Why Tenerife holidays? Here are the best reasons why this island will be an ideal choice! Short Flight time. For most European cities 3-4 hours of flight time, easy to get around with daily bus operations to and from South Airport to your Tenerife holidays hotel. Many low cost carriers like RyanAir, Norwegian Air or EasyJet fly there nowadays.
Affordable accommodation. Assuming you are booking well in advance, there are plenty of options. Particularly popular are apartments and studios with fully equipped kitchen. It is easy to find grocery stores around the corner and the food is inexpensive. Everything you need for a perfect Tenerife holidays!
Exciting tours. Have a look around in Playa de Las Americas – you may find numerous private companies who will take you on a tour around the island. Prices vary depending on the operator, but generally are rather low for guided tours.
Easy to explore on your own. It is easy to rent a car if you are over 24 and have had a valid license for at least 2 years. The roads are in perfect condition and the traffic is not too tight.
Located just a few hours from Europe, right next to the west coast of Northern Africa
El Duque Beach
The Beach
The island is full of surprises and you will notice how different the life pace is. Start your Tenerife holidays in the morning with a nice refreshing swim in the ocean (yes, it is warm). The beaches have dark volcanic sand and the water is clear blue. Same picture is everywhere so if you are looking for golden sands, Playa del Duque is a place to go. Surrounded with luxury properties, this little paradise can offer a nice view, comfortable sun beds and lots of additional services for your amazing Tenerife holidays. For those who like it more extreme way there is a possibility to do some cliff diving. Beware of coastal guard though, they might get mad at you.
For those who like water sports – there all kinds of options: paragliding, banana boats, jet skis and many more. Prices are reasonable, for example paragliding will cost you somewhere between 30 and 50 Euro depending on number of participants.
The Culture
Spanish culture is truly unique. Famous mañana attitude can be found all around Spain and Tenerife is no exception. To fully discover the true Spanish flavor one should go eat out. So where is the right place to go? Well, in case you are looking for some entertainment additionally to the meal in a nice atmosphere, take a look at Banana Garden.
This cozy little place is beautifully decorated and offers delicious Mexican food. Every other night there is Flamenco show. In case you were planning on visiting Piramide de Arona – famous flamenco theater, Banana Garden can offer you a free sneak peek. The best part is that you really don’t need to order full course – just mention to the waiter that you would only like to have a cocktail and you will be seated at the bar with best view of the stage.
Car Rental for your Tenerife holidays
Renting a car was made easy for tourists – usually the companies will only need your credit card details and you are free to go and explore. It is an incredible experience to climb up the Teide Mountain in your own vehicle – the views are just breath-taking! The cost will vary on the company and how early you book. Renting on the spot would cost you around 70-90€/3 days for A class car (Fiat Panda or similar). However, it is highly recommended to go for higher class, as you will need this extra power on the slopes. Class C – Opel Corsa or similar – will cost you around 120€/3 days and that is a fair price. For motorcycle fans there is a selection of rental options as well. However, price are higher compared to cars. 125CC road bike will cost you around 40€/day.
The motorways in Tenerife are in perfect conditions with maximum speed limit of 120 km/h. Most drivers ride much slower, especially those with rented cars. Luckily, there are mostly 2-3 lanes, so everybody can choose their own pace. Mountain road are well serviced and speed limits are reasonable.
El Teide Mountain
National parks
El Teide national park is centred on 3718m Mount Teide, the highest mountain of Spain and the islands of the Atlantic (it is the third largest volcano in the world from its base on the ocean floor). The terrain is completely different from shore side and so is the temperature. Driving up to the national park is an interesting experience; from the sunny south coast you drive up towards a town called Vilaflor with its alpine-like scenery. As you travel higher still above the clouds, the terrain changes dramatically and suddenly becomes an amazing lunar landscape. It’s a great way to enrich your Tenerife holidays!
The peak can be reached with a cable car which costs 34€/adult. Once at the top, you can walk around and take in the amazing sights. For those who are interested in getting all the way up, permission from the national park’s office in Orotava needs to be acquired beforehand. Alternatively, guided walks up the volcano are available, but please remember that you will need a fairly high level of fitness to endure the climb, which takes around six hours. Also, it is worth bearing in mind to bring along warmer clothes and appropriate footwear.
Masca Gorge walk is another fantastic place to visit. All trekking lovers will enjoy it!
El Teide by car
Shopping in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is the capital and the biggest town in Tenerife. If you are coming by rental car – good place to shop and park the car for the day is Meridiano commercial centre. The parking is on several floors underneath the centre and it is free. Meridiano itself has many stores, including world known brands like C&A, Primark and Carrefour. Combine your Tenerife holidays with nice shopping!
If you keep walking towards the old town, make sure to pay a visit to the local open air market. You will find coffees, sauces, oils and the like; but the real stars of this market are the produce, seafood, and meats. Also some handicraft products and local pottery can be found here.
Where to go in Tenerife?
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Must go
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Price
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Weather
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|---|---|---|
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El Duque Beach
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free
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sunny
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Banana Garden flamenco show
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7 €/coctail
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any
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Loro Parque
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36€/adult
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any
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Santa Cruz market
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free
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sunny
|
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El Teide park
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tours from 15€/adult
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sunny
|
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Garachico village
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tours from 15€/adult
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sunny
|
|
Masca village
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tours from 15€/adult
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sunny
|
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Icod de los Vinos & Dragon Tree
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tours from 15€/adult
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sunny
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This article is now available on GPSMyCity – travel app with GPS navigation feature. You can download it here – Affordable holiday destination Tenerife
Robyn
You give a great account of Tenerife in this post. The beautiful beaches and the mountains make it look like a really exciting place to go visit! I especially enjoyed your video of your car trip up Mount Teide. I’ve now subscribed to your YouTube channel and looking forward to seeing your future adventure 🙂
Tigrest
Thanks, Robyn!
Joanna
I would love to go to Tenerife and climb Mount Teide. I have heard from friends who visited that the views from up there are amazing. I see in your video that the car ride is pretty spectacular as well. It’s good to know that the water of the ocean is warm and that you can get a swim easily. I actually love taking a swim early morning.
Tigrest
Thank you! Teide is indeed spectacular! I highly recommend visiting it, especially if there is some snow on the peak. Did you know, there is a cabin on the top where you can stay overnight and watch the sunrise?
Rohan Cahill-Fleury
A really great guide. Loving the detail and the price breakdowns! Definitely good inspiration while sitting here in the middle of winter!
Sara - I do what I want to
Hi there! As someone from the “next-door-island” I have to give you another activity you shouldn’t miss: Siam Park (an aquatic theme park, best in the world for 2 years in a row according to TripAdvisor). We visited Teide a few years back but I have to admit I don’t know much about the whole island! Thanks for sharing
Tigrest
Thanks for the tip, it’s on our visit list for next time (this year)
Penny
Great tips! I’ve always wanted to do Tenerife. Unfortunately for us the visa costs and the flight costs add up and make it expensive.
Tigrest
Thanks for the comment! I hope you will make it there some day 🙂
Bonita
Most guides I read really don’t break down the costs and give more than one referral. Thanks for this detailed breakdown. Tenerife is really beautiful ??. Good work!
Tigrest
Thanks, Bonita!
Naomi
I love the Canary Islands. I once spend a whole summer on Gran Canaria and I only went to Tenerife once but would have loved to go more. The islands are very popular in the Netherlands for the year round weather and great facilities.
Brenda
Sounds amazing and tempting! I am living in Spain actually and going to Tenerife is a pretty cheap round trip! You have me almost convinced to go there!