Tenerife is the largest of the seven Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean. Important historical and natural attractions make it a major tourist destination. A subtropical climate, with long hot summers and moderately warm winters, makes you enjoy and explore all year round. Tenerife is quite different from Gran Canaria, but yet they share some similarities. There is a lot to do every season of the year, but it gets most crowded in the summer. Do the research ahead and plan what would you like to see, and you’ll find it easier to choose the date and place where you would like to stay.

Basic Information

Language: Spanish
Currency: EUR
Time zone: UTC/GMT +1 hour
Tips: Leaving a tip is voluntary.
Weather & clothes: Always wear sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses. Bring a lot of comfortable cotton outfits. Bring some jacket for the cold days, if you go to the North of the island, it might get windy and cold, and also if you go to Mount Teide. Pack your hiking boots.
Travel documents: Valid ID or passport. If you are traveling from outside the European Union, check with your embassy or consulate.
Getting around: The easiest way is to rent a car. And the fuel is cheap.
Parking & driving: Always park in a designated area. Especially if you go to Teide, do not park on the street, you might get a ticket. Always observe traffic restrictions.

When to go

Consider the off-season. There are two high seasons, from December through February, and from June to August, which is the islands’ peak tourist month. you should plan your vacation early if you are planning to visit in this months. If you would like to avoid the massive crowds but still want to get the most of the sun and beaches, May or September and October are the best choices.
Looking for some fun, you might want to check annual events and festivals, like Carnaval in February/March.

Where to stay

If you are looking for the sun and fun, you should stay in the South of the Island.  North Tenerife can get quite cold and misty sometimes, but it’s still very beautiful, and there are also some nice places to swim. If you are looking for a city vibe, you should stay in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. But the best thing is, you can reach the whole island easily by car, so it’s not so important where you stay, because you can move around all the time. Renting a car is a must to see as much as you want to.
Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife 5 star luxurious hotel located in Adeje, great location.
Palm Beach Tenerife nice apartments just a minute walk from the beach, great value, and location in Playa de las Americas.
Royal Hideaway Corales Beach 5 star luxurious hotel located in Adeje, very pricey but the interior design is just awesome. Adults only.
Hotel Trianflor 4 star hotel located in Puerto de la Cruz. Just 5 minutes walk from the beach and a really good price.
Hotel Maga 1 star budget hotel, but very well equipped and looks nice, located in Puerto de la Cruz.
Muthu Royal Park Albatros 3 star condo hotel, located in San Miguel de Abona, just 5 minutes walk from the beach.

What to see

There are so many things to do and see, so even on your 14-day vacation, you can do a different thing every single day. Renting a car is really the best choice, you can rent a car when you are already on the island, or ahead online. Either way, you need a credit card with a high limit. There are also great connections with public transport, but when you have a car, you can explore more, anytime you want.

Masca

Probably the most beautiful small mountain village in Tenerife. And part of its beauty is the way to get there. It is a quite challenging drive with steep ascents and descents, and very narrow bends. Not for nervous drivers. But totally worth the drive. Passing some nice viewpoints on the way, and then seeing this picturesque view when you get to the village, it’s just priceless.
To enjoy the nature you can hike the trail from the village down the gorge to the beach near Los Gigantes. It’s a very popular but strenuous hike, and it takes around 3 hours each way. You can also hike down to the beach and then take a boat ride. But, if you arrived in Masca by car, you should consider you will have to go there again to pick up the car. Either way, it’s best to come early, to avoid the crowds and get a parking spot.

Driving from Masca to Buenavista

This is actually just a short 17km drive, although it looks really long on Google maps. If you drove the spectacular road to Masca, this is a great way to continue the road trip and find some more magical sceneries and magnificent views.
Buenavista del Norte is a municipality and town on the north coast of Tenerife. Once you are there, just stroll down the charming streets, definitely stop in Plaza de Los Remedios, a perfect place for a coffee break. There are also many other sights nearby.

Punta de Teno Lighthouse

Punta de Teno is the westerly-most tip of Tenerife, meaning it has the longest daylight hours. It lies within the protected area of Teno Country Park, one of the Island’s most important natural areas. The lighthouse is fenced so you can’t get near, but still, you can come close to see the dramatic scenery. The road to there is closed some days in the week, but you can use the bus daily, or go by foot or go cycling.

Buenavista lighthouse & El Rayo Buenavista

To get to Buenavista lighthouse, you actually drive through banana plantations, which looks really awesome. Unfortunately, you can’t climb to the lighthouse, but it could get so windy there, you might not even want to climb up. But the scenery is amazing, no matter the weather. Just a walking distance away, there is an interesting El Rayo Buenavista, a big round rock crater hole.
   

Loro Parque

Loro Park is the world-famous animal adventure park. There are plenty of animals to see and enjoy the shows, it is a pleasant place for a whole family and you can spend a whole day here. But it’s best to bring your own food, otherwise, you can spend a fortune there. It might get really busy, so to enjoy more, visit in the off-season.
You can really see the care and dedication the staff give to the animals and the shows are not only entertaining but also educational.
  

Teide National Park & Volcano Teide

El Teide is a volcano, the highest mountain in Spain, the highest peak in the Atlantic Ocean in the world’s third highest volcano. It is 3,718 meters high. This is definitely a must if you are visiting Tenerife. The whole Teide National Park is amazing, just driving around you can see a lot of things.

Pack your hiking boots, a sweater or a jacket (it’s cold up there even in summer), hat, and sunglasses. First, go to the cable car base station. Park only in the designated areas, because you will get a ticket if you’ll park on the road. It’s best that you order tickets online, to avoid the crowds there. But still, you will have to wait for a line to get on a cable car. Allow yourself a lot of time, come at least one hour earlier, so you can get a parking spot. Plan your visit, check out the opening times and all the information on www.volcanoteide.com.

The routes are the best way to discover the volcano but don’t stray from the marked paths. Of the three routes, only the route No. 10 leading to Teide Peak requires a free permit from the Teide National Park’s administration, which can be requested online at www.reservasparquesnacionales.es. This permit must be applied way ahead before your visit because they run out quite fast.
   

Anaga rural park

Anaga forest covers the north-eastern end of the island and offers spectacular views, routes, and hiking trails. This magical place is the greenest part of the island. Lake many other roads on Tenerife, the roads in Anaga are also spectacular and offers many scenic views. But a lot of time you actually just drive through the clouds, and that’s kind of an adventure too.
One of the easiest trails is Trail of the Senses, starting and finishing point in Cruz del Carmen, parking spot available and part of the trail is wheelchair accessible. A gorgeous forest trail that looks like it’s been taken from a fairytale.

El Drago – The Dragon Tree

In the lovely town of Icod de Los Vinos on the north side of the island, there is this impressive tree called ‘Drago Milenario’ because it was thought to be more than a thousand years old. Later it’s been estimated at less than 1000 years… but still, it’s the oldest of its kind.
It’s one of the major attractions on the island, and many people think it’s overrated. But it’d definitely worth the visit, you can enjoy the view from the terrace in the nearby park and just walk around this old city.

Natural pools of the north of Tenerife

Natural pools are a great alternative for the beaches and there are plenty of them in the north of the island. The pools protect you from the waves, so they are suitable for the whole family. One of the most known is El Caletón de Garachico, some of the others are El Pris, Bajamar, El bufadero de La Garita, Charco Los Chochos…  You can choose from all natural created by a volcano, or pools conditioned by the hand of man.
 

Monkey Park

A lovely small zoo, where you can feed monkeys, lemurs, guinea pigs, turtles… You can buy little boxes of food at the entrance, and you should go as early as you can, while animals are still very hungry and haven’t lost interest yet.

Roque Bermejo

Hiking to Roque Bermejo beach is possibly one of the most sightseeing hikes on Tenerife. Pack a lot of water for this moderate trip, wear good shoes and a hat. And don’t forget your swimsuit. It’s best to arrive by car to a village called Chamorga. There is also a public transport, but the bus only drives just a few times a day, so you need to plan your hike carefully. There is not a lot of parking places, you can park near the church or a restaurant. The road to the Chamorga itself is really amazing with many viewpoints.
From Chamorga you will follow the signs to Faro de Anaga. Once you get to faro – the lighthouse, you descend to the beach and Roque Bermejo. Enjoy the tranquility and relax, there are not a lot of people there, as the beach is only reachable on foot or by boat. Then return back to the village on the lower part of the trail, through a deep gorge.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

While you are in Tenerife, you should visit a capital city for at least one afternoon or a day. The main landmarks of the city are the Auditorio de Tenerife (Auditorium of Tenerife), the Santa Cruz Towers (Torres de Santa Cruz) and the Iglesia de la Concepción. But the most enjoyable is visiting some of the city parks or plazas, such as Parque García Sanabria or Plaza de Los Patos.

Siam Park

This amazing water kingdom has become the best water park in the world according to Trip Advisor. And really it pretty amazing, it has so many attractions to keep everyone happy. And you can totally spend a whole day there. It could get really crowded, especially in top season, so you should arrive early. The most popular rides can get very busy, so you could spend a lot of time waiting.
Find out more information and photos on their official site, Siam Park.