Many guests who join our hiking and yoga retreats in Puerto de la Cruz like to spend a few days extra on the island to explore.
We often get asked for recommendations and ideas for things to do in Puerto de la Cruz, so we put a little list together for anyone who needs inspiration.
On our list, you’ll find less generic ideas than most of the guides on the internet, and you’ll find things we genuinely enjoy doing ourselves. So if you’re a curious traveller who wants to explore, check out what to do in Puerto de la Cruz.
Let us know if you do any of the things on the list.
1. Take a guided tour of the old town
First up, to get your bearings on Puerto de la Cruz old town, a guided tour is a great place to start.
With a walking tour, you’ll get to learn about the long history of the old fishing town, as well as a ton of other fascinating info about the indigenous people from the island, the tragedies that occurred when the Spanish arrived, and how culture has shifted.
Many tours will explain the details of the beautiful local Canarian architecture and show you buildings of historical significance. For example, Alexander von Humbolt stayed at one of the hotels near Plaza del Charco before his expedition to the Americas in 1799.
You can take a free walking tour in Puerto de la Cruz with a local guide. Locals know best, so always try to book a local tour guide.
2. Explore a street art paradise
If you take a stroll around the old town of Puerto de la Cruz, you will be sure to notice all the colourful street art on every corner.
The Puerto Street Art Project started in 2014 as part of an initiative to improve the urban environment. Ten years on, the town has invited artists from all over the world to create eye-catching, thought-provoking pieces on the walls all over town.
If you’ve ever heard of the well-known Belgian street artist Roa, be sure to hunt down his eerie piece on Calle d. Lomo.
You can easily use the descriptions of the different art from the street art project’s official site to do a self-guided tour, or you could book a tour with a professional guide if you want to discover more.
Fun fact: You may notice the small stencil paintings on some of the houses in Calle Méquinez and the surrounding streets; these images come from the nicknames of the families who live/d there and are mainly related to their professions.
3. Walk along the coast to Playa Bollullo
Looking to explore beyond the busy town and get out into nature without needing a car or public transport? You can stroll along the coast to Bollullo Beach.
The first part of the walk is via some rather ugly, old hotels in the Martianez area, but once you leave the town, you’ll walk through the banana plantations and are rewarded with some beautiful coastal views.
Reward yourself with a drink at the Bollullo Beach Restaurant once you arrive. You can take your swimming stuff, but strong currents mean the beach is often closed for swimming, especially during winter. There are lifeguards at the beach, so they will let you know if it’s safe to swim or not.
The walk is around 5.5km there and back; you will need to take the same route to come back. Check the Puerto Cruz to Bollulo Beach walking route here.
4. Check out the views from Taoro Park
If you want a stroll but don’t want to venture too far, then check out the peaceful Taoro Park, which offers panoramic views of the town.
Before the Spanish arrived in the Canary Islands, the indigenous population, the Guanches, divided Tenerife into nine kingdoms. Puerto de la Cruz was part of the kingdom of Taoro, which was the most powerful, so the park is named after this historic kingdom.
The last king of Taoro was Bentor, who ruled until 1495, when he committed suicide rather than get captured by the Spanish. There is a large bronze statue of Bentor at the Mirador el Lance, 20 minutes outside of town.
When walking in Taoro Park, you will find an Anglican Church and the old Grand Taoro Hotel. There used to be a British Colony that lived in the area, and the Taoro Hotel was the foundation of luxury tourism on the island when it opened its doors in 1890.
The well-known writer Agatha Christie was one of the guests of the Taoro Hotel. The hotel is undergoing major renovations and is due to reopen in 2024.
You can find a couple of cafes in Taoro Park where you can enjoy a sunset drink with a view (wouldn’t recommend the food, though!).
5. Learn about local history at a museum
While there isn’t an abundance of museums in Puerto de la Cruz, there are a couple worth checking out if you want to learn more about the history and culture in the area.
Puerto was historically a fishing town, so you can check out the Museo de Pescador if you want to know more about the town’s nautical roots.
If art is more your thing, you can check out the Museum of Contemporary Art, but be warned, the name sounds much grander than the place, as the collection is very small. You will also need to check the random opening times in advance!
For your historical buildings checklist, check out the Castillo San Felipe, the old fort on the seafront.
6. Visit a Guachinche (traditional Canarian Restaurant)
To taste Canarian cuisine, you must visit a Guachinche; these restaurants are typically in the mountains and run by families who make wine on their land.
They home-cook traditional dishes such as chickpea, pork stew (Garbanzo a lo Canario), and Papas Arrugadas with Mojo (wrinkly, salty potatoes with a tasty sauce).
You won’t find any traditional Guachinches in the centre of Puerto, but if you type the word into Google, you can find the closest one to you.
7. Climb the Agatha Christie steps and check out the views at Mirador La Paz
As you’ve already learned from this post, the famous British crime novelist Agatha Christie (did you know she wrote over 75 novels!) used to spend time in Puerto de la Cruz.
She even wrote “The Mystery of the Blue Train” while in Tenerife and made mentions of Tenerife in her story “The Man From the Sea.”
One of the nicest, most accessible activities in Puerto de la Cruz is to visit the street named after Agatha. A tribute to the author has been created through colourful steps with the titles of some of her novels.
Check out C. de Agatha Christie for some colourful photo opportunities.
8. Sunrise or sunset at Playa Jardin
The sunset view at Playa Jardin (also known as Playa del Castillo) is unparalleled compared to many on the island.
You can see the sun passing behind the colourful houses at Punta Brava, with a backdrop of Spain’s highest peak — the Teide Volcano, which stands at an impressive 3,718m high.
If you’re more of a sunrise person, we recommend heading down to the beach at sunrise, too; it’s much calmer in the morning and perfect for meditation.
9. Marvel at the Orchid Gardens
If you’ve already visited the Botanical Gardens Puerto Cruz, the lesser-known option is to go and check out the Orchid Gardens, the Sitio Litre Garden.
Here, you’ll find a peaceful garden with dozens of different orchid plants, a very old Drago tree, and a peaceful cafe where you can enjoy a refreshment. If you’re looking for a relaxed way to spend an afternoon in Puerto de la Cruz, this is the place!
10. Drink the best coffee (or matcha) in town!
If you love coffee and want to drink specialty coffee in Puerto de la Cruz, then you should check out our favourite place, Slow Coffee.
The owner is super passionate about what she does and the most knowledgeable lady we know about all things coffee.
Be sure to take advantage of a tasty beverage from Slow. Chances are, you’ll meet some other coffee lovers while you’re there, too; we love the friendly community vibe of the place.
11. Get a tour of an organic banana plantation
As you may have already observed, the surrounding area in the North of Tenerife, is full of banana plantations.
If you’re interested in learning more about this incredible and tasty plant (for example, did you know each plant only produces one crop of bananas before dying?!), then go for a guided tour of a plantation.
An organic banana farm near Puerto de la Cruz offers tours from Monday to Saturday.
12. Go for a tasty brunch
If all that exploring has left you hungry, you’ll need to find the best brunch spot in Puerto de la Cruz!
Don’t worry; we have you covered! Brunch isn’t as typical here as in many big cities in mainland Europe. However, a few places offer a yummy brunch, with healthy options available too.
We love Mokita for their brunch options (including vegan ones!) and Señorita Canelita for great smoothies and pastries.
13. Hire a bike if you’re feeling adventurous
If you’re looking for more active Puerto de la Cruz things to do, then why not hire a bike?
Dozens of road biking routes start directly in the town and take you to some of the island’s most scenic locations.
Don’t say we didn’t warn you, though….wherever you cycle, it will be uphill, making it a challenge! If you don’t fancy a hefty mountain climb, you could always hire an e-bike to make it a little easier on your legs.
We recommend hiring a bike from Ride Base, who are knowledgeable biking pros and can advise you on a great route depending on your experience.
14. Try paragliding
Still have a thirst for adventure? Try a tandem paragliding adventure. Many of the local tour guides take you up to the base of the Teide volcano and fly you all the way down to one of the Puerto de la Cruz beaches.
It’s an unforgettable adventure; there’s nothing like gently drifting down from the mountain to the sea!
15. Get your zen on with a yoga class
There are plenty of great places for yoga in Puerto de la Cruz, so if you want to take some time for yourself and relax while here, why not check out some of the local studios and yoga spaces?
You can also find some local teachers who teach classes at the beach or in the parks. If you’re interested in this, reach out to us, and we’ll share some contact details.
You can find all our favourite yoga studios in Puerto de la Cruz in this post.
16. Join a local event
Depending on what time of year you’re visiting, there may be some local Canarian festivities to take part in.
Whether that’s the famous Tenerife carnival in February, the Fiestas de Mayo, Noche de San Juan in June, or the month-long party in July, there’s plenty to keep you entertained!
It’s a great way to get a feel for local culture and do something a little different from the usual tourist traps.
You can check for events and festivities on the local town hall website.
17. Try a Zaperoco
This is a traditional, layered, sweet, alcoholic coffee drink from Tenerife, also known as a Barraquito. In the north of the island, though, it’s called Zaperoco (if you ask for this in the south, they’ll look at you like you’re strange!).
The drink consists of a layer of condensed milk, a layer of Liquor 43, coffee, steamed milk, foamed milk, with a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a piece of lime peel. It’s very sweet and basically a dessert in a glass, but you gotta try it while you’re here!
Our favourite places for Zaperoco in Puerto Cruz are Agora Café and Café Ebano; both are on cute squares and often have live musicians playing. Great places to enjoy the taste of Tenerife while watching the world go by!
18. Shop for locally made souvenirs
If you want to take something home to remind you of your trip, you, of course, have an abundance of souvenir shops to choose from. Most of them sell poorly made crap from China that you can buy anywhere in the world.
Want a reminder of your trip to Tenerife that positively impacts the local economy?
Then, shop at a local place that sells beautiful, handmade gifts by local artists and artisans. We can highly recommend Rayamanta.
19. Check out the Puerto Cruz food scene
There are plenty of Puerto de la Cruz restaurants to discover; unfortunately, many of them are tourist traps with overpriced, terrible quality food that will leave your taste buds more than disappointed.
If you want to keep your wallet and taste buds intact, we recommend visiting Manipura, a beautiful vegan restaurant with an abundance of delicious options.
Another great option with incredible food is the Lebanese restaurant Al Amir.
Check out our favourite vegan food places in Tenerife here.
20. Join us at a yoga retreat!
Of course, our list wouldn’t be complete without a mention of our yoga retreats! If you want to spend a few days soaking up the beauty of the island while taking the opportunity to practise daily yoga and meditation, join us!
Don’t just take our word for it; check out what one of our past guests had to say about our retreats in Tenerife:
21. Walk to Mirador San Pedro for sundown
If you still have a little taste for some action, then this is a hike you shouldn’t miss! You can walk from the town centre along the coast to the beautiful Mirador San Pedro. Granted, the first part of the hike isn’t the most picturesque, but the views keep getting better and better as you go.
It is particularly beautiful if you can time it right to make the sunset. There’s a restaurant at the Mirador, so you can ask them to call you a taxi to take you back to town if you aren’t feeling up to hiking back in the dark!
Here’s the route for the 7km trail.
22. Taste some local wines
Maybe not such a well-known delicacy of Tenerife, but the island has the perfect climate, altitude, and volcanic soil for growing vines.
The production of local wines is still very small scale, and many of them are an acquired taste that is probably very different from what you’re used to. However, many artisanal winemakers are popping up on the island who use their knowledge of the wine industry to make some delicious wines.
You can do a “cata de vinos” or wine tasting at several places in Puerto de la Cruz, but we’d only recommend the one at Vinoteca Con Pasion, where they know their stuff.
Things not to do in Puerto de la Cruz
So we’ve given you all our recommendations and favourites, which should be plenty to keep you going during your trip, but we want to mention some things not to do in Puerto Cruz.
If you hate overcrowded, very touristic places, then avoid avoid avoid Costa Martianez. It’s full of ugly hotels, terrible restaurants that haven’t been updated since the 70s, and tacky bars; it is not a vibe if you’re looking for a peaceful trip.
Loro Parque is often highlighted in lists like this as one of the top things to do in Puerto Cruz. However, it is a zoo (essentially a prison) that houses five orca whales in tiny swimming pools.
Sadly, when these intelligent animals are kept in captivity, they die much younger than they would in the wild, and three have died at Loro Parque in the last eighteen months alone. You can learn more about why keeping animals like whales and dolphins in captivity is so cruel here.
What will you try first?
We hope we’ve given you plenty of inspiration for things to do in Puerto de la Cruz when you don’t have a car and want to explore all the incredible things the town offers.
Every week, we get people emailing us asking for tips and recommendations, so we thought we’d bring this list to life.
Hope you find it helpful, and if you would like more insider recommendations, feel free to get in touch. We love hearing from you!