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Playa de Torviscas in Costa Adeje seen from above, with straw parasols, the bay and low-rise hotels stretching towards the hills

Where to stay in Tenerife

Photographed in 2019. Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Tenerife

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About Tenerife

Tenerife has two airports, Tenerife Sur and Tenerife Norte, and the one you land at goes a long way to deciding where to stay. The resort beaches are in the south; the cities, the green north and the older towns are closer to Tenerife Norte.

Spain. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airports
Tenerife Sur (TFS), about 19 km by road from Los Cristianos, and Tenerife Norte (TFN), about 13 km by road from Santa Cruz. Distances are road estimates; Aena does not publish them. Source
Tourist tax
None found for Tenerife as of September 2026. Press reports name Mogán, in Gran Canaria, as the only Canary municipality with one; no official statement confirms Tenerife has none. Source
Holiday-home register
Canary Islands Ley 6/2025, in force since 13 December 2025: the regional register number must be included in any advert for a holiday home, on platforms or elsewhere. Source
Lets of 31 days or less
Ley 7/2026, in force since 15 August 2026: a home let for 31 days or less, or offered through a tourist channel, is presumed a tourist let unless the lease states why the tenant needs temporary housing. Source
Access in listings
Homes newly declared for tourist use must say in their advertising when the access road is unpaved or the last stretch has to be walked. Source
National rental register
Spain's Supreme Court largely annulled the national registration procedure of Real Decreto 1312/2024 in May 2026. Regional registers still apply. Whether a national number must still appear on a listing is unsettled as of September 2026. Source
ID at check-in
Real Decreto 933/2021: every guest over 14 signs a registration form with name, ID document number, nationality, date of birth and address. Hosts of tourist apartments must collect it. Source
Parking with a rental car
La Laguna's old town is pedestrian: vehicles enter only to load, 09:00 to 11:00. Santa Cruz is drafting a new regulated-parking ordinance; whether it is in force was not verified. Source
Monthly stays
A seasonal lease falls under article 3.2 of the lease law, with a legal deposit of two months' rent; for 31 days or less it must state the tenant's reason for a temporary stay. A booking of a registered holiday home stays a tourist stay. Source
Emergency number
112 Source

Areas of Tenerife

Playa de Torviscas in Costa Adeje seen from above, with straw parasols, the bay and low-rise hotels stretching towards the hills
Photographed in 2019. Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Costa Adeje

The south-west resort strip around Playa del Duque, Fañabé and Torviscas: big hotels, apartment complexes and villas along walkable promenades. It suits families and couples who want sun, beaches and a short run from Tenerife Sur.

Tenerife Sur airport
about 21 km
Playa del Duque
under 1 km
Adeje old town
about 6 km

Car and parking

No official municipal source on paid or blue-zone parking in Costa Adeje was found as of September 2026, so ask the host whether a space comes with the booking. The TF-1 motorway that serves the south carried over 95,000 vehicles a day at Los Cristianos in 2025.

Wide sandy beach at Los Cristianos with sun loungers and a row of apartment blocks and palms behind, a volcanic hill on the skyline
Photo: Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Los Cristianos

A real town with a harbour and a ferry port next to the resort beaches, with apartments close to the sand. It is a common choice for longer and winter stays. It has no historic old town, and parking is the weak point.

Tenerife Sur airport
about 19 km
Los Cristianos beach
under 1 km
Costa Adeje
about 7 km

Car and parking

Local press reported in July 2026 a shortage of parking around the port, the centre and the beaches, with new car parks planned by the council but not built, and the existing underground car park has just over 100 spaces. A booking with its own space is worth a lot here.

Black sand of Playa Jardín in Puerto de la Cruz with a palm, a lifeguard tower, gardens and the stone Castillo de San Felipe by the sea
Photo: Kawon Kez Sel, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Puerto de la Cruz

The north's older resort town: greener and cooler, with a historic centre, the black sand of Playa Jardín and the Lago Martiánez pools. It suits walkers and anyone planning days in the Teide National Park, with the cable car about 41 km away by road.

Tenerife Norte airport
about 31 km
Tenerife Sur airport
about 98 km
Playa Jardín
about 1 km

Car and parking

No official municipal source on parking zones in Puerto de la Cruz was found as of September 2026. Ask the host about a space before booking.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

The capital: shops, markets, the port and a working city all year, with Las Teresitas beach a short drive away. It suits city stays, work trips and long stays.

Tenerife Norte airport
about 13 km
Las Teresitas beach
about 8 km
La Laguna old town
about 11 km

Car and parking

The city says it lacks an up-to-date ordinance for on-street parking and ran a public consultation on regulated zones until 1 January 2026. Press reported blue zones for visitors with a two-hour cap, phased in from 2026. Whether the new rules are in force was not verified as of September 2026.

Pedestrian street in the old town of San Cristóbal de La Laguna with a dragon tree, a church front and painted colonial houses
Photographed in 2019. Photo: ArticCynda, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

San Cristóbal de La Laguna

A UNESCO-listed university city with a pedestrian colonial centre, cafés and cooler weather. It suits culture-minded and long-stay guests and anyone flying through Tenerife Norte. The coast is a drive away, not a walk.

Tenerife Norte airport
about 4 km
Bajamar on the coast
about 14 km
Las Teresitas beach
about 20 km

Car and parking

The old town streets are pedestrian. Vehicles enter only to load and unload between 09:00 and 11:00, for one hour at most, and parking in Plaza de Los Remedios and Plaza del Adelantado is not allowed. Plan on a car park rather than a space at the door.

Garachico and the north-west coast

Quiet historic small towns and rural houses on the north-west coast, close to the Teno massif and Masca. It suits guests with a car who want a slow stay.

Tenerife Norte airport
about 55 km
Tenerife Sur airport
about 69 km
Puerto de la Cruz
about 29 km

Car and parking

The nearby TF-436 to Masca can be closed to tourist and rental cars between 09:00 and 16:00 on fire-risk days, as it was from 30 July 2026. Check before planning a Masca day from here.

Guides

Questions

Which airport is closer to the Tenerife resorts?

Tenerife Sur (TFS) serves the south: by road it is about 19 km to Los Cristianos and about 21 km to Costa Adeje. Tenerife Norte (TFN) is about 4 km from La Laguna, about 13 km from Santa Cruz and about 31 km from Puerto de la Cruz. These are road estimates, not official figures.

Does Tenerife have a tourist tax?

No accommodation tourist tax in Tenerife was found as of September 2026. Press reports describe Mogán, in Gran Canaria, as the only Canary municipality with one. No official statement confirming that Tenerife has none was found, so treat this as reported rather than confirmed.

How can a guest tell a holiday home is registered?

Under Canary Islands Ley 6/2025, the regional tourism register number must appear in any advert for a holiday home, on platforms or anywhere else. A listing without one is worth a question to the host before paying.

Which area suits a first visit with a car?

Los Cristianos or Costa Adeje if the plan is beaches and a short run from Tenerife Sur. Puerto de la Cruz if the plan is the north, the Teide National Park and walking, with Tenerife Norte as the closer airport.