What to see in La Laguna: the town that became a plan
Most visitors to Tenerife pass through La Laguna without stopping, on their way to Anaga or the northern airport. That is a shame, because it is the only town on the island listed as a World Heritage Site, and the reason is not any single monument. It is the whole thing.
A town designed in one go
Almost every old town grew around something: a castle, a port, a crossroads. La Laguna did not. It was laid out at the end of the fifteenth century in one go, from a plan, and without walls.
That last part is the significant one. At a time when towns closed themselves in, this one was built open, organised as an orderly grid of straight streets. The model worked, and became a reference: that same idea of an unfortified town spread across its territory travelled to the other side of the Atlantic and was repeated in several colonial cities in the Americas.
When you walk the old town today, you are walking that original plan. Which is why the protected thing is the ensemble, not one building.
What you see in a morning
An unhurried walk:
Calle La Carrera, the main axis, with the town hall and many of the noble houses.
The cathedral, at one end of the old town.
The church of La Concepción, the oldest in town, with the tower that is La Laguna's classic image and visible from half the streets.
The courtyards. This is what people in a hurry miss: many old houses have inner courtyards with worked wood, and some can be visited. From the street you would never suspect what is inside.
Plaza del Adelantado, with the municipal market beside it.
Two or three hours cover it comfortably. And unlike some historic centres, this one is alive: it is not a stage set for visitors.
The university town
La Laguna has had a university since the late eighteenth century, and it shows immediately in the atmosphere. There are students, bars busy on weekdays, bookshops, and prices that are not those of the tourist coast.
If you want to eat well without paying seafront rates, this is the place. And if you want the other extreme, the rural one, the guachinches of the district are fifteen minutes away.
The climate: the surprise nobody warns you about
Here is the most useful practical note in this article. La Laguna sits at around 550 metres, on an inland plain, and it is usually a good deal cooler than the coast. Cloud rolls in often, too.
There can be eight or ten degrees of difference with the south of the island, and arriving in shorts straight from the beach is a classic mistake. Bring an extra layer even if it is hot on the coast. In winter, two.
The flip side is that in summer, when the south is punishing, La Laguna is a relief.
The market, if the day works out
The farmers' market here is one of the island's largest, and a good reason to plan the visit for a weekend. Which market opens on which day is in the markets guide.
Getting there and parking
La Laguna is very well connected to Santa Cruz, including by tram, and that is the most comfortable way to arrive if you are staying in the capital.
The old town is largely pedestrian, so if you drive, plan on leaving the car in a car park on the edge and walking in. Looking for a space inside will cost you the morning.
And if you carry on uphill
La Laguna is the natural gateway to the Anaga massif, with the ridge roads leaving from right here. It is a combination that works: historic centre in the morning, forest in the afternoon.
If you are putting together a full island route, we have it laid out in what to see in Tenerife.
