What to see in Icod de los Vinos

Icod de los Vinos sits halfway up the slope between the sea and the summit, and that explains almost everything: twenty minutes takes you from the black sand of San Marcos to the pine woods of the midlands. The old town is small, officially listed, and an unhurried morning on foot covers it. Here is what is worth your time.

The Millennial Dragon Tree

It is the town's emblem and probably the most photographed tree in the Canaries: the largest and oldest known Dracaena draco, declared a National Monument in 1917. You can see part of it, free, from the viewpoint on the square. The full visit is through the Parque del Drago, a three-hectare botanical enclosure around it, with paths through the island's ecosystems, a recreated Guanche cave and viewpoints towards Teide.

The old town

Listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural under Decree 142/2004, Icod's old town is among the best preserved in the north and, unlike some, it is lived in: people are buying bread at nine in the morning. The natural route links Plaza de la Constitución — which everyone calls Plaza de la Pila after its 1716 fountain — with San Marcos church and Calle San Sebastián, with its one- and two-storey houses, pine joinery and the wrought-iron balconies at numbers 6 and 28.

Inside the church is a monumental silver filigree cross weighing 47 kg, made in Havana in 1665 and considered the largest known work of filigree. The official listing gives no fixed visiting hours, so it is worth asking at the tourist office on Calle San Sebastián.

With children, or in bad weather

Down to the sea

San Marcos is Icod's beach: a shell-shaped cove of black volcanic sand, sheltered from the heavy northern swell by its own geometry. It is the easiest and most family-friendly swim in the whole area, with restaurants along the promenade and — limited — parking beside the sand.