Tenerife: A Guide to A Perfect Family Holiday

by Bea Cińska
Bea & Kas in Tenerife

Tenerife embodies everything we require for a perfect family holiday. And it might not be what you think. While the island may have plenty of all-inclusive resorts, that is not what drew us in. Let us show you what our ideal vacation looks like.

Canary Islands on a budget with kids

Tenerife: a guide to a perfect family holiday

We spent a very active week on this largest of the Canary Islands and absolutely fell in love with its many picturesque landscapes. The view of the volcano Teide’s snowy peak, emblematic of Tenerife, followed us almost everywhere we went on this island.

Roque Cinchado, Tenerife

How we got to Tenerife

We flew in to Tenerife from Gran Canaria where we had already been staying the previous week. There are several daily inter-island flights on Air Europa. They are affordable and only take 30 minutes. This is definitely a faster and more cost-effective way to island hop than on a ferry. If you are in Barcelona, there are very affordable flights with either Ryanair or Norwegian Air. 

Canary Islands on a budget

How we got around Tenerife

We rented a car for a very low price. Be careful when renting and read the small print. Some prices seem too good to be true and they may be when you add extra fees some companies charge.

Cheap car rental on Gran Canaria

Where we stayed at on Tenerife

Because we love to immerse ourselves in local culture and see what local people live like, we don’t usually stay at big resorts. We much prefer renting a house or an apartment from regular people. On Tenerife, we rented a two-bedroom house with a big terrace for a price that would only buy you a hotel room at a resort. We had a lovely view of the Atlantic facing the small island of La Gomera on one side and a rocky landscape on the the other.  The house was located in a small town, walking distance to several restaurants.

House with terrace on Tenerife

Where we ate on Tenerife

We love to cook and we had a fully equipped kitchen so most days we made our own meals. Because we were close to some good and affordable restaurants, we did eat out a couple of meals out.

Tapas on Canary Islands

What we did & saw on Tenerife

Like Gran Canaria, Tenerife is breathtakingly beautiful with an amazing mix of landscapes and microclimates. We recommend doing more than just going to the beach. Otherwise you will miss out on the unusual variety of sights this island has to offer. Here is what we saw and did:

Village of Masca

Masca Valley, Tenerife, Spain

Icod de los Vinos

Icod de los vinos, Tenerife

Mount Teide (a volcano)

Teide Park, Tenerife

Garachico

Garachico, Tenerife

Faro de Rasca Beach

Faro de Rasca Malpais de la Rasca, Tenerife

Natural pools

Natural Pools Garachico, Tenerife

Unusual trees: Fat Pine, The Dragon Tree & A Tree We Fell in Love With

Mirador de Cherfe

Mirador de Cherfe, Tenerife

Roque Cinchado

Roque Cinchado, Tenerife

Los Gigantes

Los Gigantes, Tenerife

Hiking

Hiking on Tenerife

Cool fact: You can get to the top of Mount Teide by cable car. If you want to do this pre-purchase your tickets for the Mount Teide cable car. We tried for four days in a row to go but due to high winds the station remained closed. We will definitely attempt this experience next time. If, like us, you don’t manage to get there, don’t worry. You get the best view of the volcano by not being on it. 😄  You can also hike up there (even during high winds) but you will need to pre-book a special access permit (free of charge) to Teide to gain access to the top of the volcano. However, you may have to book well in advance. There is a limited amount of passes and often they are booked up a few months in advance. 

View of Teide on Tenerife

Gran Canaria or Tenerife?

Which one do we like better? We cannot decide. Both are amazing and unbelievably beautiful. Each has a surprising variety of landscapes and microclimates for an island. But if you want to see dessert-like dunes, then head to Gran Canaria. If you would rather be near the largest volcano in the Atlantic, then head to Tenerife. Of course, you don’t have to choose. Just island hop on a quick and affordable flight and see both.

Jet lag

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Tenerife: A Guide to a Perfect Family Holiday

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4 comments

Avatar
Mark September 24, 2018 - 9:39 am

Your photos are amazing! I can’t believe how beautiful the island is. I’ve just added Tenerife to my bucket list.

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BPK
BPK October 7, 2018 - 4:33 pm

Awww, thank you! That’s very kind. Yes, Tenerife is gorgeous!

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Avatar
Kat L. September 24, 2018 - 9:38 am

I just booked my trip to Tenerife. We’ll be spending Christmas there. Thanks for all the sightseeing ideas!

Reply
BPK
BPK October 7, 2018 - 4:34 pm

Our pleasure! I am so jealous you’re going there for Xmas!

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