Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Santa Cruz is the capital of Tenerife. It is situated in a large bay with the sea in front and the Anaga mountains behind. It is on the north -east of the island and is one of the busiest ports in Spain.

Santa Cruz is not really a tourist destination in itself however it is a great base for exploring the north-east of the island. It is also great for shopping. Start at the Plaza d'Espana, down by the sea and head up towards the Plaza de Candelaria. Keep an eye out for some lovely modernist buildings.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Sights to see in and around Santa Cruz de Tenerife

One of our favourites is a visit to the Mercado de Nuestra Senora de Africa, a large market selling foods and spices, very colourful and a fantastic choice. Sit down at the bar in the middle and enjoy the activity around you.

Loro Park - a wildlife park near Santa Cruz. A bit on the pricey side but with excellent sea-lion, dolphin and whale shows. Lots of other animals to see including the world's biggest collection of parrots. There is also a very large penquinarium with a reproduction of the climate of the Antartic and so lots of snow every day. The park gets very busy so be prepared to queue.

Tenerife Auditorium - A beautiful building a little bit like the style of the Sydney Opera House. The Tenerife Auditorium is the main venue for the Canary Islands celebrated Classical music festival which takes place every year in January/February.

Anaga mountains - take a trip into the Anaga mountains. Very beautiful and protected because of their ecological importance, these mountains are spectacularly beautiful in places.

Beaches

The best beach near Santa Cruz is Las Teresitas, 8 km north. This is the most popular beach on the island. It is a man-made beach which was enlarged in 1973 with the addition of 4 million sacks of Saharan sand! It is a beautiful beach with a mountaineous backdrop, lots of palm trees and plenty of beach activities.

Carnival

This is the most popular festival on the island and is particularly big in Santa Cruz. There is a large procession with floats, fantastic costumes, music and partying. Carnival takes place in February.

Museums

The museum of Man and Nature is an excellent museum tracing back Canary Islands history to pre-hispanic times and looking at the flora and fauna of the islands.

Villas in Spain

Search for villas in Spain