The Ultimate Guide to the Canary Islands’ Biggest Island

Seven days in Tenerife sounds like plenty of time. And it is — if you plan it right.

Go in without a plan and you’ll spend half your holiday stuck in south coast resort traffic, wondering why everyone raves about this island. Follow a smart itinerary and you’ll see why Tenerife is one of the most remarkable places in Europe: volcanic lunar landscapes, lush laurisilva forests, dramatic cliff coastlines, charming white villages, and some of the best whale watching in the world.

This 7-day Tenerife itinerary is designed to show you the full picture — not just the beach.

Before You Go: Essential Planning Tips

Best time to visit: Tenerife is a year-round destination. For beach weather, June–September is peak. For quieter trips with good weather, April–May or October–November are ideal.
Getting around: Rent a car. Public transport exists but is slow. A hire car unlocks everything on this itinerary.
Where to stay: Base yourself in Costa Adeje (south) for easy access to beaches and the highway north. See our Best Hotels in Tenerife with Ocean View for top picks.
Download our PDF guide: Get the full offline version of this itinerary — with maps, restaurant recommendations, and insider tips — in our Tenerife 7-Day PDF Guide.

Day 1: Arrive & Settle into the South

Area: Costa Adeje / Los Cristianos

Morning/Afternoon: Check into your hotel and head straight to Playa del Duque — widely considered the finest beach in the south of Tenerife. The sand is golden, the water is calm, and the promenade is lined with good restaurants. A perfect soft landing.

Evening: Walk the seafront promenade from Costa Adeje to Los Cristianos. Stop for dinner at one of the harbourside restaurants in Los Cristianos — fresh grilled fish and a glass of local white wine is the only right choice on night one.

Your first day is about arriving, settling in, and getting your bearings. Most flights land at Tenerife South Airport (TFS), which is just 20 minutes from Costa Adeje.

Where to stay: Costa Adeje — see Best Hotels in Tenerife with Ocean View

Day 2: Conquer Mount Teide

Area: Teide National Park

Today is the centrepiece of your week — and the experience most likely to stop you in your tracks.

Mount Teide is Spain’s highest peak at 3,715m, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the most visited national parks in the world. The landscape around it is unlike anything in Europe: vast lava fields, multicoloured volcanic rock formations, and a silence that feels almost sacred.

Morning: Drive up to the park early (before 9am) to beat the coach tours. Stop at Roques de García — the dramatic rock formations in the heart of the park — for photographs that will genuinely surprise people when you tell them they were taken in Spain.

Midday: Take the Teide Cable Car (teleférico) to 3,555m. Book tickets online in advance — they sell out. The views from the top extend across all four of the western Canary Islands on clear days.

Afternoon: Drive back down via the La Orotava Valley — a lush, green descent that feels like a different planet from the lunar summit you just left.

Practical tip: Bring a warm layer. Even in summer, the summit is cold and often windy.

Day 3: The Wild Southwest — Los Gigantes & Masca

Area: Los Gigantes, Masca, Santiago del Teide

The southwest of Tenerife is where the island gets dramatic.

Morning: Drive to Los Gigantes — a small resort town defined entirely by the extraordinary cliffs that loom above it. At 600 metres high and dropping sheer into the sea, the Acantilados de Los Gigantes are one of the great natural spectacles of the Atlantic. Take a boat trip from the harbour for the full effect.

Afternoon: Head up into the mountains to Masca — a tiny village perched impossibly in a ravine that looks like it was designed by a film director. The drive there (via the TF-436) is one of the most spectacular roads on the island. Walk the village, have lunch, take approximately 400 photos.

Evening: Return to base via Santiago del Teide — a peaceful, traditional Canarian village that feels a world away from the resort coast.

Day 4: Whale Watching & Beach Day

Area: Los Cristianos harbour / South coast beaches

Tenerife sits in one of the world’s great cetacean migration corridors. The channel between Tenerife and La Gomera is home to resident pods of pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins year-round — making this one of the most reliable whale watching destinations on the planet.

Morning: Book a whale watching boat trip from Los Cristianos harbour. Multiple operators run morning departures (around 10am) on catamarans with marine biologists on board. A 3-hour trip will almost certainly give you close encounters with pilot whales, and dolphin sightings are virtually guaranteed.

Afternoon: Recover from the excitement on one of the south coast beaches. Playa de Fañabé or Playa del Camison are both excellent options — less busy than Playa del Duque but with the same quality sand and water.

Practical tip: Book whale watching in advance in peak season. Look for operators certified by the LIFE+ SATLINK project for responsible wildlife tourism.

Day 5: Santa Cruz & La Laguna — Culture Day

Area: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, San Cristóbal de La Laguna

Today you trade beaches for culture — and the island delivers.

Morning: Drive to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the island’s capital. It’s a proper Spanish city — not a resort — with excellent shopping, interesting architecture, and the remarkable Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre, home to one of the world’s finest collections of Guanche (original Canarian) artefacts.

Don’t miss the Auditorio de Tenerife — Santiago Calatrava’s extraordinary wave-shaped opera house on the waterfront. Even if you don’t go inside, it’s one of the great pieces of contemporary architecture in Spain.

Afternoon: Head 10 minutes inland to San Cristóbal de La Laguna — a UNESCO World Heritage city and one of the most beautiful historic towns in the Canary Islands. The old quarter is a joy to walk: cobbled streets, colourful colonial architecture, excellent coffee shops, and a genuine student-town energy from the university.

Evening: Have dinner in La Laguna — the restaurant scene here is far more interesting and local than anything in the resort south.

Day 6: The Anaga Mountains & Hidden Beaches

Area: Anaga Rural Park, Taganana, Benijo

The Anaga Mountains in the northeast corner of Tenerife are one of the island’s best-kept secrets — and the perfect antidote to too many days by the pool.

Morning: Drive into the Parque Rural de Anaga — a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve covered in ancient laurisilva forest (the same type of cloud forest that once covered much of southern Europe, now almost entirely gone). The road through the park is narrow and winding, but the forest is extraordinary.

Stop at the Cruz del Carmen viewpoint and visitor centre for orientation, then take one of the short walking trails into the forest.

Afternoon: Descend to Taganana — a tiny, remote village on the north coast that feels completely cut off from the tourist island. Continue to Playa de Benijo — a wild, black-sand beach with dramatic rock stacks and crashing Atlantic waves. It’s not a swimming beach, but as a landscape it’s one of the most spectacular on the island.

Have lunch at one of the simple restaurants in Taganana — fresh fish, papas arrugadas (Canarian wrinkled potatoes) with mojo sauce, and a cold local beer.

Day 7: Puerto de la Cruz & Farewell

Area: Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava

Save the north coast town of Puerto de la Cruz for your last day — it’s the most charming, most authentically Canarian town on the island, and it deserves a leisurely visit.

Morning: Explore the old town of Puerto de la Cruz on foot. The Plaza del Charco — the main square — is where local life plays out over coffee and newspapers. The nearby Lago Martianez (a spectacular series of seawater pools designed by local artist César Manrique) is worth a visit for the architecture alone.

Midday: Drive up to La Orotava — a beautifully preserved historic town above Puerto de la Cruz, with some of the finest Canarian colonial architecture on the island. The Casa de los Balcones and the view down the valley towards the sea (with Teide behind you) are unmissable.

Afternoon: Head back south for your final afternoon in the sun. One last swim at Playa del Duque, one last sunset cocktail, one last grilled fish dinner.

Tenerife will make you want to come back. They all do.

7-Day Tenerife Itinerary: Quick Reference

Day	Focus	Area
Day 1	Arrive, beach, settle in	Costa Adeje / Los Cristianos
Day 2	Mount Teide & Cable Car	Teide National Park
Day 3	Cliffs, Masca village	Los Gigantes / Southwest
Day 4	Whale watching & beaches	Los Cristianos / South coast
Day 5	Capital city & historic town	Santa Cruz / La Laguna
Day 6	Ancient forest & hidden beach	Anaga Mountains / Taganana
Day 7	Charming north coast town	Puerto de la Cruz / La Orotava

Get the Full Offline Guide

Want this itinerary in your pocket — with detailed maps, restaurant recommendations, booking tips, and hidden gems not published on the blog?

📥 Download the Tenerife 7-Day PDF Guide — €7.99

Perfect for saving to your phone before you fly. No Wi-Fi needed once downloaded.

Where to Stay for This Itinerary

For this 7-day route, we recommend basing yourself in Costa Adeje for the full week. It puts you close to the airport, the south coast beaches, and the highway that connects you to every other part of the island.

👉 Browse the best hotels in Costa Adeje on Booking.com — filter by ocean view, adults-only, or family-friendly to find your perfect match.

Driving times on Tenerife can vary significantly due to winding mountain roads. Always allow extra time, especially for Days 3 and 6.

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7 Day Tenerife Itinerary