Tenerife · Vivienne’s Edit
Tenerife, gardens and old towns
Wooden balconies, a garden morning and the Atlantic beyond a town square. Discover the greener north, at a pace that leaves room for lunch.
Visitors who enjoy architecture and plants as much as a sea view. Expect hills, changeable northern weather and travel between towns; this is not a south-coast resort itinerary.
Five full-day ideas to adapt · arrival and departure are additional. Book each service separately.
A little rhythm for your visit
Days with room to breathe.
These are researched possibilities, not an opening-day or availability-checked schedule. Keep what suits your dates and check the linked official information before booking.
Full day idea 1
Puerto de la Cruz, from gardens to the waterfront
Begin at the Botanical Garden in Puerto de la Cruz, taking time among its tropical and subtropical planting. Return towards town for lunch, then spend the afternoon around the old harbour and seafront streets. Let dinner be a local choice rather than another drive. The garden is also known as the La Orotava Acclimatisation Garden: despite the name, this visit is in Puerto de la Cruz.
Botanical Garden, Puerto de la Cruz · Puerto de la Cruz
Full day idea 2
La Orotava: balconies and garden terraces
Head inland to La Orotava for a morning among the historic streets and traditional houses. Look up at the wooden balconies, then find lunch before the afternoon’s slower garden visit. Consider the Victoria Gardens, checking access locally, and allow for the town’s gradients instead of planning every lane. Return to Puerto de la Cruz for the evening, with time for a gentle waterfront pause before choosing dinner.
La Orotava old town · Victoria Gardens
Full day idea 3
La Laguna, street by street
Make La Laguna the whole day’s focus. Begin around Plaza del Adelantado and follow the pedestrian streets towards the cathedral and La Concepción area. After lunch, choose one open historic interior or a guided walk, booked independently, rather than racing through every monument. Leave a café pause before the journey back. Colourful façades and a lived-in town centre are the point; church interiors and tours have separate access arrangements.
Plaza del Adelantado · La Laguna historic centre
Full day idea 4
Anaga’s forest air
Plan your transport before breakfast and travel towards Cruz del Carmen for the visitor centre and forest setting. Ask about the current condition of an appropriate short marked walk; do not turn this into an unplanned descent to the coast. Allow time for lunch and the viewpoint when visibility permits, then return while daylight remains. If weather closes the outing, choose another La Laguna interior and keep the forest for a better day.
Cruz del Carmen · Anaga Rural Park
Full day idea 5
A last day above and beside the sea
Return to Puerto de la Cruz’s slower side. Spend the morning in Taoro Park, choosing a route suited to its slopes and stopping for the views over town. Take lunch at leisure, then leave the afternoon for streets you missed on day one and a seafront café. Swimming is an optional, locally checked decision, not the day’s promise. Finish with dinner close to your stay and a straightforward departure plan.
Taoro Park · Puerto de la Cruz waterfront
The right base changes the day
Where to stay.
Central Puerto de la Cruz
Useful for waterfront evenings and restaurants. Ask about noise and the gradient between your room, bus stops and the shore.
La Paz / Botanical Garden area
Closer to the garden and a different residential rhythm, but uphill from much of the waterfront; factor in buses or taxis.
Areas are editorial suggestions. No room rate or availability is promised; a general hotel search does not preselect your property or dates.
The little discoveries
Leave room for these.
La Laguna’s pedestrian streets
Enjoy façades, squares and the old-town layout without taking a paid tour; entries into monuments are separate.
Taoro Park views
An outdoor alternative to a ticketed attraction, with hilly paths and room to choose a shorter circuit.
Start without a rush
The journey in.
Compare flights to Tenerife North (TFN) and Tenerife South (TFS), then match the actual airport to Puerto de la Cruz. Do not assume the two airports are interchangeable.
Use the airport and TITSA journey information for your arrival time, or request a transfer to the exact address. Keep arrival day for settling in; these five days are additional full days.
Recheck the return service before departure. The official island distance table shows why a South Airport transfer needs separate planning from a northern-town outing.
Choose each part with care
Useful next steps.
Destination stay areas and the existing general Klook hotel referral. Enter your destination, dates and guests on Klook; no property, availability or price is preselected.
Use the existing external search route and enter your airports and dates. No flight is selected or included in this idea.
Existing transfer information and referral. Confirm that your exact airport, address and travel date are served; compare with the public transport described below.
This particular idea is on Tenerife. It does not include travel to another Canary Island, an Anaga guide or garden admission.
Some provider links on our linked guides are affiliate links: Votonde may earn a commission on eligible bookings. Your planner selections are not sent to suppliers. Select dates, guests and the exact option on their websites. These are separate bookings, not a combined holiday package. Booking help · Privacy.
Official sources behind this edit
- Tenerife Tourism · Puerto de la Cruz ↗
Northern coastal base and La Orotava valley setting. Checked 2026-10-19.
- Tenerife Tourism · Botanical Garden ↗
Garden location in Puerto de la Cruz and tropical/subtropical collections. Checked 2026-10-19.
- Tenerife Tourism · La Orotava ↗
Historic houses, old town and Victoria Gardens. Checked 2026-10-19.
- Tenerife Tourism · La Laguna old town ↗
Pedestrian centre, Plaza del Adelantado, cathedral and La Concepción. Checked 2026-10-19.
- Tenerife Tourism · Anaga Rural Park ↗
Cruz del Carmen visitor centre, laurel forest, short walking options and variable mountain weather. Checked 2026-10-19.
- Tenerife Tourism · Taoro Park ↗
Park and viewpoints above Puerto de la Cruz. Checked 2026-10-19.
- Tenerife Tourism · island distances ↗
Relative distances from both airports and between the northern towns; no fixed journey time promised. Checked 2026-10-19.
- Aena · Tenerife South buses ↗
Airport buses and the need to match the onward route, with links to TITSA. Checked 2026-10-19.