerife’s liveliest summer traditions. Bonfires appear along beaches and ports, particularly around Puerto de la Cruz and Las Teresitas, while midnight swims and old rituals connected with luck and renewal continue after dark.

Candelaria honours the patron saint of the Canary Islands on 2 February and 15 August. Pilgrims gather around the basilica for religious services, traditional music and dance, with the celebrations bringing together Catholic customs and elements of Tenerife’s Guanche heritage.

La Laguna hosts one of the Canary Islands’ most important traditional pilgrimages. Ox-drawn carts travel through the historic streets accompanied by folk music, livestock and crowds in Canarian dress, with local wine, cheese and other island produce shared along the route.

Fishing communities across Tenerife honour the Virgen del Carmen with maritime processions during July. Puerto de la Cruz hosts one of the island’s best-known celebrations, when the Virgin is carried to the harbour and taken out to sea alongside decorated fishing boats.

On 29 and 30 November, northern Tenerife celebrates the arrival of the year’s new wine. Icod de los Vinos is particularly lively, mixing tastings and roasted chestnuts with the noisy tradition of dragging pots, pans and other metal objects through the streets.