The North

Puerto de la Cruz is the historical heart of tourism in Tenerife — and its complete counterpoint to the south. Where Costa Adeje offers hotel complexes and shopping malls, here awaits a grown place with a real soul: narrow streets with Canarian wooden balconies, a lively fishing port, botanical gardens, and a cultural heritage that dates back to the 18th century.

Sights

• Playa Jardín: César Manrique's masterpiece — a black lava beach, nestled in tropical gardens with palms, cacti, and volcanic rock. One of the most beautiful beaches in the Canaries, despite the dark color of the sand. The waves can be strong — be careful with children.
• Lago Martiánez: Seven seawater swimming pools, designed by César Manrique (1977). Volcanic rock, white architecture, subtropical plants, and a large central lake — an architectural jewel. Admission: 5.50€.
• Jardín Botánico: The Botanical Garden (1788, founded by order of King Carlos III) is one of the oldest in Spain. On 20,000 m², over 4,000 tropical and subtropical plants grow — including a gigantic Australian fig tree, whose aerial roots form their own labyrinth. Admission: 3€.
• Loro Parque: Tenerife's most visited attraction. Originally founded as a parrot park, it now houses orcas, penguins, gorillas, tigers, and the largest parrot collection in the world (over 350 species). Controversial due to orca captivity, but zoologically top-notch. Admission: 40€, children 28€. Combo ticket with Siam Park: 68€.
• Old Town & Fishing Port: Calle San Felipe, Plaza del Charco, and the small harbor Muelle Pesquero are the heart of old Puerto. In the evening: tapas bars, live music, and the sound of the surf.

La Orotava is perhaps the most beautiful city in Tenerife — a colonial jewel that stretches in a fertile valley from Teide to the sea. The old town, with its magnificent mansions from the 17th and 18th centuries, carved wooden balconies, and flower-adorned courtyards, is an architectural open-air museum.

Highlights

• Casa de los Balcones: The most famous house in the Canaries (1632). A two-story mansion with spectacular carved wooden balconies made of dark teak and a courtyard full of plants. Today, a museum for Canarian handicrafts (embroidery, ceramics). Admission: 5€.
• Iglesia de la Concepción: The mighty Baroque church (1788) with its dome dominates the skyline of La Orotava. The interior is opulent: gilded altars, wood carvings, and an impressive organ.
• Jardines del Marquesado de la Quinta Roja: Terraced gardens in the 19th-century style with a neo-Gothic mausoleum at the center. Free admission and a wonderful place for a break.
• Alfombras de Corpus Christi: At Corpus Christi (May/June), the residents transform the streets of the old town into a work of art made of flower carpets: Huge pictures made of flower petals, volcanic sand, and colored earths cover the streets. A UNESCO intangible cultural heritage and one of the most impressive festivals in the Canaries.
• Orotava Valley: The Valle de La Orotava stretches from Teide to the coast at Puerto de la Cruz. Alexander von Humboldt called it "the most beautiful place I have ever seen". Banana plantations, vineyards, and tropical gardens fill the fertile valley — the contrast to the barren Teide summit above is breathtaking.

The Anaga Mountains (Macizo de Anaga) in the northeast is Tenerife's wildest and oldest landscape area — a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2015. Here, a piece of the Canary Islands' primeval landscape has been preserved, which exists nowhere else in the world: mist-covered laurel forests, razor-sharp mountain ridges, scattered mountain villages, and a biodiversity that delights biologists.

Hiking in Anaga

• Cruz del Carmen → Chinamada: Moderate hike (approx. 3h, 8 km) through dense Laurisilva laurel forest — a relic from the Tertiary period, which only exists in the Canaries, Madeira, and the Azores. The mist drifting through the moss-covered trees creates a mystical atmosphere. In Chinamada, people still live in cave dwellings.
• Punta del Hidalgo → Chinamada: Steep ascent (approx. 2.5h) from the coast into the mountains. Reward: spectacular views over the Atlantic and the neighboring islands.
• Chamorga → Playa de Roque Bermejo: Descent to Tenerife's most remote beach (3h one-way). The path leads through abandoned hamlets and ends at a wild pebble beach — solitude guaranteed.
• Sendero de los Sentidos: Short, barrier-free circular trail (1.5 km) in the laurel forest near Cruz del Carmen. Perfect for families and a first impression of Anaga.

Mountain Villages

• Taganana: The most picturesque village in Anaga — white houses in a green ravine, surrounded by terraced fields and palm trees. The church Nuestra Señora de las Nieves (1515) is one of the oldest on the island. Be sure to try the local wine in a bodega.
• Afur: Tiny village in a deep ravine, starting point for the hike to the wild Playa de Tamadite.
• El Bailadero: Mountain pass on the ridge of the Anaga Mountains with a fabulous view over both coasts.

Icod de los Vinos

The historic wine-growing village in the northwest is especially famous for the Drago Milenario — the oldest and largest Canarian Dragon Tree (Dracaena draco) in the world. Age estimates range from 500 to over 1,000 years, but the silhouette is unmistakable: 16 meters high, a massive trunk, and an umbrella-shaped crown. The tree stands in the Parque del Drago (admission: 5€), but the best free view is from Plaza Andrés de Lorenzo Cáceres.

Icod is also one of the oldest wine-growing areas in the Canaries. The Malvasía wine from here was famous even in Shakespeare's time (he calls it "Canary Wine" in various plays). In the bodegas on the outskirts, you can taste the local wine.

Cueva del Viento: The largest lava cave in Europe and the fifth largest in the world — a 17-kilometer-long system of lava tunnels, formed by the eruption of Pico Viejo 27,000 years ago. Guided tours (2h, max. 16 people) show a small part of the spectacular tunnels with lava formations, stalactites, and endemic fauna. Reservation required: 20€.

Garachico

Garachico was once the most important port in Tenerife — until the volcanic eruption of 1706 buried half the town under lava and destroyed the harbor. Today, what remains and has been rebuilt is one of the most charming coastal villages in the Canaries:

• El Caletón — Natural Pools: The absolute highlight. Where the lava of 1706 flowed into the sea, natural pools of black volcanic rock were formed, filled with crystal-clear seawater. Swimming in these natural pools with a view of the historic old town is an experience like no other. Free admission.
• Castillo de San Miguel: The small fortress at the harbor survived the volcanic eruption and is now a museum with an exhibition on the dramatic history of the town.
• Plaza de la Libertad: The pretty main square with a centuries-old laurel tree and historic buildings. Here you can sit in a café and look out to sea.
• Roque de Garachico: A striking rock cone in the sea right in front of the town — it is the landmark of Garachico and a dream photo motif at sunset.

Tenerife's north is a forgotten wine paradise. The island has five Denominaciones de Origen (protected designations of origin) and grows vines on volcanic soil at altitudes from 200 to 1,700 meters — some of the highest vineyards in Europe. The grape varieties are partly unique in the world, as phylloxera never reached the Canary Islands: Here, ungrafted vines still grow, which have been extinct elsewhere for 150 years.

The Most Important Wines

• Listán Negro: Tenerife's dominant red wine variety. Light, fruity, volcanic-mineral. Reminiscent of an elegant Pinot Noir.
• Listán Blanco: Fresh white wine with citrus aromas. Perfect with fish.
• Malvasía: The historical sweet wine of the Canaries, praised even by Shakespeare. Honey-colored, aromatic, complex.
• Negramoll: Aromatic red wine variety for rosé and light red wines.

Guachinches — Tenerife's Culinary Secret

A Guachinche (pronounced: gwa-TSCHIN-tsche) is something unique in the world: a temporary restaurant in a private house or garage, where winemakers serve their own wine along with simple, homemade food. No menu, no decor, no frills — just a few plastic chairs, Papas Arrugadas, grilled meat, and carafes of homemade wine.

Guachinches are only open as long as the wine lasts — then they close again until the next harvest. They are not listed in travel guides and constantly change. The best ones can be found via Google Maps (search for "guachinche"), local Facebook groups, or by asking locals. Prices: Main course 5–8€, carafe of wine 3–5€. An evening in a Guachinche rarely costs more than 25€ for two people — including wine and starters.