This is the main tourist centre of the north of the Island, situated on the coast of the Orotava valley, at the foot of Mount Teide. It enjoys a mild climate throughout the year. It was the pioneer of the tourist industry, and the oldest holiday resort in the Canary Islands, being declared "of Tourist Interest" in 1955. It is a cosmopolitan town with splendid sea-side facilities like the Costa de Martiánez complex of swimming pools, with its enormous artificial lake. This was the work of Cesar Manrique, an internationally famous artist from Lanzarote.

Modern, top class hotels equipped with all the comforts you could want, and a large selection of self-catering accommodation, where you can find typical international restaurants that specialise in regional cuisine, night-clubs, cafes and all kinds of entertainment.

Puerto de la Cruz, colourful and picturesque, is unusually attractive, with spots like San Telmo, Plaza del Charco, the fishing docks and the whole La Ranilla district, San Amaro and La Paz, the Taoro Park - where the luxurious Taoro Casino is located - and the Botanical Gardens, created in 1788, that has a collection of plants and trees from the five continents.

There are several churches worth visiting, like the church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia, the Castle of San Felipe and the Customs House.

The town has libraries, cinemas, post office, public telephone centres, sports centre, Olympic swimming pool, a large number of tennis courts and gymnasiums. There are also facilities for a wide range of water sports.

Loro Parque is a genuine twelve hectare paradise housing the largest parrot collection in the world.

Loro Parque also has the largest dophinarium in Europe, an orchid house, an African market, tiger island, lorovision, etc. The facilities have recently been extended to include a bat cave, a sea-lion show, a Thai village, a subterranean aquarium with the longest submarine tunnel in the world, a shark pool, gorillas, water falls, etc.

A kilometre of coastline has recently been regenerated, from Castle San Felipe to Punta Brava. Some 200,000 cubic metres of volcanic sand from the sea bed nearby have been used for this.

The beach is called Playa Jardin and includes 17,000 square metres of gardens. The project was designed by the brilliant artist from Lanzarote, Cesar Manrique.

The tourist resort of Los Gigantes is just off the main TF-820 road from Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Guía de Isora, six kilometres after the farming village of Tamaimo.

The Teno cliffs are right next to the resort, a rugged coastline of sheer cliffs with an average height of 45 metres. The resort has a modern Yacht Marina, opposite the Poblado Marinero - a complex built in Canary Island style architecture - and a small sandy beach at the foot of the cliffs; Guíos or Guinchos.

Following the Tamaimo road, you get to Puerto Santiago, a fishing village where you can see the influence of tourism, with a small port that really comes to life during the tuna fishing season, from April to November, which is when most of the catch is made.

Just half an hour from Puerto Santiago, La Arena is a naturally protected cove, one of the best on the Island, with adequate services.

The whole of this part of the coast enjoys the longest hours of sunshine on the Island and you can see some beautiful sunsets, made even more attractive by having the nearby island of La Gomera in the background.

Santa Cruz is the capital of both the island and of the province of the same name. With more than 200,000 inhabitants, it is a modern, cheerful and cosmopolitan city. Everyday life takes place along the broad avenues, inviting and empty squares and bustling streets.

There is a permanent exhibition of sculptures in the boulevards and gardens (do not miss the Garcíua Sanabria Municipal Park). These include some of the world's most famous artists such as Moore, along with the works of avant-garde local artists, like José Abad. The fine shops have just about anything you could want from anywhere in the world at very reasonable prices.

Santa Cruz rises like an amphitheatre from the ocean. It is an important port, a hub for communications between Europe, Africa and America, with ships of all flags arriving every day.

The city has important architectural monuments, like the churches of La Concepción and San Francisco.

The San Francisco church is a fine example of 17th century Baroque; the Carta Mansion, also 17th century; the Candelaria and Caídos monuments; the sculptures of Juan de Avalos, at the confluence of Las Ramblas and Avenida Anaga; the Palacio Insula, seat of the Island Cabildo (government); Paso Alto Castle-Fortress; San Juan Castle, etc.

A few kilometres from the centre, near the fishing village of San Andrés, you will find Las Teresitas beach, with its golden sands. The city also has other bathing areas, such as the "Parque Maritimo Cesar Manrique", the work of the famous artist from Lanzarote.

The city also has history, science, anthropology museums, art galleries, cinemas, cultural centres and theatre. Social and cultural life in Santa Cruz is very intense. The borough of Santa Cruz encompasses rural villages and hamlets in the area of Anaga that are well worth visiting if you are looking for something typical.

Candelaria, or La Arena, beach is opposite the cathedral; it is a broad, black sand beach, but you must be careful of the current and the undertow. It is advisable to stay near the edge.

El Charquito is the next beach along, near the fishing docks. This is much safer. There are many different fish and shell-fish restaurants close to the beaches. Las Arenitas beach is near Hotel Tenerife Tour, next to the avenue going towards Candelaria. You should also be careful on this beach when it is rough. All these beaches get quite crowded in summer.

Los Cristianos, practically an extension of Playa de las Americas, has an extensive beach of golden sands, opposite the harbour, from where you can get a boat to La Gomera or El Hierro. The harbour is still a fairly important fishing harbour.

There are many excursions that leave from the harbour, both in leisure craft and in fishing boats. There is a colony of pilot whales that lives off the coast.

The town has many bars and restaurants close to the beach; a pedestrian walk leads you up to the town, while another one follows the coast towards the nearby Guaza mountain.

Las Galletas is a fishing village in the borough of Arona. There are two turnoffs from the main motorway, TF-1, one near Los Cristianos via Guaza and the other near the Southern airport..

It has a black sand and pebble beach by the fishing harbour, with a sea front promenade. The Yellow Submarine is based at this harbour. The submarine takes people out on a 50 minute excursion. There are several fish restaurants in Las Galletas.

The TEN-BEL resort is next to the village of Las Galletas, with a large sea-water pool for its residents. There is a path that leads off from near the pool along the beautiful coastal cliffs. There are several spots along the way where you can have a swim.