A Tenerife travel guide – otherworldly landscapes, volcanic beaches and fiestas for ever

Holidays in Tenerife go beyond winter sun and pulsating nightlife. Book a Tenerife hotel to discover clifftop villages and subtropical valleys, dramatic Atlantic beaches and a sleeping beauty of a volcano.

Get your bearings

The largest and most vivacious of the Canary Islands, Tenerife sits prettily in the Atlantic off the coast of West Africa. At its centre is 3717m Mount Teide, a behemoth of a volcano that keeps sleepy watch over the island. The south harbours popular resorts like party-loving Playa de las Américas and quainter Los Cristianos. Edge west for the Costa Adeje’s secluded bays and north for verdant hills and dramatic coastlines. The bustling capital Santa Cruz lies to the north-east.

Beach life

The south coast’s gently shelving bays appeal to families with non-stop activities and inexpensive Tenerife hotels. Live it up in Playa de las Américas or choose harbourside Los Cristianos for a more low-key vibe. Moving west brings you to secluded Costa Adeje coves like El Puertito and the towering cliffs of Los Gigantes, which plunge 800m into the cobalt Atlantic. Northern Puerto de la Cruz is home to attractive bays like crescent-shaped Playa Jardin, fringed by bougainvillea-clad gardens.

Family holidays

Take the kids on a boat ride from Los Cristianos to spy pilot whales and frolicsome bottlenose dolphins. A favourite on family holidays to Tenerife is Loro Parque, where squawking parrots flit amid subtropical foliage, dolphins do backflips and penguins waddle in teeth-chattering conditions. There’s splashy fun on the vertiginous boomerang and twister slides at Aqualand near Playa de las Américas, and under the cascading fountains in Puerto de la Cruz’s saltwater lido.

Outdoor activities

Strap on boots to hike Teide National Park’s lunar landscapes and ascend the 3717m volcanic peak of Mount Teide, with views over rippling cloud to the other Canaries. Scuba dive amid barracudas and rays or test your nerve Jet-skiing and parascending off south coast beaches. Surfers and windsurfers ride the waves in breezy El Bullullo and El Médano. For subterranean adventure, get to grips with lava caving in the Cueva del Viento’s volcanic tubes. Golfers master their swing over fine La Gomera views at 27-hole Golf Costa Adeje. 

Where to stay

• Playa de las Americas

  Average hotel prices
  • 3 stars$80
  • 4 stars$196
  • 5 stars$323
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• Los Cristianos

  Average hotel prices
  • 3 stars$133
  • 4 stars$133
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• Costa Adeje

  Average hotel prices
  • 3 stars$104
  • 4 stars$199
  • 5 stars$440
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After-dark scene

Foam parties and Elvis impersonators, karaoke and bass-loaded clubs can only mean Playa de las Américas. Nocturnal hedonists head for Starco’s and Veronicas for all-night revelry under one roof. Sip cocktails under the stars in Costa Adeje’s laid-back resorts. El Chiringuito in La Caleta is famous for its upbeat weekend beach parties. For a true Canarian experience, try the wall- to-wall bars of El Cuadrilátero in university city La Laguna. 

Island explorer

A road corkscrews giddily up to Masca, a whitewashed, cliffhanger of a village set against a backdrop of luxuriantly green mountains. Continue north to explore rock pools in the fishing village of Garachico and contemplate Icod de Los Viños’ 1,000-year-old dragon tree. Puerto de la Cruz’s colonial old town and sprawling botanical gardens are a refreshing change from the resort bustle. Seek respite beside a gurgling fountain in the inner courtyard of one of La Laguna’s traditional 18th-century houses.