Tenerife in 5 days: a complete itinerary with a mental map

Five days in Tenerife lets you cover the island's four areas and the summit without spending half the trip on the motorway, as long as you split your stay between two bases: two nights in the south and three in the north. This itinerary covers Teide, the beaches and the whale and dolphin trips from the south-west coast, and Masca, Garachico, Anaga, La Laguna and the La Orotava valley from Puerto de la Cruz. Drive times are given without traffic from each base; the TF-1 and TF-5 get congested at rush hour, especially on the approach to Santa Cruz and La Laguna in the morning.

The mental map: four areas and a summit

Before slotting in the days, it helps to fix the geography, because it explains why the order matters. Tenerife is a triangle with Teide in the middle, and everything worth seeing lies in one of these areas:

The south-west coast (Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas, Costa Adeje): almost guaranteed sunshine, beaches with facilities, the whale-watching harbours and the ferry to La Gomera. This is base 1.
The summit: the Parque Nacional del Teide, 1 h 15 min from the south via Vilaflor (TF-21) and an hour from the north via La Orotava (TF-21) or La Esperanza (TF-24). It takes a full day from either base.
The west (Santiago del Teide, Masca, Los Gigantes, Garachico, Icod): the Teno massif and the cliff coast. It lies halfway between the two bases, so it is the ideal day to move.
The north-east (Santa Cruz, La Laguna, Anaga): historic towns and the laurisilva (laurel) forest. From the north it is 30–50 minutes away; from the south, more than an hour.
The La Orotava valley (Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava, Los Realejos): base 2, with the historic north a stone's throw away and guachinches (family-run wine houses serving home cooking) all around.

With that map, the plan is: day 1 the summit, day 2 the south-west coast, day 3 the west with a change of base, day 4 the north-east and day 5 the La Orotava valley. No day repeats a road.

Two bases or one: the cost in hours of driving

If you would rather not change hotels, the itinerary works from a single base, but you pay for it on the motorway. From Costa Adeje, Puerto de la Cruz is about 1 h 15 min away via the TF-1 and TF-5, and Cruz del Carmen (Anaga) around 1 h 30 min: days 4 and 5 add about five hours of extra driving compared with staying in the north. From Puerto de la Cruz it is the other way round: the beach and whale-watching day in the south adds about 2 h 30 min there and back. Two bases cost one check-out and one check-in; one base costs four to five hours in the car. Where to stay in Tenerife compares the areas.

What to book before you travel

Teide cable car: a time slot on the official website. It opens at 9:00; the last ascent is at 16:00 for most of the year and at 17:40 in July, August, September and Holy Week. It closes in strong wind or snow; the daily status is on the operator's "Teide hoy" page.
Summit permit (trail 10, Telesforo Bravo): on the Tenerife ON platform, 300 places a day released every Monday at 7:00, 28 days in advance. Since 19 January 2026 non-residents pay €15 (free for Tenerife residents and children under 14), and since October 2026 the time slots are 90 minutes long.
Barranco de Masca: only if you are going to give it all of day 3. You must book on the official website, with descent sessions between 8:30 and 13:00, the compulsory bus 355 from Santiago del Teide, a boat out bought separately and a fee for non-residents.
Whale and dolphin watching: a two- or three-hour trip from Los Cristianos or Puerto Colón, booked at least the day before.
Ferry to La Gomera (optional): a return ticket for the first boat of the morning; in high season, several days ahead.

Day 1: Teide from the south

Leave your base at 8:00 and drive up the TF-21: Vilaflor de Chasna after 40 minutes, the highest municipality in the Canary Islands, and the cable car base station after 1 h 15 min. If your cable car slot is mid-morning, do the Roques de García loop first (3.5 km, about two hours, easy, circular from the La Ruleta viewpoint); if it is in the afternoon, reverse the order. At La Rambleta, at 3,555 m, the trails to the viewpoints are short and flat; the crater, at 3,718 m, is reserved for permit holders. Have lunch at the Parador or a picnic, stop at the Minas de San José and choose your ending: back via Vilaflor for dinner, or sunset at the Chío viewpoint (TF-38) and down through the west. Back around 19:30–20:00. The Parque Nacional del Teide guide details the trails, the visitor centres and what to do if the cable car closes.

Without a car, TITSA line 342 leaves Costa Adeje bus station at around 9:25 and reaches El Portillo via Vilaflor and the Parador in 2 h 15 min, returning mid-afternoon: one departure a day and about three hours in the park.

Day 2: beaches and whales, or La Gomera

The morning is for the sea. Whale and dolphin trips leave from Los Cristianos and Puerto Colón and cover the protected strip between Teno and Rasca, where pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins live all year round; two or three hours is enough, and small boats cause less seasickness. Tips on choosing an operator and a time are in whale and dolphin watching in Tenerife. Spend the afternoon on a beach that suits you: Playa del Duque, Torviscas or Las Vistas, with a 2026 Blue Flag, facilities and calm water; or La Tejita and El Médano, with wind, natural sand and the walk to Montaña Roja. If you would rather walk, there is the Barranco del Infierno in Adeje, with advance booking and a limited daily quota. More options in what to see in the south of Tenerife.

The La Gomera option replaces the whole day. The ferry from Los Cristianos to San Sebastián de La Gomera takes about 50 minutes; catch the first one in the morning and come back on the last one in the afternoon. On the island you need a car (you can hire one by the port) or an organised excursion, because the Parque Nacional de Garajonay, with its World Heritage laurel forest and the Alto de Garajonay at 1,487 m, is in the centre and buses are scarce. It is a long and very rewarding day; if you only have five days, it is the only day you can give up.

Day 3: Masca, Los Gigantes and Garachico, with a change of base

Check out early with your luggage in the boot. The TF-1 and TF-82 take you to Santiago del Teide in about 45 minutes; from there, the TF-436 drops down to Masca in about 20 minutes of hairpin bends. Go ahead of the coaches: parking in the hamlet is very limited and the road has single-lane stretches. Today you take in the ravine from the viewpoints; the descent (about 5 km, around four hours, with a boat out) is for longer trips. Go back to Santiago del Teide and down to Los Gigantes for the Archipenque viewpoint and a fish lunch in Puerto Santiago. In the afternoon, the TF-82 and TF-42 take you to Garachico in about 40 minutes: the old town, the square and the El Caletón lava pools if the sea allows. From Garachico, Puerto de la Cruz is about 35–40 minutes away via Icod and the TF-5. If you arrive in daylight, the Drago Milenario in Icod de los Vinos is on the way. Masca and Garachico top the prettiest villages in Tenerife.

Day 4: Anaga and La Laguna

From Puerto de la Cruz, the TF-5 takes you to La Laguna in 30–35 minutes and the Las Mercedes road to Cruz del Carmen in another 20. Start at the visitor centre and the Sendero de los Sentidos, a short walk through the laurisilva (the laurel forest that survives thanks to the trade-wind fog) lasting anything from twenty minutes to just over an hour; continue along the TF-12 to the Pico del Inglés viewpoint and drop down to Taganana and Almáciga for a fish lunch facing the Roques de Anaga, about 30 minutes from the ridge. Playa de Benijo has been closed since July 2024 because of rockfalls, with no reopening date; Almáciga is the alternative. To return, rather than retracing your route, follow the TF-12 from El Bailadero towards San Andrés and Las Teresitas, Santa Cruz's golden-sand beach, and climb back up to La Laguna for the late afternoon: the old town is flat, pedestrianised and takes 90 minutes to explore. Back to Puerto de la Cruz in 35 minutes. Viewpoints, trails and the days when the ridge wakes up inside the cloud are covered in the Parque Rural de Anaga guide.

Without a car, the tram connects Santa Cruz and La Laguna in 35–40 minutes, the 273 climbs from the La Laguna interchange to Cruz del Carmen and the 946 runs from the Santa Cruz interchange to Taganana and Almáciga in an hour, with about eight trips on weekdays and six at weekends.

Day 5: Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava and Icod

The last day stays in the valley, which makes it the best for an afternoon flight from Tenerife Norte (about 35 minutes away) and the worst for one from Tenerife Sur (more than an hour). Visit La Orotava, 15 minutes away, first thing: the hilly old town, the Casa de los Balcones and the views over the valley. Back in Puerto de la Cruz, the Paseo de San Telmo, the Lago Martiánez and the Jardín Botánico fill the middle of the day; Playa Jardín has had intermittent swimming bans in 2026 because of water quality, so check the signs before going in. In the afternoon, Icod de los Vinos (25 minutes) for the Drago Milenario and, if you booked ahead, the Cueva del Viento, a lava tube that can only be visited with a guide and an advance ticket. Finish at a guachinche in Los Realejos, La Matanza or Tacoronte. The rest of the area is in what to see in the north of Tenerife.

Without a car, line 363 connects Puerto de la Cruz bus station with Icod, Garachico and Buenavista in 1 h 30 min, and the 348 goes up to the Parador del Teide at around 9:30, returning at 16:00, in case you would rather move the summit to the last day.

Variations

With children

Shorten Teide to the cable car and the Roques de García, without the summit permit or the sunset, because at 3,555 m you feel the altitude. Day 2 works as it is: whale and dolphin watching first thing and a beach with facilities in the afternoon. On day 3, if the bends cause car sickness, swap Masca for Playa de la Arena in Puerto Santiago and spend longer in Garachico. On day 4, Las Teresitas and the Sendero de los Sentidos are enough; on day 5, the Lago Martiánez competes with Loro Parque, which takes up the whole day.

Without a car

Two nights in the south and three in the north is still the best structure, with line 343 (Costa Adeje, both airports and Puerto de la Cruz) for the move on day 3. From the south: the 342 to Teide and the 477 to Los Gigantes (50 minutes, every 35–40 minutes on weekdays) for the whale and dolphin trips. From the north: the 348 to Teide, the 363 for Icod and Garachico, the tram with the 273 or the 946 for Anaga. Masca is reduced to line 355 between Buenavista and Santiago del Teide. Check timetables on the TITSA website the evening before, because they change between winter and summer; the other essentials are in getting around Tenerife.

In winter, with snow on Teide

Between December and March, when there is ice or snow on the road, the Cabildo (island government) closes the TF-21 and TF-24 (sometimes the TF-38 as well) for hours or days, and the cable car stops running in wind or snow. Two rules: check the AEMET forecast and road status the evening before, and keep the Teide day interchangeable with day 5, which can be done entirely from the northern base. If it snows, residents drive up en masse at weekends and the TF-21 gridlocks from La Orotava: go on a weekday or very early. Bring warm clothes, sunglasses and high-altitude sunscreen; at the summit the temperature drops below zero even when it is 20 degrees on the coast.

Where to eat by area

South: seafront restaurants are expensive and not very Canarian; the parts of Los Cristianos and Arona away from the promenade, and El Médano, offer better and cheaper food. Catch of the day in Puerto Santiago and Los Gigantes.
Summit: a picnic with a view, the Parador or the cable car café; there are no other options inside the park.
North-east: the Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África in Santa Cruz for breakfast, grilled fish in Taganana and Almáciga, tapas in the university area of La Laguna.
North: guachinches in Tacoronte, La Matanza, Santa Úrsula and Los Realejos (short menu, their own wine, cash only), and the squares of Garachico and La Orotava for lunch.

What to skip

Do not put Teide and Masca on the same day: both need a full morning and slow roads.
Loro Parque and Siam Park each take up a day; include them only if they are the reason for your trip.
Do not drive the Masca road or the national park roads at night: they are unlit, with hairpin bends.
Do not change base twice; a single move, on the west day, is the one that costs no time.
If you only have three days, the Tenerife in 3 days itinerary covers the essentials from one base; with a week, Tenerife in 7 days adds hiking by level, La Gomera and a rest day.

Frequently asked questions

Is it better to have one base or two for 5 days?

Two, unless you are travelling with a lot of luggage or with very young children. The hotel change happens on the west day, which passes through Santiago del Teide and Garachico anyway, and it saves four to five hours of motorway driving on the Anaga and La Orotava valley days.

Can you do Tenerife in 5 days without a car?

Yes, with one excursion a day and mountain buses with one or two departures: the 342 or 348 to Teide, the 477 to Los Gigantes, the 363 to Garachico, the tram and the 946 for Anaga. Masca and the Chío viewpoint at sunset are what you miss; an organised excursion covers them.

Is La Gomera worth it on a 5-day trip?

Only if you accept losing the beach and whale-watching day and getting up early for the first ferry. The crossing takes about 50 minutes and Garajonay is worth it, but on a day trip you see the viewpoints and a short walk through the laurel forest, not the island. With seven days it makes more sense, and with a night in San Sebastián, even more.

When should you book the cable car and the summit permit?

The cable car, as soon as you have your flights: mid-morning slots sell out in high season. The Telesforo Bravo trail permit is released on Tenerife ON every Monday at 7:00 for the following 28 days and disappears within minutes; if you do not get one, La Rambleta and its viewpoints already give you the view over Las Cañadas and the neighbouring islands.

Which day should you keep for Teide if the weather is unsettled?

Either of the first two days from the south or the last day from the north, because these can be swapped without affecting the change of base. Check the AEMET forecast and road status the evening before, and move Teide to the clearest, least windy day.

Is it feasible to hike down the Barranco de Masca in 5 days?

Yes, if you make it the whole of day 3: you need to book on the official website, take the compulsory bus 355 from Santiago del Teide (one hour before your session), walk a descent of about 5 km and four hours, buy the boat out to Los Gigantes separately and pay a fee for non-residents. Garachico would then move to day 5.