What to see in Los Realejos, from the old towns to the cliffs

Los Realejos is one of the three towns of the Orotava valley, and its trails run from the coast to the summits. It has two protected old towns, Realejo Alto and Realejo Bajo, with the church of Santiago Apóstol, which the town hall considers the first Christian church in Tenerife. Up high, the El Lance and La Corona viewpoints look out over the valley. Down below, the coast has the surf beach of El Socorro and black-sand coves. And every 3 May the Calle del Sol and Calle del Medio compete with fireworks.

Realejo Alto and the church of Santiago Apóstol

The town's name comes from the military camps of the conquest. According to the town hall, the Guanche kings (menceyes) surrendered on 25 July 1496, and tradition holds that all nine were baptised at this church's baptismal font. The present church was built in stages. It has three naves and was declared a National Historic Monument and Site of Cultural Interest in 1983. The old town of Realejo Alto has been a listed Historic Ensemble since 2014.

Inside, look for the Santa Bárbara altarpiece, which Turismo de Tenerife and the town hall call a jewel of Canary Island Baroque; its image is attributed to Pedro Duque Cornejo. The chancel has a Mudéjar coffered ceiling from 1680. The Misericordia altarpiece is by Antonio Álvarez, from 1678. The church is at Plaza Viera y Clavijo 1. No official source publishes visiting hours.

Realejo Bajo: La Concepción and the Hacienda de los Príncipes

Realejo Bajo has been a listed Historic Ensemble since 2005. Turismo de Tenerife says it keeps 70% of its original fabric and is the town's most important area for art. It grew up around the Hacienda de los Príncipes, a fifteenth-century estate at Camino de Icod el Alto 3. Its economic weight drew people from elsewhere, who built the first town here. The official sources do not say whether you can visit inside.

The heart of the district is the church of Nuestra Señora de La Concepción, whose beginnings the town hall dates to 1512. A fire in 1978 destroyed many pieces, and the altarpieces were later rebuilt on the model of those lost. Some works survived, such as an eighteenth-century Saint Michael from the German school. It has been a Site of Cultural Interest, in the Monument category, since 2003.

Close by, at Calle Viera y Clavijo 101, is the birthplace of José de Viera y Clavijo, born in 1731. It is a Site of Cultural Interest. The inside has been rebuilt, but the façade survives. He died on 21 February 1813, and the Día de las Letras Canarias (Canary Letters Day) is held every year in his memory.

The Carmen sanctuary

This is a twentieth-century church, designed solely to house its titular image. Turismo de Tenerife says it stands where a convent of Augustinian nuns burned down. The Virgen del Carmen is the Honorary and Perpetual Mayor of Los Realejos and patron of the Orotava valley. According to the town hall, the statue is Genoese, from the workshop of Antón María Maragliano, dated 1726. Her festivities fill all of July, and in the Octava procession she is carried on the shoulders of sailors from Puerto de la Cruz.

The viewpoints: El Lance and La Corona

The El Lance viewpoint is at km 5 of the TF-342, the road down from Icod el Alto to Los Realejos. You see the Orotava valley and its three towns: La Orotava, Puerto de la Cruz and Los Realejos. A bronze statue of the mencey Bentor stands over it; tradition says he leapt from here rather than surrender to the Castilians. It has parking and a bus stop. Although it sits right by Icod el Alto, it belongs to Los Realejos, not Icod de los Vinos.

The La Corona viewpoint stands at 750 m, on one of the summits of the Tigaiga massif. It looks over the Orotava valley and the north-east of the island. In 1922 a cross was put up here at the request of Realejo Bajo residents who survived an accident nearby. It has a paragliding take-off strip, and the town hall counts it among the best places in Europe for free flight.

The coast: El Socorro, Castro and Los Roques

The town hall presents El Socorro beach as the busiest and best-known spot on the coast among local people. It is 400 m long and 60 m wide, with fine grey sand. Turismo de Tenerife lists toilets, showers, a beach bar, a lifeguard post and a surf zone. You can drive right down to it via a signposted turn-off near the San Pedro viewpoint, and the town hall counts more than 200 parking spaces. It is a surf and bodyboard beach, with competitions usually held in July, August and September.

Castro beach is a black-sand cove inside the protected landscape of Rambla de Castro, between lush vegetation and steep cliffs. That 45-hectare area is crossed by a coastal trail that has its own guide, with the San Pedro viewpoint looking over the palm grove. Towards Puerto de la Cruz, Los Roques beach is a cove of black sand and pebbles at the end of the Sendero del Agua, with rock stacks rising from the sea.

Rambla de Castro: the trail

Tigaiga and Chanajiga, the high ground

Above the town lies the Los Campeches, Tigaiga and Ruiz Protected Landscape: 691.2 hectares shared by Los Realejos and San Juan de la Rambla. Tenerife ON describes deep ravines such as Barranco de Ruiz, coastal cliffs of about 500 m and laurel forest from about 600 m up. It is a Special Protection Area for Birds, for Bolle's pigeon and the laurel pigeon.

The Chanajiga recreation area, at Las Llanadas, is in the town hall's words one of the most important on the island, and many trails start there. One is the PR-TF 40 Ladera de Tigaiga: Turismo de Tenerife rates it medium to high difficulty, with a steep climb and risk of falling rocks, and suggests the gentler PR-TF 40.1 branch if in doubt. Before you set out, check the trail's status on Tenerife ON.

The May Crosses and Fireworks

On 2 and 3 May more than 300 crosses are decked with flowers, candles and lights all over the town, above all in La Cruz Santa and on Calle del Sol and Calle del Medio. The rivalry between those two streets over the best cross grew especially important in the eighteenth century and brought showers of rockets. Today on 3 May there is a fireworks display that, according to the town hall, lasts almost three hours and is paid for by residents. It was the first festival declared of Canary Islands Tourist Interest, in 2009, and has been of National Tourist Interest since 2015.

Church of Santiago Apóstol

Plaza Viera y Clavijo 1 · BIC since 1983

Old towns

Realejo Bajo (2005) and Realejo Alto (2014), Historic Ensemble

El Lance viewpoint

TF-342, km 5 · parking and bus stop

La Corona viewpoint

750 m · paragliding take-off

El Socorro beach

400 × 60 m · grey sand · lifeguard post · currents

May Crosses and Fireworks

2 and 3 May · fireworks on the 3rd

From Finca Julia

Los Realejos lies east of Icod, on the way to La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz. The prettiest way in is from above, through Icod el Alto, stopping at the El Lance viewpoint. A simple plan: the Realejo Alto old town in the morning, then the coast at El Socorro or Rambla de Castro, and Puerto de la Cruz for dinner. If you come in early May, keep the night of the 3rd free for the fireworks.

What to see in Puerto de la Cruz

What to see in La Orotava

Towns near Icod

Frequently asked questions

When are the Los Realejos May fireworks?

The crosses are decorated on 2 and 3 May, and the fireworks are on 3 May, the Day of the Cross, on Calle del Sol and Calle del Medio.

Is the El Lance viewpoint in Icod or Los Realejos?

Los Realejos. It sits beside Icod el Alto, a district of Los Realejos, on the TF-342.

Where can you swim in Los Realejos?

The beach with facilities is El Socorro, which has a lifeguard post, though it has currents and strong waves. Castro and Los Roques are black-sand coves with no published facilities. Always check the sea conditions.