Tenerife in 5 Days: everything you need to know

Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands and also the most populated of all Spain. That's why you will have a great variety of things to see and do and to be able to visit its main sites, you will need several days. But don't worry, if you organize yourself well, in 5 days you will be able to visit all its most popular places and enjoy it to the fullest.

If when you think of Tenerife, only the sea, sand and paradisiacal beaches come to mind, let me demolish the first myth: on the island you can find that and much, much more. The cultural and historical heritage of Tenerife is as amazing as all its natural landscapes. Below I tell you what to see and do in 5 days in Tenerife, take note of this itinerary and organize your trip so as not to miss absolutely nothing.

The first day of your trip will begin by discovering part of the amazing northwest of Tenerife, which is home to popular and essential natural beauties that you must include in your itinerary, such as San Cristobal de la Laguna and Anaga Park.

San Cristobal de la Laguna

The first stop of your 5-day trip in Tenerife, will take place in the oldest city of the island: San Cristobal de la Laguna. It is the second most populated of all Tenerife, and was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1999 for being the only colonial city not walled.

Walking through its picturesque and ancient streets you will breathe part of the history of the island as there are unique monuments, such as the Casa Lercaro that has inside the Museum of History and Anthropology of Tenerife, the Convent of Santa Catalina de Siena, or the Matriz de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción Parish Church.

In addition, you will find in the heart of the city the emblematic Plaza del Adelantado, which is the most central and important, whose name comes from the conqueror of the island, the Adelantado Alonso Fernandez de Lugo. It is necessary to emphasize that this square, obtained its importance between the XVI century and XX century for being the main seat of relevant public acts, since it was surrounded by the main buildings of the city.

The Anaga Rural Park

About 13 kilometers from San Cristóbal de la Laguna, and about 20 minutes along the TF-12 highway, you will find your second destination of the day: the Anaga Rural Park. This site houses an imposing natural beauty, for which it has been declared a Biosphere Reserve in 2015 and is preserved in an exceptional way over the years.

Let me tell you that this is one of the most popular destinations in Tenerife and that is why it is included in the top 10 activities to do on the island. Undoubtedly, the mountainous landscape will dazzle you, but you can also walk along its many trails to reach some of the black sand coves that will take your breath away.

If you allow me to give you a tip, a good way to visit this amazing park is with a guided tour where you will learn a lot from an expert guide, without having to worry about anything.

The second day on the island will include two of its most classic and unmissable places and each of them with a particular importance, one for being its capital city and the other because it could be defined as its spiritual capital. I am talking about Santa Cruz de Tenerife and La Candelaria.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Nothing like starting your second day on this particular island, by the city that officiates as its capital since the seventeenth century, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In this city you will have unique tourist attractions to visit that you can reach on foot without problems or if you prefer, renting a bike to make the ride more dynamic. You choose!

I tell you that among its main attractions, you can find:

• The Adán Martín Auditorium: an imposing building, designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava.
• The Castle of San Juan Bautista: which is a coastal tower considered the second most important defense fortress of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
• Some of the main museums of Tenerife such as the Museum of Archaeological Nature or the Military Historical Museum.
• The Palmetum, which is the botanical garden with the largest palm trees in Europe.
• The Garcia Sanabria Park, with fountains and unique architectural works.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is also a very good place to make a stop to eat a typical local dish and take the opportunity to rest and recharge your batteries for the rest of the day.

La Candelaria

About 19 kilometers from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, you will find the small town of La Candelaria and here you will spend the second part of the day. Touring its historic streets is a perfect plan that can not miss on your itinerary, as it involves reliving the legacy of the Guanches, who are the aborigines of Tenerife.

Among the most important sites you will find in this city, I will tell you which are the must-see:

• The Old Road of Candelaria, which is the one you will travel when going from Santa Cruz de Tenerife to La Candelaria and today retains original sections, built centuries ago.
• The famous Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria, which is the largest and most imposing temple in the city, was considered of Cultural Interestand occupies the entire square of the same name. In addition, in this square, you can find 9 bronze statues in honor of the 9 kings of the Guanche people.
• Ermita de San Blas, which is the natural cave where the Guanches found the image of the Virgin that today houses a replica.
• La Casa Cabildo, the site where the town hall of the city used to be.
• Pottery Center called "La Casa de las Miquelas", which is an old house where pottery is exhibited.

The third day on the island is pure adventure, in the Teide National Park you can climb to the highest point and, on the other hand, enjoy the imposing cliffs known as Los Gigantes, which are usually appreciated much more by sailing the waters of the Atlantic. Here I tell you more.

Teide National Park

The Teide National Park was declared as such in 1954 and is one of the most visited parks in Spain. It is one of the main places to visit in Tenerife and my recommendation is that to enjoy it to the fullest, plan your visit on a guided tour of Teide.

There, you can climb to the highest point of Spain on the volcano of El Teide and enjoy other sites of interest within the National Park, such as:

• Los Roques de Garcia, which are ideal for hiking.
• Visit the telescopes of the Astronomical Observatory.
• Visit the Visitor Center Telesforo Bravo and El Portillo.
• Visit the Juan Évora Ethnographic Museum.

Cliffs of Los Gigantes

Within the municipality of Santiago del Teide you will find one of the most impressive natural wonders of Tenerife, Los Gigantes. You can get there by the TF-38 road from El Teide National Park, which is about 30 kilometers away.

Let me tell you that the best way to appreciate the huge volcanic walls of up to 600 meters high that houses this site, is aboard a boat, sailing through the waters of the Atlantic. This unique and unrepeatable experience will also allow you to enjoy the huge variety of dolphins and whales that appear in the area, it is well worth it!

Although if you prefer not to take a boat excursion, I recommend that you go up to the Archipenque lookout point, which has one of the best views of the sunset you have ever seen.

On your fourth day, you will simply end up falling head over heels in love with Tenerife, if you haven't already. The landscapes of the north have a particular charm and in one day you will be able to visit the main dream spots.

Puerto de la Cruz

The tour of the fourth day in Tenerife, begins in one of the most popular and touristic places in the north of the island, Puerto de la Cruz. It is also one of the most chosen places by many tourists to stay on their trip to Tenerife, as it is one of the cities with more life and movement.

Here you will have many places of tourist interest to visit and you will be able to do it perfectly walking, since everything is relatively close. So that you can get the most out of this small city, let me tell you what are the main places of interest that you can not omit in your tour:

• The Castle of San Felipe: this is an ancient and imposing fortress of the city.
• The Puerto de la Cruz Pier, one of the most popular of the island.
• The Botanical Garden
• The graffiti of Puerto Street Art, a well-known art gallery.

I have a recommendation for you, if you want to know Puerto de la Cruz in a different way and add a little adrenaline to your walk through the city, here you have the option of paragliding, a unique experience!

La Orotava Village

The second stop of the fourth day takes place in Villa de la Orotava. I have no doubt that a tour of its historic center should be included in your travel itinerary, yes or yes. It is located only about 8 kilometers from Puerto de la Cruz and I recommend that you take your time to explore it in peace and quiet, as it is not very big but it is amazing.

In this small town you will have some essential tourist sites to know, I tell you which are the most popular so you do not miss them:

• The Town Hall Square.
• The Casa Museo de los Balcones, which is characterized by its beautiful balconies and carved wooden interior patios.
• The Church of La Concepción, considered the best example of the Baroque style in the Canary Islands.
• The picturesque Victoria Garden, in my opinion, the most precious jewel of La Orotava that will make you fall in love with this town even more.

Icod de los Vinos

About 21 kilometers along the TF-5 road, you will reach the third stop of your fourth day in Tenerife, in Icod de los Vinos, a small town that is characterized by being the home of the famous and popular Drago Milenario or Drago Park, whose name comes from the huge specimen of dragon tree that was declared a National Monument in 1917 and recognized for being the oldest in the Canary Islands.

Undoubtedly, the most unique and unforgettable experience you can live in Icod de los Vinos is to enter the volcanic tube of the mythical Cueva del Viento.

But that's not all, since in Icod de los Vinos you can also walk through the picturesque streets of its historic center, visit and discover the most renowned museums of the city such as the Guanche Museum and the Casa del Plátano, and even finish the walk refreshing yourself in the Playa de San Marcos, which is not the largest beach you will see, but it has a very particular charm that makes it unique.

Garachico

A little more than 6 kilometers from Icod de los Vinos, along the TF-42 road you will reach the next and last destination of the fourth day in Tenerife, Garachico. The most amazing peculiarity of this town is that it was almost completely devastated after the eruption of the Trevejo volcano in 1706, and was completely rebuilt, being even more charming than before, like something out of a fairy tale.

Let me tell you that this small town has several emblematic and iconic places to visit, although without doubt its main tourist attraction is the Natural Pools of El Caletón. These pools were created in a natural way by the volcanic lava that devastated the old port of Garachico and I recommend that you take advantage of them to relax at the end of the walk and the day, to cool off with a refreshing swim.

But before that, there are some important sites that I want to recommend you to get the most out of Garachico:

• El Castillo de San Miguel, is the ancient defensive tower that is housed in this village.
• The Parque de la Puerta de la Tierra, whose particularity is that it still preserves the arch of the entrance gate to the old port in the sixteenth century.
• El Roque de Garachico, it is a popular coastal rock of the town that is part of its landscape with its 77 meters high and 5 hectares of surface, and is separated from the land about 300 meters due to marine erosion, hosting various species of birds.
• The viewpoint of El Emigrante from where you will get the best panoramic views of the city.

In case you prefer, I can tell you that you can visit Icod and Garachico on a guided tour, without having to worry about the organization and optimizing the maximum time you have to visit Tenerife.

For your last day in Tenerife, I bring you a classic and very entertaining plan to have such a good time that you will want to return to the island to visit it again. A unique experience!

Siam Park is a water park, but not just any water park, the best, not only in Tenerife but in the world. So it was recognized year after year and I assure you that it is not an exaggeration, you just have to know it to understand why. In addition, it is included in the list of the 10 best parks in Tenerife.

Although it is a plan for the whole family, there is no age limit to enjoy it and it goes without saying that it is the perfect plan if you plan to visit the island with children. This fantastic and popular park is located in the upper part of Playa de las Americas and is absolutely inspired by Thailand.

If you are a lover of adrenaline, speed, heights and adventure in general, you will really enjoy this plan and you will thank me for the recommendation. So that you can imagine and prepare yourself, I tell you that in Siam Park you will find slides where you will reach 80 kilometers per hour! In addition, you will also have other types of games and adventures.

Another fundamental fact is that this park does not close its doors any day of the year, and you can get your tickets online at the official website. Keep in mind that it will cost you approximately 28 euros.

Now that you have a complete itinerary, you can organize your 5-day trip to Tenerife in the best way and design a unique and tailor-made experience to enjoy it so much that these days will be enough for you and at the same time, you will want to come back for more. Now, if you got this far and you think that 5 days will not be enough for you, I leave you this itinerary of things to see and do in Tenerife in 7 days, so you can compare it and not miss anything.