Tenerife Travel Guide

There’s nothing quite like Tenerife – a sultry, sun-soaked island in Spain’s Canaries. Staggeringly, the island has more than 10 million visitors a year, mostly due to the year-round good weather. While many come for the beachfront nightlife, there’s more to be found if you have a Tenerife car rental. Spend your days hiking up into the mountainous interior, kick back on the empty stretches of white sandy beach or get stuck into the annual Carnival, second in size only to Rio de Janerio. Throw in plenty of attractions for both kids and adults, some fine places to eat and a ton of water sports, and you’ve got a mighty fine place for a weekend break.

Dining in Tenerife

With such good weather, it’s hardly surprising that the Island of Eternal Spring has such a good food scene. The food here is humble and simple, the perfect way to highlight such fresh produce. While you’ll find many Spanish classics, there are island specialities too. Keep an eye out for paps arrugadas con mojos, simply boiled potatoes served with a spicy mojo. Then there’s almagrote, an island cheese that makes its way into many of the dishes. Carnivores shouldn’t skip morcilla dulce, a pig blood sausage made from almonds, onions and raisins. Your car rental in Tenerife offers you the opportunity to head off to one of the small coastal towns and villages for a bite to eat.

Attractions in Tenerife

If you can drag yourself away from the beach, you’ll find that Tenerife isn’t short on things to do. If you’re feeling active, you could lace up your boots to go hiking up through Mount Teide National Park to the highest peak in Spain which towers up more than 3700 metres high. Alternatively, you could don your scuba gear to go exploring sunken wrecks that now serve as the home for octopus and barracudas. Bringing the kids? They’d never forgive you if you didn’t take them to one of the theme parks like Siam Park or Aqualand. Or you could drive down to the port in your Tenerife car hire and hop aboard one of the whale or dolphin watching boats.

Tenerife driving routes

Tenerife’s mountain and coastal roads are just made for driving. If you’ve scored a car rental in Tenerife, you could take the road to Masca which twists and turns around the mountains and offers spectacular views of gorges and white-washed villages. Or there’s the spinal route which passes the islands beautiful pine forests and mesmerising lava-flow formations. Not your thing? Fear not. You could always stick to the coastal routes where you can stop en route for mornings on the beach and small waterfront towns.

Tenerife car rental

If you want spend time beyond the main resorts, the best way to explore is with your own car hire in Tenerife. If you’re sold on your own vehicle, the best place to pick up your rental is at the international airport. Once you’ve grabbed your keys, you can head off to your resort or hotel at your own pace. Much of the accommodation has secure parking spots to leave your car at night. It’s worth remembering that in Spain they drive on the right, all passengers must wear their seatbelts and there are strict drink driving laws.

Driving information for your car rental in Tenerife

Speed Limits in Spain:

Motorways and Dual Carriageways = 120 km/h

Roads with more than one lane in each direction = 100 km/h

Ordinary Roads = 90 km/h

Road Markings & Signs:

Yellow Zig-Zag Marker = No Parking Allowed

Blue Line Marker = Parking is Limited

Blue diamond + White Number = Maximum Advised Speed Limit

Important Driving Rules:

Age Limit = 18

Alcohol Limit = 0.05%

Seatbelts = Compulsory by law

Useful Spanish Translations:

Toll Road = "Peaje"

Motorway = "Autovia"

Roundabouts = "Rotondas"