Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide
Why we like it: Hotel inside the National Park, at 2,152 m and facing the Roques de García: heated pool, sauna, Canarian restaurant and a sky full of stars.
Duration1 night, Saturday to Sunday
From Santa Cruz1 h 10 by car
BookObservatory, stars, cable car, permit and Parador
Best timeAll year; spring and autumn
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for Saturday to Sunday, because stargazing in Spanish runs on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. Request the summit permit on a Monday at 7:00, up to 56 days ahead, and book everything else around that date.
Day 1
- 110:00Leaving Santa Cruz
Via La Laguna and the TF-24. Arrive at the observatory barrier 30 minutes before your time.
- 211:00Teide Observatory
A guided visit of an hour and a half at Izaña: the Sun through solar telescopes and a night telescope from the inside. From €21, free for ages 8 to 16.
- 313:30Lunch at the Parador
Canarian cooking, from 13:30 to 15:00. Leave your suitcase.
- 415:00Roques de García
The 3.6 km loop from the La Ruleta viewpoint, opposite the Parador. About two hours.
- 517:30Sunset at the Narices del Teide
A quarter of an hour by car along the TF-38. Pico Viejo and its lava flows in the last light.
- 6NightStargazing with a telescope
An hour at the cable car base station with a Starlight guide, from €35. The time depends on sunset and is chosen when booking; dinner at the Parador before or after, from 18:30 to 21:30.
Day 2
- 109:00Cable car
The first slot of the morning. Eight minutes to La Rambleta.
- 209:30The summit
The Telesforo Bravo trail, with the Tenerife ON permit: 653 m and about 40 minutes up to 3,718 m. With the permit you have two hours up there; also look in at the Pico Viejo viewpoint.
- 312:00Coffee at the base station
Something hot on the way down, and back to Santa Cruz via El Portillo; home in time for lunch.
From Santa Cruz, Teide can be done in a day, but you go home without the best of it: the sunset, the night sky and the first cable car of the morning with the park empty. With one night at the Parador, inside the caldera, you get all of it and do not drive the mountain road at night.
How to get there from Santa Cruz?
By car, via La Laguna and the TF-24, the La Esperanza road, which passes the Teide Observatory before entering the park at El Portillo. It is about 65 km and an hour and ten minutes to the Parador. You need a car: the observatory has no bus and the stargazing is at night.
Where to sleep
| Accommodation | Where | Who for |
|---|---|---|
| Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide | Inside the caldera, facing the Roques | Everyone; heated pool and restaurant |
| Hotel Spa Villalba | Vilaflor, 25 minutes away | Couples: adults only, spa included |
| Altavista Refuge | At 3,260 m, on the slope | Mountaineers from age 14, in bunk beds |
The Parador is what makes this getaway work: you are five minutes from the cable car and the stars. If you want a spa, the Hotel Spa Villalba in Vilaflor, with dinner at Restaurante Eustaquio if it is not Wednesday. For the mountaineer's version, swap the night for the Altavista Refuge and climb to the crater at dawn.
Where to eat
- Parador restaurant, lunch and dinner every day: Canarian puchero, goat stew, grilled cheese.
- Cable car base station café, for coffee before or after going up.
- Restaurante Eustaquio, in Vilaflor, dinners from 18:00 to 22:00 except on Wednesdays.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Teide National Park, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Teide National Park
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
By car from Santa Cruz, via La Esperanza
With a car you tour the park at your own pace: the TF-24 climbs from La Laguna along the ridge to El Portillo in about 50 minutes, and the TF-21 crosses Las Cañadas with the viewpoints, the cable car and the Roques de García a few minutes from each other. To come down by the south, the same TF-21 continues to Vilaflor.
60–160 €per person per day, approximate
- SleepingParador de Las Cañadas del…
- Getting aroundSanta Cruz – El Portillo…
- EatingParador restaurant, every day from…
- ServicesCable car car park, 220…
Sleeping
- Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide, inside the caldera, with free parking
- Hotel Spa Villalba, in Vilaflor, adults only, about 25 minutes away
Getting around
- Santa Cruz – El Portillo, about 52 km and 50 minutes along the TF-24
- El Portillo – cable car, about 12 minutes; cable car – La Ruleta, 5
- La Ruleta – Narices del Teide viewpoint, a quarter of an hour
Eating
- Parador restaurant, every day from 13:30 to 15:00
- Cable car base station cafe
Services
- Cable car car park, 220 free spaces, best after 13:00
- El Portillo and Cañada Blanca visitor centres, with parking
By bus, on the 348 from Puerto de la Cruz
The Teide can be done without a car, on a fixed timetable. From Santa Cruz you take the 102 to Puerto de la Cruz, an hour away, and there the 348 at 9:30, which stops at El Portillo, at the cable car and at the Parador. The return leaves the Parador at 16:00. You get about five hours up top: cable car or Roques de García, and lunch.
50–130 €per person per day, approximate
- SleepingParador de Las Cañadas del…
- Getting aroundLine 102 Santa Cruz…
- EatingParador restaurant, beside the last…
- ServicesBus 348, every day
Sleeping
- Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide, where the 348 ends
- Altavista Refuge, if you climb on foot from the Montaña Blanca stop
Getting around
- Line 102 Santa Cruz – Puerto de la Cruz, departures from 5:40 on Sundays
- Line 348, outbound at 9:30 from Puerto de la Cruz, return at 16:00 from the Parador
- From the Parador to the Roques de García, on foot, opposite
Eating
- Parador restaurant, beside the last stop
- Cable car cafe, at another 348 stop
Services
- Bus 348, every day
- Cañada Blanca visitor centre, next to the Parador
On foot to the summit, with a permit and a night up high
The Teide is climbed on foot from the road via Montaña Blanca: 8.2 km and 1,186 m to La Rambleta, plus the final 168 m of the Telesforo Bravo. Both stretches need booking. The complete way is to sleep at the Altavista Refuge, at 3,260 m, and climb to the crater at dawn.
30–150 €per person per day, approximate
- SleepingAltavista Refuge, 49 bunks, from…
- Getting aroundMontaña Blanca – La Rambleta…
- EatingAt Altavista there are no…
- SafetyCompulsory equipment: coat, boots, thermal…
Sleeping
- Altavista Refuge, 49 bunks, from €29, permits included
- Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide, to acclimatise the night before at 2,152 m
Getting around
- Montaña Blanca – La Rambleta, about 5 h 30 up
- La Rambleta – summit, 653 m and 40 minutes
- Descent on foot or by cable car, with a down-only ticket
Eating
- At Altavista there are no meals: bring a ready-made dinner to heat up
- Parador restaurant on the way back
Safety
- Compulsory equipment: coat, boots, thermal blanket, torch, hat and gloves
- Children under 14 are not admitted on Montaña Blanca or at the refuge
Flight to Tenerife and a hire car to Las Cañadas
Tenerife has two airports with direct flights from many cities on the Spanish mainland and the Balearic Islands: Tenerife Norte, in La Laguna, and Tenerife Sur, in Granadilla. From either of them the National Park is about an hour by car: from the North you climb via La Esperanza and enter by El Portillo; from the South you climb via Vilaflor and enter by Boca Tauce.
- ArrivingTenerife Norte (TFN), the closest…
- Getting aroundHire car at the airport…
- SleepingParador de Las Cañadas del…
- ServicesTITSA bus 348
Arriving
- Tenerife Norte (TFN), the closest to Santa Cruz and the La Esperanza road
- Tenerife Sur (TFS), to enter the park via Vilaflor
Getting around
- Hire car at the airport: it is what lets you see the sunset and the night
- Without a car: bus 348 from Puerto de la Cruz or 342 from Playa de las Américas, one departure a day
Sleeping
- Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide, for the first night already inside the park
- Hotel Spa Villalba, in Vilaflor, if you land in the South
Services
- TITSA bus 348
- Cañada Blanca visitor centre
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights1
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingwithout a carif you're on footif you're flying
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Altavista Refuge
Why we like it: Refuge at 3,260 m on the Teide's slope: bunks in shared dormitories, a single night and a permit to climb to the peak at dawn. General rate, €71.
From €71
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Hotel Spa Villalba, Vilaflor
Why we like it: Adults-only hotel in the Vilaflor pine forest, at 1,500 m and half an hour from the Parador: 27 rooms, spa included and La Vendimia restaurant.
From €118
View details
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Las Cañadas and the Parador | Roques de García, eating and sleeping inside the park | |
| El Portillo | Northern entrance, visitor centre and garden | |
| Vilaflor | Southern village at 1,500 m, hotels and dinner |
Where to eat
Where to eat in Teide National Park
Restaurant of the Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide
What to order: the escaldón de puchero canario to start and the goat stew or the wreckfish with boiled mojo
Cafe-restaurant at the cable car base station
What to order: something hot before or after going up; at the top, at La Rambleta, there is no cafe
Eustaquio restaurant, Hotel El Tejar
What to order: the grilled goat's cheese with mojo and the stewed veal; for dessert, the traditional Vilaflor one
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Start with the permit
It is the only thing with very limited places. Once you have the permit date, book the cable car and the Parador.
- 2Winter clothes for the night
It is very cold at the stargazing and on the summit, especially with wind.
- 3Plan B if the cable car closes
The permit date cannot be moved: if the cable car does not run, on Sunday do the Llano de Ucanca and El Portillo.
Driving down to Santa Cruz at night after the stars
It is a good hour of mountain bends. Sleep up there.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth sleeping on Teide?
Yes, if you want the sunset, the sky and the first cable car of the day. In a day trip from Santa Cruz you miss all three.
What do I need to book?
The summit permit, the cable car, the stargazing, the observatory visit and the Parador.
Can I do it without a car?
Not this getaway: the observatory has no bus and the night has no transport.
Can children come?
From age 8 for the observatory and the stars; the cable car, from 3. The summit needs teenagers used to walking.