Santa Cruz is both a beautiful port city and the capital of the island of Tenerife, where travellers and tourists can look for places to see at any time of the year thanks to its warm climate.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is well known for one of the best Carnivals in Spain, beautiful beaches and a vibrant blend of historic monuments and modern architecture.
The city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife also offers a rich cuisine, thanks to its tropical produce, that makes us fall in love with typical Canarian dishes while tasting home-made wine in guachinches and restaurants.
Here are some places to see in Santa Cruz, savouring the views and the food, so that we can become true tinerfeños.
Plaza de España
Start the first part of your day in Santa Cruz de Tenerife with a good stroll around Plaza de España, 500 square metres in size, which is why it is considered the largest square in the Canary Islands.
What makes it the most emblematic square is the huge saltwater pond that shows low and high tide, and the famous Santa Cruz letters, which are known across almost all of Spain for their popularity.
Don’t forget to visit the best bars and restaurants serving freshly made food, home-made wine, cheeses and pizzas with healthy, fresh ingredients.
The best seafood is eaten along that beautiful coast. The square also has the tourist information office, where they will tell you about different places to explore.
Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África
After exploring the wonderful square, you can walk for 10 minutes to reach the vibrant Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África.
Better known as La Recova, it is a market of delicious, typical food from Santa Cruz de Tenerife. If you like food markets, you’ll be impressed when you taste the local products, Canarian cheeses, wines, mojo sauces and tropical fruit.
The market’s shops and stalls are set among pink-toned buildings that remind you of the neo-colonial style.
Above all, the friendly traders will make it the happiest day of your whole trip. Just five minutes from the market, you’ll find Guachinche La Noria waiting for you to try home-made, authentic Tenerife dishes and recharge your energy for exploring.
Keep in mind that the market is for early risers; either you oversleep or you explore this vibrant place better under the young morning sun!
Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín
If you are drawn to modern architecture, you can’t miss the views of the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín. It is on Avenida de La Constitución in the capital.
Its construction was completed in 2003, and it is best known as the home of the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra. It was renamed in memory of the Canarian president Adán Martín Menis, but people still call it ‘Auditorio de Tenerife’.
The Auditorio also houses a branch of Correos, the postal service. Another curious fact: in 2011, a series of 5-euro coins featured the image of the Auditorio de Tenerife.
And don’t leave without trying the authentic dishes in the bars, restaurants, pizzerias, pastry shop, café and ice-cream parlour very close to the auditorium.
Palmetum Botanical Garden
This botanical garden covers 12 hectares and has palm trees of more than 600 species, brought from all over the world.
It used to be a rubbish dump, which was transformed into artificial hills to promote botanical culture. The botanical garden of Santa Cruz de Tenerife offers splendid landscapes, streams, waterfalls and lakes.
What’s more, the garden has seen the migration of birds of various species, which makes it a unique place. Travellers usually also satisfy their appetite with burgers and seafood, or go for tapas in the bars and guachinches very close by.
Teresitas Beach
Get away from the city to experience the tranquillity of Teresitas Beach, located in the village of San Andrés.
This area is about 30 minutes by car from Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Once there, you can lie down on the artificial beach with its soft golden sand.
The sand comes from the Sahara Desert, so you can sunbathe and recharge your soul. The crystal-clear waters will invite you to dive in and feel the warm sea.
It is a beach recommended for people of any age, so don’t worry if you come with your family.
The beach also offers excellent soupy rice, black rice, arroz ciego and seafood. They also serve side dishes such as papas arrugadas and mojo picón with spicy sauce.
Diving in Radazul
If you are the type who prefers less passive activities when travelling, an extraordinary dive will satisfy your cravings.
With city views and a beautifully blue sea, the Scuba Diving Baptism is an experience that won’t take much time either.
It will be 3 heavenly hours for you! Macaronesian Divers are experts in diving for tourists, equipped with all the safety we expect for ourselves and our family.
We understand if, after diving and enjoying the water, you feel like eating something to calm your cravings.
To round off your Santa Cruz de Tenerife experience, there are some of the best-rated guachinches quite close to this dive in Santa Cruz.
Nearby Guachinches
When you leave the coastal area of Radazul, Guachinche El Cañonazo will be ready to take care of your hunger with sirloin steaks and garbanzas.
El Cañonazo, a modern, spacious and well-located guachinche in the metropolitan area, offers a wide variety of authentic flavours of the island of Tenerife.
They serve traditional home-made dishes in a modern setting, such as grilled meats, desserts, paellas and tapas, accompanied by the house wine.
On the other hand, if you don’t mind going a little further, we recommend El Escondite de Lucas.
It is a restaurant with a good atmosphere and tasty dishes such as Volcán de Berenjena, Saquitos de la Abuela and much more.
The portions will make you feel pampered for a reasonable price. You can drive around the city, then park in the large car park and let yourself be warmly welcomed to immerse yourself in the flavours.