Tenerife in 9 Days: The Ultimate Family Itinerary
Teide, Teno, Anaga and the green north coast — nine days is the sweet spot for covering everything Tenerife has to offer without rushing. Here's the family itinerary we used over Christmas and New Year, with hotels, transport, and honest notes on what worked.
Tenerife is bigger than it looks. The largest of the Canary Islands packs a 3,718-metre volcano, a UNESCO-listed laurel forest, 600-metre sea cliffs, a thousand-year-old tree and a serpentine mountain road into an area the size of Luxembourg. Nine days is the sweet spot: enough time to cover all four corners without a single rushed drive, and enough breathing room for kids to nap, splash, and eat a proper dinner every night.
We spent nine days on Tenerife over Christmas and New Year with extended family — two kids, grandparents, cousins, the full crew — and ended up with an itinerary that balanced big landscape days with slower cultural ones. Here's the plan, day by day.
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Before You Go: The Quick Facts
Why 9 days: You can see the highlights of Tenerife in 5 days if you push. You can see all of Tenerife in 14 days if you have unlimited time. Nine days hits the sweet spot — every major zone (Teide, Teno, Anaga, North) gets a proper full day, plus a buffer for travel, rest, and the inevitable slow morning.
When to go: We went at Christmas/New Year and it was ideal — cool (15–22°C), uncrowded, clear air. Spring (March–May) gives the greenest ridges. Summer is hot on the coasts but still mild above 1,500 m. August is crowded; January to April is the sweet spot.
How to get around: A rental car is essential. The TITSA bus network covers the main routes but won't get you to Masca, Anaga or Teide on your own schedule. Pick up a rental car on Trip.com at Tenerife North (TFN) or Tenerife South (TFS) airport on arrival and keep it the whole time.
Where to base yourself: The north gives you the shortest average drive to every corner. Puerto de la Cruz or La Orotava are the most practical bases. A single hotel change halfway through — for example, one night in Santa Cruz before doing Anaga — makes the last couple of days easier.
The Nine-Day Itinerary at a Glance
- Day 1 — Arrive, north coast reconnaissance: Fly into TFN, collect car, settle into Puerto de la Cruz, walk the old town. - Day 2 — Culture in the north: Jardín Botánico, La Orotava, La Laguna. - Day 3 — Icod & Garachico: Drago Milenario, San Marcos, Garachico pools. - Day 4 — Teno warm-up: Drive the TF-436, see Masca from above. - Day 5 — Teide day one: Samara hike, Chinyero, sunset from Mirador Chipeque. - Day 6 — New Year's Eve: Punta de Teno morning, quiet afternoon, Garachico lights by night. - Day 7 — New Year's Day: Masca village, Los Gigantes, sunset over La Gomera. - Day 8 — Teide day two: Roques de García + cable car to 3,555 m. - Day 9 — Santa Cruz & Anaga: Capital in the morning, laurel forest, Taganana, Benijo at golden hour.
Day 1 — Arrive & Settle into the North
Fly into Tenerife North (TFN), not South — it's a 25-minute drive from Puerto de la Cruz and puts you in the green half of the island immediately. Collect the rental car, drop bags at the hotel, and spend the afternoon walking the old town of Puerto. If you arrive with energy left, drive the coastal road west and stop at Mirador de La Garañona in El Sauzal for a first-night dinner on a clifftop terrace. If you're travelling with kids who want an easier day-one option, Loro Parque tickets on the western edge of Puerto de la Cruz are the consensus winner — penguins, orcas, parrots, a jungle house.
Day 2 — Jardín Botánico, La Orotava, La Laguna
Spend the morning at the Jardín Botánico of Puerto de la Cruz — the 18th-century tropical garden whose centrepiece is a giant Moreton Bay fig. From there, drive up to La Orotava for lunch and an afternoon walk through the prettiest historic centre on the island. If visiting at Christmas, don't miss the giant Belén on the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. End the day at La Laguna — the UNESCO-listed former capital is 20 minutes further east and feels different again.
Full details: North Tenerife: Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava & Icod.
Day 3 — The Drago, San Marcos & Garachico
Drive west from Puerto to Icod de los Vinos and the thousand-year-old dragon tree. After lunch, continue to the Mirador San Marcos for a view over black-sand beach and banana plantations, then down to Garachico — the old port that was buried by lava in 1706. The natural pools of El Caletón are great for kids, and the pedestrianised old town is made for aimless wandering.
Day 4 — First Taste of Teno
For the first Teno day, skip Masca village itself and drive the TF-436 to the upper miradors. It's a warm-up for the serpentine road without committing to the full day. The Mirador Altos de Baracán gives you the first long view over the green massif, with La Gomera on the horizon on a clear day.
If the afternoon is clear, cross the island to the south coast and have a quiet dinner in El Médano or Los Cristianos.
Day 5 — Teide Day One: Samara & Chinyero
Drive up into Teide National Park from the north via La Orotava. The scenery changes completely — you pass through a laurel forest, then a pine forest, then emerge onto the lunar caldera floor at 2,000 m. Park at the Samara car park and hike the 3-hour loop up the parasitic volcano of Samara for your best possible framed view of Teide. End the day at the Mirador Chipeque on the TF-24 for sunset.
Full details: Teide National Park: A Complete Guide to Tenerife's Volcano.
Day 6 — New Year's Eve: Punta de Teno, Garachico Lights
New Year's Eve is a slow day in the Canaries — most attractions close early, restaurants fill, and the energy builds through the afternoon. Use the morning for Punta de Teno (the red lighthouse on the northwestern tip). The road is open to private cars on weekdays outside of peak tourist hours. After lunch back at the hotel, head into Garachico after dinner — the plaza lights up with giant illuminated snowflakes and a full-scale Nativity scene, and the town gathers to ring in the year.
Day 7 — New Year's Day: Masca & Los Gigantes
New Year's Day is perfect for the Masca loop, because everybody else is still hungover. Drive the TF-436 early, stop at the Mirador de Masca for the iconic postcard view of the village on its ridge, and descend into Masca itself for a long late breakfast. After that, drop down to Los Gigantes — a dolphin and whale watching cruise from Los Gigantes is the classic afternoon option, or simply admire the 500-metre basalt wall from the mirador at Archipenque. End the day with sunset from a southern mirador above Ifonche — the colours over La Gomera are extraordinary.
Full details: Masca, Los Gigantes & Teno: Tenerife's Wild West.
Day 8 — Teide Day Two: Roques de García & the Cable Car
Book the Teide cable car in advance — slots sell out days ahead and winter mornings are the clearest. The cable car lifts you from 2,356 m to 3,555 m in 8 minutes; from there, a couple of short paths reach viewpoints over the caldera. If you have a summit permit (free, obtainable online well in advance), you can push another 200 m up to the crater itself. Before or after the cable car, walk the Roques de García circuit — an easy 1.5-hour loop past the island's most photographed rocks.
Day 9 — Santa Cruz & Anaga
Sleep the night before in Santa Cruz — it puts you 20 minutes from the main Anaga entry road and lets you start the day in the capital. Walk the Parque Marítimo, peek at the Auditorio, and drive up to La Laguna for a coffee, then climb into the Anaga massif. Spend the afternoon between Cruz del Carmen (laurel forest walk), Mirador de Jardina, and Taganana. End with golden hour on Playa de Benijo — the black-sand beach with its two iconic sea stacks is the perfect last-evening image of Tenerife.
Full details: Anaga Rural Park & Tenerife's Wild Northeast Coast.
Budget & Practical Notes
Flights: We flew into Tenerife North (TFN) from mainland Europe. Budget carriers fly into Tenerife South (TFS) at lower prices, but the 45-minute drive up from the south adds up. Check both.
Rental car: Around €25–40/day for a compact in winter, higher in summer. A small car is enough for the Masca road (a wide SUV is actually a nuisance there). Compare rental prices on Trip.com.
Accommodation: Family apartments in Puerto de la Cruz run €80–140/night. Santa Cruz hotels €70–120. Browse Tenerife hotels on Trip.com.
Food: Expect €25–35 per adult for dinner at a good restaurant — papas arrugadas, mojo, grilled vieja or cherne, a dessert. Lunch is cheaper and often better. Menús del día in La Orotava or Icod at €12–16.
Tickets to book in advance:
- Teide cable car with hotel pickup — essential for winter mornings. - Teide summit permit — free, online at volcanoteide.com, book weeks ahead. - Los Gigantes whale watching cruise — a morning on the water under the 500-metre cliffs. - Loro Parque tickets — the consensus family day out in Puerto de la Cruz.
Total rough budget (family of 4, 9 days): Around €2,500–3,500 not including flights. Cheaper in winter, higher in August.
FAQ
Is Tenerife good for a family with kids? Yes. Distances are short, infrastructure is excellent, and the mix of beaches, volcanoes and mountain hikes keeps everyone engaged. Kids aged 5–15 will especially love Teide and Benijo.
Do we need both airports? Pick one. TFN for a north-focused trip (like this one). TFS for a south-coast trip. One-way drop-off between them costs €30–50 and is rarely worth it for a 9-day trip.
Is the Masca road scary? It's narrow and twisting but well-paved. Drive slowly and take breaks — plenty of miradors along the way. Anyone prone to motion sickness should sit in the front or take precautions.
Can we do Teide in one day? Yes, but you'll feel rushed. Two days lets you do one hike day (Samara or Chinyero) and one summit day (Roques + cable car).
What about La Gomera? A day trip from Los Cristianos is possible — the Fred Olsen ferry takes 45 minutes each way. If you have 10–12 days total instead of 9, it's worth the overnight.
More of the Canary Islands & Atlantic Islands
If Tenerife gave you a taste for ancient-volcanic Atlantic islands, a few more MapTrotting guides go well with this itinerary.