Inject Some Culture Into Your Tenerife Holiday

Tenerife, situated off the West Coast of Africa, is the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. It’s been one of top destinations in the world for tourists for many years and continues to attract more new visitors each and every year.

Package holidays have long been offering deals here thanks to the Islands stunning beaches and great tourism infrastructure. The tourist attractions are endless and some of the most popular include Siam Park, a very impressive water park that’s fun for all the family, Teide National Park with it’s stunning views and of course the chance to see whales and dolphins off the islands coast.

So while these might be the initial things that draw you to explore Tenerife, we’ve used the official tourist site of the island, Web Tenerife, to pick out a few lesser-known options that you might want to plan your trip around.

Photo on Flickr by Jan Kraus

Experience Something Unique in Tenerife

The Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

The 25^th of July is a great time to be in Tenerife and particularly in it’s capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Each year there are big celebrations to commemorate the events of that historic day in 1797 when the island successfully defended itself against a full invasion by British Admiral Horatio Nelson.

Celebrations now include a re-enactment of events including both locals and actors that’s to be missed.

Tegueste Librea

If you’re a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean then you’ll love what goes on in early September, every four years in Tegueste, a small picturesque town in the northeast of Tenerife.

Despite the town being landlocked, it doesn’t stop the boats moving. Pulled along on wheels the pirates engage in battle with the towns castle in an impressive display of sound and light. This celebration is to thank the saints for protecting the town and dates right back to the 17^th Century.

Goat Bathing

The sight of 2000 goats being led down to the fishing doc for a swim isn’t something you’re likely to see very often, but it happens. You’ll have to get up early though and make sure you’re in Puerto de la Cruz between 7-8am on the 24 June.

The act was originally to prepare the animals for the mating season but has since become more of a cultural tradition that you won’t find in many other places.

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It’s not hard to come up with things to do in Tenerife. With a great balance between holiday pleasures such as nice hotels and charming restaurants, and cultural options like described above, it’s not hard to see why Tenerife has remained one of the top tourist holiday destinations for all these years.