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Voykit pocket guide · Spain
Puerto de la Cruz
Base here 3–4 nights for the north: old town on foot, Loro Parque and Lago Martiánez, Teide and La Orotava as day trips. Skip if you want guaranteed beach weather.
Puerto de la Cruz is Tenerife's oldest resort and the only north-coast town where locals still work, eat and drink in the same streets tourists walk. The old fishing port, cobbled lanes and colonial houses sit below a steep hill of hotels. Weather is cooler and cloudier than the south, so come for the town and the green north, not for a beach-and-sun package.
- Country
- Spain
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowded, north coast often cloudy), Dec–Jan (wettest)
- Stay
- 3–4 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including tapas bars and taxis in the cities.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EU and EEA plans roam at home prices; UK and other plans may charge — check before you land.
- Emergency
- All services (EU) 112 · National police 091 · Guardia Civil 062
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Bar or café: Leave small change or nothing.; Restaurant: Round up or 5–10% for good service; service is not usually added.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter: €1–2 a bag.; Guide on a free walking tour: €10–15 a person is the expected payment.
- Water
- Tap water is safe across the mainland; it tastes of chlorine in some coastal areas. Ask for 'agua del grifo' in restaurants — by law since 2025 they must offer it free (check local application).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars and cafés (buy a coffee). Stations and shopping centres have free or cheap toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €1.20–2.50 |
| Grilled fish with Canarian potatoes | €12–18 |
| Beer: draught / supermarket can | €2–3.50 / €0.80–1.50 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) taxi3.1 mi (5 km) taxi | €8–12 |
| Titsa bus to Santa Cruz (line 103) | €5–6 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- TFN · Tenerife North–Los Rodeos
- Closest airport, about 25 km (16 mi); Titsa 343 bus or taxiClosest airport, about 16 mi (25 km); Titsa 343 bus or taxi
- TFS · Tenerife South–Reina Sofía
- About 90 km (56 mi); Titsa 343 bus runs only a few times a day, taxi roughly €100 (check)About 56 mi (90 km); Titsa 343 bus runs only a few times a day, taxi roughly €100 (check)
Typical fares
- Titsa 343, Tenerife South → Puerto de la Cruz
- €14.60 cash, €9.60 with ten+ card, about 1.5 h
- Titsa 343, Tenerife North → Puerto de la Cruz
- €12.40 cash, €8.90 with ten+ card
- Titsa 103, Puerto de la Cruz → Santa Cruz
- about 45 min by motorway
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The centre is walkable but uphill away from the seafront. There are no local city buses; Titsa regional lines link the bus station to nearby towns. A free Loro Parque Express shuttle runs from Plaza de los Reyes Católicos every 20 minutes. Parking near the harbour is free but fills up.
See and do
Known for
- Old fishing port and Plaza Charco
- Loro Parque zoo
- Lago Martiánez sea-water pools
- Black-sand Playa Jardín
- Botanical Garden (1788)
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| La Orotava | Titsa bus from the bus station, about 20 min | About 40 min |
| Teide National Park | Car via the TF-21, or organised tour | About 1.5 h each way |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Titsa 103 by motorway, about 45 min | About 1 h |
| San Cristóbal de La Laguna | Titsa bus via Santa Cruz, about 1 h | About 1.25 h |
| Icod de los Vinos | Car via the TF-5, about 30 min | About 40 min |
| Güímar | Car via the TF-1, about 50 min | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Old town / Plaza Charco
- Best for walking to bars, restaurants and the harbour; no need for a car.
- Martiánez / Lago Martiánez
- Near the pools and promenade; flatter walk than the upper town.
- La Paz / upper town
- Quieter, cheaper, but a steep climb back from the centre; taxis are cheap.
- Punta Brava / Playa Jardín
- Next to Loro Parque and the beach; good for families with a car.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HolaOH-lah |
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-syahs |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favorlah KWEN-tah por fah-VOR |
| Can I pay by card? | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?PWEH-doh pah-GAR kon tar-HEH-tah |
| Where is the beach? | ¿Dónde está la playa?DON-deh es-TAH lah PLAH-yah |
| I don't understand | No entiendonoh en-TYEN-doh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Two kisses on the cheek (right then left) between friends and when introduced socially; handshake in business; avoid: Being stiff — Spaniards stand close and touch arms
- Meal times: Late lunch and dinner; long sobremesa (chat after eating); avoid: Rushing to leave or asking for the bill with the last bite
- Noise: Join in the lively conversation; avoid: Reading loud voices as anger
- Siesta hours: Keep noise down in residential buildings 15:00–17:00 and after 23:00; avoid: Phone calls to people at lunch time
- Dress: Smart casual in cities; locals rarely wear shorts in Madrid in town; avoid: Swimwear or bare torsos away from the beach
- Regional pride: Ask about local dishes and festivals; avoid: Assuming Catalan or Basque are dialects of Spanish
Scams and watch-outs
- The north coast is often cloudy when the south is sunny: check the forecast before booking a beach day.
- Many shops close for a few hours at midday.
- Old-town streets are narrow one-ways; don't trust GPS blindly and expect to hunt for parking.
- Street sellers of cameras and electronics are usually not a bargain.
One of the safer resorts in Tenerife; the real risks are the steep hills, strong surf at Playa Jardín and pickpockets around the harbour bars at night. Keep bags zipped and use the 112 line for anything urgent.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Puerto de la Cruz yet. Suggested stay: 3–4 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Old fishing port and Plaza Charco
- Loro Parque zoo
- Lago Martiánez sea-water pools
- Black-sand Playa Jardín
- Botanical Garden (1788)
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Puerto de la Cruz official tourism: www.puertodelacruz.es/
- Titsa bus network: titsa.com/
- Loro Parque: www.loroparque.com/en/
- Wikivoyage: Puerto de la Cruz, revision 5296553 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5296553
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Puerto de la Cruz
A esta dirección, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassy in Puerto de la Cruz; the US has a consulate in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and most countries keep embassies in Madrid (check).
Tipping is optional: round up or leave 5–10% for good table service.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/puerto-de-la-cruz). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.