Tenerife · Orotava Valley, north Tenerife
La Orotava
Carved balconies, and streets carpeted in flowers
Many call La Orotava the prettiest town on Tenerife: its centre at 390 m, a Historic-Artistic Ensemble since 1976, is known for its carved balconies, and at Corpus Christi its streets vanish under carpets of flowers and volcanic sand. The Teide bus, line 348, calls at its station on the way up.
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Come for
- Traditional architecture, garden views and atmospheric uphill streets
- Make time for
- Half a day to a full day
- By bus
- Reached by a published TITSA line
The journey is part of the day
Getting to La Orotava
From Puerto de la Cruz bus station, line 345 calls at La Orotava bus station before continuing towards Aguamansa and La Caldera. Check the line 345 times and direction on this page's board, then map the walk from the station into the historic centre. Our linked Puerto de la Cruz guides cover reaching that hub from the airport or Santa Cruz; allow a separate connection for this local leg.
Checked Sources: TITSA
Bus guides
- TFN to Puerto de la Cruz Line 30 Direct
- Santa Cruz to Puerto Line 100 Direct
- Puerto to Teide Line 348, Line 341 in the park Direct
Lines from this site’s guides. Times are in this page’s timetable.
Before you settle in
Keep the way home in mind.
Before exploring, save the exact boarding point and direction for your return to Puerto de la Cruz or onward connection. Allow extra time to walk downhill or uphill through the centre. For line 345 back to the coast, select the direction towards Puerto de la Cruz and recheck the current departures. Keep any airport or Santa Cruz connection as a separately planned leg.
See the next busesA little introduction
Get to know La Orotava.
La Orotava rises steeply above the banana-growing north coast, so the slope is part of the experience rather than a detail to discover after arrival. Cobbled lanes link carved wooden balconies, churches, small plazas and formal gardens; gaps between buildings reveal the broad valley and, in clear weather, its volcanic backdrop. The historic centre is compact enough to explore slowly, but repeated climbs add up. Build the visit from the upper and lower sights you care about most, pause in the Victoria Gardens, and allow time to notice courtyards and façades instead of racing between labels. Puerto de la Cruz makes a convenient nearby transport base: TITSA line 345 links its bus station with La Orotava’s station before continuing towards Aguamansa and La Caldera.
Why go
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The largest municipality, with most of Teide in it
La Orotava is the island’s most extensive municipality at 207 km², and about 78 % of Teide National Park lies inside its boundary.
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A house built by the best carpenters of 1670
The Casa de los Balcones was built around 1670 with the finest carpenters of the day; its great running balcony on the third floor is the town’s signature.
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Corpus Christi carpets and a Holy Week since the 1600s
Each year the streets are carpeted with flowers and volcanic earth for Corpus Christi, and the Semana Santa processions date from the seventeenth century.
Checked – 2026 Sources: WebTenerife, TITSA
Make a day of it
What to do in La Orotava
- Walk Don’t miss
Historic lanes and balcony houses
Walk the streets around the old centre for dark timber balconies, tiled roofs and stonework that make La Orotava feel distinct from the coastal resorts below. Some celebrated houses are visitor attractions with their own access conditions.
- Sight Don’t miss
Victoria Gardens
The terraced nineteenth-century garden steps uphill through fountains, clipped planting and colourful beds. Its upper levels give a rewarding overview of the historic centre and help make sense of the valley’s gradient.
- Sight Don’t miss
Plazas, churches and valley views
Link Plaza de la Constitución with the nearby civic and religious buildings, then look outward whenever a street opens to the valley. The pleasure lies in the sequence of public spaces as much as any single interior.
- Sight
Casa de los Balcones
Built around 1670, with the great third-floor balcony that gave the house its name; a visitor attraction with its own access conditions.
Show all 6 Show fewer
- Sight
The town hall of 1869
The present Ayuntamiento was designed in 1869 after the demolition of the convent of the Poor Clares of San José that stood on the site.
- Walk
On to the pine forest
The valley rises into the Corona Forestal nature park, the Pinoleris reserve and the La Resbala protected landscape, with Teide above; line 345 continues from the town to Aguamansa and La Caldera.
Checked – 2026 Sources: WebTenerife, TITSA
A day here
How a day in La Orotava 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
Up from Puerto de la Cruz
Line 345 from Puerto de la Cruz station calls at La Orotava station; line 348, the Teide bus, times La Orotava on its way up too. Walk uphill into the historic centre from the station.
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Middle of the day
Balconies and gardens
Take the streets in an uphill order: Plaza de la Constitución, the Casa de los Balcones, then the terraced Victoria Gardens for the view back over the roofs.
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Afternoon
Down to the coast
Line 345 returns to Puerto de la Cruz station. If you came up on the Teide bus for a morning here, remember 348 does not stop again until the park; the board shows the published La Orotava calls.
Checked Sources: TITSA, WebTenerife
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about La Orotava
How do I get to La Orotava by bus?
From Puerto de la Cruz station, line 345 runs to La Orotava station and on to Aguamansa and La Caldera; line 348 to Teide also calls at the station on its way up. Reach Puerto de la Cruz first on line 30 from Tenerife North Airport, line 100 from Santa Cruz or line 103 from La Laguna.
When are the Corpus Christi carpets in La Orotava?
WebTenerife says the carpets of flowers and volcanic earth are made each year during the Corpus Christi celebrations, a movable feast in late May or June; the town also keeps a Holy Week tradition from the seventeenth century. Check the town’s own programme for the dates.
Can you combine La Orotava and Teide in one day by bus?
Only in the order the timetable allows: line 348 passes La Orotava on its way up to the park in the morning and returns to Puerto de la Cruz in the afternoon. A morning in the old town followed by the park is not possible on the same bus, so most visitors give each its own day.
Checked Sources: TITSA, WebTenerife
Good to know
Small details. Better days.
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Plan for the gradient
Wear shoes suited to cobbles and arrange sights in a sensible uphill sequence. A short distance on the map can involve a meaningful climb, especially in sun or after rain.
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Check interiors individually
Historic houses, churches and exhibitions keep their own hours. Let the streets and Victoria Gardens carry the day, then regard any interior you have confirmed as a welcome addition.
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Teide starts from here too
Line 348 from Puerto de la Cruz to Teide National Park has its own column at La Orotava station on TITSA’s table, then climbs via Aguamansa and El Portillo to Parador de Turismo. You can pair a morning in the old town with the park if the return is fixed first.
Checked – 2026 Sources: WebTenerife, TITSA
Photos and film
La Orotava 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. -
The Casa de los Balcones is uphill from La Orotava station, where line 345 from Puerto de la Cruz calls and line 348 pauses on its way up to Teide. Photo: Axel Cotón Gutiérrez, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons -
The terraces of the Victoria Gardens look back over the roofs of the historic centre; the climb from the bus station is part of a La Orotava day. Photo: Karmelo26, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Make room for something memorable
Book something around La Orotava
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. Selected activity links open GetYourGuide; destination photos are illustrative. Check the date, current price, meeting point and what is included before booking.
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Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Teide and La Orotava
Teide and La Orotava shore excursion
A small-group route through Teide landscapes and La Orotava, sold on GetYourGuide as a shore excursion.
Why consider it It links volcanic scenery with a historic northern town; check the meeting point on the product page against your ship’s all-aboard time before booking.
View experience: Teide and La Orotava shore excursion on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Meeting point & getting there: Teide and La Orotava shore excursion
Check the meeting point and any pickup on the product page before booking; this site could not read them.
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 4.0 -
Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 Isla Baja, north-west Tenerife
Garachico
Volcanic coast, historic squares and an unhurried small-town day
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 345: Puerto de la Cruz–La Orotava–La Caldera Checked – 2026
- Line 348 timetable Checked – Oct 2026
WebTenerife
- Historic centre of La Orotava Checked
- Victoria Gardens Checked – 2026
- La Orotava municipality Checked
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