Many people say La Orotava Tenerife, also Villa de la Orotava is the most beautiful in the whole of Tenerife Canary Islands, and I couldn’t agree more. A visit to the town of La Orotava is a must on a tour of North Tenerife. I guarantee that you will be glad that you visited. Here, I will show you the best things to do in La Orotava Canary Islands Tenerife and tips to help you with planning your trip.
I visited La Orotava during a solo trip to Tenerife and really enjoyed exploring La Orotava’s historic quarter’s quaint streets, colourful ancient mansions and lovely gardens, interacting with friendly locals and trying out traditional Canarian food. If this is your kind of fun, then make it a point to get to La Orotava during your visit to Tenerife.
An interesting fact about La Orotava
- La Orotava is the largest borough in the whole of Tenerife, most of the borough’s 207.31 km^2 area is occupied by nature and the iconic Teide National Park, home to Spain’s highest mountain, Mount Teide. Teide stands at 3718m above sea level. This makes the borough of La Orotava, La Orotava Valley and its town the highest and steepest in the whole of Spain.
- Teide National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed on the list in 2007.
Firstly, here is some useful information to know about La Orotava Spain.
Travelling to La Orotava
The town of La Orotava is located 28km southwest of Santa Cruz, Tenerife’s capital and it can be reached through the TF-5 motorway. If you are travelling by public transport, then, an easier way to get to La Orotava is by getting to the resort town of Puerto de La Cruz which is 4km away.
How to get to La Orotava from Puerto de la Cruz
The easiest and cheapest way to get to La Orotava from Puerto de la Cruz is by local bus routes (line 363) which costs just €1. A taxi should cost you less than €10 for the same trip.
I travelled to La Orotava with a car rental from Rentalcars.com which costs about €100/week. If you’re driving you will be glad to know that parking isn’t so much of an issue in La Orotava as is the case in other places on the island such as La Laguna.
How long to spend in La Orotava?
La Orotava is a perfect place to visit as a day trip from any of the other bigger towns in Tenerife. The Old Town where you’ll likely spend most of your time is small similar to other historical quarters of other towns in Tenerife.
Here are the best things to do in La Orotava Tenerife in one day.
1. Tour Casa de Los Balcones-House of Balconies
Price: €5
A good starting point in La Orotava is to head to the most visited attraction in the town, Casa de Los Balcones. Casa de Los Balcones is a 17th-century, three-storey mansion which is a real architectural gem showcasing the best of traditional Tenerife Island homes.
The front of Casa de Los Balcones is fascinating and worthy of a visit in itself. Continuous, beautifully carved wooden balconies, a series of large windows framed in wood and intricate various motifs decorate its exterior.
An interesting narrow wooden staircase leads you to the upper section of the house where an array of antique objects belonging to the wealthy family who owned this house are on show.
Personally, the most beautiful part of this house is the courtyard, which is wonderfully decorated with more wooden balconies, timber columns and some lovely plants that add a really peaceful atmosphere.
Part of Casa de Los Balcones has a souvenir and a craft store selling some traditional crafts and clothing. Actually, the whole area around the Casa de Los Balcones has some great speciality craft stores and art galleries in case you’re keen on shopping for souvenirs.
Tip – The Museum of Ibero-American Handicrafts of Tenerife, also known as the Craft Museum, located in the updated old convent of San Benito Abad, is worth a quick stop if you’re keen to explore the ancient Canary Islands’ craft-making culture in depth.
2. Visit Ayuntamiento de La Orotava-Town Hall
Ayuntamiento de La Orotava is quite a remarkable building for a town the size of La Orotava. Built during the late 19th century with a neoclassical style, the town hall is well-positioned for celebrating all the important festivities in the town.
La Orotava’s spectacular Corpus Christi celebrations (a tradition dating back from the 15th century) see the Town Hall Plaza decorated with striking patterns made from black volcanic sand from nearby beaches and colourful carpet-like flowers, so this will be a lovely experience not to miss if you’re on the island.
Beautiful paintings, furniture and artistic objects from the 16th century to more recent times decorate its two floors. Behind the Town Hall, there is a garden which looked quite nice, unfortunately, it was closed during my visit.
3. Take a stroll in Jardines Victoria-Victoria Gardens
Visiting La Orotava is about finding delight in taking leisurely walks in its luscious green and flower-filled public gardens like Jardines Victoria, also Victoria Gardens or Quinta Roja. Victoria Gardens consists of numerous water fountains, neat tiers of terraced gardens overflowing with colourful flowers and a huge marble mausoleum positioned at the top.
These 19th-century gardens were created initially as part of a mausoleum for a La Orotava nobleman. It’s unknown if the burial was actually held but the mausoleum has remained intact since it was built.
Some of La Orotava’s popular coffee shops are found around the garden. A bonus! The garden is free to the public.
The dome of the Church of Nuestra Señora de La Concepcion from Victoria Gardens.
Iglesia de San Juan, Iglesia de San Augustin and Church of Santo Domingo Guzman are other important churches worth checking out.
4. Visit Liceo de Taoro
The pink elegant 19th-century former palace, Liceo de Taoro, nicely positioned on top of a hill will surely grab your attention next to the Gardens of La Victoria. You will be delighted to know that this former palace is open for free visits to the public.
Liceo de Taoro is currently a cultural centre, where art exhibitions are sometimes held in its grand ballrooms, it’s worth popping into when in La Orotava. Liceo de Taoro is also home to a chic cafe and restaurant so it’s another great spot to take a break.
The atmosphere and surrounding gardens at Liceo de Taoro are lovely. You can enjoy a nice view of La Orotava Old Town and the sea beyond from it’s terrace.
5. Relax at Constitution Square
Constitution Square is locally known as the Kiosk Square due to the small neo-Mudejar-style kiosk found in the middle of the square. The square is located directly across from the Liceo de Taoro and beside the 17th-century church, Church of San Augustin.
Constitution Square is a popular meeting place for locals, the little kiosk serves small tapas and drinks. Lovely plants and seats beautifully decorate the square. It’s a lovely place to take a small break with a bite to eat before continuing on with your travels.
Plaza de San Francisco is another square to look out for though it’s small and not so colourfully decorated but popular with La Orotava locals.
6. Try the local food at Bar Los Castillos
A lovely way to wrap up your visit to La Orotava is by heading to one of its traditional restaurants and sampling some of the local cuisines. Bar Los Castillos, a small family-run restaurant located just a few steps from the Church of Our Lady of Conception is a great choice recommended to me by a local.
There are beautiful traditional entrees like hearty meat stews, potatoes, fish, and vegan as well as vegetarian options. The place is quite modest, the food and the service are excellent and the atmosphere is nice and cosy.
I tried some seafood croquettes, a pork knuckle dish, some homemade bread with local cheese, homemade sauces and a honey rum drink which was served at the end at Bar Los Castillos.
Hotel Rural Victoria, with a convenient location in the historic quarter, just a few steps from the Casa de Los Balcones, is another great option for food in La Orotava. The restaurant is set in the hotel’s typical 16th-century Canarian villa’s courtyard. They offer a three-course lunch with great reviews on Tripadvisor, so check it out if you’re in the area.
Hotel Rural Victoria is one of the best reviewed hotels in La Orotava. It’s worth a quick look in case you wish to stay longer in La Orotava.
7. Indulge at Boutique Relieve
Well, you can’t leave La Orotava without trying some beautiful pastries and coffee in some of its stylish cafes. Boutique Relieve, located across from the Town Hall Square, is the perfect place for something sweet.
The cafe is really pretty, the cakes look fresh and the atmosphere is lovely as everyone is very friendly. There is an ice cream counter as well if you would rather go for something cool.
Boutique Relieve is inexpensive so go ahead and treat yourself.
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La Orotava Map
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