What to See in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain: Free Audio Guide

The best things to do in San Cristóbal de La Laguna are concentrated around its carefully planned historic center, where churches, convents, palaces, museums, and squares reveal the city’s long history. Its streets form a distinctive grid created after the city’s foundation, and the result is a place that is especially rewarding to explore on foot. Neywo has a free audio guide for San Cristóbal de La Laguna with 42 narrated places.

San Cristóbal de La Laguna is in the Canary Islands, on Tenerife, and its historic center has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Founded after the Spanish conquest of the Canary Islands, the city developed without defensive walls and became an influential example of planned urban design. Today, its historic buildings stand alongside squares, shops, and the lively presence of the University of La Laguna.

What to see in San Cristóbal de La Laguna

The most rewarding way to visit La Laguna is to follow its historic streets from one landmark to the next. The following places show the variety of the city’s heritage, from important churches and religious foundations to aristocratic houses and museums.

Ermita de San Miguel and Palacio de Nava

Plaza del Adelantado brings together several of La Laguna’s most notable historic buildings. The Ermita de San Miguel, dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, contributes to the square’s harmonious architectural setting.

At the northwest corner stands Palacio de Nava, also known as Palacio de Nava y Grimón. Its two façades combine Baroque, Neoclassical, and Mannerist elements, the result of alterations and extensions carried out over two centuries. The main façade faces the square and Nava Street, while the lateral façade extends along Deán Palahi Street.

Monastery Santa Catalina La Laguna

Also beside Plaza del Adelantado, the Monastery Santa Catalina La Laguna is known as the Convent of Santa Catalina de Siena. This protected historic building is particularly associated with María de León Bello y Delgado, whose incorrupt body is preserved in the convent.

The monastery adds another layer to the square’s history, alongside the Ermita de San Miguel and Palacio de Nava.

Casa de los Capitanes Generales

Casa de los Capitanes Generales, also known as Casa de Alvarado-Bracamonte, is one of San Cristóbal de La Laguna’s protected historic properties. Its place in the old city makes it a useful stop when walking between the religious buildings and former residences around the historic center.

Cathedral of La Laguna

The Cathedral of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, also called the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, is one of the most important churches in the Canary Islands. Its dome rises prominently above the city, while its façade and main body show contrasting architectural styles.

The present building was constructed between 1904 and 1915, replacing an earlier church begun in 1515. The main body is Neo-Gothic, while the façade is Neoclassical and was inspired by Pamplona Cathedral. The building became a cathedral in 1818 and has been recognized as a cultural property and monument since 1983.

Iglesia de la Concepción

The Iglesia de la Concepción is the mother parish of San Cristóbal de La Laguna and the first parish established on Tenerife. Its site was established after the feast of Corpus Christi in 1496, the parish was erected in 1497, and the church itself was founded in 1511.

The church stands between La Concepción Square and Doctor Olivera Square. Its tower is one of its most memorable features and can be climbed for views across much of the city. The church also houses the largest bell in the Canary Islands. It was declared a historic artistic monument in 1948.

Iglesia de Santo Domingo de Guzmán

The Iglesia de Santo Domingo de Guzmán is also known as the Church of Santo Domingo or the former Convent of Santo Domingo. The church and convent form one of the city’s important Catholic sites and have held protected monument status since 1986.

Its presence helps define the historic southern quarter, where religious buildings and older urban spaces create a quieter side of La Laguna.

Convento de Santa Clara

The Convento de Santa Clara, or Convent of Santa Clara of Assisi, is a Franciscan convent with origins reaching back to 1547. It was founded under the name of Saint John the Baptist and was the first women’s convent established in the Canary Islands.

The convent is one of the city’s significant cultural landmarks and illustrates the importance of religious foundations in La Laguna’s early development.

Church of San Benito Abad

The Church of San Benito Abad is closely connected with Tenerife’s farming traditions. Construction began around the middle of the sixteenth century, and the church is notable for its broad dimensions and generally rectangular floor plan.

Its generous proportions create a strong sense of space. The church is a protected cultural property and monument and stands on Calle Marqués de Celada.

Lercaro Palace and the Museum of History and Anthropology of Tenerife

Lercaro Palace, or Casa Lercaro, began taking shape at the end of the sixteenth century. It was commissioned by the Lercaro family, Genoese merchants who arrived on the island after the conquest.

The building now houses the Museum of the History of Tenerife, also known as the Museum of History and Anthropology of Tenerife. Opened there in December 1993, the museum explores Tenerife’s development from the fifteenth through the twentieth century through institutional, socioeconomic, and cultural history. Its collections include heritage objects, documents, and bibliographic materials.

Casa de Carta

Casa de Carta is another site of the Museum of History and Anthropology of Tenerife, located in Valle de Guerra. The historic house stands on Vino Street and is recognized as a Site of Cultural Interest with monument status.

Here, the museum’s work focuses on the popular culture of the Canary Islands, including local customs and the social and cultural reality of Tenerife.

Museum of Science and the Cosmos

For a change from historic buildings, visit the Museum of Science and the Cosmos. Opened in 1993 through an initiative of the Cabildo de Tenerife and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, it presents science through interactive exhibits.

The museum explores subjects ranging from the human body to the behavior of stars. Its interactive modules put physical laws and principles of nature into practice, making the visit based on participation rather than simply viewing objects.

Monumento al Vecino and the Ajuria threshing machine

The Monumento al Vecino is one of San Cristóbal de La Laguna’s points of interest. Nearby, the preserved Ajuria threshing machine, also known as the Trilladora, recalls Tenerife’s agricultural past and offers a reminder of the island’s rural history.

Hermitage of San Diego del Monte

Beyond the city center, the Hermitage of San Diego del Monte is associated with the popular Fuga de San Diego. The building was once part of a Franciscan convent and is now the surviving religious landmark known as the Hermitage and former Convent of San Diego del Monte.

Its importance was recognized in 2015, when it was declared a Site of Cultural Interest as a monument. The hermitage brings together the history of the Franciscan convent and the local tradition of the Fuga de San Diego.

Explore La Laguna with a self-guided audio tour

A San Cristóbal de La Laguna self-guided walking tour lets you discover the city without joining a group or following a fixed schedule. Neywo offers a free audio guide with 42 narrated places, and each story plays as you reach the place, at your own pace.

The app includes three walking tours and one bus route:

• La Laguna Ultimate: From Adelantado Square to the Cristo — 2.43 km, 115 minutes, and 12 narrated stops.
• Convents, Saints and the Old Southern Quarter — 1.82 km, 82 minutes, and 8 narrated stops.
• Science, Statues and the Tram Line — 2.15 km, 61 minutes, and 6 narrated stops.
• Line 206: La Laguna by Local Bus, from the Science Museum to San Benito — 11.4 km, 49 minutes, and 11 narrated stops.

The walks include places such as the Cathedral of La Laguna, Palacio de Nava, Lercaro Palace, Iglesia de la Concepción, Iglesia de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, and the Convento de Santa Clara. The bus route connects stops including the Museum of Science and the Cosmos, Plaza del Cristo de La Laguna, and the Church of San Benito Abad.

Download Neywo and explore San Cristóbal de La Laguna

Download Neywo to explore San Cristóbal de La Laguna with a free audio guide covering 42 narrated places. Choose from three walking tours or one bus route, and listen in 11 languages. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule.

When planning a wider trip around Tenerife, you can also compare La Laguna with Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Puerto de la Cruz, or continue exploring Spain.