Sitio Litre Garden
A small garden with more history per square meter than anywhere else on the island. 350 orchid varieties, a centuries-old dragon tree, a Victorian croquet lawn and a colonial mansion frozen in time. Order a cream tea at the Cafe Orquidea - the most British thing you'll find in the Canaries. €4.75.
Behind an easy-to-miss entrance on Camino Sitio Litre hides Tenerife's oldest garden. The mansion was built in 1730 as a Dutch wine company's cellars. In 1774 British merchant Archibald Little bought it - locals couldn't pronounce 'Little', so it became 'Litre'. You'll find: Puerto de la Cruz's oldest dragon tree (predating the Spanish conquest), the island's largest orchid collection (~350 species), a Victorian croquet lawn, a koi pond, and copies of paintings Marianne North made here in 1875 - placed where she sat. After 150 years the garden looks practically the same. And at Café Orquídea you can have English cream tea where Agatha Christie was inspired to write 'The Mysterious Mr. Quin'. A small garden, but with more history per square metre than anywhere else on the island.
No own parking. Use Botanical Garden street parking or Explanada del Muelle (free, 15 min walk).
No own parking. Park near Botanical Garden (very close) or take a taxi. Wheelchair access: only from the top, via Carretera del Botánico (opposite petrol station).
The entrance is easy to miss - look for Camino Sitio Litre going up from Calle Valois. Perfect combo: Botanical Garden (€3) + Sitio Litre (€4.75) = two gardens, two worlds, under €8. Order the cream tea at Café Orquídea - the most British thing in the Canaries. Look for Nelson, the three-legged iguana in the bamboo. Compare Marianne North's paintings with what's in front of you: 150 years on, nothing has changed. In even-year Novembers you might catch the International Agatha Christie Festival.
The mansion was built in 1730, originally as a cellar for a Dutch wine export company. In 1774 it was bought by Archibald Little, a British merchant whose surname locals couldn't pronounce, so it became 'Litre'. In 1856 it was bought by Charles Smith - the Smith family owned it continuously for 140 years, until 1996 when it opened to the public. For nearly 300 years it has been the continuous property of British families. On June 23, 1799, Alexander von Humboldt was the guest of honor at a party here - upon arriving in the Orotava Valley he reportedly knelt to thank God for such beauty. In 1875, the botanical painter Marianne North lived here for two months and painted 26 works (now at Kew Gardens, London). In 1927, Agatha Christie came with her daughter Rosalind after her famous 'disappearance' and wrote 'The Mysterious Mr. Quin'. Other notable guests: William Wilde (Oscar's father), Sir Richard Burton (first European to reach Mecca, discoverer of Lake Tanganyika, translator of the Kama Sutra and One Thousand and One Nights). Open to the public since 1996.
Botanical Garden (1h) → Sitio Litre with coffee (1h) → Mirador de La Paz (15 min) → down to Lago Martiánez.
Centuries-old dragon tree by the croquet lawn
The centuries-old dragon tree beside the Victorian croquet lawn, mansion behind. The tropical-meets-British essence of Sitio Litre.
Victorian fountain in front of the mansion
The Victorian fountain with its arcade in front of the mansion entrance. Surrounded by palms and orchids. This is where Agatha Christie used to sit.