Should you stay in Icod de los Vinos or Puerto de la Cruz?

If you want to do almost everything on foot, have restaurants and shops on the doorstep and not rely on a car, stay in Puerto de la Cruz. If you will be driving and prefer a quiet town with Garachico, Teno and the Cueva del Viento close by, Icod. Both sit on the north coast and share the same nearest airport, Tenerife North. We are writing from a house in Icod, so we start with what the Puerto does better.

Two different places on the same coast

Puerto de la Cruz was the Canary Islands' first tourist destination and has been a National Tourist Interest Site since 1955. Turismo de Tenerife credits it with more restaurants and shops than anywhere else on the island and hotel capacity for over 20,000 visitors. It has still kept its fishing harbour and the Plaza del Charco.

Icod de los Vinos lies in the north-west. It gets on with its own life: cobbled streets, squares with fountains and a historic centre listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural, which takes an unhurried hour and a half to two hours on foot. Its traditional living came from vines and fishing. At night there is little going on, and depending on what you are after, that is either its best feature or its worst.

What is close to each

• From Icod: the Dragon Tree and the Cueva del Viento are in the municipality itself. Westwards come Garachico, Los Silos and Buenavista del Norte, the gateway to Teno Rural Park at the island's north-western tip. You reach Punta de Teno on the 369 bus from Buenavista, and the Masca ravine path has regulated access.
• From the Puerto: Loro Parque, Lago Martiánez and the Botanical Garden, founded by order of Carlos III in 1788, are all in town. La Orotava, with the Casa de los Balcones and the MAIT, is the next municipality along.

Official prices and opening hours in north Tenerife

Beaches

The Puerto gives you more choice without the car: the Playa Jardín complex (Playa Jardín, Playa Chica and Punta Brava), the San Telmo natural pools and the lagoons of the Lago Martiánez complex. The sand is black. Icod has Playa de San Marcos, which Turismo de Tenerife counts among the quietest beaches in the north. If a daily swim matters most, the Puerto wins.

Transport and airport

The two are linked by TITSA line 363, which leaves Puerto's bus station, calls at Icod's and runs on to Buenavista; the full route takes about an hour and a half. From Icod, the 108 runs via La Orotava and La Laguna to Santa Cruz; TITSA gives 1 h 15 min for the full route. The nearest airport for both is Tenerife North, in La Laguna, some 10 km from Santa Cruz, with mostly domestic traffic, nearly half of it between the islands. Coming from there along the coast, you reach the Puerto before Icod.

The real difference is the car. In the Puerto you can go days without touching it. In Icod, and especially if you stay outside the centre, you will need one.

Do you need a car in Tenerife?

What kind of place you will find

The Puerto is a hotel town with a long tradition, and the supply reflects it. Turismo de Tenerife's page on Icod does not talk about hotels: it talks about the old town, the dragon tree and the vineyards. What you can find here, like this house, are registered holiday homes, with a kitchen and no reception desk.

Nearest airport

Tenerife North (TFN), in La Laguna, for both

Bus Puerto ↔ Icod

TITSA line 363 (Puerto – Icod – Buenavista, 1 h 30 min end to end)

Bus Icod → La Laguna and Santa Cruz

TITSA line 108, 1 h 15 min to Santa Cruz

Finca Julia

4 guests · 2 bedrooms · 3 beds · 1 bathroom · booked through Airbnb · registration VV-38-4-0101103

When the Puerto suits you

• You do not want to drive, or only for a couple of days. In the Puerto, buses, taxis and your own feet cover nearly everything.
• You want nights out or a different restaurant every evening without checking a map. Icod does not compete on that.
• You are with children and the plan is Loro Parque, Lago Martiánez and a beach with facilities you can walk to.
• You would rather have a hotel: a front desk, breakfast made for you, someone to sort things out.

When Icod suits you

• You will have a car and want early starts towards Teno or Garachico, or the Cueva del Viento in the same municipality.
• You want quiet: sleeping without street noise and coming back to a house rather than a room.
• The west of the island interests you more than the Orotava valley.
• You want to cook, have a patio and set your own pace.

From Finca Julia

If you fit the second list, Finca Julia is a traditional Canarian house in Icod de los Vinos for 4 guests, with 2 bedrooms, 3 beds and 1 bathroom, a sun terrace and parking outside the house. It is booked only through Airbnb, where it had a rating of 4.96 out of 5 from 52 reviews on 26 October 2026. The listing itself warns that access is along a paved country lane with some narrow, steep stretches, and that a car is all but essential. If that does not work for you, the Puerto is the better choice, and we would rather say so plainly.

See the house

North or south? Where to stay in Tenerife

Frequently asked questions

Is it better to stay in Puerto de la Cruz or Icod?

It depends on the car. Without one, the Puerto. With one, and a wish to explore the west and Teno, Icod.

Is there a bus between Icod and Puerto de la Cruz?

Yes, TITSA line 363 links both bus stations and carries on to Buenavista del Norte.

Which airport is best for the north?

Tenerife North, in La Laguna, whose traffic is mostly domestic, with plenty of inter-island flights. For exact journey times, use a route planner the day before: AENA does not give them on its airport page.

Can you stay in Icod without a car?

In the town centre, with buses along the coast, yes. In a house in the hills like this one, we do not recommend it.