Holidays in Tenerife: useful tips for tourists. Tips for tourists in Tenerife Tenerife tips
Loro Parque in Tenerife Loro Parque or Parrot Park is one of the main attractions of Tenerife and is world famous. Tourists preparing to visit the divine island have probably already read that Loro Parque contains 3.5 thousand species of animals, not just parrots, and that its area is huge. So I'll talk about the details. You should set aside a whole day to visit Loro Parque. Opening at 8.30, this is approximately the time you need to navigate. Because it’s physically impossible to get around EVERYTHING in two hours, and it’s a shame to miss anything)) The territory of the park is luxurious, in the first minutes the main thing is not to lose the company with which you arrived at the park. The first place where all visitors go is the pond with colorful Japanese koi carps. They are wonderful and voracious! The guide assured us that carp are fed from the belly, but their peculiarity is that they are always hungry. On the advice of an older comrade, we threw a piece of bread into the water and the fish attacked it! At some point I even thought I heard them growling and chattering their teeth. In some places the park is densely planted with palm trees, on which bright exotic birds of incredibly large sizes flutter. A giant turtle might crawl out. Behind the armored glass there are black scary gorillas, jaguars and tigers (including albino tigers), crocodiles, sloths, meerkats, and flamingos. Tiny like toy marmosets. The penguinarium in Tenerife is the largest in the world. Flocks of penguins live in almost ideal conditions - the temperature of the water and air in the enclosure corresponds to their natural habitat. They are also behind glass. Penguins are not at all afraid of people and allow themselves to be examined at close range. To avoid crowding, visitors look around and stand on a moving walkway that carries them through the entire penguinarium. The oceanarium is a huge aquarium with a tunnel inside through which visitors walk. Show of parrots, killer whales, dolphins and fur seals. I'm delighted with all four performances.
You have to arrive in the morning, of course, otherwise you won’t have time to see everything. As for food, the choice is small, mostly fast food of average quality, surprisingly. Unlike Siam Park, where you can simply overeat, the choice here is meager. Therefore, if you are with children, it is better to take care in advance. At the entrance, everyone is photographed with parrots, so if suddenly you are two families or a group, then immediately ask either to take several photos, or take pictures separately. Since at the exit there will be only one photo waiting for you for everyone! Immediately take the schedule of all shows, booklets are everywhere. Everything there is timed, so when one thing is over, go to another. You'll have time!
If you want to climb to the very peak of the volcano (all tourists take the cable car only to the observation deck), you must obtain an electronic permit in advance. Having it in your hands, you can climb the hiking trail to the very peak! The permit is presented at the security post after you take the funicular. You can arrange it yourself (unfortunately, I don’t remember the site link, but you can easily find it on the Internet on the forums). And also, if you want to climb the peak, then do not take a group excursion, no one will wait for you while you continue your ascent. Either rent a car and drive yourself, or take an individual excursion with a car and driver. We rented a Mercedes minivan for 2 families for 10 hours (Teide + Masca Gorge), very convenient.
The national park and the volcano itself can be visited in two ways: 1. on your own (buses 348 (from the north) and 342 (from the south), rented car) 2. with a tour, which is easy to purchase at agencies, or at the reception of your hotel. In the park itself, on the way to the volcano, there are many interesting places and beautiful landscapes; observation platforms are equipped everywhere. If you are afraid of heights, then a trip through the park will be enough for you. At an altitude of 2356 m above sea level there is a funicular station, which in 8 minutes will take you to the observation deck at Teide peak (height 3555 m), the cost of an adult round trip ticket is 25 euros, open 09.00-16.00 for the ascent, 09.00-17.00 for the descent . There are 3 walking routes here. 2 of them are free to visit (11 and 12), and Peak Teide (route 10 - high difficulty, altitude 3718 m) requires advance registration, as entry to the peak is limited. You can book a visit using the link: “http://www.reservasparquesnacionales.es/real/ParquesNac/usu/html/listado-actividades-oapn.aspx?cen=2”, however, it is better to take care of this in advance, there may not be places on time convenient for you, the reservation must be printed out, or the number written down; upon presentation, a passport is required. When booking for a group, be sure to indicate the number of people. Recommendations: - Take a passport (if you have a reservation) - Comfortable shoes (preferably sports or special ones) - Bring clothes with long sleeves, since at any time of the year there can be a very cold wind, and there can be snow on the top. - Take sunscreen (the sun is merciless during the day) - Take drinking water - It’s better to check whether the cable car is working (especially important in winter), it may be closed for various reasons, tel. 922 010 440 or on the funicular website. Visiting Tenerife and not going to Teide National Park is a big miss! Happy travels!
REMINDER FOR TOURIST
At present Spain is no more dangerous than any other country. The most serious problems are bag snatching and pickpocketing. Therefore, we advise you not to carry large amounts of money with you. If you intend to make a large purchase, do not put money in a handbag - it can be snatched by motorcyclist thieves passing by. Leave all valuables in the hotel safe.
Upon your check-in, hotel employees may ask you for an identity card (passport) and write down from it the data necessary for registration, but under no circumstances do they have the right to withhold your documents.
If you are staying in a hotel, it is more economical to make phone calls from street booths or call centers. Hotels have the right to set extra charges for telephone calls and are happy to use this right.
When making a long-distance car trip in Spain, try to plan your trip in such a way that you will be on the road from 2 to 4 o'clock in the afternoon. At this time, the Spaniards are used to having lunch, and most motor tourists (and, most importantly, truck drivers) will eat at roadside restaurants, and you can rush along the almost empty roads.
It is prohibited to photograph police, military and government officials on military bases, military port areas. If you want to take photos of locals, ask permission first.
If you decide to have a snack or drink in an unfamiliar city, do not rush to go to the first bar or restaurant you come across. If there are no visitors at all, this is a clear sign that something is not quite right with the establishment, and it is not popular with local residents. Possible reasons are food and drink fraud, hygiene problems, and dishonesty in payments to visitors.
In a restaurant, you should round up the amount and add 5-10% to the waiter. The maid should be tipped the day after arrival, a few days later and before departure.
Having arrived for a short time in a large Spanish city (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia), it is better to move around it by public transport than by your own car or taxi. You will be able to spend more time sightseeing in the city than sitting in traffic jams. It is best to use the metro - this will allow you to be as close as possible to the destination of your trip. If you plan to go to several places, it is better to buy a ticket for 10 trips - each trip will cost you almost half the price. You can use a ticket for 10 trips not only on the metro, but also on buses. Public transport operates in much the same way in other large Spanish cities.
If you are stopped by the Highway Patrol and asked to test you for alcohol, do not refuse the test, regardless of whether you have been drinking or not. Even if the test shows that you exceed the permissible alcohol limit, in the worst case you will be subject to administrative punishment. Refusal to check is a criminal act with all the ensuing consequences.
Don't try to find a public toilet in Spanish cities, they are practically non-existent, except at train stations and bus stations. Feel free to go to the nearest bar or restaurant. If there are several visitors in the establishment, calmly go deeper into the room and look for the treasured door. If there are practically no visitors, you may have to order something first - a cup of coffee, a glass of beer or a soft drink.
Tenerife is the most visited island of the Canary archipelago, where tens of thousands of tourists from different parts of the world come every year. They love Tenerife for a variety of opportunities - from quiet and relaxing time on the beach to noisy parties in clubs, from sightseeing to active recreation and enjoying untamed nature.
The Canary Islands are a Spanish territory, so traveling to Tenerife will require Schengen. There are two airports here - North and South. The first serves domestic flights, and the second serves international flights, where planes from Russia land.
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When to go
The Canaries are called the islands of eternal spring. There is no extreme heat there, but cool days are also very rare. The air temperature most often stays at +23 °C. The tourist and swimming seasons last all year round, and the difference between winter and summer weather is only a few degrees.
In January and February, it is better to choose the southern regions for holidays; it rains less often there and is generally a little warmer. From the beginning of March you can go anywhere on the island: the climate is comfortable and pleasant everywhere.
Tenerife
Beach holiday
Tenerife attracts tourists with its unusual beaches with black volcanic sand. These are natural, natural, very beautiful stretches of coastline, the most impressive of which is Benijo. Bright places on the coast, for example, Las Vistas, Las Teresitas or Los Gigantos are created artificially; the sand for them is imported from the Sahara.
All Tenerife beaches are municipal, with free entry. A fee of 2-10 EUR is charged only for sunbeds and umbrellas. Prices on the page are for May 2019.
In the northern part of the island, the coast is mostly wild, without infrastructure; there is often a choppy ocean there, so you need to swim carefully. In the south there are more adapted areas: with yellow or white sand, sun loungers, umbrellas and protection from waves. Surfers traditionally gather in the eastern part; El Medano Beach is considered the most popular in those places.
On many beaches in the Canary Islands it is allowed to be without swimsuits, although there are no special closed areas for naked sunbathing.
Excursion holidays
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Leisure
Surfers and divers love to come to Tenerife; in addition, on the island you can go sailing, go hiking or cycling, golf and paragliding ().
Water parks are excellent for family active recreation - the oldest on the island, Aqualand, and the very large modern Siam Park.
Diving in Tenerife
Who will like it in Tenerife
Holidays in Tenerife will appeal to everyone who loves a moderately warm, mild climate, the expanse of the ocean and wild nature. Young couples will find solitude and romantic corners here, older tourists will enjoy European comfort and opportunities to improve their health, families with children will be pleased with the abundance of entertainment for kids.
How much does a holiday in Tenerife cost?
Many people think that only wealthy people can afford a holiday in the Canary Islands. This is not entirely true: in general, prices in the Canaries are lower than in mainland Spain, although Tenerife is considered the most expensive. The main difficulty is how to get to the place on a budget. A direct flight in both directions from Moscow will cost about 300 EUR per person, with a transfer you can fly for 220 EUR.
There are a lot of hotels on the island. A place in a hostel costs from 10 EUR per day, and for luxurious accommodation in the “five” you will have to pay 150-200 EUR per night for one. A good double room in a 3* hotel can be found for 30-50 EUR per day.
With reasonable savings, a 10-day trip for two requires approximately 1200 EUR. Package tours to Tenerife, including flights, accommodation and meals on an all-inclusive basis, sell for prices starting from 1,500 EUR.
An island that never sleeps... A volcano that will someday wake up...
The blessing of the Canary Islands is its climate. When it rains in the south of Tenerife, all the newspapers write about it. This is an Event with a capital “E”. September, February, June - no matter what month you plan to come here, stock up on summer clothes. Here in Tenerife, you can enjoy sea swimming and open-air nightlife from January to December. This is not surprising, since the Sahara is located just a few hundred kilometers from Tenerife, and its burning winds blow through all corners of the island.
It is no coincidence that we mentioned the world's largest desert. In the south of the island, in the colorful Playa de las Americas, a magnificent beach with snow-white sand lies under your feet. Do not rush to mistake this beach for natural.
Tenerife - island, born from a volcano, which is why most of the island's coastal strips are blacker than night. In order to make Tenerife more attractive to tourists, the locals brought tons and tons of sand from Africa. Then they built breakwaters - and here it is, technical paradise!
Playa de las Americas has no houses or permanent residents. Only hotels, restaurants, bars and supermarkets. The only thing you will miss here is tranquility. If you're looking for wild nightlife, Playa de las Americas has you covered. But this resort has decent bars and restaurants interspersed with disgusting ones, so try to carefully choose the corner that suits you.
At Murphy’s Irish Bar you will hear good live rock (the most popular type of music on the island), and at Nooktu you will hear Cuban tunes. This bar is located on the border with Los Cristianos, where the atmosphere is much more relaxed. The restaurants in Los Cristianos offer food that is reminiscent of home, and the bar “El Stablo” is perhaps the nicest on the entire island.
There is nothing else to do in the south of the island - unless you have kids with you who want to splash around in the Aquapark, in the Torviscas area. There are also amazing golf courses here, so you'll have plenty to do, too. But let's get to know the real Tenerife.
The center of the island is dominated by the active Teide volcano - the one you probably saw from the airplane window. It is the highest mountain in Spain, but don't let its 3,718 meters make you despair. Teleferik can take you to the very top, even when it is completely covered with snow. And it’s worth climbing to such a height!
Teide's eruptions have created a chaotic lunar landscape in the very center of the island. Solidified lava, rocks, a deep crater - a waterless amphitheater with all shades of brown and black. This is where scenes from Planet of the Apes were filmed.
Every year, 3.2 million tourists come to admire this national park in Spain. And don’t rush to the conclusion that you won’t find anything alive in such a wasteland. Among the 45 plant species that have been discovered in the area, some are endemic.
If you are lucky, you may see the "taginaste rojo" - a bright red flower that is a full two meters high. Or the scandalously expensive Teide violet, which blooms only in autumn in the most inaccessible corners of the mountain.
The last time the mountain woke up was in 1798. Then lava erupted continuously for 3 months. The name of the mountain, Teide, comes from the word “echeide”, which means “hell” in the local dialect. Hell and heaven at the same time...
In the north the climate changes and becomes a little rainy. If you get to Puerto de la Cruz, you will find the same entertainment that the South offered you - without the noisy crowd. The Orotava Valley, immersed in vegetation, dresses the area in green clothes, and the zoological and botanical park Loro Parque is home to the most beautiful songbirds and leisurely mammals of land and water (sharks swim here half a meter away from you). The park also houses a magnificent greenhouse with orchids.
The new capital of the island, Santa Cruz, is very beautiful, with many good restaurants. But neighboring La Laguna, the old capital, is even more cozy: narrow streets, museums, a university and... an aesthetic atmosphere. They say La Laguna is the most “Spanish” city in the Canary Islands.
For dinner, you should stop in the village of Los Realejos and enjoy local cuisine at the monastery restaurant Meson el Monasterio. Don’t forget to pay attention to the Church of the Apostle Santiago, which was built in 1498 by the first conqueror of the island, Senor Alonso Fernandez de Lugo. The mountain route that crosses the western side of Tenerife offers views of the wild beauty of the island. Here in the fishing village of San Marcos, you can sunbathe on a soot-black beach hidden among the rocks.
But the most remarkable route on the entire island is perhaps the one that leads to the village of Maska. A serpentine path and breathtaking views of the green cliffs, the Atlantic Ocean and the rest of the Canaries. Until the early 60s, it was possible to get here only by bull. The gardens, fields and apiaries of the villagers hang over the cliffs, and the houses, clinging to the rock, are ready to dive into the gorge. Sunset at Maska is like a blessing from the Gods.
In the era of Carnival, Tenerife takes on the role of Rio in Europe. One way or another, the island is the closest corner of the “old continent” to Brazil. The processions continue for fifteen days, the crown of which is the Funeral of the (giant) Sardine, for which both the people and the clergy mourn. Franco muzzled carnival participants, but they poured back into the streets immediately after his death in 1975.
Accommodation in Tenerife
Hotels and rooms for rent in Tenerife cater to every budget. True, huge hotel complexes predominate on the island - the kind in which the guest is provided with all services and which he may not leave for days.
Cuisine of Tenerife
Local cuisine loves seafood, and the island's most famous dish, sankotso, is nothing more than smoked fish with potatoes, onions and garlic. You will find fresh fish in the island's chic restaurants, as well as in picturesque fishing villages (where, of course, it will cost you much less).
Sea and underwater trips in Tenerife
Only Gomera is close enough to Tenerife to support a one-day excursion. If you really want to breathe in the salty wind of the open waters, you can choose a mini-cruise on a small glass-bottom boat, or on a sailing ship or even a whaling ship. In addition to the last two, there is also an underwater one, the Yellow Submarine, which departs daily from Las Galletas.
The perfect triangular pyramid of the Teide mountain range dominates the horizon. It can be seen from all the surrounding islands, not just from all corners of Tenerife. This is the highest mountain in Spain, this is a volcano that sleeps...According to the maps of Ptolemy, in the 2nd century BC, the Canaries were the “end of the World”. Its “prime meridian” ran along the western end of the Sanctuary, the sacred island of Dilos for the Greeks. Today the Canaries are close and accessible and will be happy to meet you.
› Tips for tourists
To make their stay in Tenerife successful, tourists must maintain the number useful information designed to protect them from difficult situations.
Money
Coin
As a country in the European Union, Spain - and therefore Tenerife - has already adopted the Union's single currency, namely Euro. People who come to Tenerife from outside Europe should note that paper refers to banknotes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros, while coins refer to coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents respectively, 1 and 2 euro coins.
Currency exchange
Banks They usually work on weekdays and Saturdays, but their programs depend on each bank in the area. Currency exchange possible in banks, exchange offices and hotels, but tourists should take into account that a commission is charged for each transaction, as a rule.
ATMs and credit cards
ATMs can be found at airports, ports and banks so that tourists can get money when they need it. Credit cards widespread, but usually in hotels, large shopping centers and some restaurants. However, since tourists will not be able to make payments every time they need to make payments, they must also have cash money.
Connection
Post offices
Los Correros, as they call the post office in Spanish, can be found throughout the island of Tenerife. Each municipality has at least one post office. For example, of the seven such offices in San Cristobal de la Laguna, there are four, one is in Teguesta, a third in and two in . For more information about addresses, contact information and services, visit the official website of the Spanish Post
Internet connection (WiFi)
People who need Internet access like holidaymakers in Tenerife should be based on Internet cafe, on the island. 15 minute access costs between 50 cents and 1 euro, while for an hour, visitors must pay between 2 and 3 euros. In addition, tourists can ask the hotel reception to offer Internet connection.
Numbers and useful links
Russian Embassy in Spain
Name: Russian Embassy in Spain Address: c.Velazquez, 155, Madrid 28002, España Tel: 0034 91 562 22 64/ 0034 91 411 08 07 Fax: 0034 91 562 97 12 Email: [email protected] Website: spain.mid.ru Opening hours: 9.00 - 14.00 // 16.00 - 19.00 Name: Maritime emergencies Tel: 0034 900 202 202 Name: Civil Guard Tel: 0034 922 282 202 Name: Local police Tel: 0034 922 330 114 Name : Tenerife North Airport Lost and Found Tel: 0034 922 635 855 Name: Tenerife South Airport Lost and Found Tel: 0034 922 759 391 Name: Ambulance Tel: 061 Name: Red Cross Tel: 0034 922 282 924Other
Tourist information offices
In Tenerife you can find dozens of tourist information offices in the metropolitan area in the southern zone and the northern zone, in almost all municipalities.
Time zone
GMT(October-March)
Oral speech
Spanish the language is the official language in Tenerife. Due to the highly developed tourism, many people who work in tourism-related institutions and many local residents speak English.
Documentation
EU citizens can travel to Tenerife with a simple ID cards. Tourists outside the Union must passport. In order to avoid difficult situations, tourists are warned to carry an ID card or original passport during their stay in Tenerife and it has been recommended to do copies, and wear them constantly.
In addition, citizens are encouraged to purchase a form of EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) for medical issues.
Electricity
220 or 225 volt AC, 50 Hz, dual outlets. If necessary, adapters can be purchased in supermarkets.
Tap water
Tourists are advised to use bottled water instead of tap water. Tap water is generally drinkable, and this quality is often indicated by its attributes, but the taste is not as good, which is why buying bottled water is preferable.
Gay communities
Spain, and therefore Tenerife, tolerates gay communities. Of all the Canary Islands, Gran Canaria is said to encourage the gay community more than other islands. However, gay men who move to Tenerife will find that the island has a lot to offer in this regard.