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Tenerife

Reasons to study Spanish in Tenerife

THE CITY:

  • Population: 38,500 in Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife: 220,000).
  • Location: In Tenerife, an island in the Atlantic Ocean.
  • There are two international airports in the island of Tenerife, Tenerife North and Tenerife South.
  • Tenerife is the largest island of the Canaries archipelago.
  • Tenerife is dubbed "the island of eternal spring" because its average temperature is 27 degrees Celsius.
  • A mountain range runs through the island's centre, which contains a gigantic crater known as El Teide in the centre of it. It is the highest peak in Spain and offers one of the world's most spectacular landscape viewing.

CULTURAL/RECREATIONAL:

  • Tenerife's beaches have soft, clean sand whose colour is either black (from its volcanic origin) in the north of the island or golden in the south of Tenerife.
  • One of the most attractive and popular sites of the whole island is the Loro Park with the largest penguin aquarium in Europe, magnificent botanical gardens and exciting attractions.
  • The Carnival of Tenerife is a world-famous festivity taking place all over the island; however, it shines with all its splendour in Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
  • Tenerife is an authentic paradise to do windsurfing and scuba diving.

More information about Puerto de la Cruz

Puerto de la Cruz is the second largest tourist city on the island with accommodation for around 30,000 tourists. In contrast with the modern resorts of the south, El Puerto has had a great tradition as a relaxation place since the end of the last century when the spa, which nowadays is the Hotel Casino Tauro, was built. The accommodation offered in Puerto de la Cruz is also different from most of the other places in the islands, since hotels predominate over apartments.

Although Puerto de la Cruz is a small town and does not have all the advantages of a big city, it offers excellent cafés, restaurants, various international attractions, and other facilities that contribute to its busy air. Numerous national and international conventions a are held there.

The island has excellent sea and air transport, particularly with the Iberia Peninsula. There are flights to Tenerife every day from Madrid and several times a week to Sevilla, Málaga, Bilbao and Barcelona. There are also many links from Tenerife to the rest of the Canary Islands through several air and ferry services that run every day between Tenerife and neighbouring island of Gran Canaria.

The lushness of the gardens and the city's atmosphere are very special features of Puerto de la Cruz, which has many lively places to take a stroll. In the evening the streets near the Plaza del Charco and the maritime promenade are pleasant places to go for a walk and enjoy eating at the many open air restaurants; all of this can be done in a really pleasant climate with the ever present sea. El Puerto houses a good range of buildings of great artistic and historical value such as the church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña, la Casa de la Aduana, el Castillo de San Felipe, la Ermita de San Telmo, and the old quay where small fishing boats are still moored.

Plaza Europa
Plaza Europa
The impressive size of the Teide Volcano (3,718 meters)
The impressive size of the Teide Volcano (3,718 meters)

One of the greatest attractions of this place is Lago Martiánez indeed. This is a series of seawater pools conceived by the Canary artist Cesar Manrique, which are an extraordinary spot for sunbathing and swimming. Harmonising his architecture with the exotic vegetation of Tenerife's volcanic coast Cesar Manrique created his most beautiful project. Beside the pools, Puerto de la Cruz has small volcanic sandy beaches with Playa Jardin and Playa Martiánez being prime examples.

Surrounding the city there are the Botanical Gardens and the Loro Park, which are a must for those keen on nature. The Botanical Gardens were founded in 1788 and house an enormous number of plant and trees from every corner of the planet; they can all be preserved there due to the benign climate of Tenerife. Loro Park has another tropical garden together with the largest world collection of parrots as well as a parrot show and a great dolphinarium.

Fiestas and Celebrations in Tenerife

The Carnival in Tenerife (February or March depending on when Easter falls) is a world-wide famous celebration taking place all over the island. It shines with all its magnificence and splendour in Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The Tenerife Carnival is well alive on the streets, with groups and processions singing, dancing and cheering the current year's 'Queen of the carnival' and her royal retinue.

On Carnival's Wednesday, Puerto de la Cruz celebrates the most relevant procession, the 'Entierro de la Sardina', when the burial of a crowned hand-made sardine is simbolised in a giant parade.