What language is spoken in Santa Cruz Tenerife?
Canarians speak Spanish. The language spoken on Tenerife is Spanish, with slight variations from mainland Spanish that make it known as the Canarian dialect.
Table of Contents
Who owns Santa Cruz Tenerife?

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, port city, capital of the island of Tenerife and of Santa Cruz de Tenerife provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of the Canary Islands, Spain. The city occupies a small plain between two usually waterless ravines. It was founded in 1494.
What is Santa Cruz Tenerife known for?
Santa Cruz is the capital city of Tenerife and the shared capital of all the Canary Islands. The city itself is a bustling and cosmopolitan metropolis, full of elegant colonial architecture, the iconic Auditorio de Tenerife and a thriving nightlife scene. Tenerife’s capital is also famous for its annual carnival.
Why is Tenerife called Tenerife?
Toponymy. The name Tenerife comes from Guanche teni (mountain) + ife (snow) (literally snow mountain). The island’s indigenous people, the Guanche Berbers, referred to the island as Achinet or Chenet in their language (variant spellings are found in the literature).

How do you say hello in Tenerife?
To say hello, there is nothing like the classic and universal Hola (hello). If you intend to advance to the next level, you can use Buenos días (good morning) in the morning, Buenas tardes (good afternoon) from 12:00 and Buenas noches (good evening) as soon as the sun sets.
Can people in Tenerife speak English?
As most residents in Tenerife will be aware, there is a large percentage of British and Irish expats who speak little or no Spanish and instead expect everyone to speak to them in English.
Where is the old town in Santa Cruz Tenerife?
Yet in spite of this, Santa Cruz has not lost its traditional charm. Its historic quarter is a triangle drawn between the street of Calle La Noria, the adjacent squares of Plaza de España and Plaza de Candelaria, and Plaza de Weyler.
Is Santa Cruz Tenerife touristy?
30% of people staying on the island of Tenerife visit its capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, at some point, making this city the second most popular tour among visitors, just behind Teide.
Who lived in Tenerife before Spain?
The earliest known history of Tenerife begins with the Guanche people. They were original inhabitants of the island and their presence can be dated back to about 200BC.
Who originally lived on Tenerife?
Strictly speaking, the Guanches were the indigenous peoples of Tenerife. The population seems to have lived in relative isolation up to the time of the Castilian conquest, around the 14th century (though Genoese, Portuguese, and Castilians may have visited there from the second half of the 8th century onwards).
Is it OK to drink tap water in Tenerife?
Is the tap water in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and the other islands safe to drink? Yes, all public tap water in the Canary Islands is drinkable unless the local authorities state otherwise. The tap water adheres to the same strict standards as the water in Germany, Sweden, UK or France.
Is English widely spoken in Tenerife?
Many live within expat communities that largely communicate in nothing but English. All major businesses and organisations in Tenerife have English speaking staff. You can go to solely British or Irish bars, restaurants, shops and businesses. You can watch British or Irish TV via satellite or the internet.
Is Tenerife a good place to retire?
There are many reasons why you may want to retire to Tenerife, one will almost certainly be the good weather. It is said that Tenerife has one of the best climates in the world; in fact some people call it the island of Eternal Spring, which is a very good description for it.
Is it worth visiting Santa Cruz Tenerife?
In Santa Cruz de Tenerife, you’ll find just about everything: historical monuments, beautiful beaches, and various recreational activities. Also, Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the island’s capital city, so don’t worry if you’ll be here without a car.
What is Santa Cruz like Tenerife?
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a beautiful port situated in Tenerife, the largest of the western islands in the Canary archipelago. Around its important port are wide avenues, squares and exotic landscaped areas, not forgetting some beautiful examples of modernist architecture.
Is it worth going to Santa Cruz Tenerife?
Who is indigenous to the Canary Islands?
The original inhabitants of the Canary Islands are commonly known as Guanches (although this term in its strict sense only refers to the original inhabitants of Tenerife). They are believed to be either Berbers in origin or a related group.
What race were Guanches?
The aboriginal inhabitants of the Canary Islands, commonly known as Guanches, were genetically most similar to modern North African Berbers, according to an ancient-DNA sequencing study published this week in the journal Current Biology.
What race are people from the Canary Islands?
Canary Islanders, or Canarians (Spanish: canarios), are a Romance people and ethnic group. They reside on the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of northwest Africa, and descend from a mixture of Spanish settlers and aboriginal Guanche peoples.
Can you drink ice in Tenerife?
Most of Tenerife drinking tap water comes from desalinated sea water and doesn’t have a good taste, it’s fine for bathing or washing clothes, etc. For drinking, tea, coffee or ice always use bottled water.
Can you brush your teeth with tap water in Tenerife?
Can you brush your teeth with Spanish water? A. Yes, tap water is perfectly ok to use when brushing your teeth. Bottled water is also very cheap in Spain so this can also be used if preferred.
How much money do you need to retire in Tenerife?
Retirement in Spain also tends to be fairly low cost. You can retire comfortably on about $2,000-2,200 a month, about $25,000-27,000 a year.
Can you drink Tenerife tap water?
What food is Tenerife famous for?
Tenerife food guide: what to eat in Tenerife
- Mojo. It is a sauce paired with almost every meal, including the famous wrinkled potatoes (Papas Arrugadas).
- Goat Cheese.
- Fish and Sancocho Canaria.
- Ropa Vieja Canaria.
- Papas Arrugadas (Wrinkled Potatoes)
- Conejo al salmorejo (rabbit stew)
- Gofio.
- Arroz a la Cubana.
What time do people eat dinner in Tenerife?
Dinner: 9–11 p.m.
Dinner in Spain may be late, but as with all Spanish mealtimes, it’s definitely worth waiting for. Cena, or dinner, is usually much lighter than it would be in many other countries.