Historic houses, old craft traditions and festive culture shape La Orotava; Teide National Park and the coast offer a different perspective. When planning your trip, it is worth choosing your focus first: architecture and history, Canarian calados embroidery, hiking trails or Playa del Bollullo.

Historic Houses, Paths and Crafts

Casa de los Balcones, also known as Casa Fonseca, is a house built in 1715 in La Orotava, Tenerife. Its features include carved wooden balconies and an interior wooden patio. The house provides access to a museum and includes an important craft complex for traditional Canarian calados embroidery. This includes a centre for training, promoting and teaching typical handicrafts.

Another historic landmark is Camino del Ciprés, a traditionally paved path. On 16 September 2008, a decree by the Canary Islands Government recognised it as an Asset of Cultural Interest in the Historic Site category; its ethnographic and historical value is considered exceptional. The official tour of the historic centre also explores the area’s history: it includes a stop at Iglesia de la Concepción and its Museo de Arte Sacro, which has seven exhibition rooms.

Traditional calados embroidery and other embroidery are among La Orotava’s crafts that attract particular attention from visitors. They are made using very old methods and traditional rules. If you are interested in crafts, the focus is on both local techniques and the craft complex at Casa de los Balcones.

Corpus Christi and the Romería

The Corpus Christi festival is one of La Orotava’s patron saint celebrations. A procession with altars along the façades of the most important manor houses was already established there in 1576. The Corpus Christi procession passes through an area of about 1,200 square metres covered with carpets. These include 34 flower carpets and a large carpet made of volcanic sand in the town hall square. If you are planning a trip specifically for this festival, check the exact event date.

The modern-day Romería dates back to a format adopted in 1936. It includes decorated carts, horses, folk groups, musicians and singers. The two festive traditions offer different insights: Corpus Christi is associated with carpets, a procession and altars, while the Romería features the carts and groups mentioned above.

Teide National Park and Playa del Bollullo

More than 70 percent of Teide National Park lies within the municipality of La Orotava. The park encompasses the stratovolcano Teide-Pico Viejo, which stands 3,718 metres high. Atmospheric conditions create an impressive, constantly changing sea of clouds there. La Orotava is also home to the National Park’s institutional headquarters and visitor and interpretation centre.

The main network of Teide National Park includes 21 hiking trails of varying lengths and difficulty levels. The specific trail is therefore key to planning: length and difficulty vary. Playa del Bollullo offers a different landscape, lying below a cliff with black volcanic sand and generally strong surf throughout most of the year. The beach is served by the interurban bus route 376 and has a small car park with fewer than 50 spaces. Bus services and parking information may change; check the connection and parking situation before travelling.

Discover more destinations: La Florida, Aguamansa, La Perdoma, Vilaflor, Los Carrizales, Las Aguas, Oroteanda Baja, Arico Viejo.

For an overview of the wider destination: Tenerife.