Tenerife rewards those who venture beyond the beach. In a single day you can stand atop Spain's highest volcano, hike a spectacular gorge to a hidden beach, ferry to the unspoilt island of La Gomera, lose yourself in ancient laurel forests, or stargaze under some of the clearest skies on Earth. Here are the six best day trips, with distances, logistics and tips.
€40Teide Summit & Cable Car
Area
Teide National Park
Distance
~1–1.5 h drive
“Book the free summit permit AND your cable-car slot online well ahead — both sell out in peak season.”
€10Masca Gorge Hike
Area
Teno Rural Park
Distance
~1.5 h drive
“The gorge requires a pre-booked permit and helmet, and finishes with a boat pickup — plan the logistics in advance.”
€35La Gomera Ferry Day Trip
Area
From Los Cristianos
Distance
~50 min ferry
“Take an early Fred Olsen fast ferry and pre-book a bus or car tour to reach the Garajonay laurel forest.”
FreeAnaga Rural Park Explorer
Area
Northeast Tenerife
Distance
~45 min drive
“Combine the Cruz del Carmen forest walk with lunch in Taganana and a swim at Benijo beach.”
FreeGarachico & Icod de los Vinos
Area
North coast
Distance
~1 h drive
“Pack swimwear for the El Caletón lava pools at Garachico, then see the giant dragon tree at Icod.”
€45Teide Stargazing & Sunset
Area
Teide National Park
Distance
~1–1.5 h drive
“Guided tours provide telescopes, warm ponchos and dinner — far easier than driving the mountain roads at night.”
Tenerife day trips in detail
1.Teide Summit & Cable Car
No visit to Tenerife is complete without a day at El Teide, and it works brilliantly as a full-day trip. The journey is half the experience: the roads climb from the coast through pine forest and out onto the astonishing Las Cañadas caldera, a Martian moonscape of lava fields and coloured rock ringed by the volcano's cone. Stop at the Roques de García, the miradores and a visitor centre before riding the cable car from 2,356 m to 3,555 m in eight minutes for views across neighbouring islands floating above the clouds. Reaching the true 3,715 m summit needs a free permit booked online well in advance; without it you can still walk the short trails at the top station. Temperatures up here are far colder than the coast — often near freezing, with winter snow — so bring warm layers, sturdy shoes, sun protection and water. Go early to beat crowds and afternoon cloud. Many combine the day with sunset and world-class stargazing, since Teide has some of the clearest dark skies on the planet.
Hours
Cable car 09:00–16:00; park always open
Price
Cable car ~€40 return; summit permit free
Getting there
TF-21 by hire car (1–1.5 h from the coast) or organised excursion; TITSA 342/348
Insider tip: Book the free summit permit AND your cable-car slot online well ahead — both sell out in peak season.
2.Masca Gorge Hike
The Barranco de Masca is one of the most spectacular hikes in the Canary Islands and, for fit walkers, a superb day trip. Starting in the impossibly picturesque cliff-clinging village of Masca, the trail drops around 600 metres through a narrow, sinuous gorge, weaving between soaring rock walls, palm groves and boulder-strewn streambeds down to a secluded beach on the wild west coast, where a boat ferries you across to Los Gigantes. Reopened after major safety improvements, the route now requires an advance permit and a helmet, and there are strict rules on numbers and timing, so it needs planning — check the current system and book ahead. It's a demanding walk of several hours on uneven ground, not suitable for young children or the unfit, and stout footwear, water, sun protection and a head for occasional exposure are essential. Many people take a guided excursion that handles the permit, transfers and boat, removing the logistical headache. The reward is unforgettable scenery few visitors ever see. Even those not hiking should drive up to admire the village and its heart-stopping mountain views.
Hours
Permit slots in daylight hours; booking required
Price
Permit ~€10; boat pickup extra
Getting there
Drive to Masca village (TF-436); or guided excursion with transfers
Insider tip: The gorge requires a pre-booked permit and helmet, and finishes with a boat pickup — plan the logistics in advance.
3.La Gomera Ferry Day Trip
Just 50 minutes by fast ferry from Los Cristianos, the smaller, greener island of La Gomera makes a wonderful day trip for those wanting to escape Tenerife's resorts and glimpse a wilder, more traditional Canaries. Time-capsule villages cling to plunging ravines, terraced hillsides drop to black-sand coves, and at the island's misty heart lies Garajonay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage laurel cloud-forest that feels prehistoric. The pretty capital, San Sebastián de La Gomera, was Columbus's last stop before crossing the Atlantic. Because a day is short and the island is mountainous, the best approach is to pre-book an organised tour or hire a car on arrival, focusing on Garajonay, a couple of viewpoints and lunch in a village where you might hear Silbo Gomero, the astonishing whistled language locals use to communicate across the valleys. Take an early ferry to maximise your time and check return sailings carefully. It's a longer, more effortful outing than staying on Tenerife, but for nature lovers and the curious it offers a memorable contrast and a taste of the untamed western Canaries.
Hours
Ferries multiple times daily from ~08:00
Price
From ~€35 return (foot passenger)
Getting there
Fred Olsen or Naviera Armas ferry from Los Cristianos (~50 min)
Insider tip: Take an early Fred Olsen fast ferry and pre-book a bus or car tour to reach the Garajonay laurel forest.
4.Anaga Rural Park Explorer
For a day immersed in the wild, green Tenerife of misty forests and dramatic coastlines, the Anaga massif in the island's northeast is unbeatable. A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, it combines razor ridges, deep valleys, one of the world's best-preserved laurisilva cloud-forests and a string of remote black-sand beaches, all within an easy drive of La Laguna and Santa Cruz. A great day combines a walk in the ancient forest — start at the Cruz del Carmen visitor centre for maps and the gentle Sendero de los Sentidos — with a slow drive along the panoramic ridge road, stopping at viewpoints that gaze over tumbling green ridges to the sea, then a descent to the tiny village of Taganana for a fresh-fish lunch and a swim or paddle at the wild beaches of Benijo and Almáciga. The weather is cooler, greener and cloudier than the south, so bring layers and grippy shoes, and note that the roads are narrow and winding. A hire car gives the most freedom, though guided tours also run. It's the perfect antidote to a beach holiday.
Hours
Always open; visitor centre 09:30–15:00
Price
Free
Getting there
TF-12 ridge road from La Laguna; hire car ideal, or TITSA 077
Insider tip: Combine the Cruz del Carmen forest walk with lunch in Taganana and a swim at Benijo beach.
5.Garachico & Icod de los Vinos
The northwest coast rewards a leisurely day trip taking in two of Tenerife's most characterful towns. Start in Garachico, once the island's main port until a 1706 volcanic eruption buried its harbour; today it's a beautifully preserved town of stone churches, flower-filled plazas and a small clifftop fort, with the eruption's one gift being El Caletón, a series of natural swimming pools of turquoise water ringed by black lava rock — bring swimwear and water shoes for a memorable dip on a calm day. A short drive away, Icod de los Vinos is famous for the Drago Milenario, a colossal ancient dragon tree said to be up to a thousand years old and the symbol of the island, standing beside a handsome hillside old town of Malvasía wine cellars and cobbled streets. Between and around them, the scenery of vineyards, banana plantations and rugged coastline is lovely. It's a gentle, cultured contrast to the resorts and volcano, easily done by hire car, with plenty of good seafood restaurants for a long lunch. Combine with nearby Puerto de la Cruz to round out a north-coast day.
Hours
Towns always open; Parque del Drago 09:30–18:30
Price
Free (Drago park ~€5)
Getting there
TF-5/TF-42 by hire car (~1 h from the south); TITSA 363/107
Insider tip: Pack swimwear for the El Caletón lava pools at Garachico, then see the giant dragon tree at Icod.
6.Teide Stargazing & Sunset
Teide National Park is one of the finest stargazing sites on Earth — high above the clouds, far from light pollution, with exceptionally stable, transparent air that led astronomers to build a major observatory here, and it's protected by 'Starlight Reserve' status. A sunset-and-stars evening is a magical day trip. Tours typically drive you up in the late afternoon to watch the sun sink over the lava fields and cast the volcano's vast shadow across the island and sea, then, once darkness falls, set up telescopes for guided views of planets, star clusters, nebulae and the Milky Way, with astronomers pointing out constellations and often serving a warm drink or dinner against the cold. Even with the naked eye the density of stars is breathtaking. Because the mountain roads are dark, twisting and cold at night, an organised tour with transfers, telescopes and warm ponchos is far more practical and safer than self-driving. Book ahead, choose a date near the new moon for the darkest skies, and dress very warmly whatever the season. It's an unforgettable finale to any Tenerife holiday.
Hours
Evening tours, times vary by season
Price
Guided tours from ~€45; self-drive free
Getting there
TF-21 into the park; organised tour with transfers strongly recommended at night
Insider tip: Guided tours provide telescopes, warm ponchos and dinner — far easier than driving the mountain roads at night.