Parque Taoro
Ten hectares of waterfalls, tropical gardens and viewpoints with the best panorama of Puerto de la Cruz. At the top, the newly reopened Gran Hotel Taoro - a 5-star with Michelin-starred restaurants where you can enter the lobby without being a guest. Take a taxi up and walk down. Free 24h.
Useful links
Parque Taoro is much more than a park: it's where tourism in Spain was born. On these 10 hectares of tropical gardens, waterfalls and viewpoints, the Gran Hotel Taoro was built in 1890 - the country's first luxury grand hotel, designed by French architect Adolphe Coquet for European bourgeoisie fleeing tuberculosis and the Industrial Revolution seeking clean air. Kaiser Wilhelm II, King Alfonso XIII, the Belgian royals and Agatha Christie all stayed here - Christie wrote part of 'The Mystery of the Blue Train' in her room in 1927. The hotel closed in 1975, became a casino until 2006, and stood abandoned for nearly 20 years. Until October 2025, when it was reborn as a 5-star hotel with Michelin-starred restaurants. But the park itself is spectacular and free: three zones with waterfalls that look natural, the Dulce María Loynaz viewpoint with city-ocean-Teide panorama, a neo-Gothic Anglican church (testament to the British colony), the Camino de la Sortija where horse races were held, and jacarandas that paint the park purple each year. 100,000 m² of green magic, free, 24h.
Access via Carretera del Botánico or Carretera de Las Arenas. Limited parking at the top.
TITSA lines 350, 351, 353 to 'English School' stop (top of park). Walk down from there.
Get here by busBest trick: taxi to the top (€3 from center) and walk down through the park to the Botanical Garden or center. All views, no effort.
Navigate to parkingDon't walk up at 2pm in the sun - take a taxi for €3 and stroll down. La Atalaya is the most spectacular part: waterfalls, bridges, viewpoints. Waterfalls light up from 6pm - come at sunset if you can. Look for ceramic murals about the Canaries hidden in the vegetation. For a break, Risco Bello tea garden is an absolute secret: coffee, cakes and juices in a hidden little botanical garden. And the biggest news: Gran Hotel Taoro reopened October 2025 as 5-star - you can enter the lobby and French gardens without being a guest, and dine at OKA (omakase by chef Ricardo Sanz, 2 Michelin stars). From the viewpoint, on clear days you can see Puerto de la Cruz, the Atlantic and Teide in a single glance.
The name 'Taoro' comes from the Menceyato de Taoro, the most powerful Guanche kingdom of the 15th century, which encompassed the Orotava Valley. In the 19th century, Puerto de la Cruz became a destination for European bourgeoisie seeking to recover from respiratory illnesses in its mild climate. Dr. Víctor Pérez promoted the construction of the Gran Hotel Taoro, inaugurated December 22, 1890. Designed by Frenchman Adolphe Coquet, with 217 rooms and 15,771 m², it was Spain's first luxury grand hotel. Kaiser Wilhelm II (1909), King Alfonso XIII, the Belgian royals and Agatha Christie (1927) all walked its corridors. A fire in 1929 damaged the building. It closed as a hotel in 1975 and served as a casino from 1979 to 2006. Abandoned for nearly 20 years, in 2023 Grupo Timón (Ignacio Polanco) together with the Cabildo de Tenerife invested €35 million in its restoration. It reopened on October 20, 2025 as a 5-star hotel with 199 rooms, restaurants by Michelin-starred chefs and a luxury wellness center - closing a cycle of 135 years.
Taxi to Anglican Church (top) → down through La Atalaya (waterfalls, Dulce María Loynaz viewpoint) → Casino Gardens (Gran Hotel Taoro) → Risco Bello tea garden → down to Botanical Garden → Sitio Litre → Mirador de La Paz.
Dulce María Loynaz viewpoint
Mirador Dulce María Loynaz at the top. Full panorama: Puerto below, Atlantic to the horizon, Teide behind. Best just before sunset.
Waterfalls in front of Gran Hotel Taoro
The waterfalls cascading in front of Gran Hotel Taoro. They light up at 6pm. From below looking up with the building behind: fairy tale image.