Why is La Laguna a World Heritage Site?
Because its old town keeps the street plan of an unfortified colonial city, laid out at the end of the fifteenth century and almost unchanged since. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1999.
The city council's own heritage pages quote ICOMOS, UNESCO's advisory body, calling it the first 'peace city': a town built without walls, and a precedent for cities in the Americas. Turismo de Tenerife names Old Havana, Lima and Cartagena de Indias among the colonial cities that followed the same model.
The town grew in two halves: the Upper Town, Villa de Arriba, from 1497, and the Lower Town, Villa de Abajo, from 1502. The first plan on record was drawn in 1588 by the Italian engineer Leonardo Torriani.
What to see in La Laguna on foot
Start at Plaza del Adelantado: the walk Turismo de Tenerife suggests begins there, and the main buildings are only a few streets apart. The main streets of the old town are pedestrianised, so you can take your time.
Plaza del Adelantado
The City Hall, the Palacio de Nava, the Casa de Anchieta and the convent of Santa Catalina de Siena stand around the square.
Calle de la Carrera
One of the city's original streets, past the Casa del Corregidor, La Alhóndiga and the Casa de los Capitanes.
Cathedral of San Cristóbal de La Laguna
The restored cathedral, along a stretch of shops and cafés.
Iglesia de la Concepción
The church and its square, with the bell tower that rises above the rooftops.
Calle Herradores and Calle San Agustín
Traditional Canarian architecture, and the houses of Los Jesuitas, Montañés and Salazar.
Real Santuario del Santísimo Cristo de La Laguna
Home to the Cristo de La Laguna, one of the most venerated images in the Canary Islands. The city market, Mercado de La Laguna, is on Plaza del Cristo.
How long does a visit take?
Two to three hours for a relaxed first visit, according to Turismo de Tenerife, and longer if you go inside the buildings. The city council runs regular free guided tours: ask at the tourist information office for the day's times.
Look up as you walk. Wooden balconies, volcanic-stone doorways, coats of arms and courtyards glimpsed through open doors are the details the tourism board singles out. We haven't found opening hours for the churches and museums on an official page we could check, so we don't publish any.
How do you get to La Laguna from Santa Cruz?
By tram. Line 1 runs from the Intercambiador, Santa Cruz's bus and tram station, to La Trinidad in La Laguna in about 35 min, and from the Trinidad stop the old town is a short walk away.
Metrotenerife runs the tram from 06:00 until midnight, Monday to Friday, and round the clock on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. On weekday mornings in the winter timetable, between 07:00 and 15:00, a tram comes every 5 min.
| Tram line 1 | Official figure |
|---|---|
| Intercambiador to La Trinidad | 35 min |
| Single ticket, Ten+ card | €1.35 |
| Single ticket, ten+móvil app | €1.10 |
| Monday to Friday | 06:00 to midnight |
| Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays | Round the clock |
Coming from the south
Take a guagua to the Intercambiador first. By day, TITSA's lines 110 and 111 link it with the Costa Adeje bus station, and line 711 runs through the night; their times are in our guide to the Santa Cruz carnival nights.
The single tram ticket covers one tram ride with no transfer, so buy it at the stop machine or in the app once you change.
Is La Laguna colder than the coast?
Yes, and you feel it most at night. AEMET's Tenerife Norte station, at 632 m in the municipality of La Laguna, averages a January low of 10.2 °C, against 15.4 °C in Santa Cruz by the sea (normals for 1981–2010).
Even in August the average low up there is 16.6 °C. The same station records fog on 77.7 days and rain on 64.0 days in an average year, so a jacket belongs in your bag. Month by month, north and south: Tenerife weather by month.
La Laguna after dark
The old town stays lively into the evening. Turismo de Tenerife describes students around the Canary Islands' first university, street musicians and plenty of taverns, restaurants and bars in the pedestrian streets. We have no nights on sale in La Laguna.
For the north after dark, see Santa Cruz and Puerto de la Cruz by night; our club nights are in the south, between Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos (clubs in Tenerife South). On a Saturday, the round-the-clock tram takes you back down to Santa Cruz for the night bus south.
