Santa Cruz de Tenerife was only one of many places along the road from the southern part of the island back to the north for us. Until we decided to stop off and inhale some city aroma.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital of Tenerife. It is located between the sea and the Anaga mountains in the northeast of the island. Santa Cruz de Tenerife has one of the largest and deepest sea ports in Spain. Cargo ships, as well as cruise ships, frequent the port which is economically important for the island. In the capital, a popular pedestrian area with many shops and restaurants is heavily frequented, also by tourists. Beautiful parks, historic monuments and buildings but also modern structures characterise the cityscape. Sadly, we didn’t get to spend a lot of time in this lively city and only walked away with a handful of impressions.
Markt Nuestra Señora de Africa
I was very much impressed by the Nuestra Señora de Africa Market (blessed virgin of Africa market). Not only tourists but also many locals visit the market and its multitude of stalls daily. Fruit and veggies, meat, fish, spices and flowers can be found here. The huge variety of goods was impressive. On top of the many different colours of flowers and fruit, a true explosion of smells was waiting for us near the spice stalls. The market was installed in 1943 and had its highs and its lows. In 1995 facilities were improved, new parking spaces were created, and new cafes and restaurants were opened. This was a huge boost for life on and around the market. Today, over 300 shops sell their goods here.
Address:
Av. de San Sebastián, 51,
38003 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
Opening Hours:
daily: 08.00 – 14.30
Flea Market on Sundays!
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción
This church is a well-known landmark of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
It was constructed in 1502 and over the years, corresponding to the city’s economic situation at the time, expanded and renovated. For a long time, the belfry helped the ships to navigate to the island’s port.
Inside the church precious art and pieces made from gold and silver are kept. Particularly impressive to me were the wonderful, gold-plated altar and the marble pulpit.
The church is under Monument Protection. The opening hours of the church are quite irregular. Therefore, visitors should aim for arriving during a service; otherwise the church might be open to visitors only by coincidence. But also, the exterior of the church is beautiful, and the building is well worth a visit in any case.
Address:
Avenida Bravo Murillo / Calle Tomás Pérez
38300 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
(Tenerife)
Parque García Sanabria
We then walked through the Parque García Sanabria. This park in the northern part of the inner city is the green lung of the town. This is a place for lovely walks or for relaxing on one of the many benches. But it doesn’t end there; the park is also home to many water features, monuments and, during the time of our visit, also a clock made from flowers that I really liked.
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