Tenerife Shopping and nightlife

Shopping in Tenerife

The largest shopping centres are in Santa Cruz and La Laguna where visitors will find a wide range of familiar fashion outlets, hypermarkets and restaurants. In La Laguna at the Centro Commercial Santa Maria del Mar you'll also find hyper stores such as Decathlon and Ikea. In the south, Las Chafiras is the closest hypermarket to the main resorts and gets very busy from 6pm.

For a more artisanal experience, drop in on one of the small, local markets which pop up on Saturday and Sunday mornings across the island. Amongst the most popular are the Sunday morning flea market near Señora de Africa Market in Santa Cruz; the Costa Adeje Thursday and Saturday morning markets (opposite Costa Adeje Gran Hotel) and the Los Cristianos Sunday and Tuesday morning market (alongside Arona Gran Hotel). You'll find a wide selection of arts, crafts and clothing at these markets.

For fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, cheeses and fine local wines, head to one of the island’s famers’ markets. The best are in Plaza del Cristo, La Laguna every morning and Thursday evenings; Tacoronte (on the Tejina road) every Saturday and Sunday morning; and at the Señora de Africa Market in Santa Cruz every morning until 1400.

With no VAT on the island, alcohol and tobacco are most people's favourite buys and you'll get far better prices in shops and supermarkets than at the airport. Cameras and IT are also good buys, but it pays to research prices before you arrive. Only use large, established companies such as Visanta, and check guarantees, instructions and merchandise thoroughly before leaving the shop.

Shopping Note

As Tenerife is a VAT free island it falls outside of the EU duty free allowances at Customs. Check allowances carefully to avoid paying unexpected duty on arrival back in the UK.

Shopping hours

Most department stores and supermarkets are open Monday to Saturday 1000-2200 and closed on Sundays and festivals. Outside of the resorts and in traditional towns smaller shops still observe the siesta, closing between 13.30 and 17.30pm.

Nightlife in Tenerife

Tenerife may have calmed down in its old age, but the island’s hedonistic alter ego is still lured by the bright lights and pumping beats of Playa de Las Américas. Now confined largely to the Veronicas and Starcos commercial centres, the clubbing resort continues to attract raucous young revellers.

The older crowd, meanwhile, head for Papagayo Beach Club (www.papagayobeachclub.es), where sunset cocktails segue into a night on the dance floor. Others are drawn to The Patch by karaoke, pub quizzes and jazz.

Locals rarely venture out before midnight, so nightclubs open late and close early in the morning. Achman Discopub in Costa Adeje is popular with locals as much as tourists and offers inexpensive drinks and Latin music.

Head north and you'll find a more localised party scene dominated by Latino sounds and salsa. Puerto de la Cruz is where the capital's hedonists go. Blanco Bar (www.blancobar.com) and Limbo are popular warm-up venues, and then it’s on to Azucar for Cuban salsa music.

If clubbing long ceased to ring your bell, there are plenty of seafront terraces and candlelit tables where you can linger over dinner and cocktails.