Tenerife - first trip, what to see?

[Wayfairers]

This will be our first time in Tenerife and I wondering what to see. I have heard from my non-cruise friends that it is a rough and dirty area mainly to be avoided and there isn't much to see - do you agree? I am thinking about the Tenerife 4x4 trip from the cruise ship... anyone taken that one? Any suggestions?

[Wayfairers]

I'm not getting help on Tenerife.... is this a port where ships rarely stop? Or, does everyone just do a ship tour?

[Hope to Cruise]

I'm not getting help on Tenerife.... is this a port where ships rarely stop? Or, does everyone just do a ship tour?

Tina, I have gleaned a few facts about the port from various sites. It seems it is a 15 minute hike or a shuttle bus to the port gates. There are lots of ATM's (good for us to get those pesky Euros). There is a promenade along the seafront with streets off it selling silver and electronic goods. The HOHO is about 10 Euros.

 

I am leaving this port open for adventures. Our port guide on the ship should be of some help too. Perhaps someone who has been there will leap in with more info here.

[Hlitner]

Too bad the search function has not been working because I previously posted lots of info on the port. We really like the island of Tenerife and our favorite day here is to simply rent a car and drive ourselves. For us, the highlight of the island is their amazing National Park called Teide which is actually an old volcano. If you drive (or take a tour) to that park and go up to the top you will be over 10,000 feet. On the way up you will pass through beautiful green forrests until you get above the tree line where it is like being on the lunar landscape. On our last trip it was a pretty cloudy day but as we drove through 8000 feet we broke out into clear sunshine (we were driving above the clouds). As we reached the top the clouds cleared away and we had spectacular views for over a hundred miles in each direction. When we left the park we used an alternative route (that takes you to the side of the island near Sant Cruz), drove over to Santa Cruz and then cut back across the island to the port. A fabulous day which we will do, again, on our next visit. There is a local rental car agency (CICAR) located less then 2 blocks from the pier.

 

Hank

[rlse9]

Definitely go see Mount Teide, it's amazingly beautiful.

[Cornishpastyman1]

Definitely go see Mount Teide, it's amazingly beautiful.

Yes, it's very nice indeed, but consider taking a light sweater or coat if you're going to the very top.

[neverenoughtime]

We were there on a Sunday and except for the African market and one or two shops on the main drag, it's was closed!! When we got off the ship it was cloudy and overcast so we passed on taking a tour with one of the many taxi's lined up at the pier. In hind site wish we had gone as the weather is unpredictable and it cleared. Those who went to Mt Tiede said it was great.

We were stuck in town and seriously bored.

 

There was a free shuttle from the ship to the main drag. Very convenient.

 

It was beautiful sailing away at Sunset - don't miss it!!

[Hlitner]

Yes, it's very nice indeed, but consider taking a light sweater or coat if you're going to the very top.

 

That is great advice. When you are above 10,000 feet and the wind is blowing it can be chilly even when its hot down at sea level.

 

Hank

[Queen of the Queen]

We were there on a Sunday and except for the African market and one or two shops on the main drag, it's was closed!! When we got off the ship it was cloudy and overcast so we passed on taking a tour with one of the many taxi's lined up at the pier. In hind site wish we had gone as the weather is unpredictable and it cleared. Those who went to Mt Tiede said it was great.

We were stuck in town and seriously bored.

 

There was a free shuttle from the ship to the main drag. Very convenient.

 

It was beautiful sailing away at Sunset - don't miss it!!

 

 

Thanks for your thoughts about Tenerife.

 

Did you meet anyone on your cruise that hired a taxi at the Port? We are interested in any feed back, since we will have to make our decision ship tour/taxi at Port.

 

Thanks for any info. any one can provide

Lorraine:)

[andynapril]

That is great advice. When you are above 10,000 feet and the wind is blowing it can be chilly even when its hot down at sea level.

 

Hank

 

Hank - helping a friend stopping in this port. Do you remember the cost to rent a car for a day?

[Wayfairers]

Thanks for the great information everyone!

[waverley7]

Hmmmm.....now I'm not sure what to do. I was kind of thinking about the Whale and Dolphin watching at this stop. Anyone done that here before? I have never done it period but I also hate to miss beautiful scenery. (not that whales and dolphins won't be gorgeous to see) Help me out here if you can.

[waverley7]

Has anyone done the Whale and Dolphin excursion in Tenerife???

 

:confused:

[turkman]

Don"t miss the chance to go up to mount Teide wonderful to see,it"s like another world.

Do no agree there are dirty places I used to live on the island and loved it.

[Hlitner]

Hank - helping a friend stopping in this port. Do you remember the cost to rent a car for a day?

 

The cost of a rental car, assuming you rent a small car with manual transmission, is about 40 Euros. So for us, we had a full day tour of the island plus a visit to the top of the amazing Mt Teide for about 25 Euros a person (that would be about $35) which included the cost of the car and gas. For info on the car rentals just go to http://www.Cicar.com and you can click on the British Flag at the top to get everything in English. This is the rental car company that has an office about 2 blocks from the port.

 

Hank

[dln929]

The cost of a rental car, assuming you rent a small car with manual transmission, is about 40 Euros. So for us, we had a full day tour of the island plus a visit to the top of the amazing Mt Teide for about 25 Euros a person (that would be about $35) which included the cost of the car and gas. For info on the car rentals just go to www.Cicar.com and you can click on the British Flag at the top to get everything in English. This is the rental car company that has an office about 2 blocks from the port.

 

Hank

 

Thanks Hank. I"m reading this post with interest since we'll be in Tennerife on a Sunday in February. How are the roads for driving? Any route you'd care to share with us? I can't believe it's only 40 euros for a car; we'll definitely do that!

[Hlitner]

Thanks Hank. I"m reading this post with interest since we'll be in Tennerife on a Sunday in February. How are the roads for driving? Any route you'd care to share with us? I can't believe it's only 40 euros for a car; we'll definitely do that!

 

ARGH! Just noticed your latest post and hope you see this reponse. Renting a car on Sunday in Santa Cruz can be a real problem. As far as we know, CICAR and a few other rental car offices are closed on Sundays. If you cannot find an open rental car office in town you would probably need to rent at the St Cristobal Airport which is not very convenient since you would need a taxi (or local bus) to get to the airport. We rent a lot of cars throughout Europe and Sundays are almost always a pain.

 

Hank

[andynapril]

The cost of a rental car, assuming you rent a small car with manual transmission, is about 40 Euros. So for us, we had a full day tour of the island plus a visit to the top of the amazing Mt Teide for about 25 Euros a person (that would be about $35) which included the cost of the car and gas. For info on the car rentals just go to www.Cicar.com and you can click on the British Flag at the top to get everything in English. This is the rental car company that has an office about 2 blocks from the port.

 

Hank

 

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, my friends will be there on a Sunday as well, so I'll have to check that out.

 

There are several choices on the website for rental locations and I don't know which one to choose. Is: "Puerto de la Cruz" the cruise port location?

[andynapril]

Looking closer it looks like Puerto de la Cruz is not the cruise port. It looks like it might be the Muelle Ribera office, which is in Santa Cruz. Is that right?

[Wildblue]

Yeah, I Google mapped those locations. Puerto de la Cruz is *NOT* in the Santa Cruz de Tenerife port. Tenerife is in the northeast, Puerto de la Cruz is across the island in the northwest. Yes, it looks like the Muelle Ribera office is right there in the actual Tenerife port. Thanks to this thread, I made a quick and easy 40 Euro reservation. No credit card required, and the cheapest was actually 38 Euro.

[dln929]

ARGH! Just noticed your latest post and hope you see this reponse. Renting a car on Sunday in Santa Cruz can be a real problem. As far as we know, CICAR and a few other rental car offices are closed on Sundays. If you cannot find an open rental car office in town you would probably need to rent at the St Cristobal Airport which is not very convenient since you would need a taxi (or local bus) to get to the airport. We rent a lot of cars throughout Europe and Sundays are almost always a pain.

 

Hank

 

Thanks, Hank. It's always problematic being in European countries/islands on a Sunday. Even public transport is limited! Well, no matter. We'll figure something out. This might be a good day to spend the $$ on a ship excursion (perish the thought!) :o

[Hlitner]

Thanks, Hank. It's always problematic being in European countries/islands on a Sunday. Even public transport is limited! Well, no matter. We'll figure something out. This might be a good day to spend the $$ on a ship excursion (perish the thought!) :o

 

LOL. We faced a similar situation last spring when in Brest, France on a holiday. We almost broke down and booked a ship excursion...but got lucky when somebody on our Roll Call managed to get a local tour company to provide us with a large van and driver/guide (not easy to do on a holiday). It turned out to be one of the highlights or our 6 week trip (we hate to admit we enjoyed an organized tour) primarily because the passenger who arranged the tour had actually lived in France and turned out to be a better guide then the real guide (Fritz, if you see this post thank you again).

 

Hank

[dln929]

Hank, just an update. We're in Tenerife on the 19th of February, which is a Sunday. We filled in a reservation form with Cicar and it went through. We're getting an Opel Corsa for 38.50 euros for the day. We're picking it up at Muelle Ribera; did we choose the right office? I sent a note to Cicar letting them know that we're coming by way of cruise ship.

[scottbee]

Hank, just an update. We're in Tenerife on the 19th of February, which is a Sunday. We filled in a reservation form with Cicar and it went through. We're getting an Opel Corsa for 38.50 euros for the day. We're picking it up at Muelle Ribera; did we choose the right office? I sent a note to Cicar letting them know that we're coming by way of cruise ship.

 

yes, Muelle Ribera is the correct location. it's located upstairs in the port building which will be pretty much be across from where you dock.

http://maps.google.com/?ll=28.471476,-16.245778&spn=0.001707,0.003484&t=m&z=19&vpsrc=6

[dln929]

yes, Muelle Ribera is the correct location. it's located upstairs in the port building which will be pretty much be across from where you dock.

http://maps.google.com/?ll=28.471476,-16.245778&spn=0.001707,0.003484&t=m&z=19&vpsrc=6

 

Thank you very much! I'm looking forward to driving around the island in an itty-bitty car with a stick shift. :D