Tenerife · Isla Baja, north-west Tenerife
Garachico
Lava ended the port, and made the pools
Garachico was Tenerife’s main port until the eruption of 1706 destroyed it; the town rebuilt itself on the lava, and the rock pools of El Caletón, where you swim today, are what the lava left. Listed a Bien de Interés Cultural in 1994, it is the quiet end of a line 363 day from Puerto de la Cruz.
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Come for
- Volcanic coast, historic squares and an unhurried small-town day
- Make time for
- A full day including the bus journey
- By bus
- Reached by a published TITSA line
The journey is part of the day
Getting to Garachico
Our published guides can take you to Puerto de la Cruz from Santa Cruz or Tenerife North Airport. Garachico is a separate onward journey: TITSA line 363 links Puerto de la Cruz with Buenavista del Norte through the north-west corridor. Check the current table, direction and Garachico stop before leaving; the existing Puerto guides do not cover this second leg or guarantee the connection.
Checked Sources: TITSA
Bus guides
- TFN to Puerto de la Cruz Line 30 Direct
- Santa Cruz to Puerto Line 100 Direct
- La Laguna to Puerto Line 103 Direct
Lines from this site’s guides. Times are in this page’s timetable.
Before you settle in
Keep the way home in mind.
Choose a line 363 departure back towards Puerto de la Cruz before committing to a swim or long lunch, and save the boarding point. Leave enough margin for changing sea conditions, drying off and walking from El Caletón. If you have an onward airport or Santa Cruz bus, treat it as another separately checked leg rather than a guaranteed connection.
See the next busesA little introduction
Get to know Garachico.
Garachico packs an unusually vivid island story into a small seafront. Once an important trading port, the town was reshaped by the 1706 eruption: lava reached the shore, and later generations built paths and bathing places through its black formations. Behind El Caletón, the historic centre keeps quiet plazas, churches, former convent buildings and traditional mansions in a grid that invites wandering. The ocean remains a force rather than scenery; waves can make the pools unsafe even on a bright day. Come for the meeting of architecture and geology, allow a full day because the bus journey into Isla Baja takes time, and keep a land-based route ready if swimming conditions are poor.
Why go
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A sixteenth- and seventeenth-century town, intact
Garachico keeps a well-preserved architectural heritage from the 1500s and 1600s, which earned it Bien de Interés Cultural status in 1994 and the title of Villa y Puerto from Alfonso XIII in 1916.
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Lava pools on the seafront
El Caletón is a bathing area of several natural pools in the lava, the town’s best-known attraction, with calm water on most days and a sea that WebTenerife calls rather strong.
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A rock in the sea and a marina beside the old town
The Roque de Garachico rises off the coast, and a recently built marina sits beside the historic centre among pebble and black-sand beaches.
Checked – 2026 Sources: WebTenerife
Make a day of it
What to do in Garachico
- Beach Don’t miss
El Caletón lava pools
Stone paths weave between dark lava formations and sheltered saltwater basins on the seafront. The setting explains Garachico’s volcanic history at a glance, but strong Atlantic swell can rule out bathing; observe local closures and conditions.
- Walk Don’t miss
Plaza de la Libertad and the historic centre
Use the main square as the start of a compact walk past the former San Francisco convent, traditional houses and the church of Santa Ana. The preserved sixteenth- and seventeenth-century fabric gives the town its calm, coherent character.
- Sight Don’t miss
Castillo de San Miguel and the volcanic shore
The small fortress stands beside the lava coast and helps frame the old harbour story. Even without entering, the route around it links the historic streets, sea wall, pools and views towards Roque de Garachico.
- Sight
The Casa de los Ponte and the mills
The eighteenth-century palace of the Ponte family, who founded the town, and the Casa de los Molinos, the only flour mill left in the municipality, still in its original place.
Show all 5 Show fewer
- Food & drink
Fish after the pools
WebTenerife’s own suggestion for El Caletón: a swim, then Canarian cooking at one of the restaurants specialising in seafood beside the pools.
Checked – 2026 Sources: WebTenerife
A day here
How a day in Garachico feels
A plan built on the buses this guide already names. The departure times are in the board on this page; choose your bus back before you set out.
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Morning
Line 363 from Puerto de la Cruz
From Puerto de la Cruz station, line 363 runs through Icod to Garachico and on to Buenavista del Norte; some trips end at Icod, so board one displayed for Garachico or Buenavista.
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Middle of the day
Squares first, pools second
Walk the historic centre from Plaza de la Libertad past the old convent and the church of Santa Ana, then down to El Caletón. Swim only if the sea and the flags allow; the lava paths are a walk on their own.
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Afternoon
Back on 363
Choose the line 363 departure towards Puerto de la Cruz before a long lunch; the onward bus to the airport or Santa Cruz from Puerto is a separately timed leg.
Checked Sources: TITSA, WebTenerife
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about Garachico
How do I get to Garachico by bus?
TITSA line 363 runs from Puerto de la Cruz station through Icod de los Vinos to Garachico and Buenavista del Norte, with working-day and weekend tables; some trips end at Icod. Reach Puerto de la Cruz on line 30 from Tenerife North Airport, line 100 from Santa Cruz or line 103 from La Laguna.
Can you swim in the Garachico rock pools?
Usually, yes: WebTenerife says the water in El Caletón is generally calm and suitable for everyone, but warns to take care with the swell because the sea here tends to be strong. If the pools are closed or rough, the historic centre still makes the day.
Can I combine Garachico with Icod or Masca?
Icod yes: line 363 passes through it, and the Drago is a short walk from the station. Masca is a second leg from Buenavista del Norte on line 355, with day-type tables that differ, so plan it as its own day unless you have checked both tables.
Checked Sources: TITSA, WebTenerife
Good to know
Small details. Better days.
Show 3 local tips Show fewer
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Let the sea decide the swim
Follow the flags and the lifeguards' instructions at El Caletón (on the Canary health service's code, red means bathing is prohibited; 112 Canarias says never to bathe under it or without surveillance) and look at the water itself. A closed or rough pool does not spoil the visit: the lava paths and historic centre still make a strong coastal day.
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Carry a dry layer
Atlantic spray and north-coast cloud can make the waterfront cooler than southern resorts. A light layer and a dry bag keep the town walk comfortable after time beside the pools.
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Masca from the Buenavista side
Line 363 continues from Garachico to Buenavista del Norte, the municipality Masca belongs to. From Buenavista station, TITSA line 355 runs through Masca to Santiago del Teide, and some of its trips go only as far as Masca; line 365 is a separate short Buenavista–Masca line whose page refers you to line 355. Masca sits at about 650 m in the Teno Rural Park, so treat it as a second, separately checked leg.
Checked – 2026 Sources: WebTenerife, Gobierno de Canarias, Servicio Canario de la Salud, Gobierno de Canarias, 1-1-2 Canarias +2
Photos and film
Garachico in pictures
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Watch before you go
Living Walks Plays through YouTube’s privacy-enhanced player; nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. -
Line 363 from Puerto de la Cruz runs through Icod to Garachico; some trips end at Icod, so board one displayed for Garachico or Buenavista. Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons -
The small fortress stands beside the El Caletón pools; the sea here is strong, so the historic centre is the plan when the pools are closed. Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons
Make room for something memorable
Book something around Garachico
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Current experiences on GetYourGuide
Tours and activities on Tenerife as GetYourGuide lists them today, with current prices and reviews.
There’s more around the corner
Where next?
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Pimlico27 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 -
Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 Orotava Valley, north Tenerife
La Orotava
Traditional architecture, garden views and atmospheric uphill streets
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Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Guide checked · How we check · Suggest a correction
Sources for this page
The sources this page cites, each with the date we checked it. Two dates mean the facts that cite it were checked on different days.
TITSA
- Line 30 timetable Checked – 2026
- Line 100 timetable Checked – 2026
- Line 103 timetable Checked – 2026
- Line 363 timetable Checked – 2026
- Line 355: Buenavista–Masca–Santiago del Teide Checked – Oct 2026
- Line 365: Buenavista–Masca Checked
WebTenerife
- Historic centre of Garachico Checked – 2026
- El Caletón natural pools Checked – 2026
- Garachico municipality Checked
- Icod de los Vinos municipality Checked
- Masca Checked
Gobierno de Canarias, Servicio Canario de la Salud
Gobierno de Canarias, 1-1-2 Canarias
Gobierno de Canarias, Dirección General de Emergencias
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