Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Introduction

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital of the Canary Island Tenerife. The city has roughly 250,000 inhabitants. Santa Cruz de Tenerife is at the eastern tip of the island of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Island chain. The municipal borough covers an area of 150.56 square kilometres and it is divided into two differentiated areas: the Anaga Massif and the southern ramp formed by the lava flows that run down from the Acentejo peak to the coast. The maximum altitude in the borough is 750 metres above sea level. Over half the municipal perimeter is shoreline.

Sights and Activities

The beaches are less crowded than in the south. The largest is Las Teresitas, made of imported yellow sand, and a short 20 minute bus ride (Bus 910). The quieter Las Gaviotas is the next bay over and features black sand and plenty of nudists. The infrequent Bus 254 there gives impressive views of Las Teresitas.

With its sweeping white façade looming over the waterfront of Santa Cruz harbor, the Auditorio de Tenerife (Tenerife Auditorium) is an instantly recognizable landmark of the Tenerife capital. The futuristic design by architect Santiago Calatrava has drawn comparisons to the Sydney Opera House and its signature white concrete arc looks particularly spectacular at night when the rooftop is lit up from beneath. Although guided tours are a popular way to admire the interiors of the Auditorio de Tenerife, the best way to experience the famous venue is to book tickets for a show. There’s a varied schedule of music and dance performances throughout the year, with highlights including the Tenerife Opera, the Symphony Orchestra of Tenerife and special Christmastime musicals.

Weather

Santa Cruz de Tenerife's climate is perfect for a week of enjoying the sun and making trips across the island. Summers are mostly between 25 °C and 30 °C during the day and still above 20 °C at night. Winters are about 6-8 °C colder on average though it's still quite warm, even at night.

Getting There

By Plane

Tenerife North Airport (TFN) is located about 10 kilometres from the city. Tenerife North mainly serves other Canary Islands, cities in mainland Spain, and several cities in Germany. Also, two airlines fly here to/from Caracas in Venezuela.
The much bigger Tenerife South (TFS) is over 70 kilometres away. Lowcost airlines like Easyjet (from London and Manchester) and Ryanair have found their way as well, the last having most flights, including to/from Brussels, Dublin, Edinburgh, London, Glasgow, Madrid, Porto and Weeze (near Düsseldorf). Numerous other airlines serve Tenerife South though, the choice is wide.

By Boat

Trasmediterránea and Fred Olsen offer services ot other Canary Islands, while Trasmediterránea also goes to Cadiz in mainland Spain.

Naviera Armas runs weekly services between Portimao in mainland Portugal to Madeira and on to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with connections to other Canary Islands, like Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.

Getting Around

By bus. Fairly cheap (especially if you have a Bono card purchased at the bus station or from a tobacco shop) and fairly regular. Driving is very fast or very slow with little in-between. Streets can be very narrow. Parking is a problem in the centre.

Eat

Canaries food, Spanish food and inevitably, fast food. Most places are good value, but one or two tourist traps near the port. Plenty of good fish, although a dictionary may be helpful.

Los Menceyes, Doctor José Naveiras 38 (Grand Hotel Mencey), ☏ +34 922 609900. Local cuisine, try Puchero canario (stew Canaria style) or pork with cabbage and red Mojo.
Restaurante La Hierbita, Calle Clavet 19, ☏ +34 922 244617. typical Casa de comida, try Ropa Vieha (monced steak in tomato sauce) ot Polines (bananas in moho).
El Porron Tasca Andaluza, Calle Antonio Domínguez Alfonso 36, ☏ +43 922 15 18 67, ✉ [email protected]. Often regarded as the best restaurant of Santa Cruz, it specializes in a mix of Andalusian specialties and local Canarian cuisine. Great food, but relatively pricey.
Etéreo by Pedro Nel, Calle San Antonio 63, ☏ +43 922 19 41 95, ✉ [email protected]. Upscale Spanish restaurant with a serious price tag. The food is excellent, and accompanied by a rich selection of local and European wines.

Drink

There are only a few bars, with a few local people in them.

Sleep

Hotel Principe Paz, Calle de Valentin Sanz 33, ☏ +43 922 24 99 55, ✉ [email protected]. Parking can be a nightmare, so it's best to use one of the underground car parks at around €12 a day. €51.
NH Tenerife, Calle Candelaria 3, ☏ +34 922 534 422. In the centre of the historical and business areas of the city. It is very close to the Auditorio, the shopping area, the harbour, and the theatres. €64.

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet is widely available within Spain. Most airports have wifi-zones and in most towns there are internet cafés or shops where you can use internet for a fixed price. Wi-Fi points in bars and cafeterias are available after ordering, and most hotels offer Wi-Fi connection in common areas for their guests.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

The international access code for Spain is +34. The emergency number for police, ambulance and the fire brigade is 112.

In cities you can find plenty of public phones, and 'locutorios'. The latter are small shops where you can use the phone and use internet. Most of them also sell prepaid cards for mobile telephones. These shops are used a lot by foreigners to call to their mother country.

The main mobile network operators in Spain are Yoigo, Vodafone, Movistar and Orange, as in most of Europe voice and data coverage is generally good in urban areas however it can be patchy in rural locations. Cheap mobile phones (less than €50) with some pre-paid minutes are sold at FNAC or any phone operator's shop (Vodafone, Movistar, Orange). Topping-up is then done by buying scratch cards from the small stores, supermarkets, vending points (often found in tobacco shops) or kiosks.

Post

If you want to post a card, you can head to the post office (Correos). The Spanish post is not yet as efficient as colleagues in other countries so receiving a card can take a bit longer than the number of days that it should take. On the website of Correos, you can find the locations of nearby post offices.
Post offices are generally open from 8:30am to 2:00pm, although times will vary according to the size of the city/town and the main post offices might be open until the early evening. Most will also open again on Saturday mornings, but in the smaller towns will close as early as 12 noon. When posting a letter, look for a yellow box and, if possible, post at the post office itself where there will also be divisions for local, national and international mail. Be prepared for long queues at the post office. This is why tobacco shops sell stamps and many will also have the facility to weigh packages. Standard letters/postcards of up to 20 grams sent within Spain are €0.34. However, non-standard letters/postcards of up to 20g are €0.39. Letters/postcards of 20 to 50 grams are €0.45. In the case of international shipping, the price is €0.64 to most countries within Europe for standard envelopes (letters/postcards) up to 20g, for a few European countries and outside Europe it is €0.78. If you want to send a package you are probably better off with a private courier company like TNT, DHL or UPS, as they offer quick and reliable services against competitive prices.

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