Insight Guides Pocket Tenerife (Travel Guide eBook)

By Insight Guides

Insight Pocket Guides: ideal itineraries and top travel tips in a pocket-sized package.

Plan your trip, plan perfect days and discover how to get around - this pocket-sized guide is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering what to do and see in Tenerife, from top attractions like Spain's tallest mountain El Teide and the Unesco-listed San Crist bal de la Laguna to the steep hike down the dramatically located village of Masca.

Compact, concise, and packed with essential information about Where to Go and What Do, this is an ideal on-the-move companion when you're exploring Tenerife
Covers Top Ten Attractions, including the Parque Etnogr fico Pir mides de G mar, whale-watching and the Castillo San Miguel, as well as Perfect Day itinerary suggestions
Offers an insightful overview of landscape, history and culture
Contains an invaluable pull-out map, and essential practical information on everything from Eating Out to Getting Around
Sharp design and colour-coded sections make for an engaging reading experience

About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrasebooks, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Release date: Sep 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781789192360

Insight Guides

Pictorial travel guide to Arizona & the Grand Canyon with a free eBook provides all you need for every step of your journey. With in-depth features on culture and history, stunning colour photography and handy maps, it’s perfect for inspiration and finding out when to go to Arizona & the Grand Canyon and what to see in Arizona & the Grand Canyon. 

Book preview

How To Use This E-Book

Getting Around the e-Book

This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to Tenerife, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.

The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of Tenerife, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights in Tenerife are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Tenerife. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.

About Insight Guides

Insight Guides have more than 40 years’ experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.

Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.

© 2018 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Tenerife’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Top Attraction #2

Top Attraction #3

Top Attraction #4

Top Attraction #5

Top Attraction #6

Top Attraction #7

Top Attraction #8

Top Attraction #9

Top Attraction #10

A Perfect Day In Tenerife

Introduction

Volcanic landscape

Climate

Flora and fauna

Bird life

Ecology

Population

Economy

Government

A Brief History

Guanche culture

The conquest

Missionaries and conquerors

Sugar and wine

Beetles to bananas

The Spanish Civil War

Tourism and the post-Franco years

Historical landmarks

Where To Go

The northeast

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Shopping area

The oldest church

Across the Barranco

Auditorio and Parque Marítimo

The Rambla

The city’s beach

San Cristóbal La Laguna

The Anaga Hills

The north coast

Puerto de la Cruz

The harbour

The promenade

La Orotava

Town church

The wine lands of Tacoronte

West of Puerto de la Cruz

El Teide

Las Cañadas del Teide Crater

The routes into the park

From the north

From the east

The starting point

Cable car and Parador hotel

From the southwest

From the west

The northwest

Garachico

West of Garachico

Masca

El Tanque

Los Gigantes to San Juan

The south

The big resorts

Los Cristianos

The municipal towns

Along the south coast

Granadilla de Abona to Güímar

Ancient temples

Candelaria

What To Do

Outdoor activities

Walking and hiking

Bikes and karting

Flora spotting

Birdwatching

Horse and camel riding

Golf

Water activities

Diving

Whale- and dolphin-watching

Big-game fishing

Windsurfing

Spectator sports

Football

Canary wrestling

For children

Shopping

Nightlife

Festivals

Carnaval

Corpus Christi

Romerías

Assumption

Festivals

Eating Out

What to eat

Vegetables

Gofio

Meat

Fish

Fruit

Cheese

Where to eat

Tascas and Bodegas

What to drink

Tea and coffee

Wine

Reading the Menu

To help you order

Menu reader

Restaurants

The northeast

Anaga

San Cristobal de La Laguna

Los Naranjeros

Santa Cruz

The north

El Sauzal

Icod de los vinos

La Orotava

Puerto de la Cruz

Tegueste

The northwest

Garachico

Gaía de Isora

Masca

The south

Chayofa

La Caleta

Los Abrigos

Los Cristianos

Playa de Las Américas

San Isidro

The southwest

Adeje

A–Z Travel Tips

A

Accommodation

Airports

B

Bicycle rental

Budgeting for your trip

C

Camping

Car hire (see also Driving)

Climate

Clothing

Crime

Customs and entry requirements

D

Driving

E

Electricity

Embassies and consulates

Emergencies

G

Getting to Tenerife

H

Health and medical care

Holidays

L

Language

LGBTQ travellers

Lost property

M

Maps

Media

Money matters

O

Opening hours

P

Police

Post offices

Public transport

T

Taxis

Telephones

Time differences

Tipping

Toilets

Tourist information

Travellers with disabilities

W

Websites

Recommended Hotels

The northeast

Anaga

La Laguna

Santa Cruz

The north

El Teide

La Orotava

Los Realejos

Puerto de la Cruz

The northwest

Garachico

The south

El Médano

Granadilla de Abona

Güímar

The southwest

Adeje

Los Cristianos

Playa de Las Américas

Vilaflor

Tenerife’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Shutterstock

La Orotava

La Orotava’s Casa de los Balcones is a beautiful example of a traditional town mansion. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #2

Shutterstock

Masca

A dramatically located village with a challenging hike down to the sea. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #3

Shutterstock

El Teide

This mighty volcano is Spain’s highest mountain. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #4

Shutterstock

Castillo de San Miguel

The castle in Garachico has great views out to sea. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #5

Shutterstock

San Cristóbal de la Laguna

With many lovely old buildings, the former capital of Tenerife is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #6

Shutterstock

Siam Park

The Thai-themed water kingdom is one of the most spectacular aquatic parks in Europe. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #7

Shutterstock

Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre

Located in Santa Cruz, this is Tenerife’s largest museum. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #8

Shutterstock

Los Gigantes

Beneath sheer cliffs that give it its name, the resort is a major centre for diving and boat trips. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #9

Shutterstock

Whale-watching

Seeing pilot whales and bottle-nosed dolphins between Tenerife and La Gomera is an unforgettable experience. For more information, click here.

Top Attraction #10

Shutterstock

Parque Etnográfico Pirámides de Güímar

These structures are thought to be pyramids built for sun worship. For more information, click here.

A Perfect Day In Tenerife

9.00am

Breakfast

Soak up the sea views at Playa de las Vistas and breakfast at the Water Melon (Centro Comercial San Telmo) in San Telmo, Los Cristianos.

10.00am

Adeje

Take the main TF1 road north and divert to the unspoilt hill town of Adeje, former seat of the Guanche tribe and later stronghold of the Counts of Gomera. Visit the remains of their Casa Fuerte and amble along the steep Rambla with its bars and cafés. Adeje is the entry point to the Barranca del Infierno (Hell’s Gorge), a popular 4-mile (6.3km) return hike which should be saved for another day.

11.30am

Arguayo

Rejoin the main road going north. After Chio head right via the village of Arguayo, home to the Museum of ‘Cha Domitila’ (tel: [phone]), where you can watch potters at work and purchase ceramics.

12.30pm

Masca

Carry on north via Las Manchas to Santiago del Teide. From here continue to Tenerife’s most picturesque village – Masca, at the head of a dramatic gorge. Enjoy the breathtaking views from one of the roadside restaurants – Chez Arlette, El Guanche (Calle El Lomito 9, tel: [phone]) is a good bet.

2.00pm

Garachico

Return to the main road and head north (TF-82) for the charming coastal village of Garachico. Spend a couple of hours here, taking a dip in the lava rock pools, visiting the ex-Convent of San Francisco, admiring the views from Castillo de San Miguel or cooling off with a drink in the Plaza.

4.00pm

West coast

Head back south on the main road, then at Tamaimo turn on to the TF454 down the valley for Los Gigantes. ‘The Giants’ is named after the soaring volcanic walls that drop sheer into the sea. Continue south along the coast, pausing perhaps at the fishing village-cum-beach resort of Playa de San Juan.

7.00pm

Sunset wining and dining

Enjoy a cocktail at La Caleta on the Costa Adeje, then tuck into superb gourmet food at Restaurant 88, Masía del Mar (tel: [phone]; www.restaurant88tenerife.com; tel: [phone]; http://masiadelmar.com) or Piscis Terraza (tel: [phone]), with stunning views over the Atlantic Ocean.