Tenerife Travel Guide & Money-Saving Tips

This Tenerife travel guide helps you choose the right coast, time your trip well and spend less on transport, food and major sights.

Tenerife packs beaches, volcanoes and island food into one trip

If you're thinking about Tenerife, we think the island's biggest strength is its variety. The south gives you easy beach days and resort comforts, while the north turns greener and more local around old towns, laurel forest and family-run guachinches.

Teide is the reason to make time for the interior: the cable car carries you high above the clouds, and the volcanic landscape feels like a different country from the coast. Add Anaga's ancient laurel forest and you have a trip with real range without spending hours crossing the island.

This hub brings together what to know before going to Tenerife and how to save money while still getting the most out of the trip.

Good to know

The north is greener and cooler, while the south is sunnier, drier and busier with resorts. Stay south for reliable sun, or north for walking and traditional towns.

Top tips

Currency: EUR (€)
Daily spend: 35–100 EUR per person
Hotels: 18–500 EUR per night
Plug: Europlug / Schuko
Tipping: Welcomed
Timezone: GMT+0
Taxis: Uber / Cabify
Food: Glovo / Uber Eats / Just Eat

Best time to visit

Weather, prices, crowds and the events worth travelling for.

Spring

Great

Apr – May

Warm days, low rain and the island's cheapest room rates arrive before trails and beaches get busy.

Summer

Good

Jun – Aug

Hot, mostly dry days bring calima risk; August has peak prices and the heaviest family crowds.

Autumn

Great

Sep – Oct

Warm seas and mild days continue into October, while crowds thin and accommodation prices fall after mid-September.

Winter

Good

Nov – Mar

Mild south-coast days contrast with a cloudier north; Christmas costs more, while Santa Cruz Carnival draws February crowds.

Cost saving tips

Take Titsa route 111 from Tenerife South instead of paying €25–35 for an airport taxi, and use the Ten+ card for roughly 40% off bus fares.
Buy Siam Park, Loro Parque and Teide cable car tickets online, since advance prices are lower and popular slots can sell out.
Eat at guachinches or order the menú del día: €4–7 plates and €10–15 lunches beat €20–40 resort meals, while beer is cheaper away from the promenade.

Top tips

Book the Teide cable car ahead and apply separately for the TenerifeON crater permit; Masca gorge also needs advance planning for its shuttle and boat system.
Choose the south for reliable beach time and the north for greener scenery, old towns and guachinches rather than relying on one island-wide forecast.
Eat lunch at a family-run guachinche in the La Orotava valley or Icod, where the owner's wine often accompanies traditional Canarian food.
Whale-watching boats leave mainly from Los Cristianos and Puerto Colón, so booking with a local operator there can avoid the extra cost of a hotel representative.
Try a barraquito in the north or a cortado in the south, then expect dinner to start late by many visitors' usual schedule.
The Santa Cruz Carnival is free to watch in the streets, with the main parades and Burial of the Sardine taking place around February.

Packing tips

A windproof fleece for Teide, where temperatures can be 15–20°C lower than on the coast.
Hiking shoes with firm grip for Masca's scree and Anaga's muddy laurel trails.
Factor 50 sunscreen for strong Atlantic sun, including winter days.
Reef shoes for rocky shelves and black-sand coves on the north coast.
A headlamp for dark stargazing viewpoints around Teide.