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Puerto de la Cruz
«Puerto de la Cruz tiene piscinas de agua salada junto al mar.»Puerto de la Cruz has saltwater swimming pools by the sea.
Puerto de la Cruz is located on the north coast of Tenerife, at the foot of the Orotava Valley and below Mount Teide. It began as a port for exporting wine to England and, in the nineteenth century, became the first tourist resort in the Canary Islands, frequented by naturalists and those seeking a mild climate all year round.
Did you know
The pools designed by Manrique.
The famous Lago Martiánez complex is a masterpiece of architecture and landscape engineering signed by the artist César Manrique.
How they talk in Puerto de la Cruz
«Guagua», «papa», «millo» and «ustedes» are common in speech. «Calima» is a key word in the Canary Islands: it refers to the air filled with Saharan dust that can change the sky and air quality.
guagua
Bus or coach for collective transport. Normally used for urban and interurban buses and, by extension, for school or tourist coaches.
Everyday life in Puerto de la Cruz
The «lagos» of Manrique
The seawater pools designed by César Manrique replace the beach on a coast of black rocks: people go there to swim all year round, with the ocean crashing two metres away.
«Nos bañamos en los lagos.» — We are bathing in the lagos.
Tourists have been here since the 19th century
The city has been welcoming visitors from northern Europe for over 150 years, long before mass tourism: there are German and British families rooted here for generations.
The «plataneras» inside the city
The plantations reach the houses and remain between the buildings: you can see the leaves above the street walls, and it is still a genuine agricultural activity.
What to eat in Puerto de la Cruz
Queso asado
Goat's cheese cut into thick slices and seared on a griddle, with mojo or palm honey.
Rancho canario
A thick soup with large pasta, chickpeas, potatoes and meat, with paprika.
Papas arrugadas con mojo
Potatoes wrinkled in very salty water, with red or green mojo.
Festivals in Puerto de la Cruz
Embarcación de la Virgen del Carmen
around 16 July
The fishermen carry the Virgin onto the boat and accompany her out to sea, with the whole port following.
What to see in Puerto de la Cruz
Lago Martiánez
The seawater pools designed by César Manrique among the black rocks, because the sea here is too rough.
Jardín Botánico
The garden created in 1788 to acclimatise plants from America before taking them to Europe.
Playa Jardín
The black sand beach with gardens designed by Manrique behind it.
Casco antiguo
The old port with colonial houses and the Casa de la Aduana, the oldest in the city.
Where Puerto de la Cruz comes from
The first tourist resort in the Canary Islands
16th century
The port
It was founded as the port for the Orotava Valley: wine was shipped from here to England.
18th century
Malvasia
Canarian wine was drunk all over Europe; Shakespeare mentions it. Then the crisis arrived.
19th century
The first tourists
Naturalists and those with chest ailments came for the climate: it was the first tourist resort in the archipelago.
1977
Manrique
The Lago Martiánez opened: seawater pools, because the beaches are rocky.
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