Tenerife: The Complete Island Guide (What to See, Best Beaches, Getting Around and Tips)

Mount Teide is non-negotiable. Its cable car climbs from 2,356 to 3,555 metres in around eight minutes, and reaching the summit itself requires a free permit you'll need to book months ahead at reservasparquesnacionales.es. Set aside a couple more days for everything else. La Laguna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, preserves the grid layout that became the blueprint for cities across the Americas. Anaga, a Biosphere Reserve, hides Europe's densest concentration of endemic species among its misty forests. Garachico tells the story of the harbour town buried by a lava flow in 1706. And down by the sea, the cliffs of Los Gigantes rise more than 600 metres of sheer black basalt. Loro Parque and Siam Park round things off for families.

Tenerife works with two very different palettes of sand. The south is all about gold: Las Teresitas, just outside the capital, stretches 1,300 metres of sand shipped in from the Sahara, with a breakwater that keeps the water as calm as a swimming pool, while Playa de Troya and El Camisón gather the holiday buzz of Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos. The south also delivers near-guaranteed sunshine year-round. The north and Anaga, by contrast, offer black volcanic sand and wild scenery: Benijo, Roque de las Bodegas and Almáciga serve up postcard sunsets and heavy surf, better for looking than for swimming. A special mention goes to El Médano, the island's longest natural beach and the Canaries' capital of windsurfing and kitesurfing.

A car is your best bet for making the most of the island: it's the only comfortable way to reach Anaga, Teno and the Teide summit. Two motorways form the island's backbone, the TF-1 running to the tourist south and Reina Sofía airport, and the TF-5 heading to La Laguna, La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz. Without a car, TITSA's buses (locally called guaguas) cover the whole island: the ten+ travel card offers a day pass for 10 euros or a seven-day pass for 50, both with unlimited journeys. The tram links Santa Cruz and La Laguna along the metropolitan corridor. There are two airports: Tenerife South (TFS), the main international gateway, and Tenerife North (TFN), handier if you're staying in the north or the capital.

The key to Tenerife's weather is the trade winds and the temperature inversion that creates its famous sea of clouds. The result is an island split in two: the north catches the Atlantic moisture and stays green, fertile and cloudier, while the south is arid, dry and sunny for most of the year. On top of that come Teide's climate zones, capable of serving up cloud in the north, sun in the south and snow on the summit all on the same day. On the coast, winters hover around 18-20 degrees and summers around 24-26, that eternal spring the archipelago is known for. The south works any time of year; spring and autumn are ideal for hiking in Anaga and Teno, and it's worth checking the cable car's status in winter.

Your choice comes down to the kind of trip you're after. The tourist south (Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos) is the safe bet for sunshine, resorts, sandy beaches, Siam Park and whale-watching trips: perfect for families and anyone who puts sun and sea first. The authentic north (Puerto de la Cruz, the Orotava valley and Garachico) offers green landscapes, culture, wine and guachinches, with a cooler climate; this is the Canaries of old. And for an urban base, Santa Cruz and La Laguna combine great food, UNESCO heritage and good tram links, with Anaga and the northern airport just a short hop away.

Tinerfeño cooking starts with papas arrugadas con mojo, small potatoes boiled in their skins in heavily salted water and served with spicy red mojo or green coriander mojo. The natural partner is wine: the Tacoronte-Acentejo and Valle de la Orotava appellations grow old vines in volcanic soil, producing reds and whites with real character. The quintessential local outing is the guachinches of the north, family-run spots in Tacoronte, La Orotava or El Sauzal that serve their own home-grown wine alongside home cooking and, by law, a maximum of three dishes; they tend to open seasonally until the wine runs out. One final tip: always check the booking status for Teide and the Masca ravine before you set off, as capacity is limited and reservations are compulsory.