Spain
Morning at the Teide cable car base station, 2,356 metres up: the summit above you, the lava fields of Las Cañadas around you, and the 342 bus from Costa Adeje pulling in behind.
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands: a dry, sunny south lined with resorts, a greener and cloudier north with the island's old towns, and Spain's highest mountain in the middle. In winter it's warm rather than hot, about four and a half hours from the UK. The best of it is away from the sunbeds.
Tenerife is the biggest of the Canary Islands, with Mount Teide in the middle. At 3,718 metres it's the highest peak in Spain, and the national park around it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007. The mountain splits the weather. The north side faces the trade winds and gets more cloud, rain and green hills. That's where you'll find La Laguna, a UNESCO-listed old town, Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava and Garachico. The south gets more sunshine and less rain, and most of the resort hotels are there: Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos, near Tenerife South airport. Santa Cruz, the capital, is on the east coast with the Anaga mountains behind it. In the west, the Los Gigantes cliffs drop into the sea below the Teno massif and the Masca gorge.
For winter sun close to home, Tenerife is hard to beat. The flight is about four and a half hours, the clocks are the same as the UK's, and at Tenerife South the average high is about 22°C in January. The island also has far more to it than a beach strip. In one day you can ride a cable car to 3,555 metres on a volcano, and the next you can walk the laurel forest of Anaga or the old streets of La Laguna. In between there's a black-sand cove, a lava rock pool or a bowl of wrinkled potatoes and mojo. Buses and a tourist card cover most of it.
Tenerife neighbourhood by neighbourhood — the character of each and who it suits.
The big resort coast of the south-west, much of it developed in recent years: hotels, beaches and promenades in Adeje's Costa Adeje, running into Playa de las Américas. The old town of Adeje sits up the hill.
A fishing town turned resort next to Playa de las Américas, with a busy port that still has its seaside character.
The island's original resort on the north coast, where tourism began in the 19th century. It keeps a fishing-town feel and a protected old quarter.
The old university city in the hills above Santa Cruz, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Its grid of streets was copied across colonial cities in the Americas.
The capital since 1833 and a working port city, more for living than for lying on a sunbed.
Two small seaside towns on the west coast under the Los Gigantes cliffs, which rise up to 600 metres from the sea.
Start with papas arrugadas: small potatoes boiled in salt until the skins wrinkle, served with red mojo picón or green coriander mojo. Then try conejo en salmorejo (rabbit), a puchero stew, and gofio, the toasted-grain flour that goes back to the Guanches. Tenerife has five of the Canaries' ten wine designations of origin, and the volcanic whites are worth ordering. In the northern hills look for a guachinche, a simple dining room set up on a patio or in a garage, with folding chairs, paper tablecloths, home cooking and the owner's own wine. For fresh produce in the capital, go to the Mercado Nuestra Señora de África in Santa Cruz. The resort strips of the south serve every cuisine you can name, and some very ordinary ones too.
Canarian cooking leans on fish, pork, rabbit and goat, so vegetarians will find more choice in the resort restaurants of the south and in Santa Cruz and La Laguna than in a country guachinche. Papas arrugadas with mojo are a reliable meat-free order, but ask how other dishes are made. For coeliac or other strict diets, contact restaurants before you go.
Pick the weather first, then the base. The south and south-west (Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas, Los Cristianos) get the most sun and the most hotels, but parts of the strip are busy and built up. Los Gigantes is quieter, on the west coast. Puerto de la Cruz in the north is a real town with a fishing-port feel, but expect more cloud. If you want culture and food over beaches, La Laguna and Santa Cruz are linked by tram.
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A hire car gives you the most freedom for Teide, Masca and the north-west, and your UK photocard licence is valid. Spain's drink-drive laws are strict, and holding your phone while driving is illegal. Without a car, TITSA's buses (guaguas) reach the resorts, the towns, both airports and Teide. Single tickets are sold on the bus and priced by distance. For more than a couple of trips, a tourist card on a ten+ card or the ten+ móvil app gives unlimited buses and tram: EUR 10 for 24 hours or EUR 50 for 7 days. Under-5s ride free. The tram has two lines: Line 1 links Santa Cruz and La Laguna, and Line 2 runs between La Cuesta and Tíncer. It runs from 6am to midnight on weekdays, around the clock at weekends. Taxis are white and metered.
For Teide, take the 342 from Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos or the 348 from Puerto de la Cruz to Las Cañadas and El Portillo. Line 343 links the two airports non-stop in 50 minutes and continues to Puerto de la Cruz and the south coast. Between Santa Cruz and Costa Adeje, use the 110 or 111. Santa Cruz to Puerto de la Cruz is the 100 (direct) or 102. For Loro Parque, the 381 runs to Punta Brava in Puerto de la Cruz. For Los Gigantes, the 477 runs direct from Costa Adeje bus station and the 473 comes from Los Cristianos. Masca village is on the 355 (Santiago del Teide to Buenavista) and the 365, but walking the gorge means the official shuttle. From Santa Cruz, the 910 goes to Las Teresitas and the 946 to Taganana and Almáciga in Anaga.
Ready-made day plans for Tenerife — from a single day to a long weekend.
Take the 342 bus from Costa Adeje or Los Cristianos (or the 348 from Puerto de la Cruz) up to the Teide National Park. Ride the cable car to La Rambleta at 3,555 metres and walk the short trails to the La Fortaleza and Pico Viejo lookouts. Stop at the El Portillo visitor centre on the way back. Book cable car tickets online and check the status page first.
Spend a day in the north-east. Take the tram from Santa Cruz to La Laguna for the cathedral and the old streets, then the 273 bus up to Cruz del Carmen in Anaga for a walk in the laurel forest. Next day, eat breakfast at the Mercado Nuestra Señora de África and take the 910 to Las Teresitas, or the 946 out to Taganana and Almáciga.
Go west. Book the Masca trail for a Friday, Saturday or Sunday and catch the shuttle from Santiago del Teide. Or take a boat from Los Gigantes marina to see the cliffs from the sea. Finish in Garachico, swimming in the El Caletón lava pools by the 1575 castle.
The 7 shores actually worth the trip on Tenerife — ranked, with the vibe of each and where to stay nearby. Tap a card to fly the map to it.
Family © M-fotoland · CC BY-SA 3.0 Golden Saharan sand trucked in and a breakwater keep the water calm and shallow for small kids.
Best for families with young kids
Swimming © Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) · CC BY 3.0 Manicured grey-gold sand fronting Costa Adeje's five-star hotels, with calm, easy swimming.
Best for calm resort swimming
Dramatic © Alumnado Módulo ITG · CC BY 2.0 Wild black volcanic sand under jagged sea stacks at the road's end in Anaga — raw and unspoilt.
Best for dramatic scenery & sunsets
Party © Andree Stephan (Apeto) · CC BY 3.0 A breezy town beach below Montaña Roja that's Europe's windsurf and kitesurf capital.
Best for windsurf & kitesurf
Sunset © Falk Arnhold (Falk2) · CC BY-SA 4.0 César Manrique-landscaped black sand backed by lush gardens beside the crashing Atlantic.
Best for gardens & sunset strolls
Long sandy © Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 A kilometre of wild golden sand under the red cone of Montaña Roja, protected and undeveloped.
Best for long natural sandy walks
Snorkelling © Mike Peel · CC BY-SA 4.0 A small black-sand cove of clear, sheltered water right beneath the towering Los Gigantes cliffs.
Best for snorkelling under cliffs
The landmarks, museums, viewpoints and shores worth your time on Tenerife — filter by what you're into. Tap a card to fly the map to it.
Parks & gardens A UNESCO-listed volcanic park of about 19,000 hectares around Mount Teide, Spain's highest peak, with a cable car and visitor centres at El Portillo and Cañada Blanca.
Best for Volcano scenery
Parks & gardens A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of laurel forest, sharp ridges and small coastal villages at Tenerife's north-eastern tip, with a visitor centre at Cruz del Carmen.
Best for Hiking
Other places A hamlet on a ridge in the Teno massif, above the Masca gorge, whose trail is open on set days by advance ticket and shuttle only.
Best for Gorge walk
Landmarks Sea cliffs up to 600 metres high on Tenerife's west coast, best seen from one of the boats that sail from the Los Gigantes marina all year.
Best for Boat trips
Other places A small north-coast town that was rebuilt after the 1706 eruption, with the lava rock pools of El Caletón and the Castillo de San Miguel of 1575.
Best for Rock pools
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Tenerife · Around the island · 1 island · 7 beaches · 12 attractions
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View & book →October to May
Units
What to expect — March to May is mild and settling. At Tenerife South airport average highs are 23 to 24°C and rain is rare by May. The north still has showers in March and April, and the Teide uplands can have snow into March.
What's best — Walking in Anaga and Teno, and Teide before the summer crowds.
What to expect — The warmest months. Average highs reach 28°C at Tenerife South and 29°C in Santa Cruz in August, with almost no rain. Wildfires are a summer risk in Spain, islands included.
What's best — Sea and pools, long evenings, and Siam Park at full tilt.
What to expect — September and October are still warm (27°C average high at the south airport in October) and the first rain returns to the north. November averages 25°C in the south.
What's best — Warm-weather half-terms without the August heat.
What to expect — Warm, not hot: average highs of about 21 to 23°C on the south coast, with around two to four rain days a month there. The north is cooler and wetter (16°C at Tenerife North airport in January). Above 2,000 metres it can be below freezing.
What's best — Winter sun in the south, carnival in Santa Cruz, and snow on Teide seen from a beach.
Follow the FCDO's entry rules for Spain. Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive and be valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area.
You can stay up to 90 days in any 180.
The EU Entry/Exit System is now in use: expect to give fingerprints and a photo at the border, and to wait longer.
ETIAS is not running yet and isn't taking applications. Ignore any site selling one.
Border staff may ask for your return ticket, accommodation and proof you have enough money.
The cable car ticket does not include the summit. The last stretch to the crater (Telesforo Bravo trail) needs a permit booked through the Cabildo's Tenerife ON service, for a set day and time slot. Non-residents pay; the price depends on the time, your residence and age.
The cable car can be closed on the day. Check the status page before you drive up.
At the summit it can be below zero even in summer, and altitude sickness is a real risk. Under-3s shouldn't go up.
Masca gorge: tickets only on the official site, with a compulsory shuttle from Santiago del Teide on Fridays to Sundays.
Barranco del Infierno: compulsory online booking, no under-5s, helmets on.
Whale and dolphin trips: pick a boat flying the Blue Boat flag.
A red flag means you must not go in the water. Beaches around the Spanish islands can have strong undercurrents.
Bring a GHIC or EHIC for state healthcare, and travel insurance as well: hotel-arranged private clinics won't accept the card.
Emergency number: 112.
Flights from the UK go mainly to Tenerife South (TFS) in Granadilla de Abona, the island's main international airport. TUI flies from Gatwick in about 4 hours 20 minutes and from Manchester and Glasgow in about 4 hours 40. Ryanair flies from Glasgow Prestwick in 4 hours 40. Tenerife North (TFN) near La Laguna mostly handles flights to the other islands. From TFS, the bus stop is on floor 0 at arrivals: line 40 runs to Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje, line 10 to Santa Cruz, and line 343 to Puerto de la Cruz by way of Tenerife North. Night line 711 covers Santa Cruz, Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje. Taxis go from the signed rank. At the border, the EU Entry/Exit System now takes fingerprints and a photo, so allow extra time.
Flights, airport transfers and car hire to TFS — search and compare without leaving the page.
