Day Trips & Excursions in Tenerife

A 50-minute high-speed ferry from Los Cristianos reaches this small, mountainous island, dominated by Garajonay National Park's UNESCO-listed laurel forest. Highlights include the whistled language Silbo Gomero (a UNESCO Intangible Heritage practice, still taught in schools), the colorful town of San Sebastián de La Gomera where Columbus made his final provisioning stop before crossing the Atlantic, and dramatic mountain hiking trails.

Combining Tenerife's UNESCO Biosphere laurel forest with its UNESCO World Heritage colonial city makes an efficient day out from Santa Cruz: a morning hike or scenic drive through Anaga's ridges and villages, followed by an afternoon exploring La Laguna's historic center and tapas bars. Both are reachable without a car via bus and Tenerife's tram network.

Reachable by a short flight or longer ferry from Tenerife, this island — nicknamed "La Isla Bonita" — is known for its lush green landscape, the vast Caldera de Taburiente crater, and some of the world's clearest night skies, home to major international observatories. The 2021 Cumbre Vieja eruption reshaped part of its southern coastline, and its aftermath is now part of the island's story for visitors.

These two north-coast towns pair naturally into a half-day loop from Puerto de la Cruz: the Drago Milenario in Icod de los Vinos, followed by Garachico's lava-formed natural pools and colonial architecture. Both are easily reached by rental car or local bus (Titsa line 363), and the route passes through banana plantations characteristic of the island's fertile north.