Tenerife is not properly discovered by rushing from one viewpoint to another. In three days, you can gain a very complete impression of the island if you organise the route well: one day for the north-west and its volcanic towns, another for La Laguna, Santa Cruz, and Anaga, and another for Teide National Park. Puerto de la Cruz is a good starting point because it has very good connections with the north, east, and centre of the island.
This plan is designed for returning to your base on the same day, without endless routes or stops forced into the schedule. It also works if you are staying in the south, although you should adapt the order: leave Anaga for a full day, drive up Teide via the TF-38 from Costa Adeje, and reserve the north-west for a day with an early start.
Quick summary of the three-day route
- Day 1: Icod de los Vinos, Garachico, Masca, and Los Gigantes.
- Day 2: La Laguna, Santa Cruz, Las Teresitas Beach, and Anaga.
- Day 3: Teide National Park, Roques de García, the cable car, and La Orotava.
- Recommended base: Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava, or the north if you want to explore the entire island.
- Best way to do it: by car, so you do not depend on timetables and can stop at viewpoints, towns, and beaches.
Advice before setting off: do not try to fit too many visits into the same day. Distances in Tenerife can be deceptive. You may have 25 kilometres ahead of you and take almost an hour if the road crosses mountains, bends, or small towns. It is better to choose well, leave early, and allow time to park, eat, and stop whenever the scenery invites you.
To follow these routes freely, you can hire a car in Puerto de la Cruz. Public transport reaches many important places, but you lose considerable time between connections and timetables in areas such as Masca, inland Anaga, or Las Cañadas del Teide.
Day 1: Icod, Garachico, Masca, and Los Gigantes
This first day is the most photogenic. It combines historic towns, a volcanic coast, mountain roads, and one of Tenerife’s most spectacular landscapes: the Los Gigantes cliffs. It is advisable to leave Puerto de la Cruz before 9:00 am, especially if you want to travel through Masca at a relaxed pace.
Day 1 at a glance
- Route: Puerto de la Cruz, Icod de los Vinos, Garachico, Masca, Los Gigantes, and return.
- Recommended time: a full day, between 8 and 10 hours with stops.
- Main roads: TF-5, TF-42, TF-421, TF-436, TF-82, and TF-454.
- Best conditions: clear days with little wind.
- Avoid: arriving in Masca at midday during high season, because parking is limited.
Icod de los Vinos
The first stop is Icod de los Vinos, known for the Ancient Dragon Tree and a small, pleasant historic centre that is easy to explore. Allow one hour for a first visit. The natural walking route passes through Plaza de Andrés de Lorenzo Cáceres, San Marcos Church, Plaza de la Pila, and the surroundings of Drago Park.
If you want to visit Cueva del Viento, do not leave it to chance. It is in Icod, but visits are guided and must be booked in advance through its official website. If your plan is simply to explore Tenerife in three days, you would normally visit it on another trip or book it as the morning’s main activity.
Parking in Icod: the most convenient option is to look for a space near Drago Park or use one of the town-centre car parks. Do not complicate matters by driving too far into narrow streets if you are making only a short stop.
Garachico
You can reach Garachico from Icod in around 10 to 15 minutes. It is one of those towns that should be explored without rushing because it has history, fine architecture, and a very pleasant seafront walk. The 1706 eruption of the Trevejo volcano changed the old port forever, and the lava eventually formed the El Caletón natural pools.
If the sea is calm, bring your swimwear. If there is a heavy swell or tide, watch from outside and do not force a swim. The Atlantic on the north coast is beautiful, but it does not forgive carelessness. For parking, the underground car park at Plaza Juan González de la Torre is usually the most convenient option.
Masca
From Garachico, you can continue towards Buenavista del Norte and join the TF-436, the road that crosses Teno Rural Park to Masca. It is one of Tenerife’s most beautiful roads, but also one of its most demanding: tight bends, narrow sections, and small viewpoints where there is not always space.
The hamlet of Masca is worth a stop even if you do not plan to descend the gorge. The white houses perched in the landscape, deep ravines, and afternoon light make it one of the trip’s most memorable places. If you only want to see it, allow between 45 minutes and an hour. If you want to walk the gorge, this is no longer a simple stop: you need a booking, suitable equipment, and a day organised around that activity.
Masca in 2026: if you want to follow the Masca Gorge Trail, check the official caminobarrancodemasca.com website first. Access is regulated, bookings are made online, and access transport from Santiago del Teide forms part of the visit. If you are visiting only the hamlet, leave early, drive calmly, and do not expect to park beside the main viewpoint at peak times.
Los Gigantes
After Masca, descend towards Santiago del Teide and continue to Los Gigantes. The cliffs rise around 500 metres above the sea and can be seen very well from the Archipenque viewpoint, the harbour, or a boat trip. If time is short, choose the viewpoint and a walk around the harbour. If you have the afternoon free, seeing the cliffs from the water completely changes the perspective.
Day 2: La Laguna, Santa Cruz, Las Teresitas, and Anaga
The second day combines city life, history, beach, and forest. It is a very different route from the previous day and works especially well when the north wakes up cloudy, because you can start with La Laguna and Santa Cruz and leave Anaga for the second part of the day if the weather improves.
Day 2 at a glance
- Route: Puerto de la Cruz, La Laguna, Santa Cruz, Las Teresitas, Taganana, Benijo, and Cruz del Carmen.
- Recommended time: between 8 and 9 hours.
- Main roads: TF-5, TF-11, TF-12, TF-13, and TF-16.
- Ideal for: combining a historic centre, beach, and green scenery.
- Avoid: driving through Anaga at night if you are not used to narrow roads.
San Cristóbal de La Laguna
From Puerto de la Cruz, the TF-5 takes you to San Cristóbal de La Laguna in around 35 minutes when traffic is not heavy. La Laguna was the island’s first capital and its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is very easy to explore on foot, with pedestrian streets, colonial façades, inner courtyards, cafés, and small shops.
Allow between two and three hours for a first visit. Start at Plaza del Adelantado and walk towards the Cathedral, La Concepción Church, Casa de los Capitanes, and Casa Lercaro. If you are travelling with children or the day is rainy, the Museum of Science and the Cosmos may be a good alternative.
Parking in La Laguna: the most practical option is to leave the car in a town-centre car park and walk. It is not worth trying to drive to the door of every place because many streets in the historic centre are pedestrianised or have restricted traffic.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Teresitas Beach
You can drive from La Laguna to Santa Cruz de Tenerife in around 15 minutes. If this is your first visit, keep the walk simple: Plaza de España, Plaza de la Candelaria, Calle del Castillo, García Sanabria Park, and Tenerife Auditorium. For something quick and local to eat, the area around Nuestra Señora de África Market is usually a convenient choice.
Next, follow the TF-11 to San Andrés and Las Teresitas Beach. It is a convenient family beach with a large car park, pale sand, and a sea protected by a breakwater. It becomes quite busy on weekends and public holidays, so arrive before lunchtime if you want to park without driving around.
Anaga, Taganana, and Benijo
One of Tenerife’s most beautiful roads begins in San Andrés: the TF-12, which climbs into the Anaga Massif. The island changes suddenly here. Winding roads, green mountains, mist at higher altitudes, and small hamlets where everything moves at a different pace appear.
For an easy route, descend towards Taganana and continue to the coast. Roque de las Bodegas Beach is a good place to stop for fish or take a walk beside the sea. Farther on is Benijo, one of Tenerife’s most photogenic beaches, with black sand, sea stacks offshore, and very special sunsets. It is not, however, a convenient beach for swimming with young children: there is often a swell and current, and access involves steps.
Cruz del Carmen and the return via Tacoronte
You do not need to retrace the entire route to return to Puerto de la Cruz. You can climb back to the TF-12, stop at Cruz del Carmen, and descend on the TF-13 towards Tegueste, Tejina, and Tacoronte. When the day is clear, the high-altitude viewpoints offer views of La Laguna, the valley, and often Teide in the distance.
Driving in Anaga: the coast may be clear while the high ground is covered in mist. If you encounter mist on the TF-12, slow down, use the appropriate lights, and do not drive too close to the car in front. The beauty here lies in travelling slowly.
Day 3: Teide National Park and La Orotava
The third day is for Teide. Do not leave it for a quick afternoon, because the National Park deserves time, stops, and some flexibility in case the weather changes. From Puerto de la Cruz, there are two very good ways to drive up: the TF-21 from La Orotava, which is the most direct, or the TF-24 from La Laguna and La Esperanza, which is longer but has spectacular viewpoints.
If this is your first visit and you have the full day, a good combination is to ascend on the TF-24 and descend on the TF-21 towards La Orotava. This lets you see two different landscapes without repeating the same road.
Day 3 at a glance
- Route: Puerto de la Cruz, La Esperanza, Izaña, El Portillo, Las Cañadas, Roques de García, the cable car, and La Orotava.
- Recommended time: between 7 and 9 hours.
- Main roads: TF-5, TF-24, and TF-21.
- Altitude: you will travel from the coast to over 2,000 metres.
- Essential: bring an extra layer, even if it is hot below.
Ascent via La Esperanza and the TF-24 viewpoints
The ascent through La Esperanza crosses pine forests and excellent viewpoints before entering the National Park. You can stop at Ortuño, Chipeque, La Crucita, or viewpoints near Izaña when the sky is clear. On this road, it is common to rise above the sea of clouds, one of those images that stays with you even if you have seen many photographs beforehand.
Teide Observatory is near Izaña. It can be visited, but it is not a stop for which you can arrive without a booking. If your plan is to explore Tenerife in three days, the most practical option is to enjoy the viewpoints and continue towards El Portillo.
Las Cañadas del Teide
Everything changes when you enter through El Portillo: the vegetation becomes lower, the landscape opens up, and the road crosses an enormous volcanic caldera. The most useful stops for a first visit are Minas de San José, the cable-car base station, the Parador Nacional, Roques de García, and Llano de Ucanca.
If you take only one short walk, choose Roques de García. The complete circular trail is around 3.5 kilometres long and lets you see Roque Cinchado, views towards Teide, and part of Las Cañadas without a difficult hike. If time is short, at least stop at the main viewpoint.
Cable car and the peak of Teide: cable-car tickets should be bought online through the official volcanoteide.com website because timetables and prices may change according to the season. You need an advance permit to reach the peak via the Telesforo Bravo trail, managed through Tenerife ON. Without this permit, you can take the cable car to La Rambleta but cannot access the final section leading to the crater.
Descent via La Orotava
To return to Puerto de la Cruz, descend on the TF-21 towards La Orotava. It is a beautiful road with constant changes of scenery, but it also has bends and sections where you should not rush. If you still have energy, spend an hour in La Orotava’s historic centre. Casa de los Balcones, the cobbled streets, and viewpoints over the valley make a good ending to the trip.
Which route to choose if you have only one or two days
If you have only one day in Tenerife, choose Teide when the weather is clear. It offers the most distinctive landscape and is the place almost every traveller wants to see at least once. If Teide is covered or the high-altitude forecast is difficult, switch your plans to La Laguna and Anaga. If you have two days, combine Teide with the north-west: you will experience a volcano, towns, coast, and cliffs without repeating the same sensations.
Recommended order: if you are staying in Puerto de la Cruz, visit the north-west first, Anaga next, and leave Teide for the day with the best forecast. If you are staying in Costa Adeje or Los Cristianos, drive up Teide via the TF-38, devote another day to the north-west, and include Anaga only if you can set off early.
If you want to follow this route at your own pace, the most convenient option is to have a hire car in Tenerife. This lets you stop at viewpoints, change the order according to the weather, and return by the road that suits you best, without depending on timetables or fixed excursions.
Three days are not enough to see everything, but they are enough to understand why Tenerife changes so much within so few kilometres. On a single trip, you can move from volcanic towns to laurel forests, from black-sand beaches to a caldera at over 2,000 metres, and from a peaceful historic centre to a mountain road that asks you to slow down. If you choose each day well, you will enjoy the trip much more.
Frequently asked questions about what to see in Tenerife in three days
Are three days enough to see Tenerife?
Three days are enough for a well-organised first route: Teide, Anaga, La Laguna, a northern town, the coast, and a beach in the south. It is not enough to see everything, but it is enough to gain a very complete impression of the island.
Do you need to hire a car for this route?
It is highly recommended. You can travel by bus for some activities, but with only three days, a car lets you save time, connect viewpoints, and adapt the day if the weather changes.
Where should you stay if you have only three days?
If you want beaches and convenience, Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos, or Playa de las Américas work very well. If you prefer a local atmosphere and routes through the north, Puerto de la Cruz or La Laguna may suit you better.
Which day should you devote to Teide?
Reserve the day with the best weather forecast and set off early. If you want the cable car, permits, or specific trails, check official availability before finalising the itinerary.
Can you follow this route from southern Tenerife?
Yes. From the south, you can visit Teide, Los Gigantes, Masca, La Laguna, and Anaga by car, but it is advisable to start early on the longer days so you do not lose half the morning travelling.
