Best time to visit Tenerife

The best time to visit Tenerife is September-May for warm sunshine, quieter beaches and cooler trails – ideal for active and winter sun holidays. That said, Tenerife is great year-round. Read our month-by-month guide to see what to expect in every season, from bright, dry January and Carnival to spring wildflowers, summer knees-ups and calm autumn waters. We also cover our favourite festivals and events in Tenerife.

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Best time to visit Tenerife

With practically guaranteed warm sunshine all year round, deciding when to visit Tenerife all boils down to what you want to do when you’re there.

Just 300km off the coast of Africa, Tenerife’s climate is more akin to Morocco and Western Sahara than mainland Spain: think sunshine and swim-friendly seas year-round. September to May is the best time to visit Tenerife, with warm, bright weather ideal for activities and beach time. July and August are hotter and busier, so our walking holidays take a break. It’s a good time for less active trips like Spanish language courses. The aliseo wind refreshes the north and south-east coasts, creating great waves for surfers, and it’s always cooler and quieter in the mountains and the north. Whale watching trips run all year, thanks to resident pods of whales and dolphins off Costa Adeje.

Call us for the best time to go to Tenerife

A month by month guide on the best time to visit Tenerife

January in Tenerife

Winter sun

Warmer in the south

Whale watching and surfing

Costa Adeje and Playa de las Americas are the warmest spots in Tenerife in January, with highs of 18-20°C. Sea temperatures are a pleasant 20°C too, plus there’s loads of bright sunshine around. It’s cooler in the north: Los Gigantes is a changeable 13°C with cool nights, while Mount Teide can come with a picturesque cap of snow. Here in Spain’s southernmost reaches, the sun sets at 6.30pm – a good hour later than northern Spain.

February in Tenerife

Carnival

Popular winter sun month

Almond blossom

Carnival is huge, with loads of people arriving to observe the month-long celebrations in the capital of Santa Cruz. It’s not the only thing worth celebrating in Tenerife in February: almond trees start blossoming, decorating walking trails. Temperatures keep up the north-south divide with the breezy north coast considerably cooler than the south’s highs of 18°C. It might be winter, but don’t forget your sunscreen – the UV index is already high.

March in Tenerife

Peaceful month

Warmer weather

Walking and wildflowers

Flowers bloom in Tenerife all year round, but they’re given an extra boost in March thanks to a sprinkling of winter rain. Maximum temperatures reach a pleasant 20°C in Tenerife in March; it’s a good time for beaches without the crowds. Some whales migrate past the Canary Islands now; this is your last chance to see them before they’re off to oceans new.

March is a great time for our Canary Islands walking holiday

April in Tenerife

Peaceful springtime (apart from Easter)

Hiking, cycling and culture tours

Green, flowering landscapes

Spring brings peace – apart from Easter, when people arrive for the holidays and Holy Week celebrations. Wildflowers remain bright amongst green valleys and field edges. Surf season winds to a close in Tenerife in April as the waves calm and the beaches get busier. Highs are a warm 20°C and there are eight hours of sunshine a day. April is a great time for hiking, cycling and cultural sightseeing.

May in Tenerife

One of the best months to be in Tenerife

Sunny, dry and warm

Last hurrah of spring and wildflowers

Tenerife in May is a great time for active breaks. The sea is warmer, paths are gilded in sunshine, and temperatures are lovely and warm. In fact, sea and air temperatures draw even at around 21°C. You’ll find the warmest climate in the south, around Costa Adeje and Playa de las Americas. All in all, May is one of the best times to be in Tenerife.

People from the Canary Islands call the September-October low season calma… the sea is really calm. It’s like a plateau; it’s like a lake.

– Sara Garcia, from our partner Spanish by Immersion

June in Tenerife

Relaxed start to summer

Long midsummer days

Guided walking holidays finish

June temperatures gear up for summer, with maximum day temperatures rising to 23°C. It’s also midsummer, so Tenerife in June experiences the longest days of the year and a bare minimum of rain. Watch out, though: UV levels are at skin-scorching levels. Hot, dusty winds called the Calima can blow in from the Sahara at any time of the year but can intensify in the next few months.

July in Tenerife

Hot and sunny

Fiesta season

Busier and more expensive

School might be winding down for most, but our language learning holidays are just beginning. Fiestas pop up all over the island, making it a great time to be on a cultural holiday. Santa Cruz and the popular beach resorts are a warm 25°C, while northerly Los Gigantes reaches 23°C. Rainfall is negligible; you probably won’t even notice the 1mm that falls in Tenerife in July.

July is a great time for our Spanish language holidays in Tenerife

August in Tenerife

Hottest month

Best for stargazing and meteors

Busy, sunny summer holidays

Summer holidays are a go in Tenerife in August, with families heading to the southern resorts. The whole island is alive with festivals and live music; it’s a great time to join our language and cultural holidays. Maximum day temperatures creep upwards of 27°C, although the hot, sunny weather is often buffered by the Atlantic breeze. Waters are an inviting 23°C – great for wetsuit-free water sports. The likelihood of dusty Calima winds wanes.

September in Tenerife

Warm and sunny

Hiking tours begin again

Beginning of quieter season

As the busy summer holidays wind down, walking and cycling trips start up again, enjoying quieter sunny trails. Temperatures are on their way down, with maximums of 25°C, while the ocean temperature rises one more notch to a balmy 24°C. The surf season begins in Tenerife in September too. Plus, flights are often cheap enough to deserve a double take.

October in Tenerife

Peaceful autumn

Brief rainy moments

Harvest and holidays

Tenerife in October is cooler and quieter: expect temperatures to be a maximum of 24°C in the south and 19°C in the north. It’s the rainiest month, but it comes in short showers that leave the countryside and coastal walking paths revived and green. Two harvests are happening now: almonds and grapes. The autumn school holidays occur too, albeit with a more relaxed vibe than summer.

October and November are a great time for our Tenerife walking holidays

November in Tenerife

Winter sun

A little cloud in the north

Quiet low season

November is one of the quietest months in Tenerife. It’s a lovely time to visit, with day highs of 21°C in the south. Walking holidays are in full swing, making the most of the empty paths before the December sun seekers arrive. Clouds gather a bit in the north of Tenerife in November, bringing temperatures down to 16°C in Los Gigantes.

December in Tenerife

Christmas and New Year celebrations

Winter sun

Popular month with higher prices

Fancy a dose of winter sun? Tenerife in December is the place to be, with day temperatures around 19°C in the beach towns of the south, and the sea still a lovely 21°C. It’s a popular month, so expect high season prices, especially around Christmas and New Year. That said, it’s also a great month to be here, with plenty of events and activities throughout the winter break.

Tenerife Weather Chart

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Contact Us

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Best time to go to Tenerife for festivals & events

Canary Islands Music Festival (January)

Dive into one of Europe’s only winter music festivals – a knees-up celebrated across the Canaries for over 40 years, with some of the biggest concerts staged in Santa Cruz de Tenerife’s sublime auditorium. Listen to musicians and chamber choirs from across the world, as well the homegrown Tenerife Symphony Orchestra. Keep an eye out for creative collaborations and album launches too.

Three Kings’ Day (5 January)

Dia de los Reyes – or the Three Kings’ Day – marks the end of the Christmas season with themed parades that wind through the streets. It’s celebrated in towns and villages across Tenerife, but some of the biggest processions are in historic cities like Santa Cruz and San Cristobal de La Laguna, where lanterns and Christmas lights glow in the streets.

Tenerife Carnival (February)

Tenerife Carnival is second only to Rio de Janeiro in size and spectacle, with hundreds of thousands of people turning up to Santa Cruz de Tenerife to party away the last day before Lent. Take your pick of parades: the daytime procession, the crowning of the three carnival queens, and a night parade of glittering dancers and musicians. It all ends with the good-humoured Burying of the Sardine, a faux funeral march that signals the end of the Carnival and the beginning of the traditional Lenten fast.

Holy Week (April)

San Cristobal de La Laguna lays on some of the oldest and most dramatic Easter celebrations in the Canary Islands. Stick around for the whole of Holy Week (Semana Santa) as it crescendos towards Easter Sunday in a series of solemn parades and statue processions that have marked the Passion of the Christ since the Spanish colonised Tenerife in the 16th century. La Laguna’s Renaissance streets make an especially atmospheric setting.

Carpet Day (May)

Catch that heady floral perfume on the air? It’s Carpet Day (Dia de las Alfombras) in La Orotava – one of the most spectacular and fleeting festivals in Spain. On this eighth day of Corpus Christi, flower carpets sweep down the streets in petalled mosaic-like images that range from Catholic icons to street scenes. Don’t leave it too long, though – a procession marches over the carpets in the evening, scattering it all before sunrise.

Tenerife Opera Festival (October)

Any excuse to see a concert in the beautiful Tenerife Auditorium is a good one – and Tenerife Opera Festival is an excellent excuse. Each year embraces a different theme, such as the poetic ‘The world seems immense and silent’. Of course, the programme is anything but silence, punctuated by performances that range from Puccini’s classics to new modern-day epics. There are also exciting cameos from Tenerife’s own symphony orchestra, opera-intermezzo choir and dance schools.

Our travellers also ask…

When is the best time to visit Tenerife for stargazing?

It all depends on what you’d like to spy. The Perseids meteor shower and Milky Way put on a spectacular show during the long, warm evenings of August. Meanwhile, winter is best for the Geminids meteor shower thanks to cool, clear nights.

When is the best time to visit Tenerife for walking?

The best time for walking in Tenerife is spring, autumn and winter – so September-June. Mild-to-warm sunny weather makes for comfortable hiking, and you’ll escape the hottest sunshine of high summer. Tenerife’s climate inspires flowers to bloom all year round, but walking in March-April reveals the best drifts of wild poppies, red bugloss, crocuses, fennel, geraniums and daisies.

When is the best time to visit Tenerife for beaches?

We think the best beach weather is May-June and September-November, when the temperatures are lovely and warm and the sands are less crowded. The sea temperature is glorious in autumn, too. However, if you’re solely after the warmest weather and bluest skies, then July-September is the best time to go. There’s practically no chance of rain and barely a cloud in the sky.

When is the best time to visit Tenerife for whale watching?

Winter and spring (November-May) is the best time to go whale watching in Tenerife. In this window, you’ll get the chance to spy resident pilot whales as well as migrating fin, humpback, sperm and Bryde’s whales. Pilot whales swim off the coast of Costa Adeje all year round, though, so don’t worry if you miss this whale-y great window.

When is the best time to visit Tenerife for surfing?

Are you after big waves? Then go for the winter months of October to March, when the rollers spiral in from the open Atlantic. The north coast is for pros, with super swells and rugged coastlines. The long, sandy beaches of the south coast are better for less experienced surfers, particularly between June and September, when smaller waves help you find your groove.

What is the best time to visit Tenerife for prices?

Spring and autumn are the best times for cheaper flights and accommodation. September sees flight prices plunge, which continues into the quiet season of October and November. April and May are also the best time to visit Tenerife, price-wise – if you avoid Easter and school holidays.

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Written by Catherine Roberts

Best time to visit Tenerife

Best time to visit Tenerife