A Tourist Guide To Tenerife

Tenerife is the largest of the seven Spanish Canary Islands. The island is an extremely popular tourist destination partly because of its year round high temperatures and sunny weather. Tenerife has it all from stunning beaches, historical buildings and small fishing bays to impressive volcanoes and a perfect climate.

Resorts and Accommodation
There are a number of popular resorts on the island, the most popular being Santa Cruz, Puerto de la Cruz, Playa Paraiso, Los Gigantes, Los Cristianos, Las Am'ricas, Golf del Sur, El M'dano, Callao Salvaje and Amarilla Golf. The accommodation within these resorts is typically hotels, lodgings, self-catering apartments, holiday homes, villas and bungalows. All the accommodation is star rated and prices vary accordingly.

Traveling There
Flying is the easiest and possibly only realistic option of travelling directly to the Canaries. There are two airports on Tenerife, Los Rodeos International Airport in the north and Reina Sofia International Airport in the south. If you are already in the Canaries or Spain you can reach the island by boat but it is time consuming and costly. Once o the island it is easy to get around. There are numerous vehicle rental operators, frequent taxis and the bus service is excellent.

A Brief History
People have been living on Tenerife since ancient times although it wasn't until years later that the western world became interested in the island. It was eventually conquered by the Spanish in 1495 and thus became part of Europe. Tenerife is still to this day governed by Spain and enjoys an ever growing economy from tourism.

Sights and Attraction
The best sightseeing on Tenerife comes from the natural scenery despite many amazing manmade attractions. Take a drive through The Anaga mountain range wonderful views and stunning scenery. Visit the deepest ravine in the Canaries at Barranco del Infierno and the landscapes around Vilaflor that make you feel like you are on the moon. Tenerife has a beautiful national park at Las Ca'adas del Teide that is also a must see for any sightseeing enthusiast.

Shopping
The resort of Santa Cruz is the most popular shopping area with both designer labels and standard high street shops. There is also a market every Sunday that is great for bargains. Los Cristianos on the south of the island is a great place to go if you are looking to shop for souvenirs.

Dining on the Island
There are plenty of restaurants scattered around every resort on the island. The majority of dining establishments serve traditional Canarian cuisine as well as standard restaurant dishes. If international cuisine is more your fancy then you will not be disappointed as Tenerife has everything from French restaurants to Indian takeaways, fast-food outlets and Greek tavernas. There is also a variety of caf's and bars to choose from and a great nightlife with some resorts boasting lively nightclubs.