What to see in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
The capital and its bay
Here are the 69 places in Santa Cruz de Tenerife that we have on record, with how long each one takes, the bus that stops nearby and what to know before you go; and below, 12 places to eat. If you would rather have it all put together into one day, with lunch and the way back, that is what Naira does.
Let Naira plan your dayFor a swim
Parque Marítimo César Manrique
sea pool · about 5 hours · good with kids
Seawater pools designed by Manrique with volcanic rock and palm trees, next to the auditorium.
Bus: stop JOSÉ EMILIO GARCÍA GÓMEZ, 470 m away · lines 232, 238, 905, 934
Playa de Las Teresitas
beach · about 2 hours · good with kids
Golden sand brought from the Sahara and protected by a breakwater, so the water is calm.
Facilities: showers, toilets, parking · step-free access
Bus: stop SAN JOSÉ DEL SUCULUM, 450 m away · line 945
Playa de Almáciga
beach · about 2½ hours
A large black-sand beach on the Anaga coast, one of the most beautiful on the island. You get there on the Taganana road.
Facilities: parking
Warning (in Spanish): Clasificada como PELIGROSA en el registro oficial de zonas de baño: oleaje fuerte, corrientes y sin baño asistido. Con niños, mirarla y pisar la orilla; bañarse no.
Bus: stop PLAYA DE ALMÁCIGA, 40 m away
Playa de Antequera
beach · about 2 hours
Dark sand, 400 metres. Strong waves.
Warning: Classified as DANGEROUS in the official register of bathing areas. No assisted bathing.
Bus: stop EL CASCAJO, 2.3 km away · line 945
Playa de Las Gaviotas
beach · about 2 hours
Dark sand, 250 metres. Moderate waves.
Facilities: parking
Warning: Classified as DANGEROUS in the official register of bathing areas, medium risk. No assisted bathing.
Bus: stop MIRADOR, 340 m away · lines 121, 122, 126, 127
Nature, trails and viewpoints
Benijo
hamlet · an hour and a half
A hamlet founded on a Guanche settlement, famous for being close to the Playa de Benijo.
Bus: stop BENIJO, 150 m away
Taganana
hamlet · an hour and a half
A town to the north of the island's capital, with a rich natural, architectural and ethnographic heritage.
Bus: stop CONSULTORIO TAGANANA, 120 m away · line 946
Interpretado Circular de Taganana
trail · about 25 min · good with kids
Official Cabildo trail: circular · 1.1 km · 88 m of climb · easy difficulty.
Bus: stop CONSULTORIO TAGANANA, 140 m away · line 946
Benijo - Cruz del Draguillo
trail · an hour and a half · good with kids
Official Cabildo trail: PR-TF 06.3 · circular · 2.2 km · 517 m of climb · hard difficulty.
Bus: stop BENIJO, 70 m away
El Bailadero - Taganana
trail · about 55 min · good with kids
Official Cabildo trail: PR-TF 04 · linear · 3.1 km · 110 m of climb · easy difficulty.
Bus: stop EL BAILADERO, 40 m away · lines 77, 947
Roque de Las Bodegas - Almáciga - Benijo - El Draguillo
trail · an hour and a half
Official Cabildo trail: PR-TF 06.2 · variant · 4.4 km · 365 m of climb · moderate difficulty.
Bus: stop LAS BAJAS, 60 m away · line 946
Palmetum
natural monument · an hour and a half
What is today the botanical garden with the largest palm collection in Europe was, thirty years ago, the landfill mountain where the capital's rubbish rotted.
Bus: stop JOSÉ EMILIO GARCÍA GÓMEZ, 560 m away · lines 232, 238, 905, 934
Camino de las Vueltas (Taganana)
trail · an hour
It has exactly as many bends as there are days in the year, cut into the rock to climb the slope so that goods could be traded by donkey between the north and south of Anaga.
Bus: stop TAGANANA, 1 km away · line 946
Mirador de Vistabella
viewpoint · about 35 min · best at sunset
From the capital's upper district you can see the whole city and the bay.
Bus: stop VISTABELLA (T), 110 m away · lines 14, 228
Mirador de Los Campitos
viewpoint · about 35 min · best at sunset · good with kids
Santa Cruz at your feet, with Anaga on the left, the docks, Las Torres and the Auditorio and, on clear days, the Malpaís de Güímar; parking, information panels and step-free access.
Bus: stop ESCUELA DE IDIOMAS, 380 m away · lines 26, 201, 206, 912
Mirador de Parque Las Mesas
picnic area · about 2 hours · good with kids
A forest park above Santa Cruz, reopened in 2022, with picnic areas, barbecues, toilets and drinking fountains, and the viewpoint over the capital.
Bus: stop EMBALSE DE LOS CAMPITOS, 500 m away · lines 228, 912
Mirador de La Alegría
viewpoint · about 35 min · best at sunset
Views of the city and the sea from the hillside.
Bus: stop NAUTICA ULL CAPITANIA MARITIMA, 190 m away · lines 910, 916, 917, 945
Mirador de La Chamuscada
viewpoint · about 35 min
Right on the ridge of Anaga, with laurel forest on both sides.
Bus: stop CASA FORESTAL, 1000 m away · lines 76, 77, 345, 346
Mirador de El Bailadero
viewpoint · about 35 min · good with kids
The Anaga crossroads: the road to Taganana starts here, and you can see both sides of the mountains at once.
Bus: stop CRUCE EL BAILADERO, 170 m away · line 947
Mirador de Amogoje
viewpoint · about 35 min
Views of the massif and the Anaga hamlets from the ridge.
Bus: stop AMOGOJE, 50 m away · line 946
Mirador de Roque Negro
viewpoint · about 35 min
The hamlet tucked into the ravine, with the dark stone roque opposite.
Bus: stop IGLESIA DE ROQUE NEGRO, 80 m away · lines 76, 77
Mirador de Las Teresitas, Las Gaviotas y Los Órganos
viewpoint · about 30 min · best at sunset
From the Igueste road, with the whole of Las Teresitas below, Las Gaviotas beside it and the Los Órganos cliffs in the background.
Bus: stop MIRADOR, 20 m away · lines 121, 122, 126, 127
Almáciga
hamlet · an hour and a half
A small hamlet with a long farming tradition, its little chapel dedicated to Nuestra Señora de Begoña, and its beach.
Bus: stop ALMACIGA, 90 m away · line 946
Taborno
hamlet · an hour and a half
A small hamlet rich in nature, set on a ridge between two ravines, with interesting examples of Canarian rural architecture.
Bus: stop TABORNO, 230 m away · line 275
Casas de Tafada
hamlet · an hour and a half
Two stone buildings, now in ruins.
Bus: stop COLEGIO CHAMORGA, 1 km away · line 947
Chamorga
hamlet · an hour and a half
A traditionally farming settlement with interesting examples of traditional Canarian rural architecture.
Bus: stop CHAMORGA, 90 m away · line 947
Conexión del PR TF 02 con PR TF 09 (por el Frontón)
trail · about 10 min · good with kids
Official Cabildo trail: PR-TF 02.1 · variant · 0.4 km · 33 m of climb · easy difficulty.
Bus: stop TABORNO, 800 m away · line 275
Circular de los Sentidos 1.- Déjate sorprender
trail · about 25 min · good with kids
Official Cabildo trail: circular · 1 km · 68 m of climb · easy difficulty.
Bus: stop CRUZ DEL CARMEN, 80 m away · lines 76, 77, 273, 274
Circular de los Sentidos 2.- Lo que encierra el Monteverde
trail · about 30 min · good with kids
Official Cabildo trail: circular · 1.2 km · 91 m of climb · easy difficulty.
Bus: stop CRUZ DEL CARMEN, 80 m away · lines 76, 77, 273, 274
La Asomada - Cruz de Afur (Zona de Exclusión Monte Aguirre)
trail · an hour · good with kids
Official Cabildo trail: linear · 2.4 km · 391 m of climb · moderate difficulty.
Bus: stop LLANO LOS VIEJOS, 390 m away · lines 76, 77, 273, 274
Las Mercedes - Cruz del Carmen
trail · an hour · good with kids
Official Cabildo trail: PR-TF 01 · linear · 2.5 km · 327 m of climb · moderate difficulty.
Bus: stop LAS MERCEDES, 90 m away · lines 76, 77, 270, 271
Chamorga - Casas de Tafada - Faro de Anaga
trail · an hour · good with kids
Official Cabildo trail: PR-TF 06.1 · variant · 2.8 km · 211 m of climb · moderate difficulty.
Bus: stop CHAMORGA, 170 m away · line 947
Afur - Las Carboneras
trail · about 3 hours
Official Cabildo trail: PR-TF 09 · linear · 5.7 km · 838 m of climb · very hard difficulty.
Bus: stop AFUR, 50 m away · lines 76, 77
Casas de La Cumbre - Valle Brosque - Casa Forestal
trail · about 3 hours
Official Cabildo trail: PR-TF 03 · linear · 6.3 km · 792 m of climb · hard difficulty.
Bus: stop LAS CASAS LA CUMBRE, 160 m away · lines 76, 77
Circular La Ensillada - Cabezo de Tejo - La Ensillada (Reserva Natural Integral El Pijaral)
trail · about 2½ hours
Official Cabildo trail: circular · 6.4 km · 574 m of climb · hard difficulty.
Bus: stop LA ENSILLADA, 20 m away · line 947
El Draguillo - Chamorga - Faro de Anaga
trail · about 3 hours
Official Cabildo trail: PR-TF 06 · linear · 6.8 km · 841 m of climb · very hard difficulty.
Bus: stop BENIJO, 1.4 km away
Mirador Pico del Inglés
viewpoint · about 25 min
The best in Anaga without walking, according to reviews. Better in the morning: the clouds roll in in the afternoon.
Bus: stop PICO INGLES, 20 m away · line 273
Roque de las Ánimas
volcano · an hour
Its sharp shape is actually the inner conduit of an old volcano; the outer slope eroded away and left only this plug of petrified magma visible.
Bus: stop PLAYA ROQUE LAS BODEGAS, 610 m away · line 946
Laureles Llano de los Viejos
natural monument · about 25 min · good with kids
As with other trees of the Canarian monteverde, when the main trunk of a laurel rots it is replaced by suckers from the same tree.
Bus: stop LLANO LOS VIEJOS, 240 m away · lines 76, 77, 273, 274
El Pelotón
landscape · an hour
El Pelotón in Valle Brosque is a striking rock formation that looks like a large ball balanced on a pedestal.
Bus: stop LOS VALLITOS, 70 m away · line 916
The old town and its history
MUNA (Naturaleza y Arqueología)
museum · an hour and a half · good with kids
It holds Guanche mummies preserved naturally by the dryness of the ravines, wrapped in goatskins sewn with needles made of animal bone.
Bus: stop CASETAS AZULES, 160 m away · lines 14, 901, 902, 906
Photo: Holger Uwe Schmitt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Auditorio de Tenerife
museum · an hour and a half · good with kids
The thousands of white ceramic tiles covering the building were laid by hand to reflect the sunlight like sea foam.
Bus: stop INTERCAMBIADOR STA.CRUZ, 370 m away · lines 10, 14, 15, 20
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Cementerio de San Rafael y San Roque
old town · an hour and a half
Opened in 1810 after a yellow fever epidemic, it has a section walled off for burying non-Catholic British merchants.
Bus: stop LA SALLE, 90 m away · lines 201, 206, 232, 905
Rambla de Santa Cruz
old town · an hour and a half
It hides 13 modern art sculptures placed in the street in 1973, taking the museum outdoors with works by Joan Miró and Henry Moore.
Bus: stop PARQUE GARCÍA SANABRIA, 90 m away · lines 905, 914
Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Antigua Estación de Tren
museum · an hour and a half · good with kids
It keeps the original structure of the only steam tram the island ever had, in the early 20th century, which was dismantled because lorries were cheaper.
Bus: stop PLAZA DE EUROPA, 40 m away · lines 909, 910, 914, 916
Museo de Bellas Artes
museum · an hour and a half
Painting and sculpture from the 17th century on, with Canarian and Flemish works, right in the city centre.
Bus: stop PLAZA DEL PRÍNCIPE, 120 m away · line 914
Museo Histórico Militar de Canarias
museum · an hour and a half · good with kids
Here is the Tigre cannon, the one that according to tradition cost Nelson his arm in his attempt to take Santa Cruz in 1797.
Bus: stop ALMEYDA, 50 m away · lines 914, 920
Castillo de San Cristóbal
museum · an hour and a half · good with kids
The remains of the castle that defended the bay, preserved under the Plaza de España and open to visit underneath.
Bus: stop PLAZA DE ESPAÑA, 100 m away · lines 909, 910, 914, 916
Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Espacio Cultural El Tanque
museum · an hour and a half · good with kids
An old oil tank turned into an exhibition hall. The space itself is worth the visit.
Bus: stop MERIDIANO, 90 m away · lines 10, 15, 20, 100
Casco histórico de Santa Cruz
old town · an hour and a half
Between the Plaza de España and the Iglesia de la Concepción lies the old town, with the pedestrian shopping streets that have always been there.
Bus: stop PLAZA WEYLER, 150 m away · line 904
TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes
museum · an hour and a half · good with kids
A Herzog & de Meuron building housing contemporary art, the island's photo archive and the public library, which stays open until very late.
Bus: stop TEA, 50 m away · lines 909, 919, 920
Búnker de San Andrés
castle · about 35 min
These machine-gun nests were dug into the rock and camouflaged in 1941, out of the dictatorship's fear that British troops would invade the island.
Bus: stop SAN ANDRÉS, 240 m away · lines 910, 945, 946, 947
Castillo de San Juan Bautista
castle · about 35 min
In 1797 the cannons of this fortress fired on Admiral Nelson's English troops in the same battle in which a cannon shot took off his right arm.
Bus: stop INTERCAMBIADOR STA.CRUZ, 450 m away · lines 10, 14, 15, 20
Castillo de Paso Alto
castle · about 35 min
It was the key piece in the defence against Nelson's attack in 1797; its artillery fire sank the English landing boats before they reached land.
Bus: stop AVENIDA DE ANAGA, 520 m away · lines 903, 905, 909, 910
Bosque del Pijaral
woodland · an hour
This laurel forest is a living fossil from the Tertiary that survived the ice ages because the trade-wind clouds keep it permanently damp.
Bus: stop DEGOLLADA DE PAIBA, 880 m away · line 947
Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África
square · an hour
Built in 1943 in a Californian neo-colonial style to centralise the capital's food trade after the Civil War.
Bus: stop JOSÉ HERNÁNDEZ ALFONSO, 120 m away · lines 14, 26, 228, 232
Iglesia de San Pedro Apóstol
church · about 30 min
The church began to be built in 1890 as a chapel dependent on the parish of San Andrés, and was consecrated on 29 June 1909.
Bus: stop IGUESTE DE SAN ANDRES, 100 m away · line 945
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves
church · about 30 min
From 1507 the records mention a chapel in the fertile Valle de Taganana dedicated to Nuestra Señora de las Nieves.
Bus: stop CONSULTORIO TAGANANA, 140 m away · line 946
Ermita de la Purísima Concepción
church · about 30 min
The chapel of Chamorga belongs to the parish of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves de Taganana and was built in the 1930s under the dedication of the Immaculate Conception.
Bus: stop CHAMORGA, 40 m away · line 947
Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Begoña
church · about 30 min
The Virgen de Begoña is the patron saint of Almáciga and one of the most venerated images in the Anaga massif.
Bus: stop ALMACIGA, 160 m away · line 946
Casa Forestal de Anaga
building · about 35 min
The Casa Forestal de Anaga is a historic building that in the past served as a forestry station.
Bus: stop CASA FORESTAL, 30 m away · lines 76, 77, 345, 346
El Semáforo de la Atalaya de Igueste de San Andrés
heritage site · about 30 min
An old maritime signal station built between 1880 and 1895, which operated until 1971.
Bus: stop IGUESTE DE SAN ANDRES, 940 m away · line 945
Faro de Anaga
heritage site · about 30 min
The Faro de Anaga is the easternmost lighthouse on the island, in the area known as Roque Bermejo.
Bus: stop COLEGIO CHAMORGA, 2.1 km away · line 947
Ermita de Santa Catalina
church · about 30 min
The chapel of Santa Catalina Mártir in Taganana dates back to the 1620s.
Bus: stop CONSULTORIO TAGANANA, 90 m away · line 946
Iglesia de la Concepción (Santa Cruz)
church · about 30 min
In front of its high altar is displayed the very wooden cross that the conqueror Alonso Fernández de Lugo drove into the ground in 1494 to found the city.
Bus: stop PLAZA DE EUROPA, 80 m away · lines 909, 910, 914, 916
Parque García Sanabria
square · an hour
It was born in 1926 from a public subscription among the neighbours to turn a patch of wasteland into the capital's largest green lung.
Bus: stop 25 DE JULIO 17, 90 m away · lines 905, 912
Iglesia de las Nieves (Taganana)
church · about 30 min
It houses a 16th-century Flemish triptych painted on oak that reached the island because a merchant ship was wrecked off its coast.
Bus: stop BAJO ROQUE, 290 m away · line 946
Plaza del Príncipe
square · an hour
It was built on the old orchard of the city's Franciscan convent, using volcanic stone taken from the works on the commercial port.
Bus: stop VILLALBA HERVÁS, 70 m away · line 914
Photo: Mentxuwiki · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Monumento a la Gesta del 25 de Julio
square · an hour
The pieces of this monument were cast from real bronze taken from the British warships that sank off the city in the 1797 attack.
Bus: stop INTERCAMBIADOR STA.CRUZ, 460 m away · lines 10, 14, 15, 20
Where to eat
Moral
fine dining · 13:00-15:00 and 20:00-22:00 · from Wednesday to Saturday · closed on Monday, Tuesday and Sunday
Restaurante Lebeche
rice dishes · 13:00-16:30 and 19:00-23:30 · closes Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
And for an ice cream: Heladería Oasis.
And for an ice cream: Panaderia Heladeria Lagula.
And for an ice cream: Heladería Il Cono D'oro (el Cono de Oro).
And for an ice cream: Heladería Nebraska.
And for an ice cream: Heladería Peccati Di Gola.
And for an ice cream: Heladería Prestige.
Getting there by bus
From Puerto de la Cruz
line 104, direct · about 45 min · last bus back: 23:57 (the last direct one)
From La Orotava
line 104, direct · about 35 min · last bus back: 00:03 (the last direct one)
From Icod de los Vinos
line 108, direct · an hour and a half · last bus back: 00:03
From San Cristóbal de La Laguna
line 108, direct · about 10 min · last bus back: 01:28
From Adeje
line 711, direct · an hour and a half · last bus back: 00:45 (the last direct one)
From Arona
line 711, direct · an hour · last bus back: 00:45 (the last direct one)
Weekday timetable, taken from the official TITSA timetable. Where you have to change buses we do not give the last one: a night-time journey back with changes is not one you can plan.
Fiestas
- Carnaval de Santa Cruz — 9 February 2027
- Baile de Magos de las Fiestas de Mayo — 2 May 2027, 21:00
- Fiestas de la Cruz — 3 May 2027
- Exposición e inspección de Cruces de Flores — 3 May 2027, 10:00
The full fiesta calendar of Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Let Naira plan your dayTell her what you fancy, where you are starting from and whether you have a car, and she builds the day with lunch and the way back.