Tenerife with Kids: The Perfect Vacation

Tenerife with kids is the perfect vacation for any family. Tenerife is an island with two souls: there’s the south, very touristy, designed specifically to accommodate families with children who are used to comfort (especially English, French, and German families in Los Cristianos and Las Americas), and the north, where you find historic cities, the most beautiful, traditions, and the greenest, most unspoiled landscapes. Despite a good stretch of the coast being marred by eco-monsters, southern Tenerife still has many beautiful things, such as the beaches, the climate (which is no small thing; it’s always sunny and several degrees warmer than the north of the island), the cliffs of Los Gigantes, Punta de Teno, and other beauties that I will talk about in this article.

What else should you not miss in Tenerife with children? Well, there is certainly no shortage of choices.

Let’s start with the mountain, with the Teide National Park. The best way to reach the highest point of the peak is by cable car, perfect even for your children: once at the top, you can enjoy breathtaking views of the nearby Gran Canaria, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro.

Next, we move on to the lively and cosmopolitan coastal capital Santa Cruz, which is located at the northeastern tip of Tenerife and boasts one of the most important ports in the Atlantic Ocean. With 58 kilometers of urban coastline, Santa Cruz is home to some of the island’s most famous beaches, including Playa Teresitas, a large golden sandy beach surrounded by palm trees, Playa Las Gaviotas, Playa Los Llanos, Playa de Anaga, the two Tabaiba beaches, and the Cesar Manrique Maritime Park.

The main tourist destination in Tenerife is Puerto de la Cruz, a welcoming town with a sophisticated air that every year attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world. This area will make you fall even more in love with Tenerife with children. Puerto de la Cruz is located along the northern coast of the island, at the foot of El Teide, and successfully combines traditional Canarian architecture with luxury hotel structures. The small port, the wide avenues, and the historic buildings of San Felipe Castle, the church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña, and the San Telmo hermitage are ideal places for a stroll. The area around the old fishing port is full of cobbled streets lined with traditional colonial-style cafes and restaurants.

A short distance from the city of Puerto de la Cruz are exceptional volcanic sand beaches, the marvelous saltwater pools of Lago Martianez, designed by artist Manrique, who excellently blends design and nature, the beautiful Playa Jardin beach, and Punta Brava, perfect for your trip to Tenerife with kids.

Personally, we couldn’t resist San Cristobal de la Laguna, one of the most fascinating cities in the Canary Islands. It is located in the northern part of Tenerife, in the Aguere valley, at the foot of the Anaga mountains, 10 kilometers from Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The historic center is a jewel of rare beauty, where picturesque buildings with eccentric facades, sumptuous villas, and typical shops line cobbled streets—a fantastic place to see the true and most authentic Tenerife with children.

If you are interested in tourism and nightlife, you can’t forget to visit the lively Los Cristianos, which is located along the southwestern coast of Tenerife and boasts two beautiful golden sandy beaches, definitely an essential stop for your trip to Tenerife with children. The town of Los Cristianos is framed between two protected natural areas, the Chayofita and Guaz mountains, not far from the famous tourist area of Playa de Las Americas. Much loved by tourists, Los Cristianos offers a wide range of accommodations for all budgets, with excellent 4-star hotels, the possibility of boat excursions, whale watching, mini-cruises, sport fishing, and excellent restaurants. As night falls, the vibrant nightlife begins. Of all the destinations, Tenerife is undoubtedly the most child-friendly, although we prefer slightly wilder locations.

The fishing village of Puerto de Santiago, now an appreciated and quiet tourist center, is located along the western coast of Tenerife, near the cliffs of Los Gigantes and 13 kilometers from Santiago del Teide, and overlooks the coasts of La Gomera. Nestled around a small protected bay and a beach, its main attraction is the beautiful black sand beach of Playa Las Arenas, which is only a 10-minute walk from the center and will amaze both adults and children.

If the Canary Islands fascinate you, here’s the link to the article Fuerteventura with kids.