Teno natural park in Tenerife
The Natural Park of Teno is for many people the most beautiful area in Tenerife. Over 8,000 hectares of nature with just a few hamlets
City guides
La Orotava guide
La Orotava – History and top things to do
The former capital of a Guanche chief, la Oratava is today a picturesque little mountainside town with narrow cobbled alleys and numerous houses adorned with coats-of-arms and beautiful balconies.
la Oratava dates back to the 16th century as aristocrats reached out for lands after the conquer of the island of Tenerife.
La Orotava has a very interesting historical district, the most interesting one in the island after the one in San Cristobal de la Laguna. When the sky is blue mount Teide provides the perfect landscape scenery on the back of La Orotava.
La Orotava guide - Table of Contents
Practical information to plan your visit to La Orotava
A brief history of la Orotava
La Oratava was an important commercial center and was the second city in Tenerife during the second half of the XVIIth century, when its harbour was fundamental in the trade with America and Britain. Its harbour changed with the development of tourism and became the tourist resort of Puerto de la Cruz.
5 top reasons to visit la Orotava
Church de la Concepcion
This church is located near the main Plaza. It boasts two elegant towers and a dome, a masterpiece of rococo architecture. Inside there is an interesting high altar of alabaster and marble.
Museo de artesania iberoamericana
This museum is small but holds a very interesting selection of Spanish and Latin American pottery, religious artifacts, utensils, and textiles. The museum is located in the convent of San Domingo.
Since it is almost impossible to find a parking slot in the town center. Our recommendation is to stop near the Museo de artesanía Iberoamericana.
Casa Lercano
This palace is the most elegant building in la Orotava. its balconies offer fantastic decoration and its architecture shows good contrast with la Casa de Los Balcones (see below). At Casa Lercaro there is an exhibition, a shop with interesting crafts and a restaurant and cafeteria with great views.
Near Casa Lercano you will find one of the thirteen mills of la Orotava. This mill is the Molino del Gofio, which refers to the typical food from the island (gofio Canario).
Casa de Los Balcones (house of the balconies)
This is the most famous façade in la Oratava and a fantastic example of architecture from the Canary island. The Casa de los Balcones has a large souvenir shop worth visiting and a very interesting museum with many of the things typical from the island, including the famous rugs from La Oratava, made with volcanic sand from the Teide!
Jardines de la Victoria or del Marquesado de la quinta Roja
This park with over 11,000 square meters of gardens boasts fountains and it is very pleasant. Built-in terraces that descend the hills, these offer superb views of La Oratava and the ocean behind.
Weather in La Orotava
Temperatures range from 65F in winter to 75F in August (highest averages) . You can expect rain in November with up to 12 days of rain but even then rain levels are below 35 milimeters for the month. from October till March you could expect rain 7-8 days each month.
Best things to do near La Orotava
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