Puerto de la Cruz

Puerto de la Cruz is a town on the north coast of Tenerife with 31,137 inhabitants (1 January 2025) and the smallest municipality on the island, 8.73 km². It began as the port of La Orotava, became a tourist resort in the late 19th century and today combines a compact old quarter, a seafront complex designed by César Manrique and one of Spain's oldest botanical gardens.

What is Puerto de la Cruz known for?

The town is known for three things: the seawater pools of Lago Martiánez, the old port quarter around Plaza del Charco, and the Jardín de Aclimatación de La Orotava, also called the Botanical Garden. Beyond the centre, Loro Parque, a private park and zoo, sits on the outskirts; it is an independent business, not part of the town's public sights.

What is the history of Puerto de la Cruz?

The settlement existed by 1502 as a coastal port dependent on La Orotava; a church and a square were built in 1603. On 3 May 1651 King Philip IV granted residents a Royal Provision allowing them to appoint a village head. The port became the most important on Tenerife after an eruption destroyed Garachico's harbour in 1706. The town was known as Puerto de la Orotava until it took its present name and full municipal autonomy in 1808.

Tourism arrived in the late 19th century, when the Grand Hotel Taoro was built; Spain's official tourism site describes the town as developing then as a spa resort on the site of today's Hotel-Casino Taoro. The real boom came in the 1950s.

What is Lago Martiánez?

Lago Martiánez is a municipal seawater-pool complex on the seafront, designed by the Lanzarote artist César Manrique with engineers Juan Alfredo Amigó and José Luis Olcina. Its first phase, the Los Alisios pools, opened in 1971 and the lake itself on 30 April 1977; a major renovation was completed in 2006. The complex covers about 100,000 m² and, according to the Tenerife tourism board, combines a 27,000 m³ artificial saltwater lake with four other adult pools and three children's pools. Manrique used volcanic stone, local plants and sculptures, the same approach you can see in his work on Lanzarote. It is paid entry, and opening hours and prices change, so check them on the day (third-party prices disagree, so none are given here).

What is the Botanical Garden of Puerto de la Cruz?

King Charles III ordered the Jardín de Aclimatación de La Orotava on 17 August 1788; it opened in 1792. The idea was to acclimatise plants collected in the American colonies before sending them to the royal gardens in Madrid and Aranjuez. The garden covers about 20,000 m², has been a Bien de Interés Cultural (heritage-listed) since 1994 and, according to Spain's tourism site, holds more than 3,000 species, mostly exotic. One highlight is a large Ficus macrophylla f. columnaris with very long aerial roots. The address is Calle Retama 2. Local press reported in November 2025 that a planned expansion on the neighbouring plot was still unfinished, so confirm access and opening hours with the garden before you go (email jao@icia.es, tel. +34 922 922 981).

What is Plaza del Charco and the old port quarter?

Plaza del Charco is the town's lively main square, surrounded by restaurants and terraces and close to the Casa de la Aduana and the old pier. Nearby are the Castillo de San Felipe, the ermita de San Telmo and the church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia, the largest Catholic church in the town. On 29 November the square is part of the San Andrés celebrations: the Tenerife tourism board describes Los Cacharros, when cans and tins tied to wire are dragged through the streets, and a chestnut festival in the square.

Can you swim at Playa Jardín?

Sometimes, but check first. Playa Jardín's central cove was closed to bathing four times in 2026 up to 9 October because intestinal enterococci exceeded the permitted level, according to RTVC; it reopened on 9 October after Public Health analyses. Lago Martiánez, with its pools filled with seawater, is the dependable alternative when the beach is closed. Our guide to the Canary Islands in November covers other seasonal checks.

How do you get to Puerto de la Cruz by bus?

TITSA, Tenerife's bus operator, runs several interurban lines from the Estación de Puerto de la Cruz. According to a TITSA service notice reported in July 2026, they include line 100 (Santa Cruz direct), line 102 (Santa Cruz via Las Arenas), line 103 (La Laguna, direct via El Botánico) and line 363 (Puerto de la Cruz to Buenavista via Icod de los Vinos). Lines 381 and 382 are urban routes. Timetables change, so check titsa.com. From the town you can combine a visit with the UNESCO old town of La Laguna on line 103 or explore more of Tenerife.