Santa Cruz de Tenerife Free tour

Santa Cruz de Tenerife has a fascinating history to tell you. Its streets, buildings, symbols and traditions will whisper to you the secrets of our Guanche past, linked from the beginning to its fishing port. A territory of conquest, both pirates and admirals tried to take over the city in numerous attacks, failing time and time again.

Join this complete route through the city and soak up all that Santa Cruz has to offer! We'll meet in García Sanabria Park, the heart of the city and its largest lung.

After seeing the Plaza Weyler, one of the most significant extensions of the city, we will visit the Calle Castillo, which forms the backbone of the commercial area and where Canarian, Victorian and Art Nouveau façades stand out. The Plaza de España crowns this street and shows us the territory that the city has been usurping from the sea.

What do we call ourselves? Technically our gentilicio is "santacrucero", but the nickname "chicharrero" is so widespread that it is even used to refer to the inhabitants of Tenerife in general. Curiously, it was the derogatory nickname used by the inhabitants of La Laguna to refer to us, because of our habit of eating "chicharros", cheap fish of low quality. And how could we miss a Monument to the Chicharro? We will show it to you together with another key symbol, the Drago, emblematic plant of the Canary Islands.

There will be time to get to know aspects of the bustling cultural life of Santa Cruz, with unique buildings such as the Museum of Fine Arts and the Guimerá Theatre, the oldest in the Canary Islands. There is also the TEA, Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, with its avant-garde study hall that attracts a varied student body.

Do you know Santiago Calatrava? Our Auditorium is his work and has become an icon of our urban landscape. Behind it, the Parque Marítimo César Manrique is an idyllic spot for sunbathing.

Of course, we'll also talk about gastronomy and leisure! We'll take you to the Calle de la Noria, today's entertainment area with bars and restaurants specialising in nouvelle cuisine.

ut the tour cannot end without highlighting other emblematic buildings of the city, such as the Cabildo of Tenerife, the Church of La Concepción or the remains of our Castle of San Cristóbal, a powerful defence of the island against attacks coming from the sea.