The small town of Icod de los Vinos is in the centre of the wine growing area of Tenerife and the hills behind the town are full of terraces growing vines. Icod de los Vinos and has its own wine festival in November, the Festival of San Andrés, when the wineries have an open day and the custom is for the youths to hurl themselves down the steep Calle Calvario on wooden sledges. This tradition…

Jane the Tourist Opinion. Candelaria is a coastal town about twelve miles south of Santa Cruz. This delightful traditional fishing town has an unusual past, which I found very interesting. I am staying just outside Candelaria at Las Calletillas at the Hotel Catalonia Punta del Rey. This hotel has nostalgia about it, and feels like it is lost back in time. There is a very large dining area, this looks out onto a rock garden…

La Orotava is a town founded in the 16th century and is the craft centre of Tenerife. The town is located in the Orotava valley overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the coastal town of Puerto de la Cruz. The town has some of the best preserved historical architecture in the Canary Islands, with fine examples of Spanish colonial buildings dating back to the 16th century. La Orotava’s importance grew when wealthy families from La Laguna…

The city of La Laguna is Tenerife’s oldest settlement being founded by Alfonso Ferdández in 1496 after he had conquered the island. It is here that the Guanches were finally defeated. The town was the capital of Tenerife until 1723 when Santa Cruz took over that roll.   La Laguna is situated 550m above sea level and the climate is somewhat cooler than on the coast. The city got its name from a lagoon that…