Cruise port
Santa Cruz de Tenerife Cruises
Santa Cruz de Tenerife: cruise berths at Muelle Ribera and Muelle Sur, routes to the city and transport hub, and the locations of the two airports.
Photo: Angelika + Peter Baczkowski
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is located in the northeast of the Canary Island of Tenerife in Spain.
Santa Cruz: cruise terminal and city centre
There is more than one berthing area for cruise ships in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The port authority distinguishes between the cruise terminal at Muelle Ribera and cruise berths at the outer Muelle Sur. Both areas are in Dársena de Anaga; they are not the same berth. When planning, it is therefore important to check the specific terminal or quay, rather than relying on the name Santa Cruz alone.
Plaza de España is on the city side of the port, southwest of the terminal at Muelle Ribera. It is a useful landmark for the transition between the waterfront and the city centre. Central streets lead from the square into the city, while the port quays run along the water and extend farther out at Muelle Sur. If you want to walk into the city, first locate your berth on a map. The distance and route may vary depending on where your ship is docked.
Southwest of Plaza de España is the Intercambiador, which connects the bus station and tram stop. The tram links Santa Cruz with La Laguna. The Intercambiador is therefore an urban transport hub, not a station inside the cruise port or a direct connection from the ship.
City visit or island tour
For a short stay, a visit focused on Santa Cruz is a good option, with Plaza de España as a starting point. An island tour, on the other hand, should be planned as a separate trip; the port’s location in the northeast of Tenerife is a different point of reference from the island as a whole. Allow plenty of time to return to the ship.
The two airports should also be clearly distinguished: Tenerife Norte is near La Laguna, northwest of the capital; Tenerife Sur is far away in the south of the island, near Granadilla de Abona. Both are useful for getting your bearings in the region, but neither is next to the cruise port. If you are combining a cruise with a flight, make sure to identify the specific airport and your assigned berth separately.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Port and surroundings
Enlarge map ↗
On shore
Excursions around Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Puerto de la Cruz
The island's principal holiday resort. Free time in the shopping paradise of Puerto de la Cruz. A visit to the botanical garden.
"Las Canadas del Teide" mountain range
Excursion into the interior of the island of Tenerife, taking in the old capital city of La Laguna, home of the University of the Canary Islands. Through the La Esperanza pine and eucalyptus woods to the little town of El Portillo, the natural gateway to the Las Canadas mountain range with Spain's highest mountain, the Teide volcano (3718 m). Lunch in Puerto de la Cruz. Free time in Santa Cruz. The excursion goes up to an altitude of 2300 m.
Mercedes Forest and Anaga mountains
After a brief bearings-finding drive through Santa Cruz, arrival at the fishing village of San Andres with its palm beach of Las Teresitas. From here the road snakes up through the dense Mercedes forest with its bay trees into the Anaga mountain range to the scenic lookout of Pico del Inglés, from where you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view. The trip continues to the scenic lookout of Cruz del Carmen with its views of the Teide massif and the university city of La Laguna. in La Laguna a a visit to the church of the Conception. At the end of the excursion there will be wine tasting with tapas in the small town of Tacoronte.
