Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands and the most varied: a 3,715 m volcano in the middle, a sunny, resort-lined south, a greener and more Canarian north, and two airports at opposite ends. Pick your base by the kind of trip you want, hire a car or learn the bus network, and book Teide well ahead if you want to stand on the summit.
Mount Teide
Teide is the highest mountain in Spain and the heart of Teide National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007. The road across the park is free and the lunar landscape around the Roques de García viewpoint is worth the drive on its own.
- The cable car. The Teleférico del Teide climbs from about 2,356 m to La Rambleta at 3,555 m in a few minutes. Book on the official cable car site, go early, and expect closures on windy or icy days.
- The summit. Reaching the crater (trail 10, Telesforo Bravo) needs a timed permit, and a cable car ticket does not include it. Permits are booked on the trail's Tenerife ON page, as the national park's booking page explains; new dates open every Monday, about eight weeks ahead. Since January 2026 daytime permits carry a fee for anyone not resident on Tenerife (reported at 15 euros for visitors from outside the Canaries, with under-14s exempt), and the slot rules were revised in October 2026, so check the current conditions when you book. Places are limited and sell out.
- Without a permit you can still walk the short trails from the upper station to the La Fortaleza and Pico Viejo viewpoints.
- Altitude and cold. It can be freezing at the top when it is 25 degrees on the beach. Bring layers, water and sun cream, and take it slowly if you are not used to height.
North or south?
- The south (Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas, Los Cristianos) gets the most sunshine and the big hotels, restaurants and nightlife. Tenerife South airport (TFS) is roughly 15 to 25 minutes away by road.
- The north (Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava, La Laguna) is cooler and cloudier thanks to the trade winds, but greener, older and more local. Tenerife North airport (TFN) sits next to La Laguna.
Many visitors split a week between both. The drive from one end to the other is roughly an hour on the motorway.
Beaches
- Las Teresitas, near San Andrés north of Santa Cruz, a long golden beach built with sand brought from the Sahara and backed by the Anaga mountains.
- Playa del Duque and Fañabé in Costa Adeje, calm and well equipped.
- Los Cristianos, a sheltered town beach next to the harbour for the La Gomera ferry.
- El Médano, in the southeast, the windsurf and kitesurf beach, with the Montaña Roja nature reserve next door.
- Playa Jardín in Puerto de la Cruz, black volcanic sand with gardens. North-coast beaches can have strong currents, so respect the flags.
Towns and nature
- San Cristóbal de La Laguna, the old capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a grid of colourful colonial streets that was copied across Latin America.
- La Orotava, with carved wooden balconies and views of the valley.
- Santa Cruz, the capital, with the Auditorio de Tenerife and the Carnival in February or March.
- Anaga Rural Park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve of laurel forest and ridge walks in the northeast.
- Masca and Los Gigantes in the west: a hamlet clinging to a ravine and sheer sea cliffs. Walking down the Masca ravine now has to be booked in advance together with a compulsory boat transfer back from the bottom, through the official Masca trail site; the trail and the access road can close for safety, so check its status before going.
Getting around
The island bus company TITSA covers most towns and both airports, and a tram links Santa Cruz with La Laguna. Buses work well along the coasts, but for Teide, Anaga and Masca a hire car gives you far more freedom. Mountain roads are narrow and winding; allow more time than the map suggests. Ferries to La Gomera leave from Los Cristianos.
Before you go
The Canary Islands are part of Spain and the Schengen area. Spanish and other EU citizens only need a valid ID card or passport. UK and US citizens can visit without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180, and the EU Entry/Exit System, rolled out from October 2025, records their fingerprints and photo at the border. UK passports must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive and be valid for at least 3 months after you leave. The EU's ETIAS travel authorisation is due to be introduced, so check on the EU ETIAS site whether it applies to your dates, and read the UK government advice for Spain before travelling, as requirements change.
Staying connected
Teide permits, cable car tickets, TITSA times and mountain-road navigation all depend on your phone, and since Brexit many UK plans charge for roaming in Spain. A data eSIM for Spain, installed before you fly, gives you local data from the moment you land without removing your own SIM. See how much data you need and how to install it.