Tenerife

The splendidly rugged Anaga mountains, sprawling across the far northeast corner of Tenerife, offer some of the most spectacular scenery and hiking trails on the island. If hiking isn’t your idea of fun, you can still get a feel for the mountains by driving the numerous switchbacks along the TF-12 road, which links La Laguna and San Andrés. It’s also worth making the short, and steep, detour to Taganana along the TF134.

Small roads connect the villages and settlements scattered among the peaks and valleys of this mountainous region. The ideal way to get around is to hire a car and take a day or two to explore Afur, Chamorga, Benijo and other hamlets, though most visitors start off by hiking the stunning trails around Cruz del Carmen.

Standing sentry over Tenerife, formidable El Teide (Pico del Teide) is not just the highest mountain in the Canary Islands but, at a whopping 3718m, the highest in all of Spain and is, in every sense of the word, the highlight of a trip to Tenerife. The Parque Nacional del Teide, which covers 189.9 sq km and encompasses the volcano and the surrounding hinterland, is both a Unesco World Heritage site and Spain’s most popular national park, attracting some four million visitors a year. The area is truly extraordinary, comprising a haunting lunar moonscape of surreal rock formations, mystical caves and craggy peaks.

El Teide dominates the northern end of the park. If you don’t want to make the very tough five-hour (one-way) climb to the top, take the cable car.

The highlights of this dramatic contemporary building are the architecture, its three galleries and the stunning library downstairs. The galleries display temporary exhibitions of art, photography and installation works, including the creative output of up-and-coming Spanish artists reflecting edgy, contemporary themes. The building was designed by the Swiss architects and Pritzker Prize Laureates Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, famed for their innovative construction, with a prestigious portfolio that includes London’s Tate Modern.

La Laguna is widely considered to be the most beautiful town in Tenerife. An easy day trip from Santa Cruz or Puerto de la Cruz, it has a gem of a historic town centre, with narrow poker-straight streets flanked by pastel-hued mansions, inviting bars, and an idiosyncratic array of small shops. It's a highly photogenic destination, so have your camera or mobile phone primed for action.

La Laguna's layout provided the model for many colonial towns in the Americas and, in 1999, it was added to the list of Unesco World Heritage sites. The town has a youthful energy and possibly the island’s most determined marcha (nightlife).

If you're coming in the winter months it's worth packing a jacket or another layer, as the town is quite a bit cooler than places such as Santa Cruz.

Tiny Masca must be the most spectacular village in Tenerife. It literally teeters on the very brink of a knife-edge ridge and looks as if the merest puff of wind would blow the entire village off its precipitous perch and send it tumbling hundreds of metres to the valley floor. The approach to the village, up some heart-in-your-throat switchbacks, is one of the great Tenerife driving experiences (but prepare to do a slow tango or two with passing coaches on the narrow road). Aim to get here early in the morning if you can, to avoid the surge of crowds.

Scenically and languidly spread over the slopes of north Tenerife, Puerto de la Cruz is the elder statesman of Tenerife tourism. Its history of welcoming foreign visitors dates back to the late 19th century, when the cultured settlement was a spa destination popular with genteel Victorian ladies. These days the easy-going and relaxed town is a charming destination with genuine character and history. There are stylish boardwalks, beaches with safe swimming, traditional restaurants, a leafy central plaza, and lots of pretty parks, gardens and churches. There are also plenty of German tourists and foreign residents here, hence the proliferation of bakeries selling delicious German-style breads and cakes and a host of other international cuisines.

These two settlements have merged into one along the coastline in an attractive melange that blends, in reasonably elegant fashion, with the contours of the land. The low-rise and quite low-key nature of Los Gigantes and Puerto de Santiago creates an entirely different world from Los Cristianos and Las Américas to the south, retaining pockets of traditional street charm and some majestic views along the rocky, cove-infested coast. Welcome, indeed, to one of the most attractive resort regions on Tenerife, with superb sunsets adding golden allure to a day of sunbathing or exploration.

Just to the north of Los Gigantes rises the staggering form of Acantilados de los Gigantes. The submerged base of these cliffs is a haven for marine life, making this one of the island’s supreme diving areas.