Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Santa Cruz) is situated in the north-east of Tenerife and is the capital of the Canary Islands together with Las Palmas.
The City
Santa Cruz is a vibrant city well worth a visit. It is also a great location to use as a base if you want to explore the north of the island, due to its excellent transport links.
You will find a wide selection of shops, restaurants and accommodation to choose from. There is a busy fishing port, which is the gateway to mainland Spain as well as being a popular stop-off for cruise liners. To get an overview of the city, why not take one of the city’s open top bus tours, to see all the main places of interest.
Santa Cruz is a top destination for anyone looking for great food, scenery, places of interest to visit, shopping and some of the best beaches in Tenerife are nearby. It is also an excellent destination to visit any time of the year as Tenerife has a great all year round climate and the city makes a perfect destination in the winter months.
There are lots of different festivals and carnivals throughout the year which attract many visitors, giving the city a lively feel. A wide variety of accommodation is on offer and there is something for everyone from budget hostals to upmarket boutique hotels. The city is easy to navigate on foot and also has an excellent bus and tram service.
Beaches in Santa Cruz
Playa de las Teresitas
One of the best beaches in Tenerife is Playa de las Teresitas. A beautiful unspoilt long beach approximately 1 ½ km in length, with golden sand, surrounded by palm trees. It is situated in a protected position below the Anaga mountains.
A perfect beach to relax on sunbeds which you can hire, or alternatively enjoy the water sports facilities. There are toilets and changing facilities at the beach and a selection of places to enjoy a drink or something to eat in one of the nearby restaurants.
Playa de las Teresitas beach is easily accessed by car or taxi from Santa Cruz. You can also take the bus from Santa Cruz to Playa de las Teresitas, which is just a short journey away.
Playa de las Teresitas for people with limited mobility
Playa de las Teresitas is a wheelchair accessible beach which offers the following facilities for people with limited mobility:
- Disabled parking bays
- Access ramps
- Accessible paths on the beach
- Adpated toilets
- Accessible showers and changing facilities
- Amphibious walker
- Amphibious wheelchairs
- Support staff
Las Gaviotas
A little further on from Las Terisitas north of Santa Cruz, is the small bay of Las Gaviotas. This beach is a lot quieter than Las Teresitas and there are no changing or catering facilities available.
There is a car park nearby, which can get quite busy during the summer months. The beach has a laid back feel and people come here just to relax and get away from it all. Dogs are allowed on the beach too. Las Gaviotas is also a popular destination for nudists.
Things to do in Santa Cruz
TEA – Tenerife Espacio de las Artes
A museum, art gallery and library in Santa Cruz, well worth a visit even if art isn’t your thing. The gallery is open daily and costs 7 Euros entrance fee with a reduced entrance fee for OAPs of 5 Euros.
The artwork is displayed on two floors and the gallery is an interesting place to spend an afternoon. There is a gift shop and café to sit in and appreciate everything the gallery has to offer.
Palmetum Santa Cruz Jardin Botanico
Theses botanical gardens are set in the centre of Santa Cruz. Here, you will find the largest selection of palm trees in Europe. The site covers 12 hectares and is a must-visit for plant lovers, with a wide variety of plants and trees.
Open daily from 10.00 to 18.00. The entrance fee is 6 Euros for an adult and 2,80 Euros for a child.
Shopping Santa Cruz
Mercado Municipal Nuestra Senora de Africa
A great local market selling all you need, from fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, pastries, fish, cheese and meat. There are also a range of hand-made items to buy including jewellery and clothing.
This is a place not to miss and to try out some local food and drink and a souvenir or two to take home. The market is open daily from 7.30 am to 2.30 pm from Monday to Saturday and from 8 am to 2.30 pm on Sundays.
How to Get to Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz is easily reached from Tenerife North Airport (Los Rodeos). By car or taxi, the 13-kilometre long journey takes about 18 minutes. The 62-kilometre journey from Tenerife South Airport to Santa Cruz takes just over 40 minutes. The drive from both airports is an easy one.
Airport transfer to Santa Cruz
If you don’t want to hire a car, the quickest way of getting from the airport to Santa Cruz is via a pre-arranged airport taxi transfer. By pre-booking you can avoid queuing at the airport taxi rank, as your driver will already be waiting for you when you land.
Directions from Tenerife North Airport to Santa Cruz de Tenerife
- When exiting the airport, follow directions for the TF-5 (La Laguna/Santa Cruz).
- Take the slip road onto the TF-5 in the direction of La Laguna/Santa Cruz (approximately 5 minutes).
- After 9 km, take the left lane and continue on Calle la Salle/Calle Puerto/Av. Maritima/Tres de Mayo (TF-5).
- Keep on Av. Tres de Mayo and Calle Jose Hernandez Alfonso until you reach your destination.
Directions from Tenerife South Airport to Santa Cruz de Tenerife
- From the airport, follow directions for the TF-1.
- Continue on the TF-1 to the TF-4 (approximately 33 minutes).
- Take exit 3 from the TF-1 to the TF-4 to Santa Cruz.
- Continue on the TF-4 until you reach Santa Cruz.
Taking the bus from Tenerife North Airport to Santa Cruz de Tenerife
There is a regular bus service from Tenerife North Airport to Santa Cruz. The bus journey from Tenerife North Airport to Santa Cruz takes approximately 20 minutes and a single ticket is 2,65 Euros.
Titsa, the Tenerife bus company, also sell a Bonus Card (Bono Card) which costs either 15 Euros or 25 Euros. If you are planning on using the bus during your stay in Santa Cruz then it can work out more cost effective to buy the Bono Card. The card can be used for more than one passenger and the fare is deducted off the card each time it is used.
The Bono Card can also be used on the Titsa Tourist Route in Santa Cruz. Check out the Titsa website for more details or contact them on 922 531 300 (08.00 – 20.00 hrs).
The buses running from Tenerife North Airport to Santa Cruz de Tenerife are numbers 102, 107, 108 and 343.
Bus Route 102 – Runs every 30 minutes from 07.40 a.m.
Bus Route 107 – Runs every 2 hours from 07.15 a.m.
Bus Route 108 – Runs every 2 hours from 06.15 a.m.
Bus Route 343 – Runs from 06.20 a.m.
Bus from Tenerife South Airport to Santa Cruz de Tenerife
There is also a regular bus service from Tenerife South Airport to Santa Cruz. The bus numbers which run from Tenerife South Airport to Santa Cruz are:
Bus Route 111 – Runs every 30 minutes from 06.35 a.m.
The cost of a one way ticket from Tenerife South Airport to Santa Cruz is 7,35 Euros.
Bus Route 343 – This service is an express service which runs from Tenerife South Airport to Tenerife North airport but does not stop off at Santa Cruz de Tenerife. However, if you want an express transfer to Tenerife North Airport you can then take one of the regular services from Tenerife North Airport to Santa Cruz. The service runs from 08.41 until 23.19. The cost of a one way ticket from Tenerife South Airport to Tenerife North Airport on the Express Service is 9,70 Euros.
Bus Route 711 – The 711 Bus Route is a night time service which runs from 23.00 to 06.00 a.m. The cost of a one way ticket from Tenerife South Airport to Santa Cruz is 9,35 Euros.
