Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital and largest city of Tenerife. It's also the capital city of the Canary Islands, together with Las Palmas.



Understand
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is at the eastern tip of the island of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Island chain. The municipal borough covers an area of 150 km² and it is divided into two areas: the Anaga Massif and the southern ramp formed by the lava flows that run down from the Acentejo peak to the coast. The city's population was 205,000 in 2018.

History
From the beginning, the economic nucleus of the city centred on the port. The first wharf, constructed in 1548, was by the beach of Añazo, later destroyed in a storm. The bay of Santa Cruz was appreciated by navigators due to its natural advantages and that turned it into a food supply centre for the ships that sailed for the New World.

At the end of the 15th century a heterogeneous society began to form. The first settlements were near the castle of San Cristóbal, a fortification that protected the small town. New defensive castles were constructed along the coastal areas because the people of Santa Cruz had to defend themselves from frequent attacks by privateers and berberiscos pirates, Gallic and English. It fell to the British Navy, commanded by Admiral Nelson, on 25 July 1797.

By plane
There are two different airports in Tenerife.

The  (Aeropuerto de Tenerife Sur) is about 60 km away from Santa Cruz, in the south of Tenerife. It's open 24 hours a day with almost 9 million passengers every year.

The other airport is  (Aeropuerto de Tenerife Norte), closer to the capital, receives island, national flights, and international flights.

Getting there

 * By taxi: A fare from Tenerife North Airport to Santa Cruz is €15, from Tenerife South Airport - €60.
 * By bus: Bus lines 102, 108, and 109 go from Tenerife North Airport to Santa Cruz (€2.65 as of Jan 2018). Line 111 goes from Tenerife South Airport to Santa Cruz (just under €10.00 as of Feb 2022). The company operating these routes is Titsa, times and fares can be checked on its website. Note that some 111 buses run express and take ~50 minutes to Santa Cruz and some are all-stops and take ~90 minutes. Don't get caught out by getting an express bus to Santa Cruz and assuming the bus back to the airport will be just as fast!

By bus
There are lots of buses coming from other cities of Tenerife island. Routes and times can be checked on Titsa's website.

The Titsa website is terribly difficult to use unless you are already familiar with the island, and Google Play doesn't let you download the Android app unless your phone's region is set to Spain. A good alternative is to use Google Maps. Simply tap on the bus stop you want to go from and it will display a list of all upcoming buses and their times and destinations. This doesn't work in all Intercambrios (bus interchanges) however.

By car
The highways TF-1 (Tenerife Sur) and TF-2 (Tenerife Norte) meet south of Santa Cruz, making the capital well connected by the road network. Traffic may be an issue, and finding a parking spot can be a challenge before noon. The Meridiano shopping centre has a large, free underground parking that's open from 09:00 until 01:30.

By boat
The Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has become one of the main ports of the country. You can arrive at the city on a ferry that connects Santa Cruz de Tenerife with Cadiz, on the mainland, but the trip takes two days, the company that operates this route is Acciona Transmediterranea.

Another possible destination is nearby island of Gran Canaria. Transmediterranea company runs ferries to Las Palmas (3 times a day, €35, 3 hours). Fred Olsen has ferries to Agaete - small town on the western coast of Gran Canaria (almost every 2 hours, €31, 50 minutes).

By bus
Fairly cheap and fairly regular. The local company has a website in Spanish and English, but you're probably better off using google maps or a similar app to plan trips.

Better prices if you have either a ten+ card, which can be purchased at the bus terminal, from a tobacco shop or a tram station; or the ten+ app (Android and iPhone, requires you to scan the QR code in the bus with the app and show it to the driver). Daily and weekly tickets allow for unlimited travels in every bus line in the island, but are only worth it if you're planning to take intercity buses.

By tram
Line 1 starts from the bus terminal and connects Santa Cruz with La Laguna, though it's slower than bus 15 if you're planning to travel the whole line. Paid with the same methods as buses (see above), but sometimes slightly more expensive.

By car
Driving is very fast or very slow with little in-between. Streets can be very narrow. Parking is hard in the centre unless you're willing to pay for private parking. More useful in the outskirts or if you're planning to go outside the cities.

See
One of the capitals of the Canary Islands, Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a modern city with a rich colonial history. It has a variety of historic and modern architecture, parks, and museums for travellers to discover.

Do

 * There are a number of museums. A good history museum is five minutes' walk from the bus station, where Bus 14 stops. An art gallery in town and a small planetarium/science centre on the way to La Laguna (Bus 14 passes it). A Bono bus card not only entitles you to cheap travel on TITSA buses, but also cut-rate museum entrance. Large Sunday market near the bus station.
 * Football: CD Tenerife play soccer in Segunda División, Spain's second tier. Their home ground Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López (capacity 22,800) is just east of Av Reyes Catolicos. The women's team UGD Tenerife play in Liga F (their top tier) at Granadilla de Abona, the far end of the island.

Buy
There are two El Corte Ingles department stores selling pretty much everything, as well as various shopping complexes on the outskirts. The main market is well worth a visit, although it is not aimed at the tourists - great fruit, veg, flowers, etc. There is a flea market on a Sunday near the bus station, if you're short of fleas. Some electrical tourist tat near the main square, which are probably best avoided.

If you're on holiday though, there's more to life than shopping. Why not stroll around the beautiful park up by the Rambla instead?

Eat
Canaries food, Spanish food and inevitably, fast food. Most places are good value, but one or two tourist traps near the port. Plenty of good fish, although a dictionary may be helpful.

Budget
All these are in the city centre:



Drink
There are only a few bars, with a few local people in them.

Connect
As of June 2022, Santa Cruz has 4G from MasMovil/Yoigo, and 5G from Movistar, Orange and Vodafone.