Tenerife Family Itinerary: 7-Day Kid-Friendly Day Plan

This Tenerife family itinerary is built for parents traveling with children roughly aged 2 to 14, over a 7-day trip, with one rental car and a base in a single resort town rather than a different hotel each night. It assumes you want a mix of beach days, one big-ticket attraction (a water park), one genuinely spectacular but tiring excursion (Mount Teide), and enough slow mornings that nobody melts down at 4pm.

If you're traveling with a baby under 12 months, you can follow the same structure but drop Day 3's Teide drive to a shorter loop — the altitude and winding roads aren't kind to very small babies, and some car-seat-aged infants struggle with the pressure change above 2,000 metres. Families with teenagers can swap a beach afternoon for the Barranco del Infierno trail near Adeje, which is more demanding and more rewarding for older kids.

This plan deliberately skips Santa Cruz as a full day. It's a genuinely interesting city — worth two or three hours if you're curious — but it's not built around children the way Puerto de la Cruz or the southern resorts are, and a day trip there competes with better uses of your time. I'd also steer you away from trying to combine Masca and Teide in one day, which some itineraries suggest. The roads between them are slow, twisting, and exhausting for carsick-prone kids.

Tenerife South Airport (TFS) handles most international family flights, and if you're basing yourself on the south coast, transfer times run 20-40 minutes depending on the resort. Puerto de la Cruz in the north is closer to Tenerife North Airport (TFN) but that's served by far fewer direct European routes, so most families land south and either stay there or drive roughly 45-60 minutes north.

Spreading big attractions across separate days, with built-in nap windows, keeps this Tenerife family itinerary realistic for young children.

Tenerife family itinerary day-by-day: activities, duration and nap windows

Durations are approximate and include travel time from a south-coast base; adjust by 20-40 minutes if based in Puerto de la Cruz.

Morning and afternoon: settle in and explore your base

Don't schedule anything ambitious for arrival day. Check-in at most resorts is 2pm-4pm, so plan an early flight if you want beach time, or accept you'll mostly be unpacking and finding the nearest supermarket. Spend the afternoon walking the resort itself — Playa de las Américas, Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos all have flat, pushchair-friendly promenades with playgrounds dotted along them. This is also the time to scope out pharmacies and a decent supermarket (Mercadona is reliable and inexpensive) for sun cream, nappies and snacks, which cost noticeably more at resort shops.

Evening: gentle beach walk and early dinner

Most of the south's beaches are black or dark volcanic sand, which gets hot underfoot by midday but is pleasant in the early evening. Playa del Duque in Costa Adeje is the most polished option, with calm water and lifeguards; Las Vistas in Los Cristianos is shallower and better for toddlers. Eat early — many restaurants start seating families from 6:30pm, and jet lag plus a day of travel means most kids are done by 8pm regardless of what the itinerary says.

This is the day to book ahead. Siam Park in Costa Adeje is consistently ranked among the best water parks in the world, and it's genuinely worth the hype for families — but it gets busy, and queueing in the sun with young kids is miserable. Buy tickets online in advance rather than at the gate; prices for adults typically run in the €40-50 range, with reduced rates for children, and a fast-track option exists if you're happy to pay more to skip lines.

Morning and afternoon: full day at water park

Arrive at opening, usually 10am, since the first 90 minutes before coach tours arrive are the calmest. Siam Park has a dedicated children's area (The Lost City) with shallow pools and small slides suitable from about age 3, plus loungers you can rent if you want a home base near the wave pool. Lockers cost a few euros and are worth it — carrying bags around a water park with kids is a nightmare. Bring your own snacks where allowed, since food inside is pricier than outside.

Evening: rest and recovery with light activities

Water parks are more tiring than they look — sun, water, and stimulation add up fast. Keep the evening deliberately boring: a pool swim back at the hotel, pizza, early bed. If anyone's sunburnt despite reapplication (common on day two of a trip), aloe vera gel from any pharmacy helps more than standard after-sun lotion.

Mount Teide National Park is the single most dramatic landscape on the island, and it's doable with kids as a driving-and-short-walks day rather than a hiking day. From the south coast it's about 1-1.5 hours to the main visitor areas; from Puerto de la Cruz it's closer to 45 minutes via La Orotava.

Morning: scenic drive and lower-altitude exploration

Start early — by 9am if you can — both to beat crowds at the cable car and because clouds often roll in by early afternoon, blocking views. The cable car (Teleférico) climbs to 3,555m near the summit; it's not advisable for babies or children under about 7 due to altitude and the cold, thin air, and anyone with respiratory issues should skip it. If you book the cable car, reserve your slot online in advance — walk-up capacity is limited and July-August sees waits of 2+ hours without a reservation. Families with younger children do better sticking to the lower visitor centre, the short Roques de García trail (flat, about 20-30 minutes round trip to the viewpoint), and picnic areas around 2,000m.

Afternoon and evening: return to base with stops

On the way back, Icod de los Vinos makes a good 45-minute stop to see the Drago Milenario, a centuries-old dragon tree that's genuinely impressive to kids who've never seen anything like it. If you're based north, loop back through La Orotava's old town for an ice cream break. Expect the whole day, door to door, to run 7-8 hours including stops — pack snacks, water, and a layer for the summit, which can be 15-20°C cooler than the coast.

This is your lower-key day, built around walking rather than driving long distances. Garachico, on the north coast, is the standout — a former port town rebuilt after a 1706 volcanic eruption buried its harbor, now centred on natural volcanic rock pools that are safe for older kids to paddle in (check conditions; they can be rough in winter swell).

Morning: explore historic town or village

Garachico's old town is compact and mostly flat, with cobbled sections that are bumpy but manageable with an all-terrain pushchair. Budget 2-3 hours. If you're staying in Puerto de la Cruz, it's a 30-minute drive; from the south, closer to 1 hour 15 minutes, which makes it a more natural pairing with a northern base.

Afternoon and evening: coastal walks and local dining

Drive on to Los Gigantes in the southwest to see the sea cliffs — around 500-800m high in places — from the small harbor viewpoint, free and a 10-minute walk from parking. Dinner in Puerto de la Cruz's old town offers more authentic Canarian food than most south-coast resort strips, though service is slower, which matters if you've got a hungry toddler. I'd skip trying to add Masca to this day; it's a separate, full excursion in its own right.

Anaga Rural Park, in the island's northeast tip, has some of Tenerife's best family-friendly laurel forest trails — cooler, greener, and a complete contrast to the volcanic south. It's roughly 40 minutes from Santa Cruz, so if you're staying south, this makes for a long day; it pairs better with a Puerto de la Cruz base (about 1 hour).

Morning: easy family-friendly trail or nature reserve

The trail from Cruz del Carmen to Casa Forestal is relatively flat and well-marked, roughly 3km one way, manageable for kids 6 and up with regular stops; younger children will need carrying for parts since it's not pushchair-friendly — the terrain is uneven forest path. If that sounds like too much, Barranco del Infierno near Adeje (south coast) is shorter, better signposted for families, and requires advance booking since visitor numbers are capped daily.

Afternoon and evening: animal attractions or beach time

If the morning hike wore everyone out, Loro Parque in Puerto de la Cruz is the obvious afternoon alternative — animal attractions rather than nature walks, but reliably entertaining for kids aged 3-12, with orcas, penguins, and a large aquarium. It's pricier than a standalone beach afternoon (adult tickets typically €38-40) but less physically demanding than another hike.

Tenerife sits close to resident pods of pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins in the channel between the island and La Gomera, making whale-watching one of the most reliably bookable family experiences here — sightings rates are high year-round, unlike seasonal whale-watching elsewhere in Europe.

Morning: whale-watching or boat excursion

Boats leave from Los Cristianos and Puerto Colón, typically for 2-3 hour trips. Choose an operator that limits time spent close to pods and keeps a respectful distance — this is regulated in Tenerife's protected marine area, and reputable boats follow it. Morning departures tend to have calmer water, which matters if anyone in your group gets seasick; antihistamine-based seasickness tablets work better for kids than wristbands, in most parents' experience. Compare current boat tours and prices before you book, since catamaran versus smaller rigid-hull options vary a fair bit in cost and comfort.

Afternoon and evening: beach relaxation and reflection

Spend the afternoon back at your resort beach — by day 6, kids (and parents) generally want familiar sand and no driving. This is a good evening for a slower dinner and an early pack-for-tomorrow session if you're flying out the next day, since Day 7 is better kept light for departure logistics.

Choosing a base shapes this entire itinerary more than almost any other decision. The island splits broadly into a warmer, drier south built for resort holidays, and a greener, more authentic north centred on Puerto de la Cruz.

Puerto de la Cruz: family amenities and attractions

Puerto de la Cruz has more cloud cover and occasional rain compared to the south, and its beaches are smaller and sandier-poor (Playa Jardín is the best, with imported black sand and a pushchair-friendly promenade). What it offers instead is proximity to Teide, Anaga, and Garachico, plus Loro Parque on its doorstep. It suits families who want culture and nature over guaranteed poolside sun, and who don't mind more driving being replaced by shorter trips.

South coast resorts: beaches and water parks

Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos and Playa de las Américas offer more reliable sun, Siam Park, calmer beaches, and a far bigger concentration of family-oriented hotels with kids' clubs and shallow pools. The trade-off is longer drives to Teide, Masca and Anaga — expect 1-1.5 hours each way to the north. For a first Tenerife family trip, especially with children under 6, I'd lean south; the shorter travel times to beaches and the water park outweigh the extra driving for northern day trips.

Tenerife is bigger than most first-time visitors expect — about 80km north to south — and distances between attractions genuinely matter when you're planning around nap times.

Car rental and pushchair accessibility

A rental car is close to essential for this itinerary; public transport can't realistically cover Teide, Masca and Anaga on a family timetable. Book a car seat with your rental in advance — Spanish law requires age/height-appropriate restraints, and availability on the day is unreliable, especially in July and August. Most resort towns and Puerto de la Cruz's main promenades are flat and pushchair-friendly; cobbled old towns like Garachico and La Orotava are passable but bumpy, so an all-terrain pushchair beats a lightweight umbrella stroller.

Public transport and journey planning

TITSA buses (the green buses) connect most towns reasonably well and are cheap — a Bono Via Insular card reduces fares significantly — but journey times roughly double versus driving, and buses to Teide and Masca run limited schedules, sometimes once or twice a day. If you're not renting a car, stick to a south-coast or Puerto de la Cruz base and book organized day tours for Teide and Masca instead of attempting them by public bus with young kids.

Three things on this itinerary are worth reserving ahead rather than turning up on the day: Siam Park tickets (sells out or queues badly without a timed entry), the Teide cable car (limited daily capacity, especially peak season), and the Barranco del Infierno hike (capped visitor numbers by regulation). Whale-watching boats rarely sell out completely but better operators do fill their morning slots first.

For bad-weather days — more likely in the north between November and February — swap a beach day for Loro Parque, the Museo de la Naturaleza y el Hombre in Santa Cruz, or an indoor play centre, several of which exist in Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos. If legs are tired rather than weather is bad, swap Anaga's hiking for a gentler option: the botanical garden (Jardín Botánico) in Puerto de la Cruz is flat, shaded, and takes under an hour.