What to see in La Orotava, the town of wooden balconies

What you come to La Orotava for is the old town: cobbled streets, wooden balconies and manor houses, listed as a historic-artistic ensemble in 1976. Turismo de Tenerife suggests two to three hours for a first visit to the old town. On foot you can link the church of La Concepción, the Casa de los Balcones, the Town Hall, the church of San Agustín, the Liceo de Taoro and two free gardens, the Victoria Gardens and the Hijuela del Botánico. If it rains, the Ibero-American Crafts Museum is free. And if you come during the Corpus Christi octave, the Town Hall square is covered with a carpet of volcanic sand from Teide.

The old town, a listed ensemble since 1976

The town was founded in the early sixteenth century, after the Castilian conquest. The old town sits 390 metres above sea level. Royal Decree 3302/1976 of 10 December listed it as a historic-artistic ensemble. It falls into two parts: the Villa de Abajo, where the first walk continues, and the Villa de Arriba, where the Mills Route starts, passing nine water mills from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

The municipality is the largest on Tenerife, at 207 km², and about 78% of Teide National Park lies within it.

The church of La Concepción

It stands on Plaza Casañas, and Turismo de Tenerife considers it the finest baroque building in the Canary Islands. The present church is the third on the site: the previous one was damaged by earthquakes in the early eighteenth century. Inside are three naves and a marble and jasper tabernacle by Giuseppe Gaggini, from 1823. It has been a National Historic Monument since 1948 and houses a Sacred Art Museum with seven rooms. No official source publishes its opening hours or price.

The Casa de los Balcones

At Calle San Francisco 3. It is a seventeenth-century mansion with a long Canary-pine balcony along its front and a Canarian courtyard with galleries and a wooden wine press. Today it is a traditional crafts centre and a museum of Canarian customs, and it closes on the day of the La Orotava Romería. On the same street, in the Ximénez Franchi house, is the 'Alfombras de La Orotava' ephemeral art centre, and directly opposite both stands the Casa Molina, with a late-Renaissance doorway.

The Town Hall, San Agustín and the Liceo de Taoro

• Town Hall (Carrera del Escultor Estévez 1). Designed in 1869 on the site of the Poor Clares convent of San José. Work was meant to take two and a half years and took 25: it was finished in 1895, in neoclassical style.
• Church of San Agustín (Plaza de la Constitución). Built between 1671 and 1694 over the San Roque chapel. In the nineteenth century the former convent served as an infantry barracks; today it houses the House of Culture.
• Liceo de Taoro (Plaza de la Constitución 6). It was the Ascanio family home before becoming the Liceo's club house; the plans date from 1925. It stands on a rise surrounded by gardens, looking over the valley and Puerto de la Cruz. No official source says whether you can visit inside.

Two free gardens

The Victoria Gardens, beside Plaza de la Constitución, climb in terraces with fountains and flowers. They belonged to the mansion of the Marquisate of La Quinta Roja. At the top is the marble mausoleum built under the French architect Adolph Coquet for Diego Ponte del Castillo, who died in 1880. The bishopric would not let him be buried in the family vault because he was a freemason, and the mausoleum, finished in 1883, stayed empty. From the top you see the whole old town. Entry is free.

The Hijuela del Botánico is behind the Town Hall, on Calle Tomás Pérez. It occupies the old orchard of the Poor Clares convent and began as a nursery for the Botanical Garden in Puerto de la Cruz. It is a small garden behind a cast-iron railing, with rare exotic trees and a dragon tree. It is free as well.

The Ibero-American Crafts Museum

The MAIT, run by the Cabildo, is at Calle Tomás Zerolo 34, in the former Dominican convent of San Benito Abad. It opened as a museum in 1991 and has ten rooms of permanent and temporary exhibitions. Entry is free. It opens Monday to Friday 10:00–15:00 (last entry 14:00) and Saturdays 10:00–14:00 (last entry 13:00). Closed on Sundays and public holidays.

The Corpus Christi carpets

The town marks Corpus Christi with carpets. The procession has gone out on the eighth day of the Corpus Christi festivities since 1700, and the flower carpets began around 1844–1847, according to the town hall's guide. Each year a huge carpet of sand from Teide National Park, in up to 41 colours, covers the Town Hall square. In 2007 Guinness World Records listed it as the world's largest carpet made of volcanic sand. The date changes every year, because it follows Corpus Christi.

Old town

Historic-artistic ensemble, Royal Decree 3302/1976 · 2–3 hours for a first visit

Ibero-American Crafts Museum

Calle Tomás Zerolo 34 · Mon–Fri 10:00–15:00, Sat 10:00–14:00 · closed Sundays and holidays · free

Victoria Gardens

Plaza de la Constitución · free entry

Hijuela del Botánico

Calle Tomás Pérez, behind the Town Hall · free entry

Casa de los Balcones

Calle San Francisco 3 · closed on the day of the Romería · hours undated on the official page

La Concepción and Sacred Art Museum

Plaza Casañas · hours and price not published

From Finca Julia

La Orotava lies east of Icod, in the valley that bears its name. A good plan is to see the old town and its two gardens in the morning, then head down to Puerto de la Cruz. It is all laid out step by step in the valley itinerary. If you fancy the hills, La Caldera recreation area is further up; check the state of its trails in our guide before you go.

La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz in a day

Things to do in Puerto de la Cruz

La Caldera de Aguamansa

Icod or Puerto de la Cruz? Where to stay

Frequently asked questions

How long do you need for La Orotava?

Turismo de Tenerife suggests two to three hours for a relaxed first visit to the old town. The museum and the gardens come on top of that.

What can you see for free in La Orotava?

The walk round the old town, the Victoria Gardens, the Hijuela del Botánico and the Ibero-American Crafts Museum, which charges no admission.

When are the La Orotava carpets?

During the Corpus Christi octave, so the date changes every year. That day the Town Hall square is covered with a carpet of sand from Teide.

Is the Botanical Garden in La Orotava?

No: it is called the La Orotava Acclimatisation Garden, but it is in Puerto de la Cruz. In the town you have its former nursery, the Hijuela del Botánico.