Things to Do in Puerto de la Cruz, Spain: Walking Guide

Puerto de la Cruz is a coastal city in Tenerife known for its historic fortifications, churches, museums, volcanic landmarks and tropical gardens. Its sights bring together the island’s maritime history, Guanche heritage, religious traditions and Atlantic setting. Neywo’s free audio guide for Puerto de la Cruz covers 22 narrated places, so you can explore the city while its stories play at the places themselves.

Puerto de la Cruz is part of the Canary Islands, an Atlantic archipelago belonging to Spain. If you are looking for things to do in Puerto de la Cruz, the city is best explored through a mixture of waterfront landmarks, historic streets and quieter eastern and western neighbourhoods.

What to see in Puerto de la Cruz

Castillo de San Felipe

Castillo de San Felipe is one of Puerto de la Cruz’s historic coastal landmarks. Built as a military fortress to defend the city, it stands near Playa Jardín at the mouth of the Barranco de San Felipe. Construction began in 1599, while the fortress visible today dates from between 1641 and 1655.

Despite its name, the building is a compact military stronghold rather than a royal residence. After deteriorating over the centuries and undergoing several renovations during the nineteenth century, it was decommissioned in 1924.

The Friar’s Rock

Known locally as El Peñón del Fraile, The Friar’s Rock combines a volcanic rock, the remains of a former prayer chapel and a viewpoint over the Atlantic. This protected heritage site is a distinctive example of how Puerto de la Cruz’s natural landscape and religious history meet in a single place.

The city’s churches and hermitages

Religious buildings are a major part of what to see in Puerto de la Cruz. The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia is the city’s principal parish church. Dedicated to the Virgin of Peña de Francia, it was built in the seventeenth century and has been recognized as a cultural asset and monument since 2003.

In the centre, Ermita de San Juan Bautista, also known as the Iglesia de San Francisco, preserves the memory of the Franciscan monastery that once stood there. The monastery was dissolved in the nineteenth century.

Other religious landmarks reveal different parts of the city’s history. Ermita de San Telmo stands on a rocky rise at the eastern end of San Telmo Bay and is dedicated to Saint Telmo. Since 2000, it has been protected as a monument of cultural interest. Ermita de San Amaro offers a quieter place to pause, while All Saints’ Church, or Iglesia Anglicana de Todos los Santos, reflects Puerto de la Cruz’s international religious character.

Archaeological Museum of Puerto de la Cruz

The Archaeological Museum offers an introduction to Tenerife’s early history through archaeological finds and reproductions associated with the island’s Guanche people. Created in 1953, it originated in the Instituto de Estudios Hispánicos de Canarias.

Its major collection of aboriginal Guanche pottery is one of its highlights. Some of the pieces are unique in Tenerife, making this an important stop for understanding the island’s heritage.

Fisherman’s Museum

The Fisherman’s Museum, or Museo del Pescador, focuses on fishery and the fishing tradition represented in Puerto de la Cruz. It provides a more specific look at the city’s connection with the sea, complementing the coastal fortifications and monuments found along the waterfront.

Monumento a la Pescadora

Beside Playa de Puerto, the Monumento a la Pescadora is an outdoor bronze sculpture known as the Fisherwoman statue. The figure is one of the distinctive sights along the city’s Atlantic coast and recalls the human side of Puerto de la Cruz’s maritime identity.

Casa Miranda

Casa Miranda, also known as Casa de Miranda, is a cultural property in Puerto de la Cruz. It forms part of the city’s collection of historic and cultural landmarks and appears among the central stops on a self-guided exploration of the city.

Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Eduardo Westerdahl

The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Eduardo Westerdahl, or MACEW, brings contemporary art into the centre of Puerto de la Cruz. Run by the Instituto de Estudios Hispánicos de Canarias, the museum presents work connected with the European avant-garde.

Its name reflects the origins of the collection. Although the museum focuses on contemporary art, it also includes artists who belonged to the European avant-garde of their time, including artists who died more than fifty years ago.

Jardín Sitio Litre

Jardín Sitio Litre is a private garden known for its large collection of tropical and subtropical plants. With more than 220 years of history, it is described as the oldest garden in Tenerife.

The grounds also contain a private mansion dating from 1730. The building served as a convent for 44 years, adding a religious and historic dimension to this peaceful garden.

Loro Parque

Loro Parque began in 1972 with a special focus on parrots and developed into a zoo and tropical plant collection. The park covers 13.5 hectares and presents around 800 animals, including parrots, gorillas, chimpanzees, dolphins and orcas.

Visitors can see demonstrations involving sea lions, dolphins, orcas and parrots. Parrots remain central to the park’s identity: its name means “parrot park” in Spanish, and its collection includes the Spix’s macaw, described here as almost extinct in the wild. The park also has an exhibition of porcelain parrots, including pieces more than one hundred years old.

Before entering, a commemorative plaque with a bust of Prince Mahidol of Siam recalls his visit to Tenerife in 1913.

Explore Puerto de la Cruz with a self-guided audio tour

A Puerto de la Cruz self-guided walking tour lets you move between the city’s landmarks without joining a group. Neywo has three walking tours and one bus route in Puerto de la Cruz, with 25 narrated stops across the listed routes.

The walks include:

• Fishermen, Friars and the Atlantic Shore: 2.1 km, 98 minutes and 11 stops, including Castillo de San Felipe, The Friar’s Rock, the Archaeological Museum, Monumento a la Pescadora, the Fisherman’s Museum, Casa Miranda and the city’s principal churches.
• Orchids, Apes and Hermitages: The Eastern Quarter: 3.61 km, 85 minutes and 6 stops, including All Saints’ Church, Jardín Sitio Litre, Ermita de San Telmo and Ermita de San Amaro.
• Fortress, Friar’s Rock and Parrots: The Western Shore: 1.77 km, 52 minutes and 4 stops, linking The Friar’s Rock, Castillo de San Felipe and Loro Parque.

There is also a bus route, Titsa 381: San Telmo to the Western Shore, covering 3.4 km in 15 minutes with 5 stops. It connects landmarks including Ermita de San Telmo, the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia, Monumento a la Pescadora, the Archaeological Museum and Santa Rita Church.

Download Neywo and explore Puerto de la Cruz at your own pace

Download Neywo to use its free Puerto de la Cruz audio guide, with 22 narrated places. Choose from three walking tours or one bus route, ranging from 1.77 to 3.61 km and from 15 to 98 minutes, depending on the route. The tours include between 4 and 11 narrated stops, while the guide’s narration is available in 11 languages.

The app tells the story of each place as you reach it. You explore at your own pace, with no group and no schedule—a simple way to discover Puerto de la Cruz’s coast, museums, churches and gardens.