Because the Canary Islands sit outside the EU's VAT area and apply a much lower local sales tax, Tenerife is a genuine bargain for perfume, cosmetics, electronics, spirits and tobacco. Beyond the duty-friendly deals you'll find big modern malls in the south, luxury boutiques in Costa Adeje, and the capital's atmospheric markets and craft stalls. Here's where to shop.
€€Siam Mall
Area
Costa Adeje
Type
Shopping mall
“The most complete mall in the south — fashion, a big supermarket and a rooftop food court in one.”
€€€€Plaza del Duque
Area
Costa Adeje
Type
Luxury shopping centre
“Come for the designer boutiques and a coffee on the elegant central courtyard — it's window-shopping heaven.”
€€Calle del Castillo
Area
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Type
Shopping street
“This pedestrian high street links most of the capital's shops and the big El Corte Inglés department store.”
€Mercado Nuestra Señora de África
Area
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Type
Food market
“Go on a Sunday morning when the flea market (rastro) spills through the surrounding streets.”
€La Recova Craft & Flea Market
Area
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Type
Craft market
“Best for genuine Canarian crafts — embroidery, ceramics and local produce rather than mass souvenirs.”
€€Safari Shopping Center
Area
Playa de las Américas
Type
Shopping centre
“Central and duty-friendly for perfume and electronics, with a rooftop terrace of bars and restaurants.”
Tenerife shopping in detail
1.Siam Mall
Thai-themed to match its neighbour Siam Park, Siam Mall is the biggest and most convenient shopping centre in southern Tenerife and the default rainy-day or too-hot-for-the-beach option for resort visitors. Spread over several levels, it gathers the familiar Spanish and international high-street names — Zara, Mango, Primark, sportswear and electronics — around a large HiperDino supermarket that's handy for self-catering supplies, plus perfume, cosmetics and souvenir outlets that make the most of the Canaries' low-tax status on many goods. A rooftop terrace of restaurants and fast-food outlets, along with a cinema, means you can easily combine shopping with lunch or an evening out. It's bright, modern, air-conditioned and family-friendly, with free parking and good bus links to the surrounding resorts of Costa Adeje, Las Américas and Los Cristianos. While it won't win prizes for local character, it's the practical choice for stocking up, grabbing holiday essentials or picking up fashion bargains. For anyone staying in the south who needs a proper shopping fix, it's the obvious first stop.
Hours
Daily ~10:00–22:00
Price
Free entry
Getting there
Costa Adeje, near Siam Park; TITSA buses; free parking
Insider tip: The most complete mall in the south — fashion, a big supermarket and a rooftop food court in one.
2.Plaza del Duque
For a more refined retail experience, Plaza del Duque sits at the smart end of Costa Adeje beside its grandest hotels and delivers a compact but elegant collection of luxury and premium brands. Set around a bright, open-air courtyard with a central fountain and café terraces, it houses fashion boutiques, watch and jewellery salons, sunglasses and cosmetics stores, and the sort of tax-advantaged luxury goods — watches, perfume, electronics — that the Canary Islands' special status can make cheaper than on the mainland. It's a world away from the busy Siam Mall: quieter, more upmarket and as much about the pleasant setting as the shopping, making it a nice place to browse, sip a coffee and people-watch even if you're not buying. The clientele is drawn from the five-star resorts nearby, and the whole centre has a polished, holiday-glamour feel. Pair a stroll here with lunch at one of its restaurants and a walk along the adjacent Playa del Duque promenade. For designer labels and duty-friendly luxury in a genteel setting, it's the south coast's most stylish shopping address.
Hours
Daily ~10:00–22:00 (some boutiques close Sun)
Price
Free entry
Getting there
Costa Adeje, by the Bahía del Duque resort; walkable
Insider tip: Come for the designer boutiques and a coffee on the elegant central courtyard — it's window-shopping heaven.
3.Calle del Castillo
For shopping with a real Spanish city feel, the capital Santa Cruz beats the resort malls, and its pedestrianised Calle del Castillo is the spine of it all. This lively, palm-dotted high street runs up from the waterfront Plaza de España and is lined with Spanish and international high-street fashion, shoe shops, bookshops and cafés, connecting to a warren of surrounding shopping streets and the huge El Corte Inglés department store nearby. Because the Canary Islands sit outside the EU's VAT area and apply a much lower local sales tax, many goods — perfume, cosmetics, electronics, spirits and tobacco — can be cheaper here than on the mainland, drawing bargain-hunters from the whole island. Shopping is interwoven with the city's plazas, the covered market and the seafront, so it's easy to combine retail with sightseeing, tapas and a coffee. It's busiest on Saturday mornings and comes alive during Carnival. For visitors who want to shop where locals do, in a proper city centre rather than a resort mall, the capital's streets around Calle del Castillo are the place to head.
Hours
Shops ~10:00–20:00, Mon–Sat
Price
Free to browse
Getting there
Central Santa Cruz, off Plaza de España; tram and buses
Insider tip: This pedestrian high street links most of the capital's shops and the big El Corte Inglés department store.
4.Mercado Nuestra Señora de África
One of the loveliest buildings in the capital, the Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África is Santa Cruz's grand covered market, built in the 1940s in a Moorish-colonial style around a sunlit central courtyard with a clock tower and fountain. Beyond the picturesque architecture it's a working food market and a feast for the senses: stalls piled high with tropical fruit, Canarian goat's cheeses, cured meats, olives, spices, flowers and a lower-level fish hall glistening with the morning's catch. It's the perfect place to taste and buy local specialities — sample mojo sauces, gofio, palm honey and island wines — and to pick up authentic edible souvenirs far better than anything in the resort shops. On Sunday mornings a sprawling flea market, the rastro, takes over the surrounding streets with bric-a-brac, crafts and clothes, adding to the buzz. There are cafés and tapas counters inside for a snack or a coffee. Atmospheric, affordable and thoroughly local, it's a highlight of any visit to the capital and a must for food-loving travellers.
Hours
Daily ~06:00–14:00 (Sun busiest with rastro)
Price
Free entry
Getting there
Central Santa Cruz, near the tram; a short walk from Plaza de España
Insider tip: Go on a Sunday morning when the flea market (rastro) spills through the surrounding streets.
5.La Recova Craft & Flea Market
For souvenirs with genuine local soul rather than mass-produced tat, seek out the capital's artisan and flea markets, of which La Recova is a well-known example. Held in and around the historic old market building in central Santa Cruz, it brings together stalls of traditional Canarian crafts — hand embroidery and lace from towns like La Orotava, ceramics, basketry, leather, local honey, cheese, wine and mojo — alongside second-hand books, records and curiosities. It's the sort of place to find a thoughtful, authentic gift or a piece of island craftsmanship you won't see in the resort gift shops, and prices are reasonable. The atmosphere is relaxed and local, especially on weekend mornings when it ties in with the wider Sunday rastro flea market that fills the streets near the main food market. Because opening times can vary, it's worth checking locally before making a special trip. Combined with the grand Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África next door and the shops of Calle del Castillo, it rounds out a rewarding morning of authentic, local shopping in the capital.
Hours
Typically Sun mornings and select days
Price
Free entry
Getting there
Old Recova building area, central Santa Cruz; walkable
Insider tip: Best for genuine Canarian crafts — embroidery, ceramics and local produce rather than mass souvenirs.
6.Safari Shopping Center
Right in the middle of the Playa de las Américas resort strip, the Safari Shopping Center is a handy, centrally located mall for holidaymakers who don't want to travel to the bigger Siam Mall. Spread over several floors, it mixes fashion and souvenir shops with the perfume, cosmetics, jewellery and electronics outlets that trade on the Canaries' low-tax prices, plus a rooftop terrace of restaurants, bars and cafés that stays busy into the evening. It's not the most characterful shopping in Tenerife — the emphasis is squarely on resort convenience and duty-friendly deals — but its position on the main seafront avenue, within walking distance of the beach, hotels and nightlife, makes it a practical stop for picking up gifts, holiday essentials or a discounted bottle of perfume. Air-conditioned and easy to browse, it also works as a shady break from the midday sun. For visitors based in Las Américas who want to shop, grab a meal and stay close to the action, it does the job. Serious shoppers and bargain-hunters should still make the short trip to Siam Mall for more choice.
Hours
Daily ~10:00–22:00
Price
Free entry
Getting there
Avenida de las Américas seafront; walkable
Insider tip: Central and duty-friendly for perfume and electronics, with a rooftop terrace of bars and restaurants.