With kids · Tenerife · Spain
Tenerife with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Johnymepeino from La Costa Este, Aún está por ver, CC BY 2.0
Quick answer
Tenerife is one of Spain's easiest family destinations: direct flights from much of Europe, warm weather all year, sheltered beaches in the south and big attractions such as Siam Park and Loro Parque. Most families stay on the south coast and make one or two day trips north and up to Teide. Top picks: Siam Park, Loro Parque and Whale and dolphin watching. Families usually base themselves in Los Cristianos.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 7
- Best area for families
- Los Cristianos
- Rainy-day options
- 2
- Busiest months
- August and December
Best things to do with kids
Theme park · Costa Adeje
1.Siam Park
This Thai-themed water park in Costa Adeje has slides ranging from gentle family rides to the Tower of Power, a near-vertical drop that sends riders through a clear tube inside a shark aquarium. There is also a wave pool producing waves of around three metres, a lazy river and a sandy beach area for small children.
Arrive at opening to claim sun loungers and ride the big slides before queues build; a fast-pass add-on can save hours in summer.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Active
- Outdoors
Zoo · Puerto de la Cruz
2.Loro Parque
Loro Parque opened in 1972 as a parrot park and still holds one of the world's largest parrot collections, alongside gorillas, tigers, sea lions, an aquarium tunnel and Planet Penguin, a chilled enclosure with artificial snowfall. It is on the western edge of Puerto de la Cruz, and a free shuttle train runs from the town centre.
Buy the combined ticket with Siam Park if you plan to visit both; the two parks can be visited on separate days.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Nature
Experience · South and west coasts
3.Whale and dolphin watching
The deep channel between Tenerife and La Gomera is home to resident short-finned pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins, which are seen on most trips throughout the year. Boats leave from Los Cristianos, Puerto Colón and Los Gigantes; trips last two to five hours and range from large catamarans to small sailing boats.
Choose a boat with the regional government's 'Barco Azul' whale-watching licence, which sets rules on distance and speed around the animals.
- Time needed
- 2–5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Couples
Beach · San Andrés
4.Playa de Las Teresitas
Santa Cruz's favourite beach is a 1.3-kilometre crescent of golden sand brought from the Sahara in the 1970s, protected by an offshore breakwater that keeps the water calm. It lies below the Anaga hills next to the fishing village of San Andrés, where seafood restaurants line the main street.
Go on a weekday; at weekends the beach and its car parks fill with families from the capital.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Free
- Outdoors
Waterfront · Puerto de la Cruz
5.Lago Martiánez
Designed by the Lanzarote artist César Manrique and opened in the 1970s, this lido of seawater pools, islands of black volcanic rock and white terraces gives swimmers calm water on a coast where the Atlantic is usually too rough. The central lake has a tall fountain, and there are shallow pools for children.
It is the best alternative to the sea on the north coast for families; arrive early on summer weekends to find loungers.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Architecture
Museum · San Cristóbal de La Laguna
6.Museo de la Ciencia y el Cosmos
This hands-on science museum in La Laguna has interactive exhibits on physics, the human body and astronomy, a planetarium and a large radio-telescope dish outside. It reflects the island's role in astronomy: the Teide Observatory on the mountain is one of Europe's leading solar observatories.
Check planetarium session times when you arrive; it is a good half-day with children when cloud covers the north.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
Park · Las Cañadas del Teide
7.Teide National Park
The national park surrounds Mount Teide, at 3,715 metres the highest point in Spain, with a vast caldera of lava flows, pumice fields and the twisted rock towers of the Roques de García. It was listed by UNESCO in 2007. The TF-21 and TF-24 roads cross it, with roadside viewpoints and short trails such as the loop around the Roques de García, about 3.5 km.
Arrive early or late in the afternoon to avoid tour coaches at the Roques de García, and bring a warm layer: it can be 15 °C colder than on the coast.
- Time needed
- Half to full day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Nature
- Views
- Free
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Rainy-day ideas
- Museo de la Naturaleza y Arqueología (MUNA) — Pair it with lunch at the Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África, a short walk across the Barranco de Santos.
- Museo de la Ciencia y el Cosmos — Check planetarium session times when you arrive; it is a good half-day with children when cloud covers the north.
Where families should stay
$$ · Best for families, budget and beach
Los Cristianos
Los Cristianos grew around a small fishing harbour that still has working boats beside the ferry terminal for La Gomera. Playa de Los Cristianos and Playa de las Vistas are sheltered by breakwaters, with gently shelving sand that suits young children, and the town keeps a Canarian centre with a church square and residential streets behind the seafront.
- Good
- Calm, accessible beaches; Ferries to La Gomera on the doorstep; More local life than the neighbouring resorts
- Watch out
- Crowded promenade in high season; Apartment blocks crowd the seafront
- Nearby
- Playa de las Vistas, Los Cristianos port, Montaña de Guaza, Playa de las Américas
Family travel tips
- The thin air at the top of the Teide cable car (3,555 m) can affect young children; the roadside viewpoints and the Roques de García walk lower down suit all ages.
- Playa de las Vistas in Los Cristianos and Playa del Duque in Costa Adeje have gentle slopes and are sheltered from big waves.
- The north-coast sea is often rough; use Lago Martiánez instead of open beaches there unless conditions are calm.
- Pack high-factor sun protection even in winter; the subtropical sun is strong, particularly at altitude.
- Short whale-watching trips of about two hours suit young children better than half-day cruises.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–June and September–October. August and December are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Tenerife good for kids?
Tenerife is one of Spain's easiest family destinations: direct flights from much of Europe, warm weather all year, sheltered beaches in the south and big attractions such as Siam Park and Loro Parque. Most families stay on the south coast and make one or two day trips north and up to Teide.
+What can kids do in Tenerife?
Siam Park, Loro Parque, Whale and dolphin watching, Playa de Las Teresitas and Lago Martiánez.
+Where should families stay in Tenerife?
Los Cristianos: Former fishing port with calm beaches and the ferry terminal for La Gomera.