12 Hours in Tenerife
Nick White
Are you heading to the Canary Islands? This week, we're giving you a sample of the adventures you could have with a day in port.
Your Arrival
Set the alarm for early because you’ve docked in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and have just 12 hours to see some of the island’s sights.
8am - Mount Teide
No trip to Tenerife is complete without seeing the landscapes around Mount Teide, a now-dormant volcano and the highest mountain in Spain – so tall it splits the island in two: The north is green, the south a desert because the rain can’t get past the peak. A tour is the best way to go.
1pm - Jump on the tram
Return to Santa Cruz and hop on tram number 1 for the 15-minute ride to San Cristobal de La Laguna. Founded by the Spanish in 1496, it’s a perfect place to lunch on Canary Island specialities such as papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes), caldo de millo (corn and chickpea stew) and Churros de Pescado (fish fritters).
2:30pm - Explore La Laguna
Take a spin around La Laguna. It’s the oldest town on the island, and it has traditional Canarian architecture and a museum, Casa Lercaro, that tells the island’s history. It was also the first city in the world built on a geometric grid - a model explorer departing from here used when founding towns in South and Central America.
4pm - Palmetum Botanical Garden
Return to Santa Cruz again and set out on a DIY walking tour. There are windows for shoppers to browse, the Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception to peek into, and a botanical garden, Palmetum, home to more than 2,000 trees and shrubs worldwide.
Are you interested in visiting the Canaries and Tenerife? Take a look at all our sailings here.
