Tenerife

Introduction

Teide, Tenerife

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Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Spain. Because of the southern location you have an almost 100% guarantee for sunshine during your stay. It doesn't mean that Tenerife is only there for the people who want to spend their days at the 'playa'. The volcano that dominates the skyline of this island is awaiting climbers to visit the summit at 3,718 metres.

Geography

Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands and like the other islands of the Canary Islands, Tenerife also has a volcanic history, which explains the black beaches of the island. All the sandy beaches you will find on the island are man made. The island lies in the Atlantic Ocean, about 200 kilometres from Morocco and Western Sahara. The Teide volcano on Tenerife is officially the highest mountain of Spain, topping the Mulhacén in the Sierra Nevada by more than 200 metres.

Cities

• Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the main town on Tenerife
• Adeje - Small town located outside of Playa de las Américas.
• Icod De Los Vinos - The town is surrounded by vineyards. The old dragon blood tree El Drago milenario is the city's biggest attraction.
• Garachico - Charming town on the north coast situated below Icod de los Vinos.
• La Laguna - Tenerife's second largest city and Canary Islands' largest university town located northwest of Santa Cruz. La Laguna was the former capital of the island
• La Orotava - The old town has given its name to the great valley running from Las Cañadas volcano crater at 2,000 metres down to the Atlantic Ocean. La Orotava is known for its architecture and trandtionelle Canarian environment.

Sights and Activities

Tenerife

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• The beaches
• Teide Vulcano - The VulcanoTeide with an average altitude of 2,000 metres above sea level, represents one of the most spectacular examples of volcanic development and is a good example of what is called Alpine-volcanic ecosystem. The enormous biological richness of the Park include a beautiful flora that has a high percentage of endemic plants and a large number of small animals. This national park, created in 1954 in recognition of its volcanic and biological value, is the largest and oldest of all the Canarian parks with a surface area of ​​18,990 ha. Besides the Teide National Park it is surrounded by the Corona Forestal Parque Natural, which with its 46,612.90 ha is the largest protected natural area on the Canary Islands. The World Heritage Committee took up Teide National Park on UNESCO's World Heritage List, 27 June 2007.
• Pyramids of Guimar on the east side of the island.
• Whale and dolphin tours. - From Puerto Colon and Los Cristianos depart many boats each day. Some tours have a warranty, so if you do not see anything on the trip, so you can get your money back or come again another day. Many of the trips have also swim stops.
• Submarine - From Puerto Colon, you can also get out and sail with a submarine, where you can really see life under the sea surface.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Tenerife's climate is perfect for a week of enjoying the sun and do some trips across the island. Summers are mostly between 25 °C and 30 °C during the day and still above 20 °C at night. Winters are about 6-8 °C colder on average though it's still quite warm, even at night. Note that the north of the island is somewhat cooler and wetter than the south, but still fine. Frost and snow on El Teide (the highest mountains of Spain) is quite common, especially during winternights.

Getting There

By Plane

Tenerife is serviced by two airports: Tenerife North (TFN) and Tenerife South (TFS).

These airports receive a lot of flights from all over Europe, Tenerife South Airport having by far the most possibilities. Lowcost airlines like Easyjet (from London and Manchester) and Ryanair have found their way as well, the last having most flights, including to/from Brussels, Dublin, Edinburgh, London, Glasgow, Madrid, Porto and Weeze (near Düsseldorf). Numerous other airlines serve Tenerife South though, the choice is wide. The public bus service TITSA offers cheap and quick services to all parts of the island and line 340 connects to the other airport Tenerife North Airport which is 71 kilometres by road.

Tenerife North Airport (TFN) is located about 10 kilometres from the city. Tenerife North mainly serves other Canary Islands, cities in mainland Spain, and several cities in Germany. Also, two airlines fly here to/from Caracas in Venezuela.

Tenerife is also connected with other Canary Islands by a smaller airline called Binter Canarias.

By Boat

Trasmediterránea and Fred Olsen, are the main operators between the Canary Islands of Lanzarote, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, El Hierro, La Palma and La Gomera. Trasmediterranea also travels to mainland Spain (Cádiz).
Naviera Armas runs weekly services between Portimao in mainland Portugal to Madeira and on to Tenerife, with connections to other Canary Islands, like Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.

Getting Around

By Plane

By Train

By Car

There are many car rental companies like Avis, Budget and Hertz that offer rental cars at very affordable rates (usually from around €20 a day). You can pick up a car at most tourist areas as well as the airports.

By Bus

The local bus network that runs across the island is called Titsa. You can buy single or return tickets directly on the bus. Remember to carry exact money if possible. The bus routes that are of most interest to tourists are marked with a green square on the line chart on the bus time table. With a Titsa Bono card you're travelling with a 50% discount on journeys over 20 kilometres. Bono card is sold at bus stations and some shops. Several people can travel on the same Bono card.

By Boat

Eat

Drink

Sleep

External Links

• Official Website
• Official Tourism Website